Pedernales Electric Cooperative’s power costs accounted for 67.5 percent of the Co-op’s total operating expenses in 2013. PEC members can help reduce those wholesale power costs by participating in the Co-op’s Beat the Peak program.
The Cooperative pays a higher price for electricity purchased from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. every day from June through September, when demand for electricity is highest. The Beat the Peak program encourages members to shift energy use away from that peak period, and more than 15,000 PEC members have already enrolled.
The Beat the Peak program is free, voluntary and gives Co-op members the opportunity to reduce PEC’s costs. Co-op members can help Beat the Peak by shifting their electric use away from peak hours by taking simple steps between 2 p.m. and 6 p.m. such as:
• Raising the thermostat by 3 degrees.
• Shifting hot water use – laundry, dishwashing, etc.
• Avoiding use of major appliances.
“Every year participation in Beat the Peak has grown, and that’s a sign to us that members are interested in ways to manage and conserve their energy consumption,” said the executive sponsor of the program, PEC’s Vice President of Communications & Business Services Michael Racis. “I encourage our members to join the Beat the Peak program and learn how to more efficiently manage their energy use.”
The Beat the Peak program runs through Sept. 30, and members interested in volunteering to Beat the Peak can join online at www.pec.coop, by calling 1-888-554-4732 and speaking to a representative or by visiting any PEC office. More detailed information about the Beat the Peak program is available at www.pec.coop/BeatThePeak. All members enrolled in the program on or by Sept. 30 are entered into a drawing to win an Energy Star washing machine or one of 10 Nest Learning Thermostats.
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