As a member of Mid-Ohio Energy, you can help us keep rates stable by reducing your energy use during peak hours on hot summer days.
The hottest times of day create the highest demand for electricity and when demand is high, so is the price. If we can reduce electric use during these “peak hours,” we can reduce power costs for all our members. Peak hours during the summer are typically between 1 p.m. and 7 p.m.
Here are a few simple ways you can help “beat the peak” this summer by shifting your energy use to off peak hours:
- Turn off unnecessary lights and electronics when they aren’t being used
- Run your dishwasher and do laundry early in the morning or later in the evening
- Raise your thermostat by a few degrees
- Take showers during off-peak hours
- Shut blinds and curtains during the day to keep the sun from warming up your home
- Schedule your pool pump to run during off-peak hours
- Cool the room by turning on a fan rather than lowering the thermostat
In addition to helping your co-op keep rates stable, these tips will help you contain your home's energy use.
Radio-control / load management switch info (Current load control status)
You may have noticed a small, gray box located on your water heater, heat pump, and/or geothermal unit... but did you know that box plays a key role in keeping your energy costs affordable!?
The box, known as a “radio-control switch” or RCS is a key component of the co-op’s load management system for reducing our overall system load during peak hours.
At times when energy use on the grid is at its highest, a signal can be sent to these switches to temporarily cut power to the connected appliance. As a result, the demand for energy can be more easily predicted and managed.
As a member, you may currently have one or more load management switches (pictured below) in your home.
For more information on how the switches work and the current status of load control periods, visit MidOhioEnergy.com/peak.
By adjusting the times you use electricity this summer, you can help us keep stable despite the heat! If we all work together, we all will benefit. That’s the power of cooperation and cooperative membership!