Otsego Electric, a cooperative based in Hartwick, is trying to stretch green power and save green money.
Toward that end, the co-op has installed new meters than can be read and analyzed from the central office.
Now, a program offers members a $2-per-month discount if they'll have a load switch placed on the electrical circuit that powers their electric hot-water heater.
``The idea is to shut off water heaters at times of peak demand,'' said Jim Foote, member services and IT systems manager.
The switch, which the co-op will install for free, is turned on and off remotely from the central office and typically will be turned off in the morning, he said.
Most mornings, starting at about 7 a.m., power usage climbs sharply, especially in the winter, he said.
``People get up, turn on lights, take showers, maybe turn on the furnace for a few minutes,'' he said.
When the 4,500 or so co-op members do this at once, he said, the co-op's need for power rises dramatically and forces Otsego Electric to buy additional, or incremental, power.
Ordinarily, the co-op runs on hydropower, which costs about 3 cents per kilowatt, Foote said. The additional power needed to get members through peak-load times can cost 15 cents a kilowatt hour or more, and it is not generated by hydroelectric turbines, he said.
``It's usually gas-generated and expensive,'' he said.
One of the biggest power users in a house is the hot-water heater, but these can be turned off during times of high demand and reheated later, when power is cheaper and more abundant.
``Usually, people won't even notice the difference if it's off for a while,'' Foote said.
More than 300 co-op members have already had load switches installed, and last winter, peak demand was lessened as a result, he said.
The co-op is exploring other ways to conserve power and money, including the use of LEDs and thermal storage units, he said.
Thermal storage units are essentially electric furnaces that can be heated during times of low demand and switched off when power is needed elsewhere.
Light-emitting diodes are highly efficient light generators that can be used in many ways. The co-op is encouraging members to replace the mercury vapor lights they use for barn lights with LEDs, Foote said.
``LED lights use only about 20 percent of the power of a mercury vapor light,'' he said, adding that they will probably be in wide use around the world in the next few years.
Business Week reported Wednesday that the city of Seattle "will use $6 million in federal stimulus money to begin replacing all 40,000 street lights in the city with LED technology. The transition to the energy-efficient lights will take four to six years.''
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