Now that there were into June, it's fair to say that summer has arrived. For Power Smart Pricing customers that means that hourly price patterns will nudge some hours above the flat residential rate that most Ameren customers are paying. Each year we like to develop a guide that can help program participants get the most out of Power Smart Pricing by shifting their usage away from the highest hourly prices.
Top Summer Tips:
- Reduce electricity usage between the hours of 1 p.m. and 5 p.m. (especially on hot summer days).
- Limit air conditioning usage during higher priced hours and try pre-cooling to take advantage of lower priced hours.
Today's temperature happens to be a little cool so the highest hourly price is only 2.8 cents per kWh from 3pm to 4pm. However, hot summer weekdays often feature the highest prices of the year. The 2012 Summer Energy Guide is now available to download at
http://www.powersmartpricing.org/tools/summer-tips/summer-readiness-201/. You can also find the best summer energy tips for Power Smart Pricing customers at
http://www.powersmartpricing.org/tools/summer-tips/.
It really can be simple. Avoid the usage of your biggest electrical appliances, like your air conditioning, during weekday afternoons and you'll take advantage of lower prices and save money all year round.