![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() The water heater and air conditioning controls (if they didn’t already have one installed).The initial kickoff of the Beat the Peak program involved opt-in members receiving: Due to the success of these projects and the close relationship between the two organizations, DEC selected Eaton to help support its new load management efforts. DEC had been working with Eaton to advance its automated reading program and engaged with the manufacturer for help with its initial load control program in the 1990s. As an added benefit, this approach would also reduce greenhouse gas emissions and noise levels in the community, and the farmers no longer would need to move generators from field to field. Converting this load to electric could help the utility and its members provide a guaranteed load during off-peak hours, while also dramatically lowering the cost to run the irrigation system for the farms, as the cost of diesel fuel is about three times the cost of electricity purchased from the co-op. All of the irrigation equipment used by local farms could fit these criteria, but much of the power coming into the farms was singlephase, which meant the equipment was using diesel generators. Beyond the active participation of its members, DEC also sought new ways to improve energyefficiency and energy costs behind the meter.Additionally, DEC actively pursued customers with the largest loads to participate in the program-in particular, customers that had the flexibility for power to be shut off during peak rate periods. Early on, the co-op sought ways to notify its members during and before peak energy periods so they knew when peak times were approaching-so they could change their energy consumption habits in ways that made sense for them. DEC engaged with its members so they became active participants, generating energy savings and significantly reducing electricity costs during peak times. A key part of this program involved the community. To address this issue, DEC developed the Beat the Peak program in 2008 to reduce energy costs for its members through a multi-pronged approach that yielded substantial savings. During normal load periods, the co-op pays pennies per kilowatthour for power, but those rates can increase to nearly a dollar per hour during times of peak demand. DEC recognized the demand for power on its system was greatest in the hot summer months between 3 and 7 p.m. There are two major factors that affected the price of electricity for DEC: the cost of fuel needed to generate power and the demand for power. With an increasing membership and expensive transmission costs, DEC sought ways to reduce costs for its members, while continuing to provide reliable, high-quality electricity. The transmission costs in the Delaware Electric service area became more expensive as a result of increased local demand and increasing demand and congestion from the surrounding areas of Baltimore, Washington D.C., and Philadelphia. In the past 15 years, DEC has doubled its membership-with the majority of members joining after 2000. The Delaware Electric Cooperative (DEC) dates back to 1936 and was founded as part of President Franklin Roosevelt’s rural electrification movement to provide affordable and sustainable power to rural parts of the country. ![]()
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