Load Management

Load management (also called peak management) is a voluntary program that allows our generation supplier, Buckeye Power, to control electricity use at certain times to help avoid costly new peak power demands. A peak demand occurs when consumers demand more electricity than ever before. It can happen in the summer or winter when temperatures are extreme and sustained. The highest demands are during the hours of 6 to 10 a.m. when people are getting up and ready for work, and from 5 to 9 p.m. when they are settling in for the night. The maximum, or peak, amount of power used determines Pioneer's costs for power. When the peak goes up, so do the costs.

Members Help Control Cost
The radio-controlled switch (RCS) is a vital part of the load management program. Approximately 100,000 water heaters and more than 6,000 home heating systems throughout the state presently have an RCS.

Whenever there is a risk of reaching a new peak, the RCSs are activated, temporarily interrupting electricity to the appropriate appliances. At that time, a red light illuminates on the RCS, indicating the switch is in use. There is also a green light on the RCS, which should always be on to indicate there is power to the RCS.

Since the water in an electric water heater stays warm for several hours without power, chances are members may never even notice the temporary shutdown. Home heating systems qualifying for load management have a back-up system to continue providing heat for the home.

Shared Sacrifice Results In Shared Savings
Although members may experience a slight inconvenience from time to time, it's a small price to pay to keep overall costs down. The more people who participate in load management, the more money everyone saves!

Pioneer was one of the first cooperatives in the country to control electric water heaters with radio switches for load management, and since then our members have enjoyed a $7 million savings. To join the more than 6,100 Pioneer member-consumers already committed to load management, and to get your RCS installed, call Pioneer Electric Cooperative today, or e-mail us at loadmanagement@pioneerec.com. The sooner you sign up, the sooner you start to save, the sooner we all start to save!

Click here for tips to help reduce peak demand.

 
   

Pioneer Electric Cooperative
344 West U.S. Route 36
Piqua, Ohio 45356
(800) 762-0997