[September 04, 2015] |
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Smart Meter-Enabled Tools Put the Power in Customers Hands and Greater Control of Electricity Costs
With more than 1.4 million smart meters installed in northern Illinois,
customers with smart meters can leverage smart meter-enabled tools and
pricing programs to help them manage their energy usage and save money
on electric bills. Customers with smart meters can access ComEd's online
energy management tools, sign up for high-usage alerts, receive weekly
usage reports summarizing daily electricity use, enroll in ComEd's Peak
Time Savings program and more to enjoy the benefits smart meters have to
offer.
"As we continue to deploy smart meters across northern Illinois, these
investments are providing more customers with greater opportunities to
manage their energy use," said Val Jensen, senior vice president of
Customer Operations, ComEd. "Innovative smart meter-enabled programs
like Peak Time Savings allow customers to voluntarily reduce their
energy use when the costs for electricity are typically higher due to
greater demand. Programs like this are even more valuable during the
summer, when people generally use more electricity to cool their homes
and businesses," said Jensen.
The smart grid law passed by the Illinois General Assembly in 2011
opened the doors for ComEd to modernize its 100-year old system and
provide customers with improved reliability while also enhancing
economic development in Illinois and building smart infrastructure for
the future. As part of this $2.6 billion modernization program, all of
ComEd's nearly four million customers will receive smart meters by the
end of 2018. With a smart meter, customers can see how much electricity
they use and make changes in the way they use energy. In addition, smart
meters automatically send electricity-usage information to ComEd
eliminating the need for estimated bills and reducing operating costs
that become savings on customer electric bills. Once fully deployed in
2018, the high-tech meters will also immediately alert the company to
power outages.
Customers with smart meters can take advantage of ComEd's smart
meter-enabled tools and make a direct impact on their electric bills.
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Personalized Energy-Management Tools are available by logging
into your online ComEd account. Here, customers can access free
personalized energy saving tips, set savings goals, enroll in
high-usage alerts which notify customers when their electricity is
trending higher than usual for their household, and sign up to receive
weekly usage reports via email.
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Peak Time Savings (PTS) helps customers save by voluntarily
reducing electricity use during designated time periods when energy is
most in demand. Currently more than 58,000 ComEd customers are
enrolled in this program where enrollees can earn $1 credit on their
electric bills for every kilowatt-hour (kWh) of electricity they
reduce during PTS hours. On Sept. 1, ComEd opened Peak Time Savings
Hours and as a result, customers enrolled in this program saved a
total of $88,000. ComEd is the first utility in the Midwest to offer
this smart meter-enabled program to customers.
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The Residential Real Time Pricing (RRTP) progra is an hourly
pricing program that allows residential customers to pay the hourly
prices for electricity which means customers can save by using
electricity when prices are lower. Participants also receive customer
support and services to help manage costs with hourly pricing.
Services include real-time high price alerts, predicted day-ahead high
price alerts, an online bill comparison tool, and information to help
guide energy decisions.
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Energy Insights Online monitors a building's electricity
consumption and converts this data into simple, easy-to-understand
usage graphs and reports that can be accessed online. Business
customers also have the option of enhancing their Energy Insights
Online energy data access and visibility with Green Button Connect My
Data (GBC). GBC supports the Energy Insights Online service by
enabling business customers to leverage the Green Button Standard and
authorize third party service providers direct access to their
facility's energy usage.
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Business Energy Analyzer analyzes your business' electricity
usage month-to-month or year-to-year. Business customers can receive
personalized energy efficiency tips based on their usage, identify
potential cost savings and set energy efficiency goals, and understand
how their electricity usage compares with similar businesses.
ComEd also manages one of the largest energy efficiency programs in the
nation. The ComEd Smart Ideas Energy Efficiency Program has saved
customers more than $1 billion. Home and business owners can take
advantage of the program that offers a variety of ways to cut energy use
and costs including easy energy savings tips such as:
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Program your thermostat. Setting your thermostat 10 degrees
higher in the summer when you leave your home and before you go to
sleep could save you up to 15 percent a year on cooling costs.
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Maintain Your Air Conditioner. Cooling your home can be the
largest use of energy during the summer months. Make sure your air
conditioning unit is clear of debris and has a clean air filter. Your
air conditioner will last longer and save energy by working more
efficiently.
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Set your fridge and freezer to the recommended temperature settings.
Set your fridge temperature between 35 and 38 degrees, and your
freezer at 0 degrees. Otherwise you're just overcooling your food.
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Take advantage of the ComEd Smart Ideas®
Energy Efficiency Program. ComEd offers customers a suite of
solutions, including assessments, rebates, discounts, and recycling to
help them save on their energy bills. For more information, visit ComEd.com/HomeSavings
for residential customers and ComEd.com/BizSavings
for business customers.
The utility continues to look for ways to deliver more savings to
customers directly and through the market. Other measures implemented by
ComEd to help customers save money and manage their energy bills include
a $50 million reduction in customers' delivery rates, which will go into
effect in January of 2016. Another example is a recent regional energy
auction in which ComEd's energy efficiency programs cleared $57 million
for the 2018-19 procurement year; ComEd will pass along these savings to
our customers.
Recent legislation supported by ComEd, known as ComEd's Future Energy
Plan, builds on the benefits of the smart grid to expand support for
renewable energy in Illinois and ensure that energy consumers and the
state economy will continue to benefit from affordable power, a more
secure and resilient grid and innovation that is establishing Illinois
as a leader for a greener, cleaner future.
Commonwealth Edison Company (ComEd) is a unit of Chicago-based Exelon
Corporation (NYSE: EXC), the nation's leading competitive energy
provider, with approximately 7.8 million customers. ComEd provides
service to approximately 3.8 million customers across northern Illinois,
or 70 percent of the state's population. For more information
visit ComEd.com,
and connect with the company on Facebook,
Twitter
and YouTube.
View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20150904005498/en/
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