JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The JEA's board of directors is planning a rate hearing next month to enable a pilot program for a new way to bill residential customers for electricity.
SmartSavings would allow customers to control their monthly bill by reducing usage during peak periods of demand and by limiting the amount of electricity they use at a given time, the Financial News and Daily Record reported.
Peak periods vary depending on the time of year. April-October peak demand occurs noon-7 p.m. Monday-Friday; November-March is 6-9 a.m. Monday-Friday.
In addition to deciding when to use electricity in general, JEA also recommends customers change when they use appliances that require the most electricity.
In a typical all-electric home, the central heating and air system can account for up to 40 percent of electric usage. The water heater is nearly 20 percent of the total bill, a clothes dryer nearly 9 percent and a refrigerator or freezer, 8 percent.
By avoiding using a dryer when the heating and cooling system is operating, the household’s peak usage is lower, which would result in a lower cost per kilowatt-hour for electricity.
Customers who enroll in the program could pay less on an annual basis for the electricity they use.
For more details, visit the Daily Record.