I went to my electric company's website to find out what exactly made up "peak" and "off-peak" hours, because apparently this is a hot topic on chatroom boards, and this is what I found for my area:
"DETERMINATION OF ON-PEAK AND OFF-PEAK HOURS (for use in 2009)
1. For the period of June 1 through September 30, on-peak hours are: 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., Mondays through Fridays.
2. For the period of October 1 through May 31, on-peak hours are: 7 a.m. to 11 a.m. and 5 p.m. to 9 p.m., Mondays through Fridays.
DETERMINATION OF ON-PEAK AND OFF-PEAK HOURS (Continued)
1. Off-peak hours are defined as all hours other than those listed above.
2. The following holidays are observed as off-peak: New Year's Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas."
There is quite some disparity around the country (as well as in other countries) as to what qualifies as "peak" and "off-peak" time for power usage,even to the point that some areas just have flat-rate pricing only. This information is very useful, along with knowledge about appliance efficiency, in determining how to cut down energy usage, as well as power bills and the type of appliance that would be right for your conservation efforts.
In my area, it looks like I'd have to live the life of a vampire (up all night, sleep all day) during the summer, cram all my chores into weekends and holidays, and do everything between noon and 4 from October to June to save the most money. I guess super-efficient appliances really don't even enter into the equation for me, but I would definitely seek out the most efficient American ones with time delays (so they can be set to run after we've gone to bed, or when Hubby gets out of the shower in the mornings--he's up by 4:30 to avoid commuter traffic).
If I lived in a "flat-rate" area, I'd definitely be looking at long-cycle European models with an eye to reliability over the long term (if it could be found).
I WOULD STRONGLY ADVISE YOU TO GET YOUR AREA'S PEAK AND OFF-PEAK INFORMATION FROM YOUR ELECTRIC UTILITY--THIS COULD HELP GET YOU THROUGH THE RECESSION, AND HELP YOU MAKE BETTER ENERGY USE CHOICES IN THE FUTURE!
Sunday, June 07, 2009
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2 comments:
I guess that makes sense, those are the hours when my a/c (or heat in winter) are pumping at their hardest.
I'm going to have to try to reduce our usage, my bill was over $200 already this year. I do a lot of laundry and dishes, and the a/c runs hard all day in hot weather even though we keep blinds closed and covered the skylights. But with two teenage boys in the house, I can probably just look forward to them (the bills) going higher and higher.
Not if you sit down with your kids and show them the bills, then explain what they can do to help you cut down the bill and have more money to spend on THEM!
Go to your electric company's website or call to find out when your off-peak hours are, then explain (and post on the walls) when the boys can go nuts with their energy use, and when they must help Mom by cutting back. You's be surprised how kids can be good helpers, especially since your are old enough to be reasoned with!
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