ComEd has a pricing program that may allow you to save money: Residential Real Time Pricing. I’ve been signed up for several years, and it saves us money. The annual statement just arrived and reported that we saved 13.9%, or $325.39, in 2013.
The way it works is that your electric rate per kilowatt hour varies with real-time supply and demand. You can check rates online or opt for an email that tells you about price changes. When prices are low, you can do things that use a lot of electricity, like running the dryer or using the oven. If prices are high, you can walk through the house and turn off lights.
It works best if someone is home all day to turn things on and off and if you have discretion over what electric items you use. If someone in your household uses electric-powered medical equipment, you aren’t going to turn it off just because electric rates are high, and this is not a program for you. But if it’s a matter of deciding to use the dryer in a hour instead of right now, it’s no big deal.
You can learn more at the ComEd web site. If you decide to sign up and remember to put my name in the referral box (Ann Logue), I’d be much obliged.
