Energy
Right Time Pricing Program
Now you can choose what you pay for electricity by when you decide to use it – and take more control over your electricity costs than you’ve ever had before. Our new Right Time Pricing plan has been designed to encourage you to shift your heaviest energy use from times when electricity is in high demand to times when demand is much lower. Unlike the flat rate you are currently paying, it rewards you with a lower rate for using electricity during low demand or "off peak" times.
Is It Right for You?
Are you interested in being more energy efficient? Would you like to reduce your electricity consumption by as much as 20%? Are you willing and able to shift the use of your most energy-hungry appliances and electronics to evenings and weekends, when the rate you pay will be lower? If your answer is "yes" to all three of these questions, congratulations! You're right for Right Time Pricing.
Making Right Time Pricing Work for You
To take advantage of Right Time Pricing's lower rate schedule, you first need to consider how you do things now. Make a list of the appliances you use most often. Think about the changes in your routine you could make to move that use to after 8 p.m. or before 10 a.m. on weekdays. Or maybe you could shift that activity to a weekend. For instance:
- Wait until just before bed to run the dishwasher
- Split the laundry up and run some loads during the week after 8PM, some others on the weekend
- Try leaving your entertainment system off until after 8PM
- Plug your entertainment system components into a surge protector/power strip to make it easier to turn them all on and off at the same time
- Do the same with your computer network components and shut them down completely when not in use
- Set your programmable thermostat for automatic energy savings
- Rethink how hard or how often you have your dehumidifier running
You'll be surprised at how much energy you'll save by simply identifying opportunities for shifting your electricity use and adopting a new routine based on Right Time Pricing. Make your changes a little at a time or all at once. The choice is yours. The important thing is to stick with your plan. Your plan will become a habit – a habit that will reduce your power consumption and your carbon footprint at the same time.
About the Program
Right Time Pricing is a new way of paying for electricity that gives you more control over your energy costs. As a participant in this voluntary program, you'll be charged for your electricity depending on when you choose to use it. Unlike the simple flat rate you pay for electricity today, Right Time Pricing rewards you with a lower rate for using electricity during "off-peak" (lower) demand times. If you're an energy conscious customer, you can save money by shifting your highest electricity use to periods of the day when prices are lower. Managing your electricity use through Right Time Pricing also means you help reduce strain on the regional electricity supply. This helps avert power outages and reduce harmful carbon emissions for a healthier environment.
How the Program Works
It costs the City of Wadsworth more for electricity during periods of high customer demand. Other factors, like weather conditions and the time of year, also impact these prices and can drive them higher. The Right Time Pricing plan is structured to allow you to save when we save – which is why you'll only pay approximately $0.6 per kilowatt hour (kWh) during off-peak hours in the fall, winter and spring months. Look below and you'll see that the Right Time Pricing Winter season has its days split into two periods: On-Peak and Off-Peak. Each period has a fixed price assigned to it. You're charged for your usage* when it occurs:
Winter (October to May)
- On-Peak: 10am - 8pm
- Off-Peak: 8pm - 10am
Rates Within Corporate Limits
Rates Outside Corporate Limits
Summer (June to September)
Summer On-Peak and Off-Peak hours remain the same, but your rate changes.
- On-Peak: 10am - 8pm
- Off-Peak: 8pm - 10am
Rates Within Corporate Limits
Rates Outside Corporate Limits
Summer (July & August)
Summer Peak days are split into three periods, with the highest rate occurring during the hours of highest demand, or "Summer Peak".
- On-Peak: 10am - 1pm & 5pm - 8pm
- Off-Peak: 8pm - 10am
- Summer-Peak: 1pm - 5pm
Rates Within Corporate Limits
Rates Outside Corporate Limits
Choose Your High-Tech Savings Partner
Customers who currently have central air conditioning and broadband Internet service may choose to have our web-programmable thermostat professionally installed in their home or to opt for our in-home display, a small, portable device which may be placed anywhere in the home.
Benefits
Both devices are provided free of charge and both will deliver the important information you need to make Right Time Pricing work for you. Working together with your smart meter, both enable you to:
- View your household's current electricity use
- View the current rate of electricity you're paying
- Track your electricity consumption and associated costs over time
- Test consumption and the costs of operating specific appliances or electronics
- Receive and acknowledge messages from the City of Wadsworth
According to the U.S. Department of energy, using a programmable thermostat can save you as much as 10% annually on your heating and cooling costs. Our web-programmable model gives you the power to control your home's temperature even when you're away from home, so saving is easy – and your home's temperature is always just right when you walk in the door.
- Program manually at home, or remotely through the Internet
- Save up to 10% annually off your cooling and heating costs
- Seven-day/four-interval programming for customization to your schedule
- Large, high-resolution LCD display for reading at a glance
- Professionally installed at no charge
The Right Time Pricing In-Home Display (IHD)
Large enough to read easily, but small enough to place anywhere, our in-home display keeps everyone in the house aware of important electricity usage information. Keep it in a high traffic area and watch your savings grow.
- Magnetic backing for easy placement on kitchen appliances
- Stands upright for placement on counter or tabletop
- Rechargeable (includes battery charger)
- Large, high resolution LCD display for reading at a glance
Eligibility
- Open to both residential and commercial customers
- Customers who select a web-programmable thermostat for their Right Time Pricing device must be equipped with both central air conditioning and a broadband connection
- Customers who do not have central air conditioning and/or a broadband connection are eligible to receive the in-home display as their Right Time Pricing device
Terms of Participation
Customers who enroll in Right Time Pricing must remain in the program for a minimum of one full year. At the end of the one-year term the Right Time Pricing rate structure will automatically continue in effect until the customer contacts the City of Wadsworth to elect an alternate rate structure.
Disclaimer
Work performed by participating contractors is not guaranteed or subject to any representation or warranty, either expressed or implied or otherwise, by the City of Wadsworth or COMVERGE. Neither the City of Wadsworth nor COMVERGE makes any guarantee or any other representation or warranty, expressed or implied or otherwise, as to the quality, cost or effectiveness of any product(s) provided or work(s) performed by any participating contractor or by any such participating contractor's employees, subcontractors or suppliers. Energy efficiency gains are subject to a number of variable conditions and circumstances. While it is the intent of the Right Time Pricing program to achieve energy efficiencies, neither the City of Wadsworth nor COMVERGE guarantees or warrants that any specific energy efficiency gains will be achieved for a particular customer under the program.