REYNOLDS/WARNER ROBINS/UPATOI/PERRY - Due to the successful operation of its Smart Select load management program this past summer, Flint Energies has assigned almost $345,000 as $25 bill credits to about 13,800 of its currently active members. Members will receive their bill credit as a separate line item on their October bills.
“Participating members get $25 each fall when the program saves energy and dollars for their non-profit member-owned cooperative,” said VP Marian McLemore.
Smart Select is a voluntary program designed to reduce peak electric demand during the hottest summer afternoons when air conditioners are used the most. These switches reduce peak use and save Flint Energies from purchasing additional power during the summer months when costs are at their highest.
Members who participate in Smart Select allow the cooperative to attach a load control switch to their central AC/heat pump and electric water heater and or pool pump, at no cost. The switch allows Flint to safely cycle the air conditioner off for brief periods on peak usage days. Members report noticing little to no difference inside their homes because the fan continues to run and circulate cooled air, according to McLemore.
“By reducing peak demand, Smart Select members are helping the environment by reducing the consumption of gas, coal and oil fuels used to generate electricity,” she said. “This reduces the need to build new power plants. In addition, Smart Select participants are ensuring system reliability by reducing the chance of blackouts.”
“By participating in this volunteer program, residential members will save themselves and Flint Energies money on future power purchases,” McLemore said. “Over 18,000 load control switches have been installed; however, Flint still needs more volunteers. The more participation the cooperative achieves, the more money saved…which keeps bills lower for all members.”
To sign up for Smart Select and to receive a $36 one-time installation bill credit, members can call 1-866-988-3902 or sign up Annual bill credits of $25 will continue each fall when Flint has a successful peak-shaving summer.
About Flint Energies www.flintenergies.com
Incorporated in 1937, Flint Energies is a not-for-profit member-owned electric cooperative that provides energy services to residential, commercial, industrial and agricultural members in parts of 17 central Georgia counties. Flint has 230 employees and serves more than 89,500 meters.
Flint's physical plant consists of more than 6,735 miles of distribution line and 50 substations located within Bibb, Chattahoochee, Crawford, Dooly, Harris, Houston, Macon, Marion, Monroe, Muscogee, Peach, Schley, Sumter, Taylor, Talbot, Twiggs and Upson Counties. The system also includes the Museum of Aviation at Robins Air Force Base and the Fort Benning military post. Flint is the eighth largest of Georgia's 41 EMCs and the 37th largest of the nation's nearly 1,000 rural electric cooperatives.
Touchstone Energy www.touchstoneenergy.com
Flint Energies is also a Touchstone Energy Cooperative, part of a nationwide family of electric cooperatives exhibiting the core values of integrity, accountability, innovation and commitment to community. Flint’s members give their cooperative an American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) score of 84, which rates higher than most investor-owned utilities in the country.
American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI)
http://theacsi.org/industries/energy-utilities
The ACSI is a uniform and independent measure of household consumption experience. As an economic indicator, the ACSI tracks trends in customer satisfaction and provides benchmarking insights of the consumer economy for companies, industry trade associations and government agencies.” The ACSI is produced by the Stephen M. Ross Business School at the University of Michigan, in partnership with the American Society for Quality (ASQ) and the international consulting firm, CFI Group.