Imagine if you knew how much energy each appliance in your home used and how much it cost you each month. What would you turn off, cycle, or even upgrade to the latest ENERGY STAR model?

Well, you don’t have to imagine.

This innovative new “Home Energy Analytics” feature is available in SmartHub! Thanks to our advanced meter change-out program, residential members now have access to custom analytics detailing their energy footprint throughout the day, resulting in tips for maximizing their energy dollars. With this new feature, you can learn how much energy the following appliances use in your home:

• Lighting

• HVAC and water heater

• Refrigerator and cooking

• Laundry

• Entertainment

• Pool pump

• Electric vehicle

• And more!

ITEMIZE YOUR BILL WITH APPLIANCE USE

As a not-for-profit electric cooperative, we are all about transparency with our member-owners. This new feature will help you to “itemize” your electric bill and see which “baskets” (aka appliance groups) are costing you the most. Timestamped data will allow you to see what times of day are most expensive for you, as well as recall when events like parties may cause a spike in your use. It also takes weather into consideration, as hotter or colder temperatures mean heating and cooling systems have to work harder.

This allows you to understand and take charge of your bill, so you don’t have to call PPEC for help understanding your home electric use and what is happening from month to month.

Each month, members will also receive estimated bill projections from this data.

• Want to lower your monthly electric bill? Cut your appliance use using specialized home recommendations provided by SmartHub, and set threshold alerts to notify you when your energy use exceeds a predetermined amount. This can help you adjust your expensive energy behaviors.

• Is the bill projection lower than expected? If your budget allows, use these estimations to justify that new freezer or other appliance you’ve been wanting. (Just make sure it’s ENERGY STAR rated, so you can apply for a PPEC rebate!)

COMPLETE YOUR PROFILE FOR ACCURATE SAVINGS TIPS

If you want more accurate use breakdowns and bill projections, you’ll need to complete your home profile in SmartHub. The more detailed information you provide about your home and appliances, the more precise recommendations SmartHub can make.

Over time, SmartHub’s algorithms will be able to recognize patterns in your usage, advise practical changes to maximize savings, and even suggest a potentially new rate that you could cut costs on.

Please keep in mind that it may take several months of analyzing your home routines and patterns before practical data can be supplied. This data is just an estimate and does not claim to be 100% precise.

ADVANCED GRID PLANNING

With growing demand on the electric grid, future reliability is a priority for PPEC. This allows us to better estimate where new or increased electric loads will be located, helping PPEC forecast future construction work plans.

For instance, if a house continues to increase electric load year after year, the co-op can plan for a new transformer before the demand exceeds capacity.

It will also help PPEC track electric vehicle interest, appliance saturation and efficiency, peak load times, and more.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

To take advantage of these new features, members must be enrolled in SmartHub. To create an account, visit PPEC.coop and click the red SmartHub button at the top. You can also search for the free SmartHub mobile app for convenience on the go. Notifications can be set for email, text, and more in settings.

Hate getting too many emails? You can tailor the number and type of notifications you receive within your account.

Not interested in receiving this information? No worries — members can opt out of Home Energy Analytics by calling the coop at 800-686-2357.

We hope this turnkey new feature will empower you to make smart energy decisions by harnessing the power of your own analytics. Don’t hesitate to contact me, your energy services coordinator, at pniagu@ppec.coop with any questions. Learn more about SmartHub’s capabilities, including bill pay and outage reporting at PPEC.coop/smarthub.