Small Town News

Smart meter coming to LJEC members

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Members of the rural electric cooperative, Leavenworth-Jefferson, are going to be hearing a lot about that glass bulb on the light pole with the spinning wheel that reads their electrical usage.

In the months to come, all of those meters will be replaced by solid-state Smart meters and those who take advantage of the technology will be able to save money.

General manager Steve Foss introduced the Smart meter to the co-op's advisory board Thursday night in McLouth.

The technology that will allow the use of Smart meters will reach the first substation in early August and be available throughout the system by Oct. 1.

The first members to get a new meter will be those who call to sign up to take advantage of "time of use rates" that could reduce their electric bill by up to 30 percent.

Foss explained that LJEC charges members 10.81 cents per kilowatt-hour. This is derived by combining the co-op's cost of electricity that runs from 8.45 cents per kwh on off-peak hours to 17.89 cents per kwh during the peak load, 3 to 8 p.m. weekdays.

The general manager explained that a member who is willing to wait until after 8 p.m. to dry their clothes and wash the dishes can save money and the new meter will more accurately read this usage and bill accordingly.

A member who uses electricity before 3 p.m. and after 8 p.m. would pay the 8.45 cents per kwh. Any usage during those hours would cost them 17.89 cents per kwh.

"It puts the consumer in control and rewards those who do want to conserve, " Foss said.

He also emphasized that since the cooperative has gone to a new rate structure, it makes no money from the electricity billed to the member. With a time-of-use meter, the charge for the electricity would be the same as the cooperative is charged from its supplier.

For the member who is chronic about paying late or faces numerous disconnects during the year, there is a pre-pay meter. The person will be able to buy so much electricity -- just like gas -- and the meter will tell them when the "tank" is about empty.

They can even buy a small device for inside the house that will show how much electricity they have left.

For the 75 to 100 customers who regularly face the cost of disconnects, reconnects, and late fees, this can be a great savings, Foss said.

The Smart meter is also a savings for the co-op in that the meter can be turned on or off from headquarters without sending an employee to the residence.

A resident can also sign up for the "load management" program, allowing the cooperative to control one's air conditioner and electric hot water heater during the peak hours. Under this program the co-op pays the resident $5 a month for the water heater and $10 a month during three summer months to control the air conditioner.

"This is not a program for every residence, " Foss said, "but for the newer, better insulated homes, it would be a benefit."

Under this program, the air conditioner fan is left running and the compressor is allowed to cycle 15 minutes on, 15 off, or at about 50 percent of what it would normally operate.

The co-op has approximately 6, 800 members and 8, 500 meters. It will take 18 months to two years for all those meters to be replaced.

There is a long list of other advantages attached to the Smart meter, some of them futuristic sounding.

The electric company will be able to detect power outages more quickly and the precise area located more easily, theft and tampering can more easily be detected, and a "blink" detector will identify trees, animals, or other obstructions causing problems on the line.

The advisory board members attending were Rick Burcham and Dan Warner, Oskaloosa, Randy Kidd, McLouth, John Fisher, Perry, Ron Henneberg, Hoyt, and Lester Meinert, Tonganoxie. LJEC board members present were Jeanine Murphy, Leavenworth, Mark Gratny, Lansing, and Marty Shaw, rural Lawrence.



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© 2011 The Valley Falls Vindicator Valley Falls, Kansas. All Rights Reserved. This content, including derivations, may not be stored or distributed in any manner, disseminated, published, broadcast, rewritten or reproduced without express, written consent from DAS.

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