Program provides affordable home heating
According to the Minnesota Office of Energy Security, the average household spends more than $600 on home heating each winter. With that hefty price tag, many consumers are on the lookout for money-saving alternatives.
Great River Energy and its member cooperatives offer one such solution with the dual fuel heating program. Dual fuel helps members lower their heating costs by strategically balancing between two different heating sources.
Participants in the dual fuel heating program heat their homes primarily with electricity, but are automatically switched (via a radio signal) to a backup heat source (typically liquid propane or fuel oil) during times of high prices in the electricity market. These hours can occur any time of the day, but are typically in the early evening and occasionally in the morning.
By agreeing to have their electric heating switched off at certain times, participants in the dual fuel program receive a lower rate for electricity used to heat their homes.
This program allows Great River Energy to avoid supplying power at times when demand and electricity prices are highest, which allows Great River Energy’s member cooperatives to better manage the rate it charges members.
“By avoiding the most expensive hours, we’re able to provide energy at a lower rate to participants throughout the winter,” said Great River Energy Load Management Coordinator Eddie Webster.
For the upcoming winter, there are expected to be approximately 25 days in which electric heat will be controlled, totaling between 150 and 175 hours. Control of electric heating systems will not exceed 12 hours on any single day.
Find more news by reading the November edition of Great River News.
