York Electric Cooperative, Inc.

Beat the Peak

Feels like summer

A lineman is pictured clearing a fallen tree
In June, we had nearly 5,000 members without power from a sudden microburst storm that affected members across York County. Crews responded within 30 minutes and worked through the night to get the lights back on for our members with help from out-of-town crews.

To me, it’s fishing season. The humidity in the air and time with family are special to me, but this season also brings a heightened awareness to two key challenges we face each year: summer storms and the potential for high bills. Your co-op has maintained low rates for the past 11 years, but it’s important to note the impact you have on continuing this trend. Through programs like Smart Thermostats and Beat the Peak, we can work together to continue holding down power costs and prevent the need to build more generation sources while working to keep your electric bill as low as possible during the summer months.

Install a smart thermostat

YEC’s smart thermostat program helps you save energy and money. Signing up allows your co-op to pre-cool your location in anticipation for the hottest time during the day. Cycling your unit not only helps you save up to 23% in energy costs, but it also helps your co-op hold down power costs. Sign up for the Smart Thermostat Program today!

Help us Beat The Peak

Postponing household chores such as laundry, cooking, and dishes to later in the day can help lower your electric use and hold down power costs. More than 13% of YEC’s members participate in peak alerts. Together they have helped save 156,163 megawatts of energy, a dollar equivalent of $1,388,557. Sign up for Beat the Peak today!

Storm safety

Additionally, I’d like to turn your attention to being prepared in an outage situation. Your co-op prepares for storms by trimming rights-of-way and maintaining our distribution system. More than half of our lines are now underground. We can’t control summer storms, but we can respond quickly, keep you updated on outage restoration progress online and encourage you to be prepared to keep you and your family safe.

Visit our storm center for help creating an emergency plan, especially if you rely on electricity for life-saving measures, learn more about how power is restored during an outage, and details about portable and whole-house generator safety.

Have fun this summer and make memories that will last a lifetime with your mind at ease; your co-op is working for you to keep the lights on, the bills low and your service safe. We’re proud to always look out for you.

Paul Basha

Sincerely,

Signature

 

 

Paul Basha
President and Chief Executive Officer

 

A greener energy future with GreenSC

YEC is looking out for you and a greener energy future. Learn how to help hold down power costs, employ smart devices to help monitor your energy use at home and invest in renewable energy with your local co-op.

We’re proud to be your trusted energy advisor and source for power and information.

Beat the PeakWhat is peak demand?

We all like to stay cool in the summer and warm in the winter, watch our favorite shows and keep our devices charged. Typically, we all do these same things at the same time, creating a demand for electricity. When the demand is the highest, it is known as a peak.

Beat The Peak is a free and voluntary program to help control energy costs for all cooperative members. On cold winter mornings and hot summer afternoons, we can Beat The Peak demand for electricity—together. Sign up today at energysmartsc.org/beat-the-peak.

ecobee SmartThermostat with voice controlSave energy, get rewarded

Help your co-op hold down power costs and get paid! YEC offers members the opportunity to purchase an ecobee3 lite or ecobee SmartThermostat with voice control at a discounted rate. If you are interested in purchasing a smart thermostat, or if you already use an ecobee or Sensi thermostat in your home, sign up online or visit yorkelectric.net/thermostats to get rewarded.

As a participant in YEC’s Smart Thermostat Program, you will allow the cooperative to control the thermostat during peak periods of energy use. Although members may override their thermostat control, allowing your co-op to control your device at least 60% of the scheduled times saves money and energy for everyone. Plus, at this rate, you get rewarded!

Members who opt-out of less than 40% of peak events will receive a $100 bill credit during the first year and $50 the second year and each year going forward.

Outdoor solar panel presentation with Scouts.
Energy Services Representative Brent Clinton explains solar energy to a local Boy Scout troop. “Even our youngest members are interested in our energy future,” says Brent, “YEC is always here to help our members learn more.”

Catch some rays

YEC knows solar is a hot topic and that’s why we’re prepared to help you make the choice that’s right for you.

Whether you want to install solar panels on your home or invest in renewable energy through our Community Solar farms, our Solar Advisory Program will help you make an informed decision on your investment.

Learn more about how your co-op can help you with solar » 

Beat the Peak Video QR CodeSneak Peak

Want to know more about Beat The Peak? Scan the code with your smartphone to watch our video.

Congrats to our BTP winners!

Through Beat the Peak, more than 50,000 South Carolina electric cooperative members have joined forces to make a big impact on energy costs. Together, they are projected to save more than $580,000 in power costs per year, helping to keep rates low across the state.

Want to join them?

Sign up online at BeatThePeak.com

To support and thank the huge efforts made by participating Beat The Peak members across the state, all South Carolina participants were entered in a drawing for a $500 Visa gift card grand prize. Additionally, each cooperative’s participants were entered for a chance to win the local prize of a $100 Visa gift card. Winners were announced in mid-December, just in time for Christmas!

Congratulations to York Electric member Kimberly Rook, who was the winner of the statewide drawing. David Lee was the cooperative’s local winner.

Kimberly Rook
York Electric member Kimberly Rook received a $500 Visa gift card as the statewide winner. As someone who has been especially mindful of her energy use through the pandemic, Rook claims, “I try my best to conserve energy whenever I can, and the peak alerts act as great reminders.”
David Lee
York Electric’s local winner, David Lee, received a $100 Visa gift card. Lee explains, “I enjoy knowing that by participating in the Beat The Peak program, I am helping keep power costs down for myself and for all members of York Electric.”

You’re the MVP

For nearly ten years, York Electric has been able to keep rates flat for members. We’ve worked hard to invest wisely in the future of your cooperative, maintaining financial stability so that outside factors don’t impact your monthly rates. We consider this success a joint effort because you’ve also played an integral role in keeping power affordable with programs like Beat The Peak.

Since we started Beat The Peak in 2018, South Carolina cooperative members have collectively helped their co-ops save $618,195 in power costs. This effort not only helps reduce the need to build additional power generation facilities, but also helps maintain low rates. When electricity’s demand is the highest, or when the most people are using the most power, generation of electricity costs more. Think about driving your car. Putting your car in motion from a stoplight or going uphill requires more power from your engine, which uses more gas. Helping your co-op offset the predicted peak times is like coasting downhill, increasing your miles per gallon and saving your co-op money. Just by simply receiving an alert when YEC predicts a peak in demand to occur and offsetting your power use by adjusting your thermostat or waiting to do household chores really makes a difference.

Choose When You Use Electricity


 
To date, York Electric has 6,535 members signed up for Beat The Peak alerts, resulting in an overall savings of $105,325 just for our co-op. The more members who are consciously shifting their electric use, the more impact we can have on keeping power costs low. Similarly, we have 292 members participating in our new smart thermostat program. As an addition to the Beat The Peak program, members who sign up and install an ecobee smart thermostat will automatically have their thermostat adjusted to accommodate for predicted peak energy use times. The best part is, we automatically pre-cool your house in the summer and pre-warm your house in the winter so that you don’t feel any discomfort.

With the help of technology, we’re looking out for you and keeping your bottom line a priority. Sign up for peak alerts at BeatthePeak.com and purchase a smart thermostat from YEC here. Together, we can be the winning team. Thanks for being the most valuable players and holding down power costs.

Sincerely,

Paul Basha, CEO, York Electric Cooperative

Paul Basha

Paul Basha
President and Chief Executive Officer

York Electric Cooperative cancels Annual Meeting

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, the York Electric Cooperative Board of Directors and management team has decided to cancel the 2020 Annual Meeting of Members. Please save the date for our 2021 Annual Meeting on Saturday, May 8.

To continue prioritizing the health and safety of our members and employees, York Electric Cooperative also will not host the following community events:

  • Member Appreciation Shred Day
  • Member Advisory Committee Meeting

Additionally, we will modify our annual Veterans Day Celebration on Tuesday, Nov. 11, 2020. Look for details regarding this event in the November/December edition of South Carolina Living magazine.

Beat the Peak efforts are helping hold down power costs

Participating Beat the Peak program volunteers, totaling over 30,000 in South Carolina, have already helped save more than $100,000 in power costs, according to a recent impact study. Based on total memberships, York Electric Cooperative is proud to have the highest percentage of participants among the other SC electric cooperatives and their dedication shows.

Keep your house cool and help save energy by avoiding the oven like York Electric’s Vice President of Community Development, Marc Howie, “Enjoy the weather and grill outdoors,” he says. Photo: Erin Powell

Vice President of Community Development, Marc Howie, serves on the state’s committee for the program. He appreciates the participation, but mostly the small changes that have made a big impact. “Some members have set their thermostat well above 70 degrees in summer, which has the biggest impact. Others have simply turned off some lights and electronics during those peak times. We appreciate efforts both large and small,” says Howie.

It’s simple to participate. Best of all, small actions make a big impact. Volunteers receive alerts letting them know when a peak is on the way. In the summer, these peaks usually occur between 4 and 7 p.m. on the hottest days. That’s when people come home, crank up the AC, bathe and do laundry and dishes. Simply postponing these habits helps to reduce power costs. Since power costs impact rates, these actions to reduce energy use during peak demand times help keep rates stable and reduce the need for new power plants.

Sign up for an easy way to help keep electricity affordable at beatthepeak.com. You will receive your notifications on when to act to make a difference.

You could WIN one of two $250 Visa Gift Cards

 

Help REDUCE power costs for all members and delay the need for new power plants by shifting the time you use electricity through Beat The Peak!

Here’s how:

Beat the Peak Program

Sign up by November 30, 2018 to be entered to win! Winners will be selected by December 10 and notified by email.

SIGN UP today and learn more at BeatThePeak.com.

* For contest rules visit EnergySmartSC.org/250contest

Sign up for Beat the Peak notifications at BeatThePeak.com. If you’re already supporting the program, be sure to like our Beat the Peak posts on Facebook!