About a year-and-a-half ago, we signed up for Residential Real Time Pricing (RRTP) with Commonwealth Edison, our electricity provider. Many utility companies across the country offer similar programs, so please check with your local provider for energy-saving opportunities on utility bills.

RRTP uses ComEd’s Basic Electric Service Hourly Energy Pricing. With it, the price of electricity varies from hour to hour based on wholesale market prices verses the standard fixed-price rate that most people have. According to ComEd the more you avoid using electricity when prices are high, the more you potentially could save with real-time pricing. It’s not necessarily recommended for those who work out of the home, as energy prices typically run much higher during the peak daytime hours. Even though I occasionally work out of the house, we’re energy-conscious and decided to try it.

The terms of the program require that you remain on it at least for 12 months. After that, you’re free to switch back to the standard fixed rate plan. When signing up, ComEd will replace your meter, and they will notify you via email “when predicted day-ahead hourly prices are expected to reach or exceed 14 cents per kilowatt-hour (kWh) for any number of hours during the following day.” They will also alert you when the real-time price reaches or exceeds 14 cents per kWh, typically during the summer months when A/C usage is high. Presumably during these peak times you have the opportunity to turn off any energy-depleting devices to cut costs, however we really didn’t make any adjustments in our energy usage.

At the end of 2008, I reviewed our energy costs and was disheartened to discover that we actually lost money. From May through December 2008, we paid $35 more on RRTP than we would have on ComEd’s fixed-rate plan. Not a huge amount of money, but still.

I reviewed it again at the end of 2009 (you can compare your monthly energy usage and download the data when you sign up at The Watt Spot). This time the news was much better: we saved $107!

Considering I worked at home often last year due to all the construction we had going on from May through July and we added a second HVAC unit for the new second floor and increased our overall square footage by almost 50%, I’m very pleased with the outcome.

Another energy-saving opportunity with ComEd is Central Air Conditioning Cycling (formerly called Nature First), which allows ComEd to install a special switch on your central air conditioning unit that lets them cycle your compressor “off and on” during summer days with high electric demand. We receive a $10 credit for 4 months on this program and haven’t noticed any temperature difference, or whether ComEd has even needed to do it (the need is dictated by the weather — hot temperatures with high humidity — and if ComEd’s system is reaching capacity). You do not have to be enrolled in Real Time Pricing to participate in the Central Air Conditioning Cycling program.

The last option is Load Guard, in which we’ll enroll before the summer. With Load Guard, you must also be enrolled with Real Time Pricing.

With Load Guard, you can choose a price level to moderate your central A/C usage. The Green level will put the A/C in conservation mode for two hours when the price hits 10 cents per kWh, which will decrease energy usage and emit fewer greenhouse gasses. The Blue level will kick in at 14 cents per kWh instead of 10 cents if you prefer a cooler house, but of course will mean higher energy costs. Because Load Guard is a web-based service, you can switch between the Green or Blue option for the following day so for instance if you won’t be home on a hot day anyway, you can choose the Green level the night before and can always switch back to the Blue level the following day if the house is too warm for your tastes.

Since our attic space is now fully insulated with foam along with ceiling fans in many of our rooms, I don’t think we’ll have a problem with the more environmentally-friendly Green level. I’m looking forward to more savings in 2010!

Tags: eco-conscious, eco-friendly, electricity, energy efficiency, green living, save money, utilities