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COMMUNITY SOLAR IS NOW AVAILABLE!

Community Solar Logo_Horry_SQAt the beginning of the year, James P. “Pat” Howle, executive vice president and CEO of Horry Electric Cooperative,  announced the co-op was ‘very close’ to being able to offer Community Solar. “We built a community solar array on our property across the street from our main office in Conway last month,” he said in his monthly column in the January edition of South Carolina Living magazine.”As soon as everything is in place, we’ll be letting members know that we’ve begun accepting subscriptions to purchase a share of the energy that will be produced and distributed through the power grid.

The time is NOW! 

Access to community solar through Horry Electric Cooperative is easy. “We’re doing all of the heavy lifting,” says Howle. “Our plan takes the worry out of construction, maintenance and even zoning restrictions.”

The community solar array has been built and has already started producing electricity. All members have to do is decide how many blocks of solar power they want to subscribe to on a monthly basis. One block is equal to 150 kWh per month and the maximum number of blocks available per member is 5. “We have to cap the number of blocks per member so more members will have a chance to participate,” says Howle.

A subscription agreement needs to be completed by each participating member and a one-time, up-front, non-refundable charge of $100 will be collected for each block subscribed to by the member. “Participating members will begin seeing a monthly charge of $25 per block on their electric bill and a monthly credit based on how much energy is produced by the solar far,” explains Howle. The average is expected to be 150 kWH.

Want to learn more?  You can read all about it in Horry Electric’s local news in the March 2017 edition of South Carolina Living Magazine. You can also visit Horry Electric’s Community Solar page on horryelectric.com

Have questions? Access our Community Solar Frequently Asked Questions or give us a call at 843.369.2211 during regular business hours. You may also send us an email to our email address for service and billing questions. Limited-offer-PNG-HD

SPECIAL OFFER TO THE FIRST 100 MEMBERS TO SIGN UP TO PARTICIPATE! 

Horry Electric will waive the $100 non-refundable upfront charge to the first 100 members to sign up for one block of power from Community Solar. If a member wants to buy more than one block, they will be required to pay the upfront $100 non-refundable fee per additional block.

Community Solar is available to any Horry Electric member with regular residential service on a first-come, first-serve basis.  Advance Pay services are ineligible at this time. 

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You Can Help Beat the Peak!

you-can-help-beat-the-peak

Starting today, members of Horry Electric Cooperative can sign up to receive alerts asking them to reduce their energy use during times of peak demand for electricity. 

“The co-op has been managing peak demand on the system for many years,” says James P. “Pat” Howle, executive vice president and CEO for Horry Electric. “We regularly track energy use on the system and go into what we call ‘load control’ when the peak demand for electricity hits.”

“Think of it as rush hour for electricity,” says Penelope Hinson, spokesperson for Horry Electric. “There are times in the day when you know traffic is going to be bad as people rush to work or school in the mornings and then rush home at the end of the day,” she continues. “To save time, gasoline and sometimes aggravation, it’s best to avoid being on the road  during those times if you can arrange your schedule to travel during other times of the day.”

“It’s pretty much the same for energy use,” says Hinson.  “There are times of the day in summer and winter when people are going to be doing tasks that increase energy use on the system.”  The usual peak times for energy use are 6-9 a.m. in the winter and 3-8 p.m. in the summer.

Horry Electric has been managing peak demand for many years through voltage reduction. “On top of that, we have 5,501 members participating in our water heater load management programs,” says Howle. “Through those programs alone, we’re able to shave over 2,200 kilowatts of peak load per peak incident during summer months and over 3,800 kilowatts of load per peak incident during winter months.”

“With member participation in the Beat the Peak program, we can have an even bigger impact on controlling load and avoiding peak demand,” says Reed Cooper, manager of engineering. “When members receive the alerts, all we’re asking them to do is shift energy consumption from times when demand for electricity is highest.”

When demand for electricity rises, so do the costs. “When the cooperative purchases large amounts of energy during peak periods over the course of a year, it puts upward pressure on the electricity rates the co-op and our members pay,” says Howle. “By ‘beating the peak’, we can all save a significant amount of money by keeping wholesale power costs low and stable.”

How you can help

It’s easy.  Sign up to participate in the Beat the Peak program to receive alerts by text message, email or phone.  “When you get an alert, make a conscious effort to shift energy use to other times of the day,” says Cooper, adding that the purpose of the effort isn’t to stop using individual appliances altogether, just use them during times when the demand for electricity is not high.

“Shifting energy use to different hours of the day will help hold down everyone’s costs,” says Howle. “If we can work together, it’s a win-win for all members and the co-op.”

Ready to help?  Sign up here and don’t miss out on the video, which explains the program, at the top of the sign-up page.

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Beat the Peak is an initiative intended to introduce members to the concept of ‘peak demand’ periods and why those particular times are important to their electric cooperative.