March Madness!! These two words mean different things to different people. For some, this is the month that the NCAA starts the process of crowning a new national basketball champion. A great deal of interest is generated during this process. For others, March Madness means that spring is upon us and the planning for the upcoming season is upon them.

We are creating something that we hope will help with the planning for the irrigators. With our new automatic meter reading system we are able to monitor the energy and demand charges for each of the irrigation meters from the office. We have developed an irrigation time of use rate that we believe is the first step in helping our irrigators reduce their demand costs, if they so choose.

Our peak time is from 11:00 AM to 11:00 PM. The Irrigation Time of Use Rate requires an irrigation account to be off during our peak times. The off-peak hours are from 11:00 PM until 11:00 AM. We have developed a rate where the irrigator will receive a credit on the demand charge if the usage for the entire month is during the off-peak hours. However, if any usage for the month is during the on-peak time, the credit will not apply. The credit is $4.50 per kW of demand for the months of June, July, and August. The credit will be $6.75 per kW of demand for the months of April, May and September.

Let me explain this in more detail. During the months of April through September we will be monitoring the usage on each irrigation pump on an hourly basis. Each month will be its own individual time frame, beginning on the first day of the month, and ending at midnight on the last day of the month. If the irrigation pump is operated only during the off peak hours of 11:00 PM to 11:00 AM each day of the month, then the demand charge will be credited $4.50 per kW of demand. However, if there is any demand usage during the on-peak hours of 11:00 AM to 11:00 PM any time during the month, the full demand charge would apply and no credit will be given. For example, if 50 kW were used anytime on-peak the demand charge for the month would be 50 kW X $9.00 or $450. Conversely if the 50 kW were used only in the off-peak hours, then the bill would see a credit of $225, reducing the demand to half the original charge. During the months of April, May and September the credit will be $6.75 per kW of demand giving the irrigator an even greater savings. We will continue to charge one demand charge for the months of October-March for moving your pivots and this will be reflected on your April bill.

This rate is one way AHEC can help our irrigators operate in a more economical way. I am sure that there will be questions about this, so please feel free to call the office and we will be glad to talk to you.

I would also like to take this opportunity to remind you about overhead lines. These lines are carrying very high voltage and a contact with them can result in serious injury up to and including death. Please be careful working around overhead wires. We want you around to help us improve our service with the new technology. So please always remember to “LOOK UP AND LIVE.”