Santee Cooper offers customers rebates on real-time energy monitors
March 28, 2012
MONCKS CORNER, SC – March 28, 2012 – Santee Cooper has teamed up with Blue Line Innovations to give residential customers a firsthand look at their use of electricity in real time, helping them to reduce their use of electricity and ultimately save money on their energy bills.
As part of Santee Cooper’s Reduce the Use energy-efficiency program, Santee Cooper and Blue Line Innovations are offering $20 rebates to residential customers on the purchase of the Blue Line Innovations PowerCost Monitor, which scans a power meter’s activity and calculates real-time electricity usage. Customers will see information in the form of kilowatt-hour (kWh) usage and, by programing their electricity rate in the monitor, customers will be able to see that energy usage converted into dollars and cents.
“These monitors make the invisible visible. They make it easy to let customers see how much energy they’re using, as they use it, and how that energy usage translates to the bottom line on their power bills,” said Juan Holmes, Santee Cooper’s manager of conservation and energy efficiency. “It’s an effective tool for customers who want take control of how much electricity their household uses.”
In addition to a rebate on the monitor, customers can get an additional $20 rebate on the purchase of the Blue Line WiFi Bridge, which connects the PowerCost monitor to the Internet. By using free software that can be downloaded online, the WiFi bridge allows customers to track and monitor their power at any time of the day via computer or smartphone. The monitor and WiFi bridge also allow users to set alerts and notifications via email and text messages.
“Customers can check the monitor when they use the oven or turn on the microwave to see how much energy those appliances are using at that specific point in time,” Holmes said. “The monitor can only show customers how much power they’re using and what their electricity is costing them, though. It’s ultimately up to them to change their energy usage habits if they want to save money on their bills.”
In March 2011, Santee Cooper completed a 13-month pilot program to evaluate these monitors in homes along the Grand Strand. According to the study, on average the reduction in electricity use due to the availability of instantaneous feedback is approximately 6 percent. For an average household using approximately 23,000 kWh per year, the reduction attributable to the real‐time monitor is about 1,400 kWh, or about $130 per year in savings.
The rebates are available to Santee Cooper customers through June 30, 2012. For more details on the rebates and retailers who sell the PowerCost Monitor and WiFi Bridge, visit www.reducetheuse.com.
About Santee Cooper
Santee Cooper is South Carolina’s state-owned electric and water utility, and the state’s largest power producer. The ultimate source of electricity for 2 million South Carolinians, Santee Cooper is dedicated to being the state’s leading resource for improving the quality of life for the people of South Carolina. For more information, visit www.santeecooper.com.
