General Manager/CEO Dennis Svanes

Summer is upon us. As the temperatures warm, my thoughts go in a different direction for most of the members of 4 Rivers Electric Cooperative. How do we reduce our peak demand to reduce expenses for the cooperative and our members?

You may be asking yourself how does saving money for your electric utility reduce costs for you? The answer is because we are your electric cooperative. We are a cost-based utility operating to serve our members. The money saved will either flow directly onto your power bill or be allocated to you in capital credits (equity in the cooperative).

The simplest and cheapest way is for you, our members, to reduce your consumption from 3-6 p.m. Monday through Friday from June through September.

Simple changes like setting your thermostat a little higher, not using your stove/oven, not running the clothes dryer, and avoiding other high consumption electric appliances during those three hours of every weekday can help. It’s also important to avoid charging your electric vehicle during this time.

We run diesel generators and have solar fields, both designed for maximizing generation during these three hours — which is different from solar on a house — all to reduce our purchased demand during the peak hours of the summer. We know our peak will be in those three hours, we just don’t know which hour on which day will be the peak for the month and the peak for the year. If you have questions about this, please contact our office and speak to one of our employees.

(Printed in 4 River’s June 2023 Kansas Country Living centerspread)