Hot Weather, Growth Create Record Demand for Jackson EMC

For Immediate Release August 2 , 2006 For the first time in its history, Jackson EMC recorded a peak system demand of more than a gigawatt (1,000 megawatts) in the summer of 2005. That record was broken Tuesday, when hot weather and area growth again combined to push demand to 1,118 megawatts.

In the past ten years, the number of members served by the cooperative has grown 40 percent and the number of kilowatt-hours sold in a 12-month period has doubled.

While the cooperative is capable of keeping up with electric demand, customers can take some simple, no-cost or low-cost actions to help control their electric costs during this heat wa

• Delay the use of heat-producing appliances, such as your clothes dryer, or appliances that use hot water, such as your dishwasher, until late evening or use them in the morning.
• Make sure blinds or drapes are closed in windows that will get direct sunlight. Sun beating in a room will heat it and make your air conditioning system work harder.
• Install a programmable thermostat, which will allow you to set a higher temperature in your home while you're away and cooled to your preferred temperature in time for your return.
• Set thermostats as high as possible; every degree below 78° will increase your air conditioning costs five percent.
• Make sure your air conditioner filter is clean.
• Use ceiling fans only in occupied rooms.
• Replace your four most-used 100-watt incandescent light bulbs with compact fluorescent bulbs, which use less energy, last longer and won't heat up your rooms;
• Your second-biggest energy user is your water heater, so wash clothes in cold water and avoid long showers;
• Repair leaky faucets — a hot water faucet that drips once per second will waste 2,300 gallons of water a year, plus the electricity used to heat it.
• Activate "sleep features" on computers, office equipment and entertainment equipment that powers down when the equipment is not in use for a while;
• A pool can account for as much as 20% of your home's electricity consumption, so reduce your pool pump operating time by resetting the pump control clock to activate only when necessary for pool cleaning.

Jackson EMC is a not-for-profit electric cooperative serving nearly 196,000 meters in 10 Northeast Georgia counties. The cooperative offers its members free do-it-yourself energy audit kits that help homeowners check insulation, ductwork and caulking to ensure their home's energy efficiency.

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