By Jeremy Wise
Marketing Manager
Coosa Valley Electric Cooperative (CVEC) Aims to Help Its Members Achieve a High Quality of Life, Primarily by Providing Reliable Electrical Service.
Since high energy bills can crimp budgets and cause stress, CVEC also offers tools and personnel to help members identify potential energy efficiency problems. These services recently helped Bryant Key of Lincoln discover a problem in his climate-control system that was costing his family hundreds of dollars per month in energy usage.
“I for sure would recommend using these services,” Key says. “For a long time, we didn’t know there was a problem.”
Identifying an Issue
Key rents a manufactured home from his stepfather, Jerry Cunningham, who lives in a larger home on CVEC’s system. For months, Key reimbursed Cunningham the amount of the smaller power bill since Cunningham believed the bill belonged to the manufactured home.
An extremely high bill, though, caught Cunningham’s attention. The family called CVEC’s energy services representative, Lucas Browning, to learn more about the power bill.
Browning, noticing extremely high daily usage at the manufactured home, recommended Key have the HVAC system examined.
“We went through 3 different HVAC companies, but the third found a rogue wire that was energizing the coil,” Key says. “To an extent, it was making the system run 24/7.”
Finding Major Savings
For the cost of an HVAC service call, Key’s system was repaired. After the repairs, Browning informed Key his daily energy usage immediately dropped.
The savings were significant. The bill at Key’s residence fell more than $200 and shaved more than 2,000 kilowatt-hours, all during a cold winter— a time of typically high usage due to cold weather.
While the monthly CVEC bill can indicate an energy efficiency issue, CVEC has other resources that can help members identify problems more quickly.
Key now uses one of them. He checks his usage periodically through daily text alerts, a service CVEC members can sign up for by calling 800-273-7210 and speaking to a representative.
Members also have other ways to monitor their usage, including through their coosavalleyec.com account or through the CVEC Connect mobile app.
“The sooner you can identify an inefficiency in something like your heating unit or water heater, the more quickly you can repair it,” Browning says. “That will result in reducing your energy usage and costs. I highly recommend signing up for daily text alerts or checking your usage online periodically. If something is amiss, I’ll gladly discuss your bills with you and offer some potential remedies.”
To reach Browning, call (256) 480-2535 or email Lucas Browning.