Help Us Keep Rates Affordable

The demand for electricity varies throughout the year, depending on weather and other factors, which results in increased demand on the electric system. That's why Western Farmers Electric Cooperative (WFEC), Central Valley Electric Cooperative's wholesale power provider, will occasionally call a "Peak Day."

These Peak Days are typically called in the summer when extreme weather conditions are predicted to cause unusually high energy use by many people during the same time frame. WFEC can call a Peak Day between June 20 and September 9 (excluding July 4 and Labor Day). When a Peak Day is called, WFEC will notify CVE by 10:00 a.m., giving us time to notify our members through different media sources, including our website, e-mail, radio, and social media.
During the peak hours of 2:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. on a called Peak Day, we ask that you take into consideration the amount of electricity you use and help us "Beat the Peak." The single largest expense for CVE is the price of wholesale power that we deliver to our members. When the demand for electricity rises, so does the wholesale cost to buy it. So, you can help us control our wholesale power costs by helping to control the amount of power we have to purchase during the peak hours on Peak Days. If our wholesale power costs are lower, that lower cost flows to you.
No matter what type of member you are, large commercial, irrigation, residential, etc., you can make a difference by making small changes to curb your usage during Peak Days. Please know that when a Peak Day is called, CVE will also do our part at our office to lower our energy use.

WHAT YOU CAN DO TO LOWER YOUR ENERGY USE DURING A PEAK DAY:

• Adjust your thermostat: For example, if you usually set your AC thermostat at 72 degrees, try turning it up 3-5 degrees during the peak hours of 2:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. To help you stay cool, use a ceiling fan; just remember to turn it off when you leave the room.

• Turn OFF lights that are not necessary.

• Turn OFF devices, like TVs, games, and computers, that are not necessary.

• Postpone using your oven, doing laundry, running your dishwasher, or doing any activity that requires your hot water heater to by used.

• Slow down or turn OFF pumps.

• If you have the means, properly and safely connect to a generator.

• Working together and helping one another is the cooperative way. Our members collectively have the means to help control what CVE pays for wholesale power, which in turn affects rates for all members.