West Plains Electric Cooperative

ELECTRIC SERVICE:
1. What is a kilowatt-hour?
2. What is a Turtle?
3. Who is responsible to maintain electric equipment on my property?

BILLING:
1. Why is my bill higher than normal?
2. Why do my bills vary from month to month?

VACATIONERS AND SNOW BIRDS:
1. Shouldn't my bills go down if I am gone?
2. Can I eliminate electric usage when I am gone?
3. Can I make arrangements if I will be gone an extended period of time?

LIGHTING CONCERNS:
1. Should standard fluorescent fixtures be turned off when not in use?
2. Which types of lighting are most economical?
3. Is there an advantage to using fluorescent vs. incandescent lighting?

HEATING TIPS:
1. What does it cost to run a portable space heater?
2. What does it cost to use heat tapes on water pipes?
3. Does an engine heater need to be plugged in all night?

APPLIANCES:
1. How do I calculate the electricity use for my appliances?

ELECTRIC SERVICE

1. What is a kilowatt-hour?
A kilowatt-hour (kwh) is a unit of electric energy equal to the energy delivered by the flow of one kilowatt (1000 watts) of electrical power for one hour. For example, a 100 watt bulb burning for 10 hours will use 1000 watts or one kilowatt-hour of energy.

2. What is a Turtle?
A Turtle is an automated meter-reading device installed in a meter. The Turtle sends daily meter readings to a receiver in the substation through the power line. Since the data is sent so slowly, approximately 27 hours to send each day's information to the receiver, the device is called a Turtle. Turtles are scheduled to eventually be installed throughout our service territory.

3. Who is responsible to maintain electric equipment on my property?
West Plains Electric Cooperative retains ownership and responsibility to maintain equipment from the power line to the meter. If the meter box is on the house, you are responsible for the equipment from the meter box to your entrance panel and beyond. If the meter is on a yard pole, you are responsible for the secondary wire from the bottom of the meter to the building and beyond.

BILLING

1. Why is my bill higher than normal?
North Dakota weather has an impact on electric usage, especially in the winter. Electric heat usage will create the biggest difference as the thermometer drops. Other winter loads include car engine heaters, in-car heaters, and garage space heaters. Heat tape on pipes or roof eaves, furnace fan motors and humidifiers are also winter energy users that can cause your bill to be higher than normal.

2. Why do my bills vary from month to month?
If you have a self-read meter, when do you read the meter? To reduce the variance from month to month, try and read your meter at the same time each month. When the bill comes in the mail, read the meter. This will allow us to bill the same number of days each month, rather than 40 days one month and 20 days the next. Another option would be to sign up for budget billing.

VACATIONERS AND SNOW BIRDS

1. Shouldn't my bills go down if I am gone?
Remember some of your appliance will run whether you are home or away. An electric hot water heater will use less but it will continue to maintain the water temperature even when water is not being used. Refrigerators and freezers will also continue to maintain preset temperatures although usage will be less with the doors not being open and shut. Clocks, heat tapes, security lights and new appliances with "instant on" features will also continue to use electricity if not unplugged.

2. Can I eliminate electric usage when I am gone?
If you want to insure no electric usage while you are gone, your main circuit breaker can be turned off. Doing this will require you to empty your refrigerator, freezer, and drain your pipes if leaving in the winter.

3. Can I make arrangements if I will be gone an extended period of time?
Please stop in the cooperative office to make arrangements if you will be gone for a considerable length of time. There are several options to choose from. You can prepay for the months you will be gone; you can sign up for Pay-By-Bank; or you can have your mailing address changed. If you have a self-read meter we will install a "Turtle" meter reading device to send us your meter readings.

LIGHTING CONCERNS

1. Should standard fluorescent fixtures be turned off when not in use?
It is a myth that it costs more to turn off fluorescent lights than to leave them on. Today's lamps are not damaged by start-up and energy surge to start them is so small that it is cheaper to shut them off when not needed.

2. Which types of lighting are most economical?
For maximum lighting efficiency use a higher lumens-per-watt bulb. Watts measure the amount of energy used by the bulb. Lumens measure the light output. Divide lumens by wattage to compare efficiencies. Compact fluorescent lights and three-way incandescent bulbs let you choose the amount of light you need in different situations. You don't end up using oversized bulbs. Long-life bulbs are less efficient. Use them in hard-to-reach places only.

3. Is there an advantage to using fluorescent vs. incandescent lighting?
Fluorescent lighting delivers three to four times the light of incandescent bulbs of the same wattage and lasts up to ten times as long.

HEATING TIPS

1. What does it cost to run a portable space heater?
It will cost approximately 9 cents per running hour to operate a typical 1500-watt space heater.

2. What does it cost to use heat tapes on water pipes?
It will cost approximately $6.50 per month for each 18-foot length of heat tape used.

3. Does an engine heater need to be plugged in all night?
Tests have proven that a heater plugged in two or three hours before starting is just as effective as a heater plugged in all night. You may want to purchase a small timer that can energize the heater three hours before you expect to use the vehicle. (This is not applicable for diesel engines.)

APPLIANCES

1. How do I calculate the electricity use for my appliances?
"Your Family's Energy Guide" is available to calculate electric use of your appliances and provide other valuable energy information. Stop by our office or give us a call if you are interested in utilizing this helpful tool.