York, PA - Dwight Rhine recently spotted additions to the utility poles in his Manchester Township neighborhood and wondered what was up.
A metal arm sticks out from the pole, and the object attached to it is partially blue.
It turns out that they are controllers for Met-Ed's energy saving program.
Customers can voluntarily enroll to allow the utility to remotely control their air conditioners and pool pumps when demand for power peaks on hot summer days. In return, residents receive a credit on their bill.
The goal is to reduce that peak demand for power, said Scott Surgeoner, a spokesman for FirstEnergy, parent company of Met-Ed.
So far, about 5,000 customers in York County have enrolled in the EasyGreen program, he said. The utility needs about 20,000 to reduce the peak by 32 million watts.
Many people are not home during the day when the demand for power usually peaks, Surgeoner said.
If customers set their thermostat at 72 degrees, and the savings device kicks in, they could see the temperature rise 6 or 9 degrees, depending upon which level of temperature increase they choose. The hours typically would be from noon to 7 p.m.
With fans on, "you're not going to notice a great difference," he said.
A radio signal will be sent from a nearby utility pole to the specially installed thermostats inside the home to regulate the cycling of the air conditioner, Surgeoner said.
In communities where the utility wires are underground, the company can connect a controller to the central air conditioning unit at the home.
Residents can save $40 a year -- $10 for each month of June, July, August and September -- as long as they remain enrolled, he said. Plus they get a $50 gift card for signing up.
The savings are greater if both an air conditioner and pool pump are enrolled.
In addition, customers will save on electricity because their air conditioners and pool pumps will be running less, Surgeoner said.
Rhine said his family knows about the program but decided not to participate.
"I'm a really big fan of cold AC in the summer," he said.
In addition, his wife and children are home during the day at that time.
Learn more
To find out more about the EasyGreen program or to sign up, visit easygreen-met-ed.com or call 1-866-311-8558.
Also of interest
· Time of another technological change: The end of the telephone operator in York County.
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