Jackson EMC’s goal is to provide safe, reliable and affordable electric service to its members. To offer our members the best value, we offer choice rates that may save members money. The Residential Time-of-Use rate (ATOU-14) encourages members to limit energy use from 3 to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday, June 1 to September 15. This rate is ideal for those who are not home during the peak time and can set back the thermostat and use a timer on their electric water heater. Members must sign-up for time-of-use rates by May 1. The monthly service charge increases from $13 to $16.

When choosing a plan with a rate structure that changes throughout the day, understanding consumption becomes very important. With choice rates, cost per kWh can change from five cents to 33 cents depending on the hour. Heating, cooling and water heating are the top three household energy users. It is important to shift the energy loads you can to the lowest possible cost to make choice rates work for you. Learning how to change your energy usage, you need to understand how it is calculated.

For example, a typical dishwasher is 1800 watts x 1 hour / 1000 = 1.8 kWh per load. Multiply the usage by the cost per kWh to determine the price you pay to wash a load of dishes. On a time-of-use rate, washing a load of dishes would cost 59 cents at 6 p.m. or 10 cents at 10 p.m.