JEA board appoves pilot program that charges more for electricity use during peak hours

JEA's SmartSavings pilot program is getting the green light from the company’s board of directors.

The board unanimously approved the SmartSavings Residential Pilot Program, a 150-person pilot that will test charging residents based on use during peak demand, rather than total consumption.

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Test subjects participating in the pilot program will see two demand charges on their bill: the highest demand for the month is billed at $3.75 per kilowatt and the highest demand during peak hours is billed at $4.90 per kilowatt.

JEA said the program encourages people to avoid running high-energy appliances such as dryers and water heaters during peak times and to avoid running multiple appliances at the same time.

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JEA hopes to change customer behavior to drive down use during peak times and reduce the power the utility needs to meet demand at those times.

Peak hours to avoid on JEA SmartSavings program:

• April - October (summer): Monday - Friday, noon-7 p.m.
• November - March (winter): Monday - Friday, 6-9 a.m.

Cox Media Group