Updated March 2, 2022
Demand Charges – Improve Efficiency and Save Money
Demand Charges are a “hidden” cost multiplier to any house of worship that is still unknown to many who pay the electricity bill. This charge is the highest use of electricity within any 15–minute period of your billing cycle and which determines your billing rate. Thus, if you turn on all your lights/AC/heating a short time before your weekly service, this heavy usage will determine the rate for the rest of your month even if electricity usage is lower.
In addition to Demand Charges, know the time of day when electricity is most in demand, (and thus, most expensive) for your particular utility provider. “Time of Use” rates vary according to utility, season and time of day and night. Knowing these can help your house of worship save money and avoid times in which dirtier sources of energy may be used.
There is a lot to this issue, so for more information and an analysis of your congregations’s demand response, contact:
(Los Angeles/surrounding areas) – Cal Johnson, Energy Management Manager, (323) 829-4264, email: c2itco@yahoo.com
(Bay Area/surrounding areas) – Deepa Shinde Lounsbury, Director of Products and Marketing, Extensible Energy, (310) 560-7077; deepa@extensibleenergy.com