Idaho Power Co. will test control of customer AC units

Idaho Power Co. is looking for 200 Meridian or Boise residents willing to turn over control of their air conditioning to the company this summer.

Ken Dey
The Idaho Statesman

The company gained approval last week from the Idaho Public Utilities Commission to start an air conditioning pilot program.

Under the program, customers who volunteer would allow the company to install a remote-control thermostat in their homes, which would enable the company to turn a customer´s air conditioner on and off.

Company officials are hoping that by cycling air conditioners on and off during times of peak power demand they will be able to cut down on power use during the summer and save money for customers.

Annie Tucher, interim program manager, said Idaho Power´s energy needs peak because so many customers are using air conditioning at the same time Idaho farmers are using electricity to pump water to irrigate crops.

“We have a growing population and a growing demand for power,” Tucher said. “We´re always looking at ways to defer the costs of purchasing power or the costs of additional generation of power.”

Tucher said the goal of the program is to save power, but the company also want to see how customers react to the temperature variations when the air conditioners are turned off.

The program is similar to ones being used by power companies in a number of other states, from California to Maryland. More than 120,000 Southern California Edison customers have signed up for that company´s program, and more than 20,000 are in Austin Energy´s program in Texas.

“We want to see how Idaho´s climate and how the usage patterns here might be different from some of these other programs,” Tucher said, in order to get “the best information on how to save energy at peak times, and at the same time meet customers´ needs.”

Under Idaho Power´s pilot program, the company will cycle the air conditioners off and on for 10 various days during the months of June, July and August. The air conditioners will be shut off in 15-minute intervals over a four-hour period between 1 p.m. and 9 p.m.

Tucher said the company doesn´t plan to shut off anyone´s air conditioner for the entire four hours. Customers also will have the option to opt out one day a month if they notify the company in advance.

Control of the thermostat will be accomplished by using the same remote technology used for personal pagers.

The pilot program is scheduled to last for two years. In the second year of the program, the company hopes to find an additional 300 customers to volunteer. Idaho Power would use the data from the test to request the program be made permanent.

Customers who volunteer for the program will receive a $10 monthly credit on their bills during the summer. Customers who remain in the program for at least one year will also be allowed to keep the programmable thermostat.

The cost of launching the program will be $410,000 a year. Costs will be covered by the 30-cent-a-month conservation surcharge currently on customers´ bills.

Customers interested in volunteering will have to fill out a short application to determine their eligibility. Tucher said the company is hoping to put together a variety of customers who live in newer and older neighborhoods.

To offer story ideas or comments, contact Ken Dey
[email protected] or 377-6428

http://www.idahostatesman.com/Business/story.asp?ID=36070