ComEd Awards Smart Appliances to Winners of Peak Time Savings Challenge

Published: November 16, 2015

Today ComEd announced the winners of its Peak Time Savings Smart Appliance Challenge. The contest challenged customers who are enrolled in ComEd’s Peak Time Savings program to voluntarily lower their electric usage during highest demand periods and those who saved the most electricity were selected to receive a GE smart appliance.

ComEd’s Peak Time Savings is a smart-meter enabled program that rewards customers with credits to their electric bills for lowering electricity usage during peak demand periods. Customers can earn a $1 credit on their electric bills for every kilowatt-hour (kWh) of electricity they voluntarily reduce during Peak Time Savings Hours.

This summer, ComEd’s Peak Time Savings program saved approximately $400,000 on customers’ electric bills. “This is another program that leverages the smart meter technology so our customers can reap the value of the investments made to modernize our electrical system,” said Val Jensen, senior vice president of Customer Operations, ComEd. “Smart meters are at the heart of what we believe will become the electricity network of the future. Smart appliances are able to work with smart meters and know when electricity prices are cheaper, or reductions are being requested. This feature gives customers greater options on their energy usage and saves them money on their electric bill.”

Each of the Peak Time Savings Smart Appliance Challenge winners will receive one of the following GE smart appliances: refrigerator, range, dishwasher, washer/dryer, and hybrid water heater. The five winners include: Chicago residents Donna Clyburn, Melissa Petty, Ruth Burns, and Raymond Reese and Evelia Casimiro of Cicero.

“I look for ways to save money and lower my monthly bills. To help me meet that goal, I participated in ComEd’s Peak Time Savings Challenge and I not only won a great smart appliance because I lowered my electric usage during a high usage period, I also got a credit on my electric bill. I plan to continue participating in ComEd’s Peak Time Savings and I think everyone should take advantage of this program,” said Melissa Petty, winner of an energy efficient water heater.

ComEd is the first utility in the Midwest to offer Peak Time Savings to customers. Under its Smart Grid plan, ComEd will install about 4 million smart meters throughout its service area by the end of 2018. Currently more than 1.6 million smart meters have been installed in ComEd’s service area and customers with smart meters are eligible to sign up for Peak Time Savings.

In addition, recent legislation supported by ComEd, known as ComEd’s Future Energy Plan, builds on the benefits of the smart grid to expand support for renewable energy in Illinois and ensure that energy consumers and the state economy will continue to benefit from affordable power, a more secure and resilient grid and innovation that is establishing Illinois as a leader for a greener, cleaner future.

For more information on ComEd’s Peak Time Savings program, or to enroll, please visit www.ComEd.com/PTS or call 844-852-0347.