Agricultural Irrigation Pump Load Control Service
Just in time for summer – a way to reduce your electricity bills for
irrigation.
The greatest demand for electricity occurs in the summer months when customers
are using air conditioning to cool their homes and businesses. This peak
demand coincides with the time farmers are pumping water into their fields.
Reducing peak demand is important to both Entergy Arkansas, Inc. and our
customers. Last year we introduced an arrangement that both eases the peak
demand and helps the farmers. The Agricultural Irrigation Load Control Program
reduced peak electrical load during hot summer weekday afternoons by
partnering with agricultural water pumping customers to reduce the demand on
the electrical system by allowing the company to periodically interrupt
service. In exchange, participating farmers got a break on the price of their
power.
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“We had 22 wells in the program. The savings were tremendous. We’re
probably going to add more wells in 2011.” Larry Brown, Brinkley
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Participants will receive a credit of $4.16 per kilowatt, with savings up to
30% off your monthly base bill before adjustments.
All you do is agree to allow us to interrupt electric service to the pump for
three hours each day, Monday through Friday, between the hours of noon and
9:00 p.m., excluding holidays.
You may sign up for all your pumps or just one. The program will begin
interruptions on the first week day in June of each year, and last through the
end of August. The credits will appear on electric bills you receive
associated with the interruption months.
Here’s how it works:
At our expense, we will install a special meter that can be activated
wirelessly and remotely. Each weekday during the program period, we will
interrupt the power to the meter for three hours. In return for your
participation, we will apply the credit to the bill for that service month and
credit your bill for up to 30% of the base electricity charge bill before
adjustments for that pump.
If you would like to participate in this program, please call or e-mail us as
soon as possible: Program will close for enrollment before the interruption
months to allow time for equipment installation.
PHONE: 1-800-324-4709
EMAIL: arcscfarmers@entergy.com
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:
How will the credit be applied?
The Agricultural Load Control
Program provides a $4.16 credit per kilowatt of electricity used for each
pump. The total credit could be as much as 30 percent of the base bill amount
before adjustments. In the past, accounts using this billing credit typically
saved between 10-15 percent of their bill over three months.
Why is Entergy Arkansas continuing this program?
We are
looking to find ways to save customers money and reduce the total “peak load,”
the amount of electricity required to serve all our customers during the
weekday periods of summer afternoons. As seen in 2010, reducing peak load
benefits all of our customers, and Entergy Arkansas is offering it to more
farmers this year. This program is approved by the Arkansas Public Service
Commission.
Have participating farmers been satisfied with your program?
Yes.
We polled 75 farmers at the end of the 2010 season. More than 75 percent
expressed complete satisfaction. More than 90 percent plan to stay on the
program.
What happens if I choose to terminate the program before the three months
are over?
You may end your participation in writing at any time, but
if you do, your credits will end and all prior billings for which you received
a credit will be recalculated and re-billed at your regular rate.
What if something goes wrong with the meter or the switching controls?
Installation
and maintenance is Entergy Arkansas’ responsibility. During business hours,
call our Irrigation Desk at 1-800-324-4709. During nights, weekends and
holidays, call 1-800 9OUTAGE (1-800-968-8243).
Will my pumps come on automatically after a daily interruption?
Many
pumps will. The switch is a disconnect device and your pump will experience a
total outage during daily interruptions. You will need to check with your pump
service provider to determine if your motor control can be set to
automatically turn the pump on when the disconnect device restores service.
What if I learn my pumps cannot be turned off as frequently as described
after I have joined the program?
We understand sometimes the best
intentions go awry when we least expect. This is why the Agricultural Load
Control Program allows customers to terminate participation in writing anytime
during the program period. The pump account will be re-billed for any credit
that may be received during program and no other penalty fees will be assessed.
Where can I see the terms of the program?
CLICK
HERE to see a copy of the tariff as filed with the Arkansas Public Service
Commission.
What do I do about getting my pumps turned back on for the irrigation
season?
You will still need to call the Irrigation Desk, as you have
in the past, to have service turned on at the pump. Phone: 1-800-324-4709.
PHONE: 1-800-324-4709
EMAIL: arcscfarmers@entergy.com
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