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Burlington Electric Department issues Defeat the Peak alert for Thursday

Submitted by tim on

Encourages Community to Reduce Energy Usage from 5:00-7:00pm

Vermont Business Magazine Burlington Electric Department (BED) issued a peak alert for Thursday, August 4 as part of its Defeat the Peak program launched during summer 2017 (view news release), encouraging members of the Burlington community to reduce their energy usage from 5:00-7:00pm.

Burlingtonians can lend a hand by taking the following steps on what is projected to be an unusually hot summer day:

  1. Raise thermostat temperatures or turn off air conditioners between the hours of 5:00 and 7:00pm before returning air conditioners to cooler settings;
  2. Wait until after 7:00pm or later to use washing machines, clothing dryers, dishwashers, and other appliances;
  3. Turn off non-essential lights until 7:00pm and later;
  4. Avoid charging electric vehicles until after 7:00pm (or until 10:00pm if you are on BED’s special off-peak charging rate); and
  5. Delay other discretionary electric consumption until after 7:00pm.
BED has called the peak alert due to extreme regional temperatures, particularly in southern New England this week. The New England region reaches peak demand for electricity during the summer. A significant portion of BED’s costs as a utility is determined by how much energy our community is using during the summer peak.

Two more traditional incentives for Burlingtonians who take peak day actions include: potential reductions in utility costs that help keep electric rates low and stable; and environmental benefits that come with reduced energy demand on the regional electric grid, which decreases the need for use of polluting oil and natural gas generators around New England. A more unique and innovative incentive introduced by BED based on customer input is a community reward opportunity through which a local nonprofit – in this case Heineberg Community Senior Center – will benefit from a $1,000 contribution from BED if our customers hit the targeted amount of load reduction on a peak alert day.

“We are excited to continue Defeat the Peak for our sixth year,” stated Darren Springer, BED General Manager. “We encourage our customers to participate knowing that even small, individual steps add to our community effort to reduce costs and protect our environment. During the peak, please consider unplugging phone and laptop charging cords, adjusting thermostats, and waiting until after the peak to charge electric vehicles and to run dishwashers and other appliances. With your help, we can continue to hit our peak reduction targets, and we will be able to contribute to the Heineberg Community Senior Center that supports seniors with so many activities, opportunities for social connection, and services like free meals.”

Andrea Viets, Executive Director of Heineberg Community Senior Center elaborates, "in addition to our activities promoting health and wellbeing, we also maintain a strong commitment to nutritious food. We serve 150 free meals a week to seniors provided by our community partners Age Well, Everyone Eats, and Intervale Farm."

BED also notifies customers by email blast about peak day alerts. Customers are invited to sign up for these email notifications, view a video explaining Defeat the Peak, and learn more about the program by visiting burlingtonelectric.com/peak. BED also shares information about peak day alerts with the community through social media channels, including Facebook and Twitter.

​Burlington, VT – Burlington Electric Department 8.3.2022.