| Energy Service |
High Bill Concerns |
NEWS IN ENERGY-
Renewables- Comparing reality with expectations (pdf)
Our Quality of Life (pdf)
Home Energy Estimator (pdf) |
To compare the weather with your bill at:
Historical Weather Data
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| This is a calculator that may help you estimate the residential energy with different criteria. It will give you a better estimate of how much energy you will be using in your house. |
Energy Calculator |
| This calculator will estimate the cost and usage of home appliances. This is offered through the TVA web site. This Calculator is set up to calculate these costs with ACE Power's energy rates. |
| Energy Right |
The Energy Right Program is a partnership between ACE Power and TVA to help the members gain efficiency in their homes and businesses. With the efficiency, you will save money by conserving the energy resources. |
Green Power Switch |
Green Power Switch is a renewable energy initiative that offer consumers in the Tennessee Valley a choice in the type of power they buy. Green Power is electricity that's generated by cleaner, renewable resources such as solar, wind, and methane gas. |
| Solar Power |
| Solar Energy is generated by photovoltaic (PV) systems, which consist of semiconductor cells that convert sunlight into electricity. PV cells are connected in flat panels that can be mounted on rooftops or integrated into other building materials. Depending on the season, PV systems will ordinarily generate power from 8am to 6pm, reaching their maximum output between noon and 1pm. Solar is one of the most expensive sources of energy. For example, a typical coal-fired generating unit currently produces electricity for less than two cents per kilowatt-hour. The cost of using solar sources is about 60 cents per kilowatt-hour. |
| Wind Turbine Energy |
| Modern wind machines consist of a tower, a turbine and switchgear, and rotor blades. Wind turbines transfer the wind's momentum to the rotor blades and localize that energy in a single rotating shaft. Wind speed varies according to the time of day, season, height above ground, and terrain. Proper sitting in a breezy location away from large obstructions enhances the turbines' performance. Electricity produced by wind power still cost several times more than that produced by common sources like coal, ranging from six cents to a little over 11 cents per kilowatt-hour. |
Methane Gas Energy |
| Methane gas, which consists mainly of methane and carbon dioxide, is produced when organic wastes decay. Generators at methane gas sites are very reliable and operate almost year-round, with little downtime. A six-megawatt plant can produce approximately 47 million kilowatt-hours per year, or enough to supply about 32,000 homes. The cost of producing electricity is between three and four and a half cents per kilowatt-hour. |
| The cost of green power is priced at $4 per block of 150 kWh. This is an additional cost to your regular electric bill, which averages out to an additional 2.67 cents per kWh. By offering green power in blocks of 150 kWh, members have flexibility in choosing how much to buy. In addition, the extra cost can be easily calculated and budgeted because it won't vary with your electricity usage. A typical home in the Tennessee Valley uses an average of 1250 kWH of electricity per month, so one block represents approximately 12% of typical residential use. If an average residential customer wanted to buy 100% green power, he or she could buy eight blocks for an extra $32 per month. |
In 2005, Green Power Switch supplied over 84 MWh's of renewable capacity. The total generating capacity of GPS resources is 37MW from a combination of solar, wind and methane gas. TVA operates approximately 30,000 MW of capacity, so the Green Power Switch resources represent only small percentage of that total. The demand will grow as the customers demand cleaner energy. |
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| To learn more about Green Power, visit the Green Power Switch. |
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| Energy Saving Tips |
| 1. Turn down your heating system's thermostat to 68°F during the day. Keep it lower at night and when no one is home for several days. |
| 2. Lower your water heater temperature to 120°F and reduce hot water use by taking shorter showers and using cold water for laundry whenever possible. (This will only work if you have an electric hot water heater.) |
| 3. Turn off lights, televisions, and computers when not in use. |
| 4. Remove and recycle your second refrigerator. |
5. Keep curtains open on the south side of the house and closed on the north side during the day. |
| 6. Clean refrigerator coils and set the temperature at 36°F to 39°F and the freezer at 0°F to 5°F. |
| 7. Make sure the fireplace damper is the closed when not in use. Don't send warm air up the chimney. |
| 8. Match the size of your pot or pan to the size of the stove burner and cover it with a lid when cooking. |
| 9. Once a year, drain about one gallon of water form the water heater to remove sediment. |
| 10. Air-dry dishes instead of using the dishwasher's heat drying option. |
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