The change reflects prices the co-op pays for wholesale power. The winter rate November through May is 9.01¢ per kilowatt-hour (kWh). The energy charge on your bill in the summer (June through October) is 9.98¢ per kilowatt-hour (kWh). The wholesale power cost adjustment clause has been in effect in all of CCEC’s rates since the 1970s and is a common practice among cooperatives nationwide. The WPCA is subject to change during the year to adjust when projected power costs and actual power costs fluctuate. Our annual budget and rates are based on our best projections of what we expect to pay for electricity in the wholesale market and what our projected kilowatt-hour (kWh) sales are for the year. on my bill?” The Wholesale Power Cost Adjustment (WPCA) reflects increases or decreases in the cost of electricity Carteret-Craven Electric Cooperative purchases from its wholesale power supplier for distribution to its members. It’s gaining interest in the community.Members sometimes ask, “What is the WholesalePower/Fuel Cost Adj. Then they call and ask us what we’re doing. “We’ve had folks pull over and stop and watch them. “They catch your eye, and they are a little mesmerizing when you first see them,” said Harkness. Sporting LED lighting, the mowers cut an enigmatic path across the co-op’s grounds at night. Many had already been enthralled by the technology. On Earth Day, the co-op invited members to see the robots at work and learn more about them. “As folks transition from gasoline combustion to battery-powered devices, they’ve got to charge them.” “Part of our business is selling kilowatt-hours,” Thomason said. In addition to their lack of noise and dust, the robotic mowers’ continuous lawn care has vanquished the co-op’s expensive fire ant infestations while reducing its carbon footprint from gasoline-fueled mowers, he said. The manufacturer, which has an outlet in the co-op’s service area, offered a good price in exchange for public demonstrations of the mowers, and CGEMC is more than happy to tout the benefits of these electric devices, Thomason said. The company estimates the robots will save the co-op about $220,000 in lawn maintenance over eight years, he said. Using Husqvarna’s “automowers” is expected to cost about $41,400 for the first two years compared to traditional lawn service contracts forecast at nearly $83,000, Thomason said. Every time we went through the bid process, the service costs were climbing, and the quality of work was falling.”ĬGEMC expects its investment in electric robotic mowers to pay for itself in less than 24 months. “We had been struggling with lawn maintenance contracts and finding resources to submit bids. “It went from an intriguing idea to a reality over several months,” said Harkness. Central Georgia EMC is using robotic electric lawnmowers to keep its 75-acre campus with steep inclines and uneven terrain looking sharp while reducing pollution and saving money. When their batteries run low, they park themselves on charging pads, consuming less than 1 kilowatt-hour before returning to the job.ĬGEMC’s Ben Thomason, chief operating officer, and John Harkness, senior vice president of distribution services, began exploring robotic mowers last year when contractor bids for lawn maintenance were due. These robotic lawnmowers made by Husqvarna are equipped with a GPS system the co-op can program to cover specific territory. Jackson-based Central Georgia EMC is running 16 electric-powered, all-wheel-drive autonomous mowers for 11 hours a day Monday-Friday this summer to keep its 75-acre campus of rolling lawns, steep banks and uneven terrain looking sharp. Silent robotic lawnmowers might sound like something out of a futuristic novel, but the concept is becoming a reality for an electric cooperative in Georgia.
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