Tools for Success

In today’s economy, many West Florida Electric Cooperative (WFEC) members are looking for ways to lower their monthly expenses. WFEC recognizes the impact energy bills have had on many of our members’ monthly budgets so we are putting forth a concentrated effort to make sure you have a variety of tools and resources available to assist with lowering your energy consumption and your electric bill.

One of the latest, which is featured on our Web site, is a Custom Energy Report. Simply complete a brief online questionnaire and you will receive a customized energy report containing energy efficiency improvement information for your home based on the answers you provide. These tips will help lower your energy consumption and help you save money. The tool is very easy to use, simply answer a series of questions about your home and its features, then receive a report that is automatically generated based on the answers you submitted. The report will cover everything from air conditioning and heating recommendations to water heating, weatherization, lighting and other miscellaneous items that could have an impact on your energy consumption and therefore, your energy bills.

During the past year, the cooperative has introduced several new resources for members to utilize. In conjunction with PowerSouth, our generation and transmission cooperative, WFEC created the Conserve 101 campaign. This effort was focused on helping our customers decrease their energy consumption by at least 101 kilowatt hours per month – a savings of 1,200 kilowatt hours per year. On the Conserve 101 Web site, myconserve101.com, you can find great ways to save on HVAC, water heating, appliances, lighting, pool pumps and more. You will also find useful “how to” videos on how to do things like maintain your HVAC filter, set the thermostat on your heating and cooling or water heater and much more. Useful and important links to tax credit information, the ENERGY STAR Web site and other useful Web site are located under the Resources tab.  

WFEC also began the H2O Plus program, an innovative program that puts technology to work to save energy. At the heart of the program is a load control device installed on your water heater that allows us to control your unit during those times of day when the demand for power is greatest (and when it is most expensive). Once the device is installed, WFEC will be able to send a signal that instructs the device to cycle your water heater. The elements will power down for a short period of time – usually two hours – and restart in time to maintain plenty of hot water for your home. If your water heater stores 50 gallons or more of water, you do not need to worry about running out of hot water when you enroll in H2O Plus. 

This is not a program from which members will see instant results. In fact, H2O Plus will not trim a noticeable dollar amount from monthly power bills. But when combined with thousands of other participating members across the region, the impact on future costs can be significant.

Another program WFEC members can participate in when building a new home or remodeling their existing home is the Touchstone Energy® Home program. This program offers members insight into how to build or remodel their homes to be more energy efficient. Some of the features of a Touchstone Energy® Home include insulated doors, high efficiency water heaters and properly sized electric heat pumps. It is also very important to make sure homes are properly insulated and sealed to prevent air leaks. Touchstone Energy® Homes are more efficient, less expensive to operate, safe and more comfortable.

In addition to these programs and services, WFEC also has some useful interactive tools on its Web site like an appliance calculator, home energy calculator and a lighting calculator. These tools allow you to input information and each generates responses to help you conserve energy based on the information you enter.   

At WFEC, we realize that not all of our members have Internet access. If you don’t have access to a computer, you may contact us and speak with our energy services representative who will be glad to complete the survey by entering information you provide about your home. Once the survey is completed, your custom energy report will be sent to you.

Members who utilize our newest tool will be entered into a quarterly drawing for a $50 electric bill credit.