We Know This Winter Storm Was Hard. Here’s What to Expect on Your Electric Bill.

Winter Storm Fern tested our community with some of the coldest temperatures we have seen in years. We know that storms like this can bring unexpected challenges for many of our members. As your electric cooperative, we want to be open and helpful as you review your upcoming electric bill and understand the factors that may have impacted it.

Because of the extreme cold and widespread school and business closures, many members will notice higher-than-normal electric bills.  We understand that no one wants to see higher energy costs, especially when household budgets are already stretched.

During Winter Storm Fern, freezing temperatures made it harder to keep homes and businesses warm. Heating requires significantly more electricity than cooling, and heating systems often run longer during extreme cold, increasing overall energy use measured in kilowatt-hours (kWh).

In addition, many members were home more than usual, which can increase electricity use through everyday activities such as cooking warm meals, doing laundry, and dripping faucets to prevent frozen pipes, which often causes water wells to run more frequently. Using electronics throughout the day also adds to overall energy use. Items with heating elements, including space heaters, heat lamps, hot water heaters, and engine block heaters for diesel vehicles, to name a few, use a large amount of electricity and can contribute to higher bills.

We also want to remind members that electric demand plays a role in billing. The demand window occurs from 6 a.m. to 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. Using multiple high-energy appliances during these times can increase your bill.

Another factor impacting bills is the Power Cost Adjustment (PCA). This charge is a direct pass-through of the wholesale power costs CVEC pays to our generation and transmission provider, Western Farmers Electric Cooperative (WFEC). CVEC does not mark up this charge. The PCA was recently increased by WFEC, and that change is now reflected on member bills.

To monitor your energy usage, sign up for the MyCVEC app at www.mycvec.coop/app. Keep in mind that usage data is delayed and does not show same-day or real-time usage. To learn about ways to implement  energy efficiency practices visit www.mycvec.coop/reduce-energy.

We appreciate your understanding as we all recover from this winter storm. If you have questions, we are here for you. Please reach out to us at 405-382-3680, and our team will be happy to help.