PORTLAND, Ore. — Portland General Electric is offering rebates for reducing energy consumption during peak hours on certain days.
Customers enrolled in the Peak Time Rebates program will earn a dollar back for every kilowatt-hour saved during Peak Time Events, compared to their typical use on days with similar weather.
PGE held an event Thursday evening from 4 to 7 p.m. The power company holds 12 to 20 events per year and notifies participants about them a day in advance.
“This is a good deal all the way around,” said PGE spokesperson, Steve Corson. “You can save a few bucks and at the same time, you're also saving us from needing to turn on some of our less efficient power plants to meet this kind of peak demand while helping us save the environment and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.”
During PGE’s Peak Time Rebate pilot program participants saved an average of $3.00 per event. They did so by doing things like waiting until later to run their dishwasher or turning down the air conditioner. The average dishwasher uses 1800 watts an hour, which would earn participants $1.80.
Corson said the average PGE customer uses 800-kilowatt-hours every month.
“We're just talking about a little sliver of that,” said Corson.
Visit PGE’s website to enroll in the Peak Time Rebates program.