If your electricity bill was about to be 10 times more than usual, but you were able to catch it early and fix the problem before it got expensive, would you want to?
That’s exactly what happened to one Coastal Electric Cooperative member.
In September, a Coastal Electric Billing Department employee noticed an unusual spike in a member’s electric use. She promptly called the member to let her know, suggesting it could be a problem with the HVAC.
“I am so very grateful that Coastal checks on this type of anomaly and also that we had a neighbor who was kind enough to go check it out and turn off the breakers to stop that nonsense! Our power bill would have been atrocious, and I’m very relieved that we were able to at least stop the problem from continuing.” — Coastal Electric Member
Sure enough, one unit’s heat strips were blowing 93-degree heat into the home, causing other units to run continuously to cool the home to the thermostat setting of 81 degrees while the homeowners were out of town.
Had the Coastal Electric employee not alerted the member, the high use could have continued unnoticed for nearly four more weeks, until she saw the bill.
“I am so very grateful that Coastal checks on this type of anomaly and also that we had a neighbor who was kind enough to go check it out and turn off the breakers to stop that nonsense!” the Coastal Electric member said. “Our power bill would have been atrocious, and I’m very relieved that we were able to at least stop the problem from continuing. Thank you again, and please give the customer rep an attagirl (aka, thank you and you rock!) for me.”
The Billing Department employee (who did not wish to be named) takes extra care to look out for Coastal Electric’s members every day. As a local electric co-op, it’s just what we do. We want to empower you to do the same.
Sign up for alerts and reminders
With more than 20,000 members, Coastal Electric employees may not catch every instance of irregular use—especially when the increase is subtle. But with the co-op’s customizable alerts and reminders, members can monitor their use and be alerted to potential problems right away.
By signing up using the MyCoastalEC app, member portal online at www. CoastalElectric.Coop or calling (800) 421- 2343, members can choose to receive customized texts, emails or voice calls, or a combination of the three. The service is free, and members can change their settings at any time.
- Some available options include:
• Due date reminders.
• Daily use reports.
• High-energy use alerts.
• Outage alerts and restoration updates.
• Payment confirmations.
Even our employees who live on Coastal Electric lines have saved money using the alerts and reminders.
When she became a Coastal Electric member, Communications Coordinator Bethany Akridge signed up for daily use alerts right away.
Last winter, she noticed her use almost doubled from one day to the next, even though there had been no significant change in outside temperatures or on her thermostat settings. After a few days of higher-than-normal use, Akridge had her HVAC checked and learned that her downstairs unit was malfunctioning.
“The unit had to be replaced,” Akridge says, “but seeing that our use was unusually high alerted us to the problem quickly, saving us a lot of money on our electric bill; and possibly preventing some undue strain on our other HVAC unit, had the problem gone on longer.”
Alerts and reminders aren’t the only tools to help manage energy bills. Using the MyCoastalEC app or member portal, Coastal Electric members can track their energy use, even on an hourly basis, and view use history to get a better understanding of patterns, and thus, possible causes for higher use.
Don’t be shocked by high bills— prevent them instead. To sign up for alerts and reminders, download the MyCoastalEC app or log in to the member portal under “My Account” at www.Coastal Electric.Coop.