OEC wants to sell electricity – it’s what we do. In today’s world electricity can be a good value as long as it is managed. Managing the way electricity is used means reducing consumption when the demand for electricity is high and increasing consumption when the demand for electricity is low. That is why OEC’s Dual Fuel program works so perfectly for both our members and for the co-op.
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How Duel Fuel and Electric Thermal Storage Work
Dual Fuel means you have two heat sources for your home heating needs. One heat source is electricity and the other heat source is some type of fossil fuel (typically propane, natural gas or fuel oil). The electric heat is the primary heat source and when OEC must reduce the electric demand, the co-op will shut off your electric heat system and your fossil fuel system must automatically take over heating your home.
Electric Thermal Storage (ETS) converts electricity to heat during periods of low demand and then stores that heat in a dense material, either high-density ceramic brick, concrete or other dense flooring material. The heat is released during periods of high demand when OEC must manage the load. This type of heat system can be part of the dual fuel program as a stand-alone unit or can be used as the back-up heat system instead of fossil fuel.
With either Dual Fuel or Electric Thermal Storage, OEC has the ability to shut off this electric load when demand is high, so we can offer a special rate for the electric heat. The Dual Fuel rate is $0.049 per kilowatt-hour which is less than half of the regular residential rate. In each case a special metering package is required. The metering package can be purchased from OEC and will be installed by your electrician or heating contractor. The final connection and inspection is done by OEC.