Vol71-01 January 2021

Automate your electric bill payment

Free yourself from the drudgery of paying bills every month by taking advantage of SMECO’s Budget Billing and AutoPay programs. Budget Billing removes any guesswork and provides you with even monthly payments. Sign up for AutoPay and that even monthly payment is taken right out of your bank account.

Automate

Five ways to stay cozy this winter

When you’re feeling chilly at home, you can choose budget-friendly ways you can keep comfortable without turning up the thermostat.

Here are five easy ways to stay cozy this winter.

Stay cozy

Why is my bill high?

Bills are based on the amount of electricity you use. When you use more energy, your bill goes up. Energy use changes seasonally. When it’s cold in the winter and your heating system runs, or when it’s hot in the summer and your air conditioning runs, your bill will be higher. Your bill is typically at its lowest in May and October, because you use less energy heating and cooling in those months. You can see how much energy you use every hour of every day when you log in to Account Manager.

High bill

Around Town Calendar

Visit the Around Town Calendar to find out about upcoming events in Southern Maryland.

Energy rate decreased

SMECO recently received approval for a decrease in the power supply rates that residential members pay for their electric service. On September 30, 2020, SMECO submitted a filing to the Maryland Public Service Commission (PSC) to reduce its residential base energy charges. The lower rates were approved by the PSC on November 25 and went into effect on December 1, 2020. This is the second time SMECO has filed for and received approval for a rate decrease for residential customers in 2020.

Rate

Benefits of tree trimming

Clearing trees and overgrown vegetation is vital to provide safe, reliable power to our members.

We clear certain areas in our service territory, known as rights of way, to:

Keep power lines clear of tree limbs
Restore power outages more quickly
Keep crews and members of our community safe
Reduce unexpected costs for repairs

Vegetation management improves service reliability for you—our members.

Energy efficiency tip of the month

Replace standard power strips with advanced power strips to save energy. Advanced power strips look like ordinary power strips, but they have built-in features that are designed to reduce the amount of energy used by standby electronics that consume energy even when they’re not in use (also known as phantom load).

The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) estimates that the average home loses $200 annually to energy wasted by phantom load.

Source: nrel.gov