Don’t let your electric bill surprise you this winter!
Don't let winter catch you off guard with high electric bills. Did you know that McKenzie Electric offers a special electric heat rate?
Many of our members are surprised by how much it costs to keep their homes or businesses warm during the cold North Dakota winters. You can save money by taking advantage of our discounted electric heat rate, available from October 1 to April 30. It's easy to get started – just give us a call at 701.444.9288, and our meter technicians will set you up with an electric heat (EH) sub-meter. First, you will need a certified electrician to install a meter socket provided by McKenzie Electric. The best part? We provide the meter equipment for free!
But before we dive into how EH meters can save you money, let's understand how your meter measures the electricity you use.
Your meter logs the energy you consume in a unit called a kilowatt-hour (kWh). To break it down further, kWh stands for 1,000 watts per hour. For example, if you have a 100-watt lightbulb running for ten hours, it would register as 1 kWh on your meter. Your meter tracks your daily usage in kWh, and you'll see the charges for it on your bill the following month. So, the power you use in October will appear on your November bill to ensure accuracy, and we only bill you for the power we've purchased on your behalf.
Why is this important to note? If you're using a 1500-watt portable oil-filled space heater to warm a room all day, it could result in 36 kWh of usage per day, billed at the standard residential rate. However, if you connect your electric furnace to a heat meter, those kWh used for heating will be billed at a discounted rate.
Make sure to switch your heat meter breaker to the "ON" position in your breaker box by October to take full advantage of the special heat rate. If you have any questions about your heat meter or want to learn more about how you can save money this winter season, please don't hesitate to call us at 701.444.9288. We're here to help! Stay warm and save.
