Load Management Programs at North Itasca Electric Co-op

North Itasca Electric Cooperative Off-Peak Equipment

If you are building or remodeling a home, take some time to review home heating options with North Itasca Electric Cooperative Inc. (N.I.E.C.I.). If you utilize N.I.E.C.I.'s load management programs, the electric rates for home heating are affordable.

Electric thermal storage (ETS)

Does not need a backup heat source. Offers several types of heating from individual rooms to whole house heating. Centrally ducted systems allow for the addition of central air conditioning and radiant floor heating applications to be applied.

ETS is a technology that stores heat during off-peak hours for heating use 24-hours a day and utilizes your cooperative's low load management electric rates Electric thermal storage without an additional backup heat source. Room-sized ETS storage units consist of specially designed bricks stored inside a cabinet. Electricity is used to heat the bricks during off-peak hours when electric use is low. When the thermostat calls for heat, a fan blows air across heat storing bricks to distribute heat throughout the room. Room units are a popular replacement for wood stoves or baseboard heat. A centrally-ducted ETS system is available for whole house heating. It operates under the same concept of storage as the individual units, only it provides heat throughout your home by utilizing ductwork similar to forced-air furnace systems. A centrally-ducted ETS system can be used as a stand-alone furnace or combined with a heat pump to offer even better efficiencies and lower operating costs. An add-on hydronic unit can be used to provide radiant floor heating as well.

Storage Heating and Dual Fuel heating:

Electric Plenum Heaters:

Electric plenum heater provides whole house electric heating and the ability to heat with electricity or fossil fuel at the flip of a switch. An electric plenum heater can convert your existing natural gas, propane or oil furnace into a "dual fuel" system. An electric plenum heater gives you the ability to take advantage of low-cost load management electric rates and the flexibility to use the most cost-effective heating source at any time. The plenum heater typically sits on top of your fossil fuel furnace and uses your existing furnace fan to move air across the plenum heater elements, which heats the home. Both your fossil fuel furnace and the electric plenum heater utilize the same thermostat and ductwork. Electric plenum heaters can be installed in conjunction with central air conditioning and air-source heat pumps.

Electric Boilers:

Electric boiler can be zoned to provide whole house heating or supplemental heating. Electric boilers, along with radiant tubing systems, have become one of the most popular heating systems for residential and commercial applications. Electric boilers heat your home by heating water that circulates through tubing installed in the floor or in hot-water baseboard heaters. Electric boilers can be zoned to provide the necessary heating requirements. Electric boilers can meet the needs of most commercial and residential applications. If an in-floor boiler system has a backup heat source or if the tubing is submerged in sand to store heat, it can qualify for load management electric rates. Hot-water baseboard heaters must have an automatic backup heat source to qualify for load management electric rates.

Heat Pumps:

A heat pump is an electric device that captures the heat that occurs naturally in the air or ground. Heat pumps offer an energy-efficient alternative to standard furnaces and air conditioners. Like your refrigerator, heat pumps use electricity to move heat from a cool place into a warm place, making the cool space cooler and the warm space warmer. During the heating season, heat pumps move heat from the cool outdoors to your warm house; during the cooling season, the process is reversed. Because it moves heat rather than generates heat, heat pumps can provide up to four times the amount of energy they consume.

Air Source Heat Pumps:
One of the most efficient ways to both heat and cool your home. However, it will need a backup heat source for those extremely cold days.

An air-source heat pump transfers heat between your house and the outside air. When properly installed it can deliver one-and-a-half to three times more heat energy than the electrical energy it consumes, making it very efficient and very economical to operate. During the summer, air-source heat pumps cool your home like a central air conditioning unit. However, during the cooler months it also provides heat. Most heat pumps have a balance point when supplemental heat kicks in to maintain the thermostat setting when the temperatures dip below freezing. The addition of a modulating electric plenum heater or non-electric backup heat source can provide supplemental heat automatically as the heat pump becomes less efficient with temperatures dropping below 18 degrees Fahrenheit. Having a non-electric backup heat source qualifies air-source heat pumps for load management electric rates.

Ground Source Heat Pumps:
The most efficient heating and cooling system available. Will meet 100 percent of a home's heating and cooling year-round and some systems can also provide water heating.

A geothermal heat pump is the highest efficiency heating and cooling system available because it uses a renewable energy source: the earth. Geothermal heat pumps use the constant temperature of the earth to heat and cool. This allows the system to reach high efficiencies (above 300 percent) even on the coldest winter nights. A network of durable plastic coils are buried in the ground which absorb the earth's energy. A heat pump, connected to the coils, extracts that energy and converts it into heat. At the flip of a switch, the process can be reversed to cool your home. Ground-source heat pump coils can be installed vertical or horizontal (as pictured at right). Some can also utilize ponds or groundwater. For more details about electric heating options contact North Itasca Electric Cooperative at 1-800-762-4048.

Electric radiant floor heat
Best for areas such as kitchens and bathrooms or hard to heat areas such as basements or rooms with high ceilings.

Radiant floor heating systems are popular because of the comfortable, even heat they provide. The heat is distributed through tubing, electric cables or electric mat systems. Because the heat is transferred directly from the floor to you rather than the air in the room, you feel warm even when the thermostat is at a lower setting. When the tubing, cables or mat systems are submerged in sand they can qualify for load management electric rates because heat can be stored. Systems utilizing load management operate during off-peak periods. During periods of high energy use, the energy stored in the sand will discharge and provide the heat necessary until the next recharge period. If the area utilizing radiant floor heat does not allow for the application for heat storage, an automatic backup heat source is necessary to qualify for load management electric rates.

Baseboard heat:
An easy and inexpensive way to add heat to "cool spots."

Baseboard electric heat is easy and inexpensive to install to heat "cool spots" in your home or to heat seasonal homes where heat is only on when occupied. Baseboard heat allows you to adjust the thermostat setting for individual rooms, which can help save on energy costs. However, baseboard heaters must be clear of furniture to operate effectively and safely. Baseboards can qualify for load management electric rates if you have an automatic backup heating system.

Cove heat:
Excellent way to provide supplemental heat without disrupting the location of your furniture.

Cove heat is an excellent option for adding supplemental heat in your home or business. It has all the advantages of baseboard electric heat plus more. One benefit of cove heat over baseboard heat is that it is mounted on the wall near the ceiling, allowing you to arrange your furniture any way you want. Why put a heater near the ceiling if heat rises? Cove heat is a radiant heat (heats objects), not a convective heat (heats air) like baseboard heaters. Since the heat is being transferred directly from the heater to you rather than the air in the room, you feel warmer even though the thermostat is at a lower setting.

How Does Load Management Work?

Load management programs for home heating and cooling are designed to save you and the cooperative money. North Itasca Electric cooperative's load management rates are:

Storage rate is 3.3 cents per KWH
Dual Fuel rate is 3.8 cents per KWH
Freedom rate is 5 cents per KWH.

Heat Storage:
If your electric heating system is able to store heat (i.e. in-floor heat submersed in a bed of sand or an electric heating system that utilized electric thermal storage technology) your system "charges" during the off-peak hours when electric demand is low and then stores the heat energy so it is available whenever the thermostat calls for more heat.

Dual Fuel:
On the coldest days of the winter, when demand for electricity is high, your cooperative's power supplier sends a signal to your heating system to automatically switch to a back-up non-electric heat source. This allows the power supplier to cut back on the amount of electricity it needs to purchase when it is the most expensive, which means North Itasca Electric Cooperative can continue to provide competitive electric rates to its members.

Off-Peak Program Information

Residential Water Heating:

Storage Hot Water - 3.3 cents per KWH. Requires 80 gallon water heater. Heats 8 hours per day from 11:00 PM to 7:00 A.M. (For those over 55 years of age, 50 gallon water heater is required).

Breath Easy water Heating - 5.0 cents per KWH. Requires 50 gallon water heater. Heats 20 hours per day. Off from 4:00 PM to 10:00 PM.

Electric Heating Programs:

Storage Heating with Slab Heat - 3.3 cents per KWH. Tubing or Electric Mats 12" below concrete slab.
Storage Heating with Individual Room Units - 3.3 cents per KWH. Heats bricks 8 hours per day from 11:00 PM to 7:00 AM.
Storage Heating with Whole house Furnace - 3.3 cents per KWH. Heats bricks 8 hours per day from 11:00 PM to 7:00 AM.
Dual Fuel Space heating - 3.8 cents per KWH. Heats continuously unless controlled by Great River Energy. Propane or Fuel oil must be used as a back-up heat source with this program. Maximum of 400 hours of control per year.
Freedom Space Heating - 5.0 cents per Kwh. Electricity controlled up to 4 hours per day. Controlled between 4:00 PM and 10:00 PM each day.

Electric cooling programs:

Cycled Air Conditioning - 3.8 cent per KWH During controlled times, 15 Min On 15 Min Off.
Controlled Air source Heat Pumps for Heating and cooling - 3.8 cents per KWH. During controlled times, 15 Min on 15 Min off.
Ground Source Heat Pumps - general service rate per KWH. Heats and cools the home. On continuously.

For more information, call Jerry Loney, Diversified Services Manager, at (218) 743-3131 or email him at jerryl@nieci.com.