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What
is Electric Thermal Storage Heat?
Electric
Thermal Storage, or ETS, heaters have been used successfully in Europe for
more than 50 years, and imported to the United States for more than 20 years. ETS works like a thermos bottle by storing heat until it is
needed. The ETS heater is charged (heated) with lower cost, Off-Peak
electricity. It then releases its stored heat whenever needed to
maintain the desired room temperature. ETS heaters are safe, clean,
efficient and comfortable. They can be used to heat one or two
rooms, or an entire house.
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How
does it work?
ETS
heaters use special ceramic bricks with high heat retention
characteristics to store heat. Conventional electric heating
elements are used to produce the heat. When these heating elements
are energized during Off-Peak times, they produce heat to warm the room
during this period and store enough heat for use during the next peak
period. A special electronic switch (called a Load Control Receiver
or LCR), is placed on the member's Electric Heat meter. The LCR
interrupts the electricity to the ETS heating elements, and any other
electric heaters hooked to it, during peak usage periods. The LCR
contains a miniature computer that is operated by a radio signal from
REA Energy's Load Management Computer.
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How
are lower ETS rates possible?
REA Energy Cooperative (REA)
pays for the electricity you use in two ways: Energy, or
total kilowatt hours consumed each month; and Demand, the
highest peak demand that is placed on the power supplier's system each
month. ETS heaters are designed to use electricity only during
Off-Peak times, therefore, they do not add to peak demand. The Off-Peak
rate, then, is based primarily on the energy portion of REA's wholesale
power bill. This allows the
Off-Peak rate to be substantially lower than regular electric rates making
Off-Peak heat less expensive than many fossil fuel heating options.
Ask a REA representative for the latest Off-Peak rates.
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How
do I qualify for the reduced rate?
Any
member who already has a separate electric heat meter, can participate by
simply installing a LCR and one or more ETS heaters. If a member
does not already have a separate heat meter, they will need to have a
separate service entrance installed so that the electricity used for heat
can be tracked and billed at the Off-Peak rate. For rooms such as
bathrooms, up to 2000 watts of existing electric heat can be placed on the
uninterrupted appliance panel. The balance of electric heat
must be connected through the interrupted heat panel so that the home's
heating requirements do not add to REA Energy's peak demand. This way, all
of the electric heat on the heat panel now qualifies for the lower
Off-Peak rate. A minimum of 5 kilowatts of electric thermal storage
heat must be on each Off-Peak system. And, once connected,
participants must stay on the Off-Peak system for at least 12 months.
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Will
I be cold during the peak periods?
A
properly designed ETS system will maintain the temperature of the rooms in
which they are installed, through all conditions. The other rooms will
begin to cool down when the heat is interrupted. How quickly they
cool down will depend on the outside temperature and how well insulated
the home is. Since these rooms are not regularly used during peak
periods, participants should notice no change in their comfort level.
REA Energy does insist that participants and their contractor work closely with
an REA Energy representative to ensure a system that will fit with our peak and
Off-Peak periods and still maintain a comfortable home. The maximum
interruptible periods will not total more than 12 hours in a 24 hour
period.
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How
can the cooperative help participants with the
installation costs of an
ETS System?
REA
Energy Cooperative can supply technical help if members want
to install an ETS heating system. A REA employee will perform a free
heat loss estimate and give advice on the proper sizing and placement of
ETS heaters. REA will supply the LCR free of charge (it remains the
property of REA).
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Some
of the Advantages of electric heat
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No chimney
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No fuel storage tanks
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No ashes, flame or dust
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No need to call for home
deliveries
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Just clean, convenient,
safe electric heat
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