2008 Irrigation/Load Control Newsletter

Load Control Hours to Include Sundays

Sunday Control Required For All Irrigation Load Control Accounts
In recent years, Southern has offered a special rate and incentives to customers who participated in Sunday load control. By voluntarily offering our participation in Sunday load control, we felt we were taking a proactive approach to minimizing the high demands seen across Nebraska when load control had not previously occurred on Sundays.

But 2008 will see significant changes in the load control program. Sunday load control will now be possible for all of Southern’s irrigation customers on the load control program. Continued increases in Sunday demand has made this change a necessity, and it affects all Nebraska Public Power District (NPPD) wholesale customers across the state. The cost of not controlling irrigation on Sunday would effectively eliminate the current rate savings to irrigators who are on load control rates.

When Sunday load control goes into effect, it will be for a maximum of six hours and will be added to other control hours that occur during the week. For example, if you utilize the “Two Day” rate, you could see control occurring on your two designated days, as well as an additional six hours on Sunday. The maximum number of control hours each week will be 72. The set-up is similar to 2007, but your load control will be spread over seven days rather than six. The number of Sundays that will ultimately be controlled will be determined in part by the weather. If we see a hot and dry summer, you should anticipate a higher likelihood for Sunday control. Likewise, any unforeseen interruption in NPPD’s low-cost generation facilities could result in the need for Sunday control.

Operation Procedures
As in years past, load control may begin as early as 9:00 a.m. and continue as late as 11:00 p.m. You will see no more than 12 consecutive hours of control on any one day, plus a 15-20 minute period for power to be restored to all groups. We strive to keep your irrigation system off no longer than absolutely necessary, but we also know that you want to keep your rates as low as possible. We are billed at Southern for our wholesale power based upon peak loads that we create in any hour, so it is crucial that we keep loads as low as possible, so we can pass on the lowest cost possible to our customers through our load management rates.

Within all of our irrigation load management rates, there is an emergency clause that allows the district to respond to a situation if NPPD is not able to supply power. This may include the failure of a major transmission line, or perhaps the shut-down of a generating station. This can occur on any day of the week. Shortages in power can damage your irrigation motor so this clause also helps to protect your equipment! If the need to implement emergency control is present, you can listen to KRVN 880-AM for those announcements.

How is Load Control Applied?
NPPD keeps a watchful eye on a number of factors, including weather conditions and electrical usage trends throughout the summer. Their readiness with these factors allow them to pinpoint which time of day will be most crucial for load control. Wholesale customers participating in load control across the state are broken into eight groups to allow variance in load control requests. This allows them to use only the groups that are needed throughout the day. This set-up works well for Southern, and also you as a customer. It allows maximum running time, and the flexibility for NPPD to take loads off more precisely, where needed.
  • New Policy for Temporary Bypass
    • In 2007, we noted that requests for load control bypasses had increased significantly, prompting the District to change its bypass policy. More>>>
  • Load Control Tampering Prohibited
    • Tampering with a load control box is a violation of the agreement irrigators make with Southern when entering into the Load Control Program. More>>>
  • Speed Up Your Trouble Calls
    • When you call Southern after hours for service problems or load management assistance, you will speak with a representative from our after hours call service. More>>>
  • Plan Now for 2009 Application Deadlines
    • If you are thinking about requesting a new irrigation service for 2009, submit your application as soon as possible. More>>>
  • Load Management Notices
    • Stay up-to-date with the latest information on the load control program. More>>>
  • Load Control Boxes
    • Understand your load control box, and what those lights on the front mean! More>>>