PECO says nearly 60,000 people signed up to have AC turned off–briefly

The utility that handles a good deal of the electric power for the Philadelphia region is saying a new program is making inroads cutting down peak demand.

The PECO program attaches a device to central air conditioners. When demand for electricity peaks, the device turns off the AC compressor for up to 15 minutes at a time.

PECO spokeswoman Cathy Engel Menendez said people sign up because they can cut their bills up to 120 dollars a year.

“We have 58,834 customers participating in PECO smart AC saver, and the nice thing about this program, other than calling to schedule the appointment, there’s nothing for customers to do we remotely operate the device and the majority of customers participating don’t even notice that the device is cycling on and off their air conditioning compressor,” said Menendez.

Menendez said the air conditioning control is part of an overall suite of programs to help customers manage their energy use and save money.