Progressive Business Solutions

High Threat Today - System Peak Alerts from Progressive Business Solutions

Threat Level: High

There is a HIGH probability that an electric grid system peak event will occur this afternoon between the hours of 2:00PM and 6:00PM CT. It is highly recommended that any opportunities to scale back electrical usage are taken advantage of during this time period.

PJM High Alert notifications are expected to be sent over through Friday July 3, 2026.

While scaling back usage is completely voluntary, the effect it has on potentially lowering your property's capacity impact (Capacity PLC) could benefit you in the long run.


Capacity PLC Explained:

Every summer, PJM (the grid operator) takes a snapshot of each customer's account during the five highest peak usage periods to measure how much demand each account contributes to the overall power grid. PJM uses the average of those five peak hours as part of the formula to set each customer's Capacity Peak Load Contribution (PLC) for the following planning year (June 1 - May 31).

This Capacity PLC value is a significant factor in the pricing models that electricity suppliers use to calculate the electricity rates for each specific account. Knowing when these peak hours are going to occur and having a plan in place to scale down power usage during these times can significantly lower the Capacity PLC, resulting in lower future electricity rates for your business.

What is PJM?

PJM Interconnection is a regional transmission organization (RTO) that coordinates the movement of wholesale electricity in all or parts of Delaware, Illinois (ComEd), Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, New Jersey, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia and the District of Columbia.

What to Expect Going Forward?

From now through the end of September, we will send email alerts to notify our clients on days when there is a high probability of setting one of the five system peaks. If scaling down usage during these times is possible, it is highly recommended. We will do our best to keep the amount of email alerts as low as possible - it is our goal to hit all five peak periods while keeping the total number of notifications to a minimum for the entire summer season.
Tips On Quickly Lowering Energy

• Shut off lights in unoccupied areas
• Activate sleep settings on devices such as printers and copy machines so they enter a low-power mode when inactive
• Lower/shut down HVAC systems, if possible. Pre-cooling is an excellent strategy to reduce HVAC operations during high-peak periods
• Shut off any non-vital equipment such as spare elevator banks
• Revise shift schedules to accommodate off-peak hours

Give us a call today to lower your electricity cost and get your share of Illinois' mandated funds for battery and solar!

Central and southern Illinois residents could face high electricity rates again this summer How much Ameren customers will pay this summer partly depends on whether region experiences another heat wave.

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