Water Heater Control

The rising cost of electricity is a concern to all of us.  The Grand Rapids Public Utilities Commission reduces wholesale power costs through the use of an Electric Load Management System.

Load Management is the shifting of certain types of electrical use (i.e. water heaters) to off-peak periods to save money. Generally, the electric demand needs to be controlled only on days of extreme weather conditions to avoid higher, expensive peak demands.

A peak load occurs when a majority of our customers use a large amount of electricity at the same time.  The sketch to the right shows a 24-hour load pattern for a typical summer day for the Grand Rapids electrical system.

Grand Rapids Public Utilities purchases wholesale power from Minnesota Power.  As the size of the Utility's peak load increases, the utility is required to purchase additional power to meet our customer's load demand.

Additional information about the Load Management Program may be obtained by contacting the Grand Rapids Public Utilities Commission at 218-326-7024.  Customers wanting to participate in the program can schedule an appointment for a Public Utilities Service Technician to install the control switch.  There is no cost to the homeowner.

For questions and answers on the Water Heater Control Program, please see the following file below.