Navigating the Smart Usage Plan

For people in the pilot group of NYSEG customers who live in the grid upgrade area, The Smart Usage Plan provides a financial incentive to shift electricity use off of peak times. If you opt-in to the Smart Usage Plan your rates will be higher during peak times and lower at off-peak times.  Make sure to sign up for Day-Ahead-Market price spike alerts that notify you when electricity supply prices will go above $0.12/kwh. (see below how to set up alerts)

Click here to find out more information about the Smart Usage Plan

Click here to see the tutorial page on how to log in to Energy Manager

---

Below are some important features of the Smart Usage Plan page on Energy Manager

Finding the Smart Usage Plan Page

From the Energy Manager dashboard, click on the  My Usage tab and select Smart Usage Plan (Note that some customer's dashboard images are different, but the tabs at the top are the same.)

---

 Compare Costs of the Smart Usage Plan with the Standard Plan 

On the main Smart Usage Plan page, you can see basic information about the plan at the top. At the bottom of the screen there is a generalized comparison of the Standard Plan and the Smart Usage Plan that can have estimates* of what your electricity bill might be for the next 12 months on each plan. Also, supply prices can change unexpectedly, effecting the total price you might pay. See below to see how to set up Day-Ahead-Market alerts to be notified by email if supply prices will go above $0.12/kWh. 

*These numbers were generated by looking at your electricity use over the previous 12 months and calculating what the costs would have been if you were on the Smart Usage Plan for that time. The prices listed are the total amount you would pay for just your electricity (not gas) over the next 12 months. Divide this number by 12 to get an estimate of what your monthly electric bill would be. The estimated price does not include the basic service charge or other credits or charges that NYSEG may apply according to it's tariff structure. If you have had your smart meter less than 12 months, this feature will not be available and appear grayed out. 

---

Smart Usage Rate Plan Analyzer 

The link to the  Smart Usage Plan Analyzer can be found just above the estimated costs of the Standard Plan vs. the Smart Usage Plan.

 

The Smart Usage Rate Plan Analyzer asks you if you are able to shift when you use energy- "none', "a little" or "a lot". It also asks if you are able to reduce how much electricity you use. The Analyzer then estimates your potential savings based on how much you may be able to shift your electricity usage to off-peak hours, or reduce how much you use.

---

Be sure to set up Day-Ahead-Market price spike alerts!

Click on Preferences from the tabs along the top of any page in Energy Manager. Select Set Up Notifications from the Preferences tab.

Because the supply prices on the Smart Usage Plan are more variable than on the Standard Plan, you can set an alert to notify you by email or phone if the next day's supply prices will exceed $0.12/kwh.

You can set up a variety of notifications including personalized Electricity, Gas, and Cost level notifications to alert you when you exceed an amount that you decide on.

The Day-Ahead-Market price alert notification is at the bottom of the alert choices and allows NYSEG to notify you if the supply prices will go higher than $0.12/kwh the next day. If you are on the Smart Usage Plan, you would want to know when these price spikes happen so you can take action to limit your electricity use during the hours specified in the alert.

If want to keep track of the Day-Ahead-Market on your own,  check out our tutorial on how to download daily supply pricing for our local Central Zone.

Last updated July 26, 2019