Demand Response (DR) Practices. French Broad EMC must consider
promoting the use of DR and demand flexibility practices by
commercial, residential, and industrial customers to reduce
electricity consumption during periods of unusually high demand.
We must also consider establishing rate mechanisms to timely
recover the costs of promoting DR and demand flexibility.

Electric Vehicle (EV) Charging Programs. French Broad Electric must consider promoting greater electrification of the transportation sector, including establishing rates that promote affordable and equitable electric vehicle charging options for residential, commercial, and public EV charging infrastructure;

Improve the customer experience associated with EV charging, including by reducing charging times for light-, medium-, and heavy-duty vehicles; accelerate third-party investment in EV charging for light-, medium-, and heavy-duty vehicles;

Appropriately recover the marginal costs of delivering electricity to electric vehicles and electric vehicle charging infrastructure.

French Broad Electric is a not-for-profit Electric Cooperative. That means we are locally owned and operated and accountable to the members we serve, not to external shareholders. Our mission is to deliver consistent and reliable electric service in a timely and cost-efficient manner. We are committed to providing exceptional service to our service territory.

DR and EV charging programs provide financial and environmental incentives to both our customers, and to French Broad Electric as a whole, when customers can reduce or shift energy used during times of high demand. EVs are vehicles powered by electricity, generally provided by a battery, that will charge by being connected to our electrical grid. We are continuously working to meet the evolving needs of our community. Our DR and EV programs and services below.

Voltage Reduction: French Broad EMC in coordination with Duke Energy can reduce system voltage at each substation with our Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) system. This allows us to reduce our overall system demand rapidly in a matter of minutes by up to 5% of the total load. This can also be implemented on a per circuit basis as needed.

Energy Efficiency: French Broad EMC has provided Water heater blankets, light bulb replacement and giveaways to many of its residential members. We have also offered financial incentives for commercial and industrial lighting replacement to reduce demand and energy usage.

Electric Heat Pump Rebate: Geothermal heat pump upgrades and rebates were offered to members in an effort to get members into more efficient heating systems. French Broad EMC also offers large discounts on mini-split heating and cooling systems as well as installation and maintenance programs.

Electric Vehicles: French Broad Electric currently owns and operates three publicly available electric vehicle charging stations, which offer affordable rates to the public and recover the marginal cost of delivery and supply of electricity. We also offer standalone EV rates for any customer who wants to provide EV charging at their home or business.