PNM ‘Time of Use’ program has few takers

Utility surveys could prompt changes to boost popularity

Very few customers have taken advantage of Public Service Co. of New Mexico’s voluntary “Time of Use” program to lower electric bills, and PNM wants to know why.

The program has existed for more than three decades, but fewer than 1,000 of PNM’s 525,000 customers are enrolled, said PNM spokesperson Shannon Jackson.

Under the program, residential and small business customers can pay a reduced rate for electricity in off-peak hours if they agree to pay more for electric consumption during higher-use periods, which run from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday-Friday.

The program aims to save customers money while helping the utility better manage supply and demand during high-use days and times.

It’s a matter of customers learning to better budget how and when they use electricity, using things like laundry machines or dishwashers later in the evening on weekdays, or on weekends, Jackson said.

“We’ve been offering the program since the 1980s, but participation has never been high,” Jackson said. “We have only 121 residential customers and 876 small power, or small business, customers participating.”

PNM sent out surveys to 200,000 customers since mid-November to get feedback.

“We want to know if there’s any interest in this type of pricing, why there has been low participation, and if customers are, in fact, interested in sitting in the driver’s seat to be in control of their electricity usage and what they pay based on time of day,” Jackson said.

Survey results could lead to program changes. Any future changes, however, must be approved by the Public Regulation Commission, and the program will remain voluntary, Jackson said.