When Herald & Review reporter Tony Reid checked into a recent push by Ameren Corp. to interest people in a program called Power Smart Pricing, I was astonished only 2,000 customers had signed up.

When it comes to saving money, Central Illinoisans are a pretty savvy bunch and Power Smart Pricing is a way to save money on your electric bill. CNT Energy, the Chicago-based, nonprofit organization that administers the program, calculates the average participant's savings at 16 percent.

We have only participated in the program since June, but the benefits are already apparent. While we have not saved 16 percent, we have saved some and anticipate we will save more during the winter when we depend less on electricity than in the summer.

According to CNT Energy, Power Smart Pricing gives residential customers access to hourly electricity prices based on market prices. The price you pay for electricity will vary from hour to hour and day to day based on the actual market price. Under the standard residential rate, the price is fixed.

Simply put, participants pay the current cost of electricity. Normal rates for Ameren IP customers not on the plan are 6.385 cents per kilowatt hour in the summer (June, July, August and September) and 7.957 cents per kilowatt hour for usage under 800 kilowatts and 5.621 cents for the rest of the year.

Customers can receive e-mail or phone alerts telling them when the price of electricity is spiking and also get price forecasts. Power rates can be as high as 17 cents during peak usage hours on hot summer days, but in the evening rates normally drop below 2 cents. The rate for Thursday, Sept. 18, for example, ranges from a low of around 1.2 cents to a high of 6.4 cents. The vast majority of the hours are in a range from 4 cents to 5 cents.

The program appeals to my inner cheapskate. When I first heard about the program, it sounded pretty complicated, but after some investigation, it's actually pretty simple.

One of the first things to do is use compact fluorescent bulbs wherever practical as they use far less energy than standard light bulbs. You will also find you turn off lights whenever you leave rooms as a way to save even more.

It's a challenge to plan electric use when rates are lower. We have a timer on our dishwasher and I usually set it to turn on around 2 a.m. when the rates are always below 2 cents. We do our laundry on weekends and evenings - being a night owl helps that practice.

During the day in the summer, our thermostat is usually set at 80 degrees and we have a timer on our thermostat that kicks it down to 76 about the time the first person is due to arrive home. We usually turn it down to 74 at night when rates are low to cool the house and it makes the 80-degree setting during the day tolerable.

The program is not for everyone. If you have an all-electric home, it might not be the best choice. If you feel you have to reorder your entire life, it might not be a good thing, either.

But, if you are like my family, and you look at the program and think you are doing a lot of the things CNT Energy advises you to do to be successful, then it's definitely worth checking out.

ddawson@herald-review.com|421-7980