How many End User License Agreements (EULA) have you “agreed” to over the years? How many have you read? If you’re anything like me, the answer is hundreds and zero.
Whenever you’re signing up for a new Internet site, purchasing a new do-dad, installing software, etc., invariably they drop an EULA in front of you that requires you click a checkbox indicating you agree to the seemingly endless legal gobbly-goop accompanying it. For all you know, the paragraph “the user hereby agrees to send us all his/her money each month”, might be buried in there. If they do, I’m never gonna see it - I’m just clickin’ and movin’ on. As far as getting my money each month - let me direct you to the back of the line…
While not a legal agreement per se, that bill you get from the power company for running your pumps and other motors should be closely examined from time to time. Did you know that when starting a motor up, it typically takes about three-times as much electrical current to get it up to speed as it does to hold it there? In order to deliver this amount of current, the power company is required to have that generating and distribution capacity - even for the very short time you require it. Therefore they assess a monthly “demand charge” to cover the cost of this capacity. Depending on the size of the motor, this can be hundreds, or even thousands of dollars each month the motor is started. Multiple starts within a short period can also increase the demand charge.
There are ways to reduce or even eliminate this charge by installing specialized equipment or running during “off-peak” times. However, both options will require some setup and modifications. Simply running your motor(s) during off-peak times won’t save you anything unless you’re on the correct power schedule.
Take a look at those electrical bills and note your demand charges. If they are high enough to justify some further exploration, there are people out there that specialize in this, and it might be money well invested to have them advise you.
-Terry Smith
