Neal and Joyce Boyd with their dog, Max.
This series focuses on Dawson PPD customers who use SmartHub to manage their electrical use. SmartHub is a free web and mobile app available to all Dawson PPD customers. To sign up, call Dawson PPD at 308-324-2386 or visit the payments tab.
How did you learn about SmartHub?
We have a geothermal heat pump system, it was not flowing properly. It was making a funny noise. Because it wasn’t working, it went into backup heat mode and our electric bill increased by $400! We were beside ourselves.
We called to have it repaired, and a month later the bill was still high. We wondered if something was going on with our electricity or the meter, so we called Dawson PPD.
First, we learned that our contact information was outdated. We are longtime customers and they still had our landline on our account. We haven’t had a landline in years, we only use cell phones now. So, we got that corrected.
Then, Bobby Johnson (Dawson PPD Energy Services Specialist) introduced us to SmartHub and showed me how to look for spikes in our energy use on the graph. I could monitor it and see if anything had changed.
What did you accomplish by using SmartHub?
Because we knew how to use it, we could see that the heat pump was still not working after it had been repaired. We called our HVAC technician back and they looked at it again, and then we had the well driller come out and make some repairs.
I was able to watch SmartHub every day to see if the repairs they were making had any difference on our electric use. I was doing jumping jacks when I saw my first low bill!
How are you using SmartHub today?
I check SmartHub once a week on my phone or iPad. I like to look at the graphs to see if there are any spikes in energy use, and I appreciate the emails telling me what I owe. I like to use it because you always know how much your bill is – there are no more surprises.
Would you recommend SmartHub to others?
Yes! I’ve told my neighbors about it and how it helped us when the heat pump was out. It’s so easy to use and check on.
What did this experience teach you?
Lessons learned: Make sure your contact information is up to date with Dawson PPD, especially your phone number.
November 2019