Agricultural Irrigation Pump Load Control Program

Reduce Your Entergy Arkansas Bills For Irrigation and Manage Your Wells Right From Your Computer.

Imagine not having to get up late at night and fight mosquitoes just to turn off a well. You can now turn on your irrigation wells when you need them most from anywhere you have a computer, tablet, smartphone and access to the Internet. Entergy Arkansas is accepting early enrollment for the 2013 Agricultural Irrigation Load Control (AILC) Program. The improved AILC Program now lets farmers turn participating irrigation wells on or off remotely from a computer or smartphone.

All you need to do is let Entergy Arkansas power off your well for three hours on peak demand weekdays June thru August. It is that simple. And, you will save money on your electricity bill while your wells are enrolled in the AILC Program. 

CLICK HERE to see how easy it is to manage your wells from your computer.

How Does AILC Help Save Electricity and Money?

The greatest demand for electricity occurs in the summer months when customers are using air conditioning to cool their homes and businesses. This peak demand coincides with the time farmers are pumping water into their fields. Reducing peak demand is important to both Entergy Arkansas and our customers. Last year we introduced an arrangement that both eases the peak demand and helps farmers like you: the AILC Program. It reduced peak electrical load during hot summer weekday afternoons by partnering with agricultural water pumping customers to decrease the demand on the electrical system by allowing Entergy Arkansas to periodically interrupt service. In exchange, participating farmers got a break on the price of their power.

Participants receive a credit of $4.16 per kilowatt with savings up to 30 percent off their monthly base bill before adjustments.

All you have to do to participate is agree to allow Entergy Arkansas to interrupt electric service to your participating pumps for three hours each day, Monday through Friday, between the hours of noon and 9 p.m., excluding holidays.

You may sign up one or all your pumps. The program will begin interruptions on the first week day in June of each year and last through the end of August. The credits will appear on the Entergy bills you receive associated with the interruption months.

CLICK HERE for step-by-step instructions.

Here’s how it works:

At our expense, Entergy Arkansas will install a special meter that can be activated wirelessly and remotely on each irrigation pump you enroll. Each weekday during the program period, we will interrupt the power to the meter for three hours. In return for your participation, we will apply a credit to your bill for that service month of up to 30 percent of your electricity charges before adjustments.

If you would like to participate in this program, please call or email us as soon as possible. The AILC Program will close for enrollment before the interruption months to allow time for equipment installation.

CLICK HERE to sign up now and add your wells to the program. Or, call or email us at:

PHONE: 1-800-324-4709
EMAIL: arcscfarmers@entergy.com

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:

How will the credit be applied? 
The AILC Program provides a $4.16 credit per kilowatt of electricity used for each pump. The total credit could be as much as 30 percent of the billed load before adjustments. In the past, accounts using this billing credit typically saved between 10-15 percent of their bill over three months.

How does the remote switching work? Farmers participating in the AILC Program can use the same technology Entergy Arkansas uses to remotely control their own irrigation wells. Farmers will have access to a secure website where they can register any participating and active irrigation well for remote control by a computer, laptop, tablet or smartphone. Once well registration is complete, the participant can log into the site with the username and password and select any registered well to be either turned on or off.

If the well fails to connect or disconnect for whatever reason, a failure message will display on the website. If you get this message, call the Irrigation Desk at 1-800-324-4709. Please note: remote control access will not be available during the three hours of load control curtailment each day. Otherwise, you can manage your wells operation at anytime.

Am I eligible for this voluntary program? All Entergy Arkansas customers receiving electric service with the Agriculture Water Pumping Service Tariff are eligible.

Are there any installation fees? There are no installation fees. To participate, you must allow Entergy Arkansas contractor’s access to the meter pole. Also, the pole must be in sufficient condition such that we can install the new meter and load control device.

Why is Entergy Arkansas offering this program? We are looking for ways to save customers money and reduce the total “peak load” – the amount of electricity required to serve all our customers during the weekday periods of summer afternoons. As seen in previous years, reducing peak load benefits all of our customers. The AILC Program is approved by the Arkansas Public Service Commission.

Have participating farmers been satisfied with your program? Yes. We polled 75 farmers at the end of the 2010 season. More than 75 percent expressed complete satisfaction. More than 90 percent plan to stay on the program.

What happens if I choose to terminate the program before the three months are over? 
You may end your participation in writing at any time, but if you do, your credits will end and all prior billings for which you received a credit will be recalculated and re-billed at your regular rate.

What if something goes wrong with the meter or the switching controls? 
Installation and maintenance is Entergy Arkansas’ responsibility. During business hours, call our Irrigation Desk at 1-800-324-4709. During nights, weekends and holidays, call 1-800 9OUTAGE (1-800-968-8243).

Will my pumps come on automatically after a daily interruption? Many pumps will. The switch is a disconnect device, and your pump will experience a total outage during daily interruptions. You will need to check with your pump service provider to determine if your motor control can be set to automatically turn the pump on when the disconnect device restores service.

What if I learn my pumps cannot be turned off as frequently as described after I have joined the program? We understand sometimes the best intentions go awry when we least expect them. This is why the AILC Program allows customers to terminate participation in writing anytime during the program period. The pump account will be re-billed for any credit that may be received during program and no other penalty fees will be assessed.

Where can I see the terms of the program? 
CLICK HERE to see a copy of the tariff as filed with the Arkansas Public Service Commission. 

What do I do about getting my pumps turned back on for the irrigation season? As you have in the past, you will still need to call the Irrigation Desk to have service turned on at the pump. Phone: 1-800-324-4709.

PHONE: 1-800-324-4709 
EMAIL: arcscfarmers@entergy.com