Carol J. in Riverside but working on Virginia ski resort account. The lodge operates seasonally December through March with minimal summer usage. Currently on Dominion Energy Schedule GS-3 (general service) year-round but wondering if they qualify for seasonal rates. Summer months drop to almost zero usage except for maintenance activities. Peak winter demand hits 240 kW during busy weekends. Anyone familiar with Dominion's seasonal rate options? Could be substantial savings during low-usage months.
Seasonal rate classification for ski lodge - Dominion Energy
Chuck B. from Cincinnati. Different utility but similar seasonal business issues. Most utilities offer seasonal rates for businesses with dramatic usage swings between active and inactive periods. Key qualification is usually 70-80% reduction in off-season usage. Your ski lodge sounds like perfect candidate if summer usage is truly minimal.
Darlene A. here from Illinois. Check Dominion's Schedule SS (seasonal service) if they have one. Some utilities also offer temporary disconnect options during off-season to avoid demand charges completely. With 240 kW winter demand and near-zero summer usage, the savings could be huge on seasonal classification.
Randy Dawson here. Dominion Energy offers Schedule SG (seasonal general service) for customers with distinct seasonal operating patterns. Requirements typically include: off-season usage below 25% of peak season average, minimum 6-month seasonal pattern, and application with historical usage data. For ski lodges, this can provide substantial savings by eliminating or reducing demand charges during summer months. You'll need 12-24 months of usage history showing the seasonal pattern. Also consider if they do any summer activities like weddings or conferences that might disqualify them. Dominion's seasonal rates usually require annual contracts with defined active/inactive periods.
Vera C. from Washington state. We have ski resorts here with similar issues. One thing to watch - some seasonal rates have higher energy charges during active season to offset the low off-season revenue. Run the numbers carefully to make sure annual savings justify any peak season rate increases.
Thanks everyone, especially Randy for the specific Dominion details. Looking at their usage, summer months average only 12% of winter consumption. Lodge does host some summer weddings but only 8-10 events vs 120+ operating days in winter. I think the seasonal pattern is strong enough to qualify. Will pull 24 months of data and run the Schedule SG analysis.
Nick C. here. Carol, one more thing to consider - what's their contract situation for summer events? If they're marketing summer business or have multi-year wedding contracts, Dominion might argue they're not truly seasonal. Document that summer use is incidental to primary winter operations.
Good point Nick. Summer events are opportunistic rental income, not core business operations. The lodge markets itself as winter ski destination with occasional summer venue rentals. Primary business license and insurance are for winter sports facility. That should help distinguish between seasonal primary use vs year-round commercial operation.
Patricia W. from Tucson. Did you ever file the seasonal rate application Carol? I've got a similar situation with a summer camp that's closed 8 months per year. Curious how Dominion responded to the ski lodge request.
Patricia, sorry for the delayed response! Filed the Schedule SG application in December with 24 months of usage data. Dominion approved it after 6-week review. The lodge is saving about $1,400 monthly during off-season months by avoiding most demand charges. Annual savings project to $8,200. Summer wedding events didn't disqualify them since it's clearly incidental to primary winter operations. Definitely worth pursuing for your summer camp situation.