Most, if not all, City Council candidates have gone on record as supporting the city’s load-management program offered to Washington Electric Utilities customers.

At least one candidate, incumbent Bobby Roberson, believes the city should consider making participating in the program mandatory. Why would he want to make it mandatory?

Simply put, making the program would save WEU customers and the city more money than they are saving now on their electricity bills.

During budget talks last year, WEU Director Keith Hardt said having all qualified WEU customers participating in the load-management program would save the city — and its qualified power customers — about $1.3 million a year. That’s a significant amount.

We understand that some WEU customers consider the load-management program an invasion of privacy, and even more so if the program becomes mandatory. That said, those WEU customers who decline the chance to reduce their electric bills and WEU’s electric bill are doing themselves and all WEU customers a disservice.

After all, every little bit of savings helps, at the individual level and at the system-wide level.

Take a load off your electric bill by participating in the load-management program.