CRANBERRY TWP — For the average household, which uses 914 kilowatt-hours a month, a savings of a few cents per kilowatt-hour likely isn't worth the headache of dealing with multiple electric companies.

But for Cranberry Township, which uses millions of kwh per year over 100 different electric accounts, not being wise with their pennies would be pound-foolish.

At Thursday's supervisors meeting, director of public works Jason Dailey updated the township's officials on how much money it saves per annum through its “complicated” energy portfolio, comprised of two large, 11 medium and 86 small electric accounts.

Because the township's energy use is so large, it is able to save a large chunk of change when it bids out for different electric prices. Its two largest accounts, Dailey said, use more than 7 million kwh a year, which attracts bidders who will offer lower prices for a large amount of guaranteed revenue.

“We're currently paying in the neighborhood of 3 cents a kwh” on those large accounts, he added.

Although its multimillion kwh accounts attract competitive prices, Dailey described the township's 11 medium accounts as “challenging.” They're less attractive to electric vendors, he noted, but the township currently brings in various rates when it shops for electric prices on those accounts.

Last June, Cranberry struck a deal during a dip in the market, locking in a rather low price for a longer term rather than dealing with the shorter-term fluctuations in pricing the electricity market usually brings.

Because each half-cent decrease in electric pricing saves the municipality roughly $15,000, public works' acquisition of electricity for 1 cent lower than usual saves the township about $30,000, Dailey said.

He added that the 86 small accounts mainly are for traffic signals and related devices, and they combine to use roughly 1 million kwh a year.