GETTING STARTED WITH THE MIPOWER MANAGEMENT
SYSTEM
This Quick Start guide will help you start using the MiPower Management System provided by Grayson
Collin Electric Cooperative.
You should create your personal account and custom programs as soon as possible because the MiPower
Management System will start managing your energy usage as soon as the monitoring equipment is
installed. Until you create your custom programs, the Summer Default, will manage your devices
according to the following schedule:
Time of Day
Heat Target
Temperature
Cool Target
Temperature
Min.
Temp.
Max.
Temp.
Electric
Water Heater
Pool
Pump
6 A.M.
8 A.M.
6 P.M.
10 P.M.
70
62
70
62
78
82
78
78
66
58
66
58
82
86
82
82
On
Off
On
Off
Off
On
Off
On
Table 1. Default Program Schedule
The default program assumes that you will:

Awaken at about 6:00 in the morning

Leave for work at about 8:00 in the morning

Return home at about 6:00 in the evening

Go to sleep about 10:00 at night
When GCEC initiates a Control Event to curtail power usage during a period of excessive demand, the
system will not allow the temperature of your home to drop below the minimum temperatures in cold
weather or rise above the maximum temperatures in hot weather. (For additional information regarding
specifying temperature settings in your custom programs, see Temperature Settings on page 3.)
THERMOSTAT NOTES
The thermostat that was installed in your home is a programmable communicating thermostat. It is a
precise instrument with many features. In addition to controlling your heating, ventilating, and air
conditioning (HVAC) system, it communicates with the communicating gateway in your new electric
meter. This enables the thermostat to receive instructions from your online program.

Although your thermostat is programmable, you should always use your own custom online
programs to control the thermostat, which in turn controls your HVAC system. Your online program
automatically selects the correct HEAT or COOL mode and the target temperature for you based on
the settings in your online programs and the current temperature conditions. You do not need to
manually adjust your thermostat, not even to switch between HEAT and COOL modes when the
seasons change. (For additional information on specifying temperature settings in your online
program, see Temperature Settings on page 3.)
However, there may be occasional situations when you wish to make a temporary change such as a
short-term temperature adjustment. If you want to make temporary adjustments, you can use the
Plus (+) and Minus (-) buttons on the thermostat to temporarily adjust the target temperature.
Please note that these manual changes are temporary and will remain in effect only until the next
online program time period. You can also manually switch the circulating fan between On, Auto, and
Off. Your custom online programs do not control the circulating fan.
EWIPA0018-04
1

Manual adjustments to the thermostat cause it to revert to the previous manually-set target
temperature until the system reloads your custom settings to the thermostat. Therefore, you should
ensure that these values reflect an acceptable default comfort level.

The “COOL” or “HEAT” that is displayed on the thermostat screen indicates the HVAC mode of
operation that the thermostat is set to, not whether your HVAC is actually running. This is normally
the last actual HVAC operation mode unless it was changed by a program update or manually
changed at the thermostat. Your online program will set the correct mode of operation when
required to maintain your specified comfort level.

The CT30 does not have an indicator to show whether the HVAC is actually running, but the CT80 has
a colored HVAC Status light that indicates whether the HVAC is actually heating (orange) or cooling
(blue) or if the fan is running (green). A combination of green and orange indicates Fan and Heating.
A combination of green and blue indicates Fan and Cooling.

Do not create manual programs in your thermostat. The online program will override them.

Do not use the special thermostat features and controls, such as the HVAC Setup, Drift/Swing, AutoRun Program, Save Energy Button, or Reset button.

Do set your preferred heating and cooling target temperatures at least 6 degrees apart.

Refer to Operating Your Thermostat in the online help for specific instructions.

If we installed a model CT30 Thermostat, the thermostat battery indicator will be lit, indicating that
no battery is installed. A battery is not required because the thermostat is powered from the HVAC
unit and because we resend your program to the thermostat as soon as power is restored after a
power outage.

If we installed a model CT80 thermostat:

Do not use the humidity controls unless you have a dehumidifier that is attached to your HVAC
system and that is controlled by the thermostat.

Do not use the Auto heat/cool mode.
Fan button
Battery
indicator
Fan and
Mode
buttons
Mode and
+/- buttons
+/Buttons
CT30
EWIPA0018-04
CT80
2
TEMPERATURE SETTINGS
When you create your programs, you will be asked to
specify your preferred, or target, heating and cooling
temperatures for each time period throughout the day.
You will also be asked to specify minimum and maximum
temperatures for each time period. Based your chosen
temperature settings, the system will automatically switch
between HEAT and COOL modes as needed to maintain
your requested comfort. To ensure that your HVAC system
does not constantly switch between heating and cooling
modes, set your preferred heating and cooling target
temperatures at least 6 degrees apart.
82°
Your maximum allowable hot
weather temperature during a
Control Event
78°
Your preferred target cooling
temperature in hot weather
70°
Your preferred target heating
temperature in cold weather
65°
Your minimum allowable cold
weather temperature during a
Control Event
The Preferred Cooling and Heating temperatures are the
target temperatures that will be displayed on your
thermostat. They are the temperature you want your home to be when your HVAC is either cooling or
heating.
The minimum and maximum temperature values apply only when Grayson Collin Electric Cooperative is
running a Control Event to curtail power usage during a period of excessive demand. They enable you to
specify the minimum (coolest) and maximum (warmest) comfort levels you are willing to accept during a
Control Event. (For additional information on Control Events, refer to the Introduction topic in the online
help.)
With the exception of a critical Control Event, the temperature of your home will not be permitted to go
below the minimum or above the maximum temperatures you set. The greater the difference between
these temperatures and your normal target temperatures, the longer your participation in the Control
Event, which provides more energy savings for Grayson Collin Electric Cooperative.
Please note that the minimum temperature value must be at least 4 degrees lower than the lowest
preferred (target) temperature and the maximum temperature value must be at least 4 degrees higher
than the highest preferred temperature.
EWIPA0018-04
3
GETTING STARTED WITH YOUR ONLINE ACCOUNT
In order to receive full benefit from the MiPower Management System, you must create your personal,
secure online account and one or more energy management programs.
STEP 1: CREATE YOUR USER ACCOUNT
To create your personal account, do the following: (If your account was created for you, you can skip to
Step 2: Sign In to Your Account on page 5.)
1
Type “http://gcec01.consert.com/” into your web browser
address bar.
2
On the LOGIN page, click First time users click here.
3
Type the requested information in each text box, and then
click Next Account # is your electric utility account number.
4
Read the Terms and Conditions, and then click I accept the
terms and conditions.
5
Create your user name and password.
6
a
Click the User Name box, and then type the name you
want to use for your account. Your user name must
meet the listed criteria.
b
Click the Password box, and then type a password to
provide secure access to your account. Your password
must meet the listed criteria.
c
Click the Confirm Password box, and then retype your password to confirm that you entered it
correctly.
d
Click OK to create your account.
The system returns you to the LOGIN page and displays an
acknowledgement that the system created your account.
EWIPA0018-04
4
STEP 2: SIGN IN TO YOUR ACCOUNT
1 To log in to your account:
a Click the User Name box and type the user name you
created in Step 1: Create Your User Account.
b
Click the Password box and type the password you
created in Step 1: Create Your User Account.
c
Click Login
Notes:

If you forget your username or password: On the
LOGIN page, click Forgot Username/Password, and then type the email address used when you
set up your account. We will send you an email containing your user name and a new password.

If you enter an incorrect password 10 times in succession: You will be prevented from trying
again. See Requesting a New Username or Password in the online help or contact Customer
Service as listed under For More Information on page 7.
2 The system displays the MiPower Management System home page, or dashboard. From this page,
you can perform various tasks, such as creating energy control programs, scheduling when your
programs run, viewing reports of your energy usage, and editing your programs.
Note: Only HVAC compressor, water heater, and pool pump energy are measured. If you have a heat
source other than a heat pump, such as gas, standard electric, or other alternative heat source,
energy usage of those devices will not be reflected in the Energy Snapshot graph.
Tabs for major
functions
Links and program
status
Snapshot of
energy usage
Shortcuts to
frequently used
functions
Active Program
status and controls
3 After becoming familiar with the dashboard, you can create your own energy management programs
or simply modify the default program, which is active when you first create your account. For specific
instructions, refer to the Online Help.
EWIPA0018-04
5
STEP 3: CREATE YOUR FIRST ENERGY MANAGEMENT PROGRAM
Programs are energy usage schedules. They define how you want your devices to operate during a 24hour period. Each program can have a maximum of eight time periods with different settings. You can
create an unlimited number of unique programs for weekdays, weekends, vacations, holidays, and so
forth.
It is very important to create programs to manage your devices according to your preferences. If you do
not create your own programs, the default program will be used and it may not manage your devices—or
your comfort—as you prefer. See Table 1 on page 1 for the default program schedule and settings.
1 On the HOME tab Shortcuts menu, click Create New
Program.
2 The
New Program dialog box is displayed.
Follow the instructions to create a program.
A detailed procedure is included in the Participant
Portal User Guide available from the online Help menu.
EWIPA0018-04
6
FOR MORE INFORMATION

Refer to the online help.

Contact a Customer Support Representative at (903) 482-7100 or [email protected].
Consert Inc.
4700 Falls of Neuse Road, Suite 340
Raleigh, North Carolina 27609
www.consert.com
COPYRIGHT 2010–2011 Consert Inc. All rights reserved.
The Consert solution is covered by U.S. Pat. No. 7,715,951 and other U.S. and international patents pending. A list of patents
and published patent applications relating to the Consert solution may be found at www.consert.com.
Consert, Communicate-Control-Conserve, Virtual Peak Plant, and the Consert logo are trademarks or registered trademarks
of Consert Inc.
EWIPA0018-04
7