A MESSAGE FROM THE GENERAL MANAGER A MESSAGE FROM THE GENERAL MANAGER

New Year’s Day power outage

New Year’s Day power outage

2022 brought many challenges and triumphs, beginning with a power outage on New Year’s Day that affected over 5,000 members. These members experienced multiple momentary power outages from noon January 1 until 1 a.m. January 2. Duke Energy customers also experienced these outages, which were caused by a bad insulator on Duke Energy’s transmission line near Ross Millville Road. Butler Rural Electric Cooperative receives transmission service from Duke Energy.

2022 brought many challenges and triumphs, beginning with a power outage on New Year’s Day that affected over 5,000 members. These members experienced multiple momentary power outages from noon January 1 until 1 a.m. January 2. Duke Energy customers also experienced these outages, which were caused by a bad insulator on Duke Energy’s transmission line near Ross Millville Road. Butler Rural Electric Cooperative receives transmission service from Duke Energy.

Thanks to a co-op member who reported seeing sparks near the location of the bad insulator during the outage. We relayed this information to Duke Energy, who checked the location and found the problem.

Thanks to a co-op member who reported seeing sparks near the location of the bad insulator during the outage. We relayed this information to Duke Energy, who checked the location and found the problem.

Buckeye Power provides power to the 24 electric distribution cooperatives in Ohio and is owned by the same Ohio electric co-ops. Buckeye Power worked with American Electric Power, an investor-owned utility like Duke Energy, when building the Cardinal Plant in the 1960s. Most of the electricity we use is generated, or created, at the Cardinal Plant on the Ohio River in eastern Ohio. Transmission lines, including Duke Energy’s transmission lines, deliver electricity to our 16 substations. Butler Rural Electric Cooperative purchases transmission service and is subject to its cost and reliability.

Buckeye Power provides power to the 24 electric distribution cooperatives in Ohio and is owned by the same Ohio electric co-ops. Buckeye Power worked with American Electric Power, an investor-owned utility like Duke Energy, when building the Cardinal Plant in the 1960s. Most of the electricity we use is generated, or created, at the Cardinal Plant on the Ohio River in eastern Ohio. Transmission lines, including Duke Energy’s transmission lines, deliver electricity to our 16 substations. Butler Rural Electric Cooperative purchases transmission service and is subject to its cost and reliability.

Butler Rural Electric Cooperative employees meet with Ben Wilson, Buckeye Power’s director of power delivery engineering, and employees from Ohio transmission companies every year to find ways to avoid transmission interruptions like the one on New Year’s Day in 2022.

Butler Rural Electric Cooperative employees meet with Ben Wilson, Buckeye Power’s director of power delivery engineering, and employees from Ohio transmission companies every year to find ways to avoid transmission interruptions like the one on New Year’s Day in 2022.

Thank you for your patience during power outages. Butler Rural Electric Cooperative’s board members and

Thank you for your patience during power outages. Butler Rural Electric Cooperative’s board members and many employees are co-op members, so we also experience power interruptions when our members do. We understand how frustrating these power interruptions are. many employees are co-op members, so we also experience power interruptions when our members do. We understand how frustrating these power interruptions are.

New Self-Serve Phone Number

New Self-Serve Phone Number

Tom Wolfenbarger GENERAL MANAGER

Tom Wolfenbarger GENERAL MANAGER

We sometimes receive reports of members experiencing busy signals when calling our office to report outages during large outages. These busy signals are due to high call volumes. We recognized the need to upgrade our phone system so members have more options when reporting outages by phone. In December, we introduced our new Self-Serve Phone Number for members to report power outages directly to our outage management system without experiencing busy signals. Our Self-Serve Phone Number is integrated with our outage management system, which is monitored 24 hours per day, 7 days a week. Our outage management system receives and organizes outages from our Self-Serve Phone Number almost immediately and helps us get lineworkers headed in the right direction to get power restored.

We sometimes receive reports of members experiencing busy signals when calling our office to report outages during large outages. These busy signals are due to high call volumes. We recognized the need to upgrade our phone system so members have more options when reporting outages by phone. In December, we introduced our new Self-Serve Phone Number for members to report power outages directly to our outage management system without experiencing busy signals. Our Self-Serve Phone Number is integrated with our outage management system, which is monitored 24 hours per day, 7 days a week. Our outage management system receives and organizes outages from our Self-Serve Phone Number almost immediately and helps us get lineworkers headed in the right direction to get power restored.

You can call 855-940-3867 to use our Self-Serve Phone Number and are encouraged to save your phone number as a contact in SmartHub before using Self-Serve. To do so, sign in to SmartHub and select Notifications > Manage Contacts > Add Phone Contact. More features, like Self-Serve payment options, will be available in 2023.

You can call 855-940-3867 to use our Self-Serve Phone Number and are encouraged to save your phone number as a contact in SmartHub before using Self-Serve. To do so, sign in to SmartHub and select Notifications > Manage Contacts > Add Phone Contact. More features, like Self-Serve payment options, will be available in 2023.

Members can continue to report outages through SmartHub, by texting OUT to 855-940-3867, and by calling 513-867-4400.

Members can continue to report outages through SmartHub, by texting OUT to 855-940-3867, and by calling 513-867-4400.

Our employees will always answer your calls during normal business hours and our after-hours call center does the same on evenings, weekends, and holidays.

Butler Rural Community Solar expansion

The Butler Rural Community Solar program allows members to purchase subscriptions to solar panels. Subscribers support the benefits of solar energy without incurring upfront costs and without having solar panels located at their home. Generating energy with solar power creates no pollution or carbon dioxide emissions and is a clean and renewable energy source.

Participating in Butler Rural Community Solar does not decrease participants’ monthly electric bill. The community solar rate is $0.10136 per kilowatt-hour. The average cost is approximately $1 per month per panel with the solar credit applied. This estimated cost will be in addition to participating members’ current electric bills.

Our first community solar array is located on the corner of Lanes Mill and Stillwell Beckett roads across from our office. Construction for the 228 panel array was completed in February 2017. Our newest array was completed in July and is located in Findlay, Ohio. This larger array, built together with