November 2012
Prepare now for winter heating bills Blue Ridge offers the following tips to help you keep your electric bill lower in colder weather: Be energy efficient An energy efficient home will help you reduce energy usage costs. Significant swings in outside temperatures can cause your heating system to work harder — and use more electricity. Simple steps can help contain costs: set thermostats to the lowest comfortable level in winter (68 degrees is suggested); be mindful of the use of space heaters since they can use significant amounts of electricity; and open curtains on south-facing windows to let in the sun’s heat. For more efficiency tips customized to your home, take our online energy audit at BlueRidgeEMC.com or call our office for a free Energy Savers booklet. FlexPay Our “pay as you go” plan lets you purchase electricity in any amount you choose — daily, weekly or monthly — with no deposits or late fees. You can pay online, by phone, or in our office using debit/credit cards, check, or cash. Receive account updates by your choice of text message, phone call, or email. You can also monitor your FlexPay account at MyUsage.com. Budget Billing This plan equalizes your payments for eleven months. In the twelfth month, your account is “evened up” with a final payment or credit applied. Combine this with bank draft for even more convenience. Tips for members needing assistance paying their bill • Make payment arrangements using our automated telephone system that extends your due date for three days. At $10 each, it’s much less than a $40 late fee. • Call us before your account becomes subject to disconnection so we can help you make payment arrangements and avoid additional costs. • If you’re subject to disconnection, contact your local social service agency to see if you qualify for special assistance such as our Operation Round Up® or state and federal programs that provide temporary crisis assistance. • Call us if you need to discuss an individual payment arrangement plan as soon as you get your bill. Carolina Country November 2012 25
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I’m proud to say that we’re more involved in and supporting our local communities than we have ever been throughout our history. And thanks to you, our members, there has never been greater member partnership with us to drive improvements and benefit our communities in areas such as health care, education and assistance to those in crisis. Containing costs is challenging during these times of rising costs in all sectors of our economy. It’s especially difficult in the electric utility industry when our nation’s leaders have developed no energy policy — and none in sight for the near future. This is resulting in uncertainty around investment in expensive power plants at the same time growing government regulations and environmental laws are increasing the cost of doing business. New regulations aren’t the only culprit, however. Prices for fuel, materials, and equipment are predicted to continue rising. Also driving up costs is the need to modernize our nation’s grid. Our grandfather’s generation invested in building our nation’s massive power delivery system and now it’s our time to invest in upgrades to ensure our quality of life continues for our children and grandchildren. Containing costs during times like these is difficult, but we’re committed to looking out for our members. For example, even though our costs for wholesale power rose by 8 percent this year, we were able to contain the recent rate adjustment to 2.5 percent. We achieved that with a multipronged approach that includes controlling internal operating expenses through our employee WorkSmart program, profits from our subsidiary companies, and negotiations with Duke Energy to get the best possible savings for our
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While cooperatives like Blue Ridge Electric resemble most companies in some ways, there are some important differences. The most distinguishing part of a cooperative is that we don’t operate to produce a profit; we exist to benefit our members by keeping your bills as low as possible and being a local, supportive presence improving the quality of life in the communities we serve.
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Offsetting rising costs, ensuring the Cooperative Difference
members from the Duke-Progress merger.
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Through WorkSmart, employees have identified and implemented ideas worth an annual $2.9 million in costs we avoided spending — costs members did not have to pay. These ideas ranged from using more technology and reducing paper, changing our uniform contract, changing to a business format for the annual meeting and more. Due to these efforts, none of the recent rate adjustment was for operating costs; it was entirely to pay for increased wholesale power costs. While our wholesale power agreement with Duke Energy offers the best pricing available in the current marketplace, these costs are rising for Duke and other power generators due to the reasons mentioned above: increasing environmental regulations, closing old coal plants and replacing them with cleaner generation and more expensive power plants, and upgrades to power delivery systems. We’ll continue to monitor the merger and work to secure the best wholesale power pricing available since this makes up the majority of our costs. Finally, our subsidiary companies are key to helping offset rising costs for our members. The financial benefit provided from Blue Ridge Energies, a heating fuels and propane provider to homes and businesses, as well as RidgeLink, a business-to-business provider of our excess fiber capacity, goes directly to help hold down rate increases.
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While we project the need for annual rate increases the next few years, our commitment is to keep them below what we see other utilities having to implement. Our goal is to mitigate rising costs through our efforts above so that any necessary rate adjustments are kept to three percent or less. Our strategy is based on the cooperative difference of looking out for our members and helping keep your bills as low as possible while maintaining a local, responsive and supportive presence in our local communities.
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More News Portable generator safety While Blue Ridge Electric has one of the highest reliability records in the nation, severe weather sometimes leads to power outages. Portable generators offer benefits when an outage affects your home, but can pose serious safety hazards to you and others if not used and installed correctly. We urge members to follow these tips: • •
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Follow the manufacturer’s instructions when operating your generator. Never connect a portable generator directly to your home’s wiring — this can cause backfeeding along power lines and electrocute anyone coming into contact with them. For the same reason, never plug a generator directly into a regular household outlet. To prevent electrical shock, ensure your generator is properly grounded according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Operate generators in a dry place outside, away from intake vents into your home, to avoid dangerous fumes inside your house. Always plug appliances directly into generators. Use heavy-duty, outdoor rated extension cords that have a grounded three-prong plug and are in excellent condition. Keep children and pets away from generators. Never overload a generator. They should only be used when necessary and to power only essential equipment or appliances. Never refuel a generator while it’s operating. Only store fuel outside away from living quarters and away from heat sources. Always turn off equipment powered by the generator before shutting it down. Contact Blue Ridge Electric if you plan to use a generator, especially during an outage.
Thank you for following safe installation and operating procedures when using portable generators. This helps protect the safety of your family as well as our line technicians who are working on power lines and equipment during outages.
STATEMENT OF NONDISCRIMINATION BLUE RIDGE ELECTRIC MEMBERSHIP CORPORATION Blue Ridge Electric Membership Corporation is the recipient of Federal financial assistance from the Rural Utilities Service, an agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and is subject to the provisions of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as amended; Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended; the Age Discrimination Act of 1975, as amended, and the rules and regulations of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. In accordance with Federal law and U.S. Department of Agriculture’s policy, this organization is prohibited from discriminating on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, or disability. The person responsible for coordinating this compliance effort is Julie O’Dell-Michie, Senior Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer. To file a complaint of discrimination, write to: USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights, Room 326-W, Whitten Building, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, DC 20250-9410, or call (202) 720-5964 (voice or TDD). Both USDA and Blue Ridge Electric Membership Corporation are equal opportunity providers and employers. Carolina Country November 2012 27
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Members Only NEWS
~For Members of Blue Ridge Electric
Lighting the path to safety CORPORATE OFFICE PO Box 112 • Lenoir, NC 28645
CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER Doug Johnson EDITOR Renée R. Whitener PRODUCTION SUPERVISOR Susan Simmons DISTRICT OFFICES Caldwell (828) 754-9071 Watauga (828) 264-8894 Ashe (336) 846-7138 Alleghany (336) 372-4646 Wilkes (800) 451-5474 (800) 448-2383 PowerLine® (PowerLine® is an automated account information and outage reporting system.) Toll Free 1 (800) 451-5474 (for members outside the service area) To report an outage at any time, call one of the numbers listed above. OFFICE HOURS 8:30 am - 5:00 pm, Monday - Friday Night deposit available. Visit us on the Web: www.BlueRidgeEMC.com
Outdoor security lights help provide a safer environment around your home. Properly planned lighting has shown to deter burglars and the peace of mind better lighting gives you can help you rest easier. The right outdoor lights can also add to your home’s attractiveness, as well as light up areas like your home’s driveway so that it’s easier to pull in and out of your driveway at night. There are many benefits to outdoor lighting and Blue Ridge Electric has a variety to select from at an affordable monthly fee that is added to your monthly electric bill. Call your local district office or visit BlueRidgeEMC.com to have your outdoor lighting installed and ready to provide you with greater security, beauty and convenience!
Chimneys: warm and cozy or easy exit for your heat? Fireplaces have chimneys...and chimneys can be problems when it comes to home energy efficiency. Many people do not take care to close their chimney flue when there is no fire. This means warm air has an easy exit from your home. Be sure to close that flue. Second, be sure that your hearth is sealed against cracks. Sometimes the mortar holding together the bricks will develop hairline fractures, and these might be enough to lose heat. Take precautions with the screens you use as well, to ensure that glass doors shut tightly when the fireplace is not in use. Now that it’s winter, it’s the time to enjoy that fireplace. But take a little care, so that you don’t end up heating the outdoors when the fire isn’t burning. Source: energy.gov
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