A MONTHLY NEWSLETTER FROM BLUE RIDGE ELECTRIC MEMBERSHIP CORPORATION
matters MEMBERSHIP
February 2016
Become a HERO There’s no better feeling than helping someone! Thousands of local people stay warm each winter thanks to Blue Ridge Electric members participating in our Operation Round Up® (ORU) programs. Last year, 1,072 members signed up for our new easy way to give by asking us to donate all or a portion of their capital credits refund issued in May, raising more than $30,000 and helping hundreds of families! The power of members joining together through ORU makes a big impact in our communities. To date, more than $2 million has helped families stay warm and supported other not-for-profit services that fill critical needs in local communities.
Or, your February bill will provide another option. To give you an idea of the amount your capital credits refund may be this year (if a refund is approved by the Board of Directors), you’ll see your 2015 capital credits refund amount listed on your February bill. You'll see an area to sign up and list your donation amount. As always, you can stop participating at any time simply by contacting us. Donating your capital credits refund is money you may never miss, but it will make a huge difference in the lives of local people in need!
Did you know that 100 percent of donations go to those in need? Blue Ridge Electric covers all administrative costs so that your donations go directly to help those in need. Due to member requests, we’re again asking members to consider donating all or any portion you choose of your capital credits refund. Look for the insert in this issue of Carolina Country to make your selection and return the postage paid card.
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Go to BlueRidgeEMC.com/Share to make a contribution today!
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the
perspective From Blue Ridge CEO Doug Johnson
Local benefits from Connect NC When legislation impacts local members and communities, we feel it’s important to keep you informed. A bond called "Connect NC" will appear on the Primary Election ballot on March 15 and I’d like to strongly encourage you to vote for it due to benefits for local communities. One of the most important ways Connect NC will benefit us locally is by providing $70 million for an academic home for the Beaver College of Health Sciences at Appalachian State University. This holds both economic development and health care improvement opportunities. The current workforce in our state is not adequate to handle the growing increase in demand for health care services. In fact, many areas in North Carolina qualify as a primary care Health Professional Shortage Area (HPSA). And projections for the number of health care jobs available by 2022 is more than three million! Appalachian State’s ability to help train students to fill this critical
shortage for health care workers in North Carolina is constrained without a facility for health care sciences. Voting for Connect NC is an opportunity for us to join together to support a local resource to provide training to fill high-demand jobs and a better quality of health care in our state. Connect NC is also funding other projects locally and across North Carolina to strengthen quality of life. These include projects for water and sewer, agriculture, state parks, and the National Guard.
NC’s NEW PRIMARY
ELECTION DAY March 15, 2016 YOUR VOTE COUNTS
One of the best parts about Connect NC is that no tax increase is needed for the bond! As members of Blue Ridge Electric, and as citizens of North Carolina, it’s important that we support the bond. These investments will keep our local communities and entire state competitive for jobs and ensure a good quality of life for future generations. For more information, visit www.VoteYesToInvest.com.
CONNECT NC
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Investing in our future. Page 22
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For your convenience . . . Did you know you can pay your electric bill online, anytime, 24/7? Go to www.BlueRidgeEMC.com and log into the My Account tab. Next, click on “Billing and Payments” to securely pay by check, credit or debit card. You can also pay with our automated telephone service any time day or night! Simply call any local office or 1-800-451-5474 and Press “2.”
Be sure to always update Blue Ridge Electric any time your telephone number or address changes so that we can better serve you!
As part of our support of local communities, Blue Ridge Electric annually awards scholarships and youth leadership opportunities to high school seniors and adults returning to college who live in the cooperative’s service territory. This year, scholarships worth $12,800 will be awarded based on financial need, community activity, school performance and activities, and personal interviews. Four $2,000 and four $1,000 scholarships are available for high school seniors seeking a bachelor’s degree; and one $800 Charles and Lucille Suddreth scholarship for a Caldwell County resident seeking a two-year degree. Scholarship applications are due by March 31.
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Attention Youth! Blue Ridge Electric is proud to introduce the new Blue Ridge Electric Leadership Track to help Blue Ridge Electric high school students prepare for college and scholarship opportunities and develop leadership skills. High school sophomores and juniors are encouraged to apply to join the Leadership Track. Dozens of Leadership Track students will have the opportunity to attend the Broyhill Leadership Conference and the North Carolina Cooperative Camp sponsored by Blue Ridge Electric. Scholarship applications and more information about the Blue Ridge Electric Leadership Track, including applications, are available at BlueRidgeEMC.com under the “In the Community” tab.
Call 1-800-451-5474
NEVER give out
personal, financial or electric account information if someone contacts you demanding payment.
MEMBERSHIP matters
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Always report
suspicious calls to law enforcement authorities in addition to us.
Immediately
call Blue Ridge Electric. Someone is always available to check your account status.
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Vegetation management Severe weather that involves ice, wind and lightning - resulting in damage to trees and power lines is the major cause of outages. With more than 8,000 miles of power lines to protect, your electric cooperative works year-round on our vegetation management program to ensure
side of power lines. It helps protect the lines and allows linemen to work safely to build and maintain the power system to ensure you receive reliable electricity. The majority of our system is made up of distribution lines, which carry power from substations to homes and businesses. The right-of-way for this Our vegetation management type of line is a total of 30 program combines several growth feet (15 feet on each side).
control methods . . .
members enjoy the most reliable electricity possible. This effort has also placed Blue Ridge among the best performing utilities in the nation for reliability. Vegetation management occurs in our rights-of-way. A right-of-way is a corridor, or strip of land, along either
Blue Ridge Electric is a unique cooperative in that we must also build and maintain our own transmission system. These high voltage power lines deliver electricity from our supplier in the foothills to our mountain district members. The right-of-way for these lines ranges from a total of 100 to 250 feet, depending on the voltage of the line.
Our vegetation management program combines several growth control methods — all with the goal of balancing the beauty of our area while ensuring safe, reliable electricity. In the next article in this series, we’ll begin discussing these various methods and how members are notified in advance of work beginA 30-foot herbicide cleared right-of-way. ning on their property.
CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER Doug Johnson
Steps to restoring power
EDITOR Renée R. Whitener
PRODUCTION SUPERVISOR Susan Simmons
DISTRICT OFFICES Caldwell Watauga Ashe Alleghany Wilkes PowerLine®
(828) 754-9071 (828) 264-8894 (336) 846-7138 (336) 372-4646 (800) 451-5474 (800) 448-2383
(PowerLine® is an automated account information and outage reporting system.)
Toll Free
(800) 451-5474
(for members outside of the service area.)
To report an outage at any time, call one of the numbers listed above.
Restoring power after a major outage involves steps for safely getting the most members restored in the shortest amount of time. Our plan is based on these priorities: Step 1: Transmission structures and lines that supply power to one or more transmission substations are restored first. These main delivery lines receive first priority because they serve tens of thousands of people. Step 2: Next are distribution substations, which “step down” (reduce) voltage from transmission lines so it can be distributed to thousands Did you know. . . of members.
You can "Like" us on Facebook and receive updates during major storms?
Step 3: Main distribution supply lines (the ones you see on poles along roads) are targeted next.
Step 4: The final power supply lines, called "tap lines," are restored next. These are lines coming off main distribution lines.
OFFICE HOURS: 8:30 am - 5:00 pm, Monday-Friday Kiosk available 24/7 + Night deposit
Step 5: Damage can also occur on the service line leading from the transformer pole into your home. This could be why your neighbors have power and you don’t.
Visit us on the web: BlueRidgeEMC.com +
Outages can be reported 24/7 by calling our PowerLine at 1-800-448-2383.
This institution is an equal opportunity provider and employer.
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