2024-07-BRE MM

Membership MATTERS

Take advantage of Smart Rebates

Energy efficiency improvements you make in your home can reduce electricity usage and lower your monthly energy bill, providing cost savings for years to come. Why not consider making an energy efficiency purchase now and maximize the savings with Blue Ridge Energy’s Smart Rebate offers!

You can get money back from Blue Ridge Energy’s Smart Rebates program when you purchase one of the following qualifying ENERGY STAR® appliances or home projects!

Appliances

• ENERGY STAR Refrigerator (minimum. 15 cu. ft.) $25

• ENERGY STAR Freezer (minimum. 10 cu. ft.) $25

• High-Efficiency Heat Pump or Mini-Split (16 SEER or greater)* $150

• Geothermal Heat Pump (19 SEER or greater)* $250

Weatherization

• Duct Sealing or Replacement up to $100

• Air Sealing* up to $100

• Insulation* up to $100

• Building an ENERGY STAR home* up to $500

*Indicates items for which you may also be eligible for a federal ENERGY STAR tax credit and the Blue Ridge Energy rebate.

Smart Rebates helps Blue Ridge Energy members save money through energy efficiency. Rebate forms and complete details are available at BlueRidgeEnergy.com/Rebates

Perspective

How do you benefit from our subsidiaries?

Keeping your bill as low as possible has always been the goal behind why we formed two subsidiary companies: first with Blue Ridge Energy Propane and Fuels and later with RidgeLink, which leases high-capacity fiber to broadband and wireless service providers.

All the profits from these two companies come back to the cooperative’s bottom line, which keeps your rates as low as possible. Their success has helped us weather some of the mounting pressure from a rising cost storm of wholesale power, materials and contract labor increases that is putting significant pressure on utilities everywhere, resulting in rising consumer costs.

In 2023, our subsidiary companies produced a combined net benefit of $5.7 million, which helped keep your rates lower than would otherwise been possible. In fact, the subsidiaries have produced a benefit for many years, and it continues to grow each year.

Supporting our local communities is also a way the subsidiaries benefit members. Last year, Propane and Fuels and RidgeLink donated $50,000 to your cooperative’s Members Foundation. These funds are used for crisis heating assistance and community grants to improve health care, education, elder and youth services, and more.

Propane and Fuels also benefit communities by donating to local breast cancer-related organizations. Since 2013, nearly $139,000

has been donated through our Pink Truck “Fueling the Fight” program.

Also of significance is the part RidgeLink plays in bringing broadband to unserved or underserved areas, constructing the backbone infrastructure for these critical quality-of-life services.

As members, it’s important for you to know about your subsidiary companies and how we’re working to make life better. We hope you join in our excitement to pursue continued growth to increase subsidiary benefits to you and all members to help keep rates as low as possible and improving the quality of life in our communities.

From Blue Ridge Energy CEO Doug Johnson

Community Solar options

Are you interested in being a part of our community solar family?

Blue Ridge Energy owns and operates five community solar gardens across our service territory. This offers members easy access to solar energy without the upfront cost and maintenance of owning their own rooftop solar, which may not be an option if you have heavy tree coverage or rent where you live.

Our community solar program allows any member to subscribe to one or more panels

at an effective cost of $3.75 per month, per panel, and receive a bill credit for the energy produced by the solar garden.

We’re pleased to offer this option to our members! If you’re interested in signing up or learning more, please call our Energy Solutions Department at 828-572-6062, from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday.

You can also learn more at: blueridgeenergy.com/community solar

Capital credits: allocations vs. refunds

Members receiving notice of capital credits allocations

During the month of July, members will receive notice of capital credits allocations from the previous year. This notice will come on the back of your July billing statement or can be found on the member portal at blueridgeenergy.com. Please be aware that this is NOT a refund — refunds were issued in May.

Here’s more about the difference between capital credit allocations and refunds:

• Allocations are based on the amount of electricity a member purchased the previous fiscal year. This annual allocation amount is added to your overall membership capital credits balance, which reflects all the years in which you had service with Blue Ridge Energy.

• Refunds occur when your Board of Directors approves a capital credits retirement. This involves refunding a portion

of your overall membership capital credits balance. The rotation of these funds over time allows the cooperative to build and maintain power lines, substations, rights of way, and other areas to ensure safe and reliable electric service. It also reduces the need for loans, which keep costs down for members while still allowing for refunds to the memberowners of Blue Ridge Energy.

Capital credits are a benefit of belonging to a cooperative. This not-for-profit business model is used by thousands of cooperatives to balance debt and equity to help keep member rates low and provide reliable electric service.

Your annual capital credits allocation notice communicated in July is NOT a refund, but rather one of the first steps in the annual process. Refunds were issued in May.

Call 811 before digging to avoid danger

Homeowners can make risky assumptions about whether they should get their utility lines marked, but every digging job requires a call — even small projects like planting trees and shrubs or installing a mailbox.

The depth of utility lines varies, and there may be multiple types of utility lines in any given area. Erosion and root system growth can also alter the depth or location of buried lines. Hitting a line can knock out service to your home and an entire neighborhood, cause serious injury to you and others and can result in fines and repair costs.

For your safety, please call 811 at least three business days before any digging project on your property. If you have a contractor performing work, make sure they’ve called 811.

In fact, it’s required by law to notify local utilities of digging projects. This one call will

get all participating utility underground lines marked for free to help prevent problems or injuries. Simply call 811 and answer a few questions about your location and the type of work to be done. Or, go to the website at Call811.com

Pro tip: Be sure to keep the ticket number 811 gives you for future reference or to track your request online. Remember: know what’s below before you dig — always call 811!

Doug Johnson

EDITOR

Renée R. Walker

SUPERVISOR Jacob Puckett

HOURS: 8:30 AM - 5:00 PM Monday - Friday Kiosks