With power costs rising, Blue Ridge Energy is looking at all ways to control costs. An important way members can join with us in this effort is by signing up and taking action to Beat The Peak.
Peaks are the short periods of time on the hottest summer afternoons or coldest winter mornings when the most electricity is being consumed. Power producers must generate enough electricity to meet that extreme demand. In our area, peaks usually occur between 2-7 p.m., on the hottest summer weekdays and from 6-9 a.m. on the coldest winter mornings.
When you sign up for Beat The Peak, you’ll receive your choice of a text or email letting you know when a peak period is expected. Then, you can choose to take action to help “Beat The Peak” by shifting some of your electricity consumption outside of peak hours. Steps such as adjusting your thermostat, turning off unnecessary lights and delaying laundry until after the peak are examples of simple but helpful steps members can take.
If members voluntarily reduce their electricity usage during peak demand times, it can make a big difference in controlling expensive wholesale power costs to keep rates — and bills — low.
Sign up today! It’s free and voluntary. Learn more or sign up at BlueRidgeEnergy.com/BTP. Or simply text “btp” to 70216 to sign up.
Teachers: apply now for Bright Ideas grants!
In honor of the 30th year of awarding Bright Ideas grants, $30,000 will be awarded to K-12 teachers who submit winning grant ideas for creative learning projects. Teachers must apply by Sept. 15.
Submit grant applications and learn more at ncbrightideas.com. Winners, who are announced in November, can be awarded up to $1,500 for an individual grant.
Bright Ideas grants benefit students with learning opportunities that are not able to be funded by regular school budgets.
Perspective THE
Navigating Rate Pressures
As a cooperative, we are committed to delivering the most reliable electricity for our members at the lowest possible cost.
We’ve successfully used various strategies to mitigate rising costs and shield members. However, the cost impact of state and federal legislation that could be moving too far too fast in the quest for cleaner energy, combined with inflation and rising costs over the past few years, is increasingly affecting your cooperative.
Due to these impacts, your cooperative is conducting an in-depth cost-of-service study. The goal is to ensure that current member rates allow your cooperative to be financially sound and continue providing reliable, safe electricity at the most affordable rate for members.
We are talking to elected officials about the inevitable costs required for a cleaner energy transition. While we support cleaner energy, we believe it’s imperative the transition doesn’t pose undue harm to member bills and prioritizes reliable service.
Wholesale power accounts for over half of our operating costs. Our full requirement contract with Duke Energy Carolinas has helped us keep rates low over the years. In fact, we’ve saved $319 million compared to the state median since 2004 and we’re one of the lowest cost energy providers in North Carolina.
In the past few years, energy prices have spiked, resulting in a 12% increase for wholesale power, which equates to a financial
impact in the millions. Rising costs for labor, service fleet and materials have added to this.
Contract labor, particularly for rights-of-way, is our biggest challenge due to heavy vegetation in our service area. We must keep rights of way trimmed to maintain our 99.9% reliability rating. From 2023 to 2024, we experienced a $3 million increase for this labor to keep the same number of miles of line clear.
Materials critical to providing electricity have also sharply risen. Prices for power poles increased by nearly 50%. Transformer prices rose by 85%. Overhead cable has increased: a typical upgrade of 2 to 3 miles costs $10,000 more since 2017. Bucket trucks, critical to our work, have spiked 72%, from $160,000 in 2016 to $216,000 today.
It is becoming very hard to overcome these increases without rate pressure. We have trimmed operating costs where possible, and your cooperative’s propane and fuels and dark fiber subsidiary companies have contributed from their profits to offset rising costs.
As we undertake a cost-of-service study to determine what impact this may have on rates, our commitment to you, our member-owners, is that we will continue working to manage energy and the economic challenges our cooperative and nation face. You can be assured that your cooperative is working to contain costs, to provide reliable electricity, and to support the communities and members we serve in northwest North Carolina.
From Blue Ridge CEO
Doug Johnson
Blue Ridge Energy EARNS AN ACSI® 2023 CUSTOMER SATISFACTION AWARD
Blue Ridge Energy is honored to have earned a 2023 Customer Satisfaction Award* from the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI®) based on our member survey results. Members were asked to rate their overall satisfaction with us, how well we lived up to their expectations, and how well we measured up to their ideal co-op experience. While these were not the only questions in the survey, we included these specifically because they are the core components of the proprietary ACSI methodology.
Blue Ridge Energy’s ACSI score substantially outperforms the industry average score earned by publicly measured utilities reported in the 2023 ACSI Energy Utility Study. This Award is a testament to Blue Ridge Energy’s ongoing efforts to provide the best possible member experience.
The 2023 Customer Satisfaction Award affirms that its members have noticed Blue Ridge Energy’s hard work. Blue Ridge Energy is grateful for its members and will continue to strive for excellence through constant dedication to improvement.
*Award criteria are determined by the ACSI® and are based on customers rating their satisfaction in a survey independent of the syndicated ACSI Energy Utility Study. For more about the ACSI, visit theacsi.org/badges. ACSI and its logo are registered trademarks of the American Customer Satisfaction Index LLC.
How to lower summer energy bills
Costs for cooling your home can make up a large portion of your summer electric bills. We work to provide members with the lowest cost of electricity! These tips can help keep your bills lower:
No-Cost Tips
• Close blinds and drapes during the day to keep heat out.
• Set your thermostat as high as comfortable when you’re home (and higher when you’re away or during a Beat The Peak alert period).
• Turn off lights and ceiling fans when you leave a room.
Board update
• Air dry dishes and clothes.
• Use a microwave instead of your range or oven. Or grill outdoors!
Low-Cost Tips
• Plant trees and shrubs that shade the exterior of your home in summer.
• Replace disposable air filters monthly (or according to your manufacturer’s guidelines).
• Use solar lighting to brighten up walkways.
• Replace light bulbs with LED versions.
Over 6,100 members voted in this year’s director elections, thanks to convenient options of voting by mail or internet. Members could also vote at the cooperative’s corporate office in Lenoir during the annual meeting held June 27.
Directors elected to serve three-year terms were: Kelly Melton, Caldwell district; Angie Miller, Watauga district; Cindy Price, Ashe district; and Mitch Franklin, Alleghany district.
Updates of annual meeting reports are online at BlueRidgeEnergy.com/company/2024AM
At their regular June meeting, your Board of Directors elected the following board officers: Jeff Joines, president; Johnny Wishon, vice president; Kelly Melton, secretary-treasurer; and J.B. Lawrence, assistant secretary-treasurer.
