CO-OP NEWS

www.seiremc.com

CONTACT US 812-689-4111 800-737-4111 Fax: 812-689-6987

EMAIL contact_us@seiremc.com

OFFICE HOURS 7:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m., Monday – Friday

STREET ADDRESS 712 S. Buckeye St. Osgood, IN 47037

MAILING ADDRESS P.O. Box 196 Osgood, IN 47037

SERVICE INTERRUPTIONS To report a power outage: 800-737-4111 or SmartHub

BOARD OF DIRECTORS Mike Thieman (District 6), President Melissa Menchhofer (District 5), Vice President Jesse McClure (District 4), Secretary Vince Moster (District 1), Treasurer Brad Bentle (District 2) David Smith (District 3) Darrell Smith (District 7) Bonnie Boggs (District 8) Casey Menchhofer (District 9)

A fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) product with speeds from 100 Mbps to 1 Gbps. Residential pricing starts at $64.95 plus tax.

OUR MISSION

To safely provide reliable electricity and diversified services to the members and communities we serve.

2022 Reflecting on

by Keith Mathews

As we reflect on the accomplishments of the cooperative over the past year, we are grateful for the leadership of our board, the dedication of our workforce, and the trust of our members. It has been an extremely busy year for us, and we have pushed hard to complete our headquarters building project, build out the SEI Fiber network as quickly as possible, and maintain our distribution system to provide reliable electric service to our members.

One of our founding principles as a co-op is “Concern for Community.” While our main focus is safely providing reliable and affordable energy, we also like to give back and help our community thrive. We have positively impacted the community through various donations and sponsorships, as well as our Operation Round Up grant program, live-line safety demonstrations, scholarship program, and youth programs.

Looking ahead, we’re more committed than ever to our mission — “to safely provide reliable electricity and diversified services to the members and communities we serve.” As we prepare for the next year, we look forward to serving you and the greater community.

Thank you for a great year. We hope you and your family enjoy a beautiful holiday season. We wish you all the best in the new year and look forward to serving you in 2023.

Keith Mathews is general manager of Southeastern Indiana REMC.

NEWS FROM SOUTHEASTERN INDIANA REMC

OPERATION ROUND UP APPLICATIONS

We are accepting applications for Operation Round Up grants this month. If your nonprofit 501C group or organization is looking for funding to help make a communityfocused project possible, visit the Operation Round Up page on our website. The eligibility requirements and application are located there. Applications will be accepted Dec. 1 – 31 and awarded in January.

GENERATOR PRICE INCREASE COMING

ORDER NOW TO LOCK IN THE CURRENT PRICE

The cost of Generac generators and supplies is expected to increase in 2023. When this happens, the REMC will also implement a price adjustment. The current price for a 22-kW total home backup generator (including installation and maintenance) is $6,900. We are encouraging members who are thinking about making this investment to act now to lock in the current price while it is still available. We will continue to offer a one-year financing option to ease the financial burden of the purchase. For details about the program, visit www.seiremc.com/generatorprogram or call 800-737-4111.

SOUTHEASTERN INDIANA REMC

DIRECTOR CANDIDATES WANTED

If you’re thinking about running for a seat on the board of directors during the 2023 director election, and your primary residence is in district 1, 7 or 8, please contact B.J. Myers at 800-737-4111, ext. 236. The nominating committees will be vetting potential candidates in December and early January. Learn more about the responsibilities of a director and check the eligibility requirements by visiting our website at www.seiremc.com/directorelection.

FIBER ZONE SIGN-UPS

When a fiber zone is opened for sign-ups, email and postcard notifications are sent to all eligible REMC members in that zone.

If you have pre-registered, you still need to contact us to complete the sign-up process. This can be done through our website or by contacting our customer service team.

RISING ELECTRICITY COSTS

At Southeastern Indiana REMC, we know our members trust us to be responsible with their money. That trust is front of mind every time we purchase new equipment or invest in upgrades for the electric system. We ask ourselves, “Is this necessary to our mission of providing affordable and reliable service? How will this help us to serve members better?”

The same is true when it comes to setting rates and implementing cost adjustments for the electric service our members depend on. As a not-forprofit utility, we never charge more than what is needed to maintain and operate the electric system responsibly. If there are funds left over, we return them to our members in the form of capital credits.

As a result, members can trust that the money they put into their cooperative comes back to them — whether as quality electric service or as a refund check. You can also trust that when we are forced to adjust costs and rates, we will only do so with a good reason.

General economic forces, along with changes to the electric industry, are adding up. You may have noticed the impact of inflation on your own wallet — whether it’s sticker shock at the grocery store or the gas pump. Electric cooperatives are not immune to inflation, which has led to an increase in the cost of the electricity, materials, and equipment we rely on every day to operate and maintain our system.

Toward the end of 2021, global energy costs began to increase dramatically due to inflation, supply chain issues created by the pandemic, and most recently, the war in Ukraine. Coal prices are up nearly 300% since this time last year, and natural gas prices have increased more than 100% year-over-year. This has resulted in wholesale power prices increasing by more than 175%.

Southeastern Indiana REMC is a member-owner of Hoosier Energy, the generation and transmission (G&T) cooperative that provides electric power and services to Southeastern Indiana REMC and 17 other distribution cooperatives in Indiana and Illinois. Southeastern Indiana REMC and Hoosier Energy are both non-profit organizations owned by those we serve, including you.

Hoosier Energy generates and transmits electric power, and Southeastern Indiana REMC distributes the power to homes, farms, and businesses. Natural gas, coal and power costs represent more than half of Hoosier Energy’s annual operating costs. Through sound management and stewardship, Southeastern Indiana REMC has absorbed a good deal of these higher costs. However, because of continued industry-wide increases, we must now spend more on purchasing electricity than the cooperative can absorb.

Unfortunately, this means we must, in turn, pass some of those costs on to our members. In April 2023, Southeastern Indiana REMC will implement a rate realignment. More information, including the anticipated amount of the increase, will be available during the first quarter of 2023.

Looking ahead, few people can speak with any confidence about what future energy policy and costs may look like. But there is some good news. While most of these factors are global and are beyond our control, our own energy use is not. We encourage all our members to be mindful of the ways they use electricity on a daily basis and how they can save energy around the house.

If you need some ideas to get you started, visit us at www.seiremc.com or follow us on social media. And remember, Southeastern Indiana REMC will always keep reliability and affordability at the forefront of all we do.