2015 July Daviess-Martin County REMC Newsletter

NEWS FROM YOUR COOPERATI www.dmremc.com CONTACT US

Daviess-Martin County REMC TOLL FREE

800-762-7362

GENERAL MANAGER

Dave Sutter

OFFICE HOURS

7:30 a.m.– 4 p.m., Monday-Friday STREET ADDRESS

12628 E 75 N, Loogootee, IN 47553 MAILING ADDRESS

P.O. Box 430, Loogootee, IN 47553 SERVICE INTERRUPTIONS

To report an outage or emergency, call 812-295-4200 or 800-7627362 day or night.

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Dean Harrawood, PRESIDENT John Edwards, VICE PRESIDENT August Bauer, SECRETARY Michael E. Arvin, TREASURER Terry Chapman Dale Marchino Steve Streepy BILL PAYMENT OPTIONS

Online bill payment Budget billing Auto bank draft Drive-through window Night depository Credit card payment (VISA, Discover and MasterCard accepted) Pay-by-phone

Customer charge increase begins Sept. 1 Over the last few years, we have all noticed increases in the prices we pay for goods and services. DaviessMartin County REMC is not immune from these price increases on the things we DAVE SUTTER require to correctly operate your co-op. To help us pay for non-energy items, we set the monthly customer charge at a level to cover as much of our fixed costs as possible, whether any electricity is used or not. The customer charge helps pay for k Trucks, wire, poles, meters and other equipment needed to build and maintain the electric distribution system, k Labor to build, maintain and repair the distribution system; to clear and maintain our 1,400 miles of right-of-way; and other day-to-day business functions, and k Costs incurred for property taxes, insurance, interest expense, etc.

Even if we do not sell a single kilowatthour (kWh), we still have these expenses to maintain your electric facilities and to operate the co-op.

Your board of directors closely monitors our costs and has made a decision to move ahead with a recommendation — which was originally made by our rate consultant back in 2013 — by approving an increase to the monthly customer charge. Please note that the last customer charge increase was way back in July 2001. Therefore, effective Sept. 1, 2015, the monthly customer charge will increase from the current rate of $32.89 to $35.35.

As a not-for-profit electric cooperative, we attempt to structure our rates to reflect the costs of providing electric service to you — our members. This increase to the customer charge more closely reflects our actual cost of doing business. While electricity is still a great value compared to other commodities, we strive to keep electricity safe, reliable and affordable for our member-owners. We hope that you will understand the need for this increase, and we thank you for being our valued customer.

DAVE SUTTER is general manager of Daviess-Martin County REMC.

MISSION STATEMENT

“Our mission is to provide dependable electricity and quality services for our members at reasonable cost.”

Like us on Facebook www.Facebook.com/Daviess MartinCountyREMC

Third quarter wholesale power cost tracker change Reflected on bills received in August, Daviess-Martin County REMC members will see a change in the wholesale power tracker adjustment effective July 1, 2015. Hoosier Energy has changed the power tracker from $2.14 per 1,000 kWh used to $3.27 per 1,000 kWh used.

TIP OF THE MONTH

Lower consumption and save By cleaning your air conditioner’s air ducts, you can lower your energy consumption by 5 to 15 percent.

— ENERGYSTAR.GOV

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ELECTRIC CONSUMER • JULY 2015 • ElectricConsumer.org

IVE County Fair Dates k Martin County: July 10–14 k Daviess County 4-H Fair: July 17–24 Lawrence County: k July 18–25

Independence Day Closing The employees and directors of Daviess-Martin County REMC wish you a safe and happy Fourth of July!

Our office will be closed Friday, July 3.

Have a safe Fourth of July celebration Have you and your family started making plans to celebrate the Fourth of July this year?

Fireworks and celebrations go together, but fireworks can be dangerous, causing serious burns and eye injuries.

Take a minute to review these safety tips before the festivities begin. k k k k k k

Never allow children to play with or ignite fireworks.

Read and follow all warnings and instructions.

Be sure other people are out of range before lighting fireworks.

Only light fireworks on a smooth, flat surface away from the house, dry leaves and flammable materials.

Never try to relight fireworks that have not fully functioned.

Keep a bucket of water nearby in case of an accident or fire.

GPS data collection Daviess-Martin County REMC and Alpha Engineering will collect GPS information for poles, transformers, security lights and meters supplied from the Odon substation.

This substation provides power to the Odon area. The trucks will be labeled, and the employees will wear shirts with company logos.

‘Win! Win! Win!’

Each month, Daviess-Martin County REMC asks our readers three questions to which the answers can be found in the articles of Electric Consumer. Follow these simple rules: 1.) Clip the coupon along the dotted line. 2.) Fill it out. 3.) Return it to our office with your monthly payment before the 20th of the month. (Delinquent payments are not eligible.)

Each month, a winner will be drawn from the entries submitted. Make sure you bring or mail in your most recent coupon, as the coupons are dated monthly. Members with automatic payment accounts will be entered in the contest as well. Copies will not be accepted, and coupons are not available at the office! Winners will be notified and their names will be published in the following monthly issue of Electric Consumer.

MAY WINNER: Michael Beasley, Loogootee

$50 MONTHLY DRAWING (FOR BILLS DATED JULY 5; PAID BY JULY 20)

1.

True or False: You should expect your electric bill to be much lower when you take a vacation for a week or two.

2.

Lighting accounts for __________ percent of your home’s cost for electricity.

3.

What are the dates for the Martin County Fair? _____________________________

NAME: _______________________________________________________ ADDRESS: ______________________________________________________ ACCOUNT NO.: __________________________________________________ P H O N E N O. : ______________________________________________________

ElectricConsumer.org • JULY 2015 • ELECTRIC CONSUMER 5

Daviess-Martin County REMC News

Electricity does not take a vacation (even if you do) k Was the freezer turned off?

Probably not! And if it is a frost-free type, it will continue to cycle daily, defrosting the frost on the coils and then cooling them again every few minutes. k Were any other electrical appliances still connected, such as clocks, dehumidifiers, pumps and automatic lighting devices? Was the thermostat on the heating and cooling system reset? Even though you are not home, this equipment is still working for you and using electricity. k Did you leave any personal electronic chargers plugged in, such as cell phone, laptop computers and iPods? These actually use current even when the device is not turned on.

If you are determined to not use electricity at home during your vacation, you must disconnect the main

fuse or breaker at the main entrance panel. Keep in mind that your automatic appliances will stop. Your refrigerator and freezer will turn off, and the dehumidifier will not run to remove the basement’s moisture. If your water heater is electric, it will take some time to heat the water after you return home and reconnect the power.

Keep in mind that most vacationers return home with one or two weeks’ worth of laundry to wash.

Then, the water heater may work overtime in the first few days after the vacation.

Remember, even though you are away from home, the electrical requirements for power in the home still exist, and unless you make some disconnections before leaving, your electric meter will not slow down much. …

Shedding some light on bulb choices It’s easy to get overwhelmed by

all the lightbulb choices on the market today. Some of the lightbulbs sold at stores are not even good products to begin with, so knowing which one to buy is helpful.

That’s why we created an online lighting store with energyefficient options, as well as discounted pricing. Lighting accounts for up to 12 percent of your home’s cost for electricity.

So, selecting cost-effective and efficient bulbs can help you save money and energy.

Our online store offers an easy way to order energy-efficient bulbs, and free shipping brings them right to your door.

We also offer discounted pricing with instant rebates on these top-quality lightbulbs. They are ENERGY STAR certified, mean28

ing they meet strict quality and efficiency standards.

To order yours today, simply go to TeamUpToSave.com, and select the “Energy-Efficient Lighting” option. In addition to shopping online for all-star lightbulb options while there, you can check out the differences between compact florescent lightbulbs (CFLs) and light-emitting diodes (LEDs).

You can also see how the Federal Trade Commission’s new lighting label makes it easier to compare lightbulbs. There’s also information about choosing the right color and lamp style for your lightbulbs.

So, let us shed some light on buying efficient bulbs at discounted prices. It’s one more way we’re providing value for those we serve. …

ELECTRIC CONSUMER • JULY 2015 • ElectricConsumer.org

M

any members expect a lower electric bill when they take a vacation for a week or two. They are not at home cooking or doing laundry, taking showers, running the computer or watching TV and often expect a much smaller electric bill for that month.

This generally is not the case.

Please consider the following questions the next time you plan a trip away from home. k Was the water heater turned off during vacation? If it wasn’t, it continued to use electricity to keep the water at the usual temperature, even though the hot water wasn’t being used. k Was the refrigerator unplugged?

If not, it continued to use electricity to keep food cold.

Do you know what your water heater is doing while you sleep?

H

ot water looms large in the list of household chores. Showers, laundry, dishes — they all require hot water. If you think about it, we use a significant amount of energy to heat water. Now, utilities and manufacturers are teaming up to bring you new water heaters equipped with technology that can make the electric grid smarter and more efficient.

Electric co-ops are on the forefront of research testing new water heater technologies, including ways to improve the use of water heaters to integrate renewable energy onto the electric grid.

Water heaters are unique among electric home appliances. They are omnipresent, use significant amounts of electricity and can store thermal energy for hours at a time.

For decades, electric co-ops have partnered with their members on “demand-response programs,” which allow the co-op to turn home water heaters on and off in order to reduce how much power the co-op uses during peak periods when power is more expensive. Members get a break on their bill in exchange for participation.

New communications and automation technologies make this process more reliable, predictable and efficient.

More than 250 electric co-ops in 35 states use large capacity electric resistance water heaters that can reduce

the co-op’s power cost and store electricity produced by wind and hydropower.

For example, when the wind blows at night — when most of us are sleeping and wholesale power is cheaper — the electricity produced can be used to heat water in our homes. The water will remain hot even if the water heater is turned off for a short period. In other words, collectively, water heaters can act like a battery, storing energy.

For all of these reasons, electric co-ops were dismayed in 2010 when the Department of Energy issued new efficiency standards for electric water heaters that would have made demand response programs using large capacity, electric resistance water heaters difficult.

For the last five years, electric co-ops have been working with efficiency advocates, manufacturers and others to ensure that we can take advantage of

new technologies that benefit our members. In April, Congress passed legislation that allows co-ops to continue to run these demand response programs.

Electric co-ops across the country hailed this bipartisan legislation as a win for consumers. Collectively, the current water heater programs can reduce demand by an estimated 500 megawatts, saving consumers hundreds of millions of dollars and avoiding the need for new power plants.

Electric co-ops are now looking ahead and collaborating with partners to make sure the next generation of water heaters can provide more than just hot water. …

Stay safe exploring the great outdoors this summer Summer is in full swing, and that means it is time for fun in the sun! As you find yourself spending more time outdoors, Daviess-Martin County REMC reminds you to stay safe.

Planning a home improvement project? When working outdoors, be aware that tools such as ladders, power tools or shovels have the potential to be dangerous if used improperly.

Pay attention to where you place metal ladders or dig for fence posts. Before you start any project, always look up and avoid overhead power lines. Keep a minimum of 10 feet between you and overhead lines.

If you are planning a project that requires digging, remember to dial 811 first to find out if the area you will be working in is clear of underground power lines.

Power tools should be kept away from wet surfaces, and outlets should not be overloaded.

Exploring the great outdoors is a great way to spend time with the family, but keep these safety tips in mind.

Children should never climb trees near power lines. Always assume a wire is live.

Fly kites and remote-controlled airplanes in large open areas like a park or a field, safely away from trees and power lines.

Planning to take a dip in the pool?

Electrical devices, such as stereos, should be kept at least 10 feet away from water sources, and outdoor electrical outlets should always be covered. If you hear a rumble of thunder, exit the pool right away.

Speaking of thunder, summer storms can be dangerous. If you find yourself outdoors during a storm, move toward suitable shelter with covered sides, and stick to low-lying ground if possible.

These are just a few tips to remember when you are spending time outdoors with your family. Have some fun out there, and always keep safety in mind! …

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