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 MONTHLY MEETING
Tuesday, Sept. 22 7 p.m., Daviess-Martin REMC office 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 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
Unless a member notifies Daviess-Martin County REMC, each member will receive a subscription to Electric Consumer magazine at an approximate annual cost of $5.36.
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The art of staying in touch After being with DaviessMartin County REMC for a few months now, I have had the opportunity to get acquainted with many of our members, staff and board of directors. As with any new DAVE SUTTER relationship, it takes time to get comfortable with how people think and what works well. This is especially true in the area of communication. My overall impression is that everyone works hard in their daily activities with a common bond to be successful in providing and using safe, reliable electricity at a reasonable cost. So, as goes the story of Goldilocks and the Three Bears, what is “too much, too little or, just right” when it comes to communicating with you? As your electric provider, it is important for us to stay focused on our job, and we tend to quietly go about our business without much fanfare or discussion. Knowing what, when and how to communicate is more of an art than a science, and this is one area where there always seems to be room for improvement. Understanding and prioritizing our customer’s needs, wants and wishes coupled with our diverse backgrounds, culture and philosophy takes devotion, time and energy. But it is inherently important for us to really know how best to proceed in developing, maintaining and communicating our programs. An example of where we hear of some misconceptions is in the area of managing our costs, as some folks seem to think that our costs don’t matter much to us. Please understand that the truth is there is always someone here with a concern for what is the true cost vs. benefit in everything we do. For instance, it may not be common knowledge that we are approaching a $36 million annual revenue/cost level.
ELECTRIC CONSUMER • SEPTEMBER 2015 • ElectricConsumer.org
Approximately 81 percent or $29 million is the cost of purchasing energy from our power provider. The remaining 19 percent or just under $7 million per year represents the portion of our costs that we have some control over and is what your co-op needs to administer and distribute the purchased energy to you. In the upcoming months, we will be working on our 2016 budget, and this exercise will provide a great opportunity for us to think about what we want to accomplish next year. While the technical issues of system maintenance, new lines, poles, meters, etc. are usually fairly easy for us to nail down, the other programs that we support will challenge us to analyze and evaluate what is the best fit and benefit to you — our customer. Recent news topics, such as the proposed changes to the national clean power plan, which is being portrayed as being an environmental solution to combat climate change and adverse human health issues, creates one area of great concern. This (and other) legislation may have little or no positive effects on improving the environment or health issues but will have great potential to create significant increases to our cost of power. It is for these and other reasons that folks like Gov. Mike Pence are challenging these proposals. In the end, it is our hope that you will have the confidence and trust that we are all working very hard on the “right stuff” while staying aware of the cost implications. We keep your interests in mind to continue providing the safe, reliable and reasonably priced electricity that you deserve, and we will strive to adequately communicate this information to you. DAVE SUTTER is general manager of Daviess-Martin County REMC.
IVE Save the date
Member Appreciation Day: Oct. 8 Enjoy sandwiches, chips and soft drinks from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Be entered for a chance to win one of four $25 bill credits and other giveaways! Where? Daviess-Martin County REMC 12628 E. 75 N., Loogootee
Daviess-Martin County REMC will be closed for Labor Day on Sept. 7.
‘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. JUNE WINNER: Robert White, Sr., Mitchell
$50 MONTHLY DRAWING (FOR BILLS DATED SEPT. 5; PAID BY SEPT. 20)
1.
When is Member Appreciation Day? _________________________________________________
2.
Information from the solar farm will help Daviess-Martin County REMC give advice to members on the operational issues, costs and benefits of solar as a ________________ energy source.
3.
The higher building standards of a ____________________ Home help eliminate drafts and uneven warm and cold spots in the home.
NAME: ADDRESS: ACCOUNT NO.: PHONE NO.:
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Daviess-Martin County REMC News
Enter 2015 annual report photo contest Daviess-Martin County REMC is excited to announce its ninth annual report cover photo contest. The winning photo will be featured as the cover of the 2015 annual report. The following are the guidelines for the submission of photos for the contest. k Submissions must be recent color photographs that have been taken in our service territory. Springtime pictures are preferred due to the annual report being printed in April. However, all pictures will be considered. A brief description of where the photo was taken, your name, address, telephone and account numbers must be submitted with the photo. Photos that include people must have written consent for publication. k The photographer must reside in a Daviess-Martin County REMC household. k No more than three entries per photographer. k The winning photo, as voted on by REMC employees, will become the property of Daviess-Martin County REMC to use for publicity purposes such as, but not limited to, the annual report cover, website, Electric Consumer, etc. k Digital copies must be submitted with the photo. Photos and/or digital copies will not be returned to the photographer. k If the picture is a digital photo, we would prefer it to be a TIFF or JPEG file sized to 100 percent at a minimum 300 dpi. k The winning photograph will be used for the annual report front cover, and the winner will receive a check for $50. Second and third place winners will receive a $25 check each. First, second and third place photographs will be printed in Electric Consumer. k All entries must be submitted by Nov. 6 to our business office at 12628 E 75 N, Loogootee, or mailed to P.O. Box 430, Loogootee, IN 47553 by this date. The winner will be announced in the January Electric Consumer. k This is not an exhaustive list of rules. REMC reserves the right to reject all entries. Please contact our office at 800-7627362 with any questions. k REMC employees, board members and their families are not eligible to participate.
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ELECTRIC CONSUMER • SEPTEMBER 2015 • ElectricConsumer.org
Building the energy-efficient home of your dreams
I
nterested in lower energy bills and increased comfort for your new or existing home? How about a higher resale value? Whether you’re building a new home or improving an existing one, you need to check out our Touchstone Energy® HomeSM (TSE) program. It’s available to both owners and builders of houses in our service area and offers incentives to build or improve homes to become champions in energy efficiency. For example, Cathy and Randy Sherrod built a Touchstone Energy Home in 2007. Over the past eight years, they have typically spent approximately $25 per month to heat and cool their 3,200-square-foot home. “We were skeptical of the guaranteed heating and cooling cost estimates they gave us, until we actually saw the bills,” the Sherrods said. “It certainly made believers out of us.” Then, there’s the comfort factor. When it comes to our homes, most people agree: Comfort drives satisfaction. The higher building standards of a Touchstone Home help eliminate drafts and uneven warm and cold spots in the home. As a co-op dedicated to serving local member needs, Daviess-Martin County REMC is extremely interested in the benefits derived from improved energy efficiency. “When we work together to use electricity wisely, we help keep the cost of power stable and affordable for everyone,” said Mark Belcher, manager of marketing and member services at Davies-Martin County REMC. “It’s a win-win for everyone!” The first step in building your Touchstone Home is to go to www.ITEhome.com. Once you get oriented, review the standards section for a better understanding of what specifications your home will need to meet. From there, you’ll find a list of participating builders in
your new home’s area. Each one is trained to help you build a comfortable, energy-efficient TSE Home. If you don’t see your favorite builder listed, ask that builder to contact the program administrator to become trained and certified. Then, contact Belcher at 800-762-6762 or mbelcher@ dmremc.com. As your cooperative, we’ll be happy to assist you as you build the energy-efficient TSE Home of your dreams. …
Daviess-Martin County REMC taps into power of the sun Where electricity comes from is as
important as how it gets to homes and businesses. Renewable energy resources, such as wind and solar, are alternative generation sources that complement existing resources, such as coal and gas plants. To learn more about the potential of this source of electricity, Utilities District of Western Indiana REMC and Daviess-Martin REMCs through Hoosier Energy, the REMCs’ power
supplier, are involved in a project that will help them to learn more about this natural source of power. As part of the project, a 1-megawatt photovoltaic solar array is being built on 14.5 acres in Taylor Township south of Bloomfield. At full capacity, the solar farm will provide enough electricity for 1,000 homes and businesses. Hoosier Energy’s solar farms represent an opportunity for UDWI and Daviess-Martin to obtain informa-
tion on how the latest solar technology can provide electricity for member consumers. Project organizers hope to learn how this variable energy resource integrates with the grid and how solar power might offset the need for other energy resources during high demand. Once collected, this information will help Daviess-Martin REMC give advice to customers on the operational issues, costs and benefits of solar as a renewable energy resource. …
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