Messenger the
April 2017
A monthly publication of North Arkansas Electric Cooperative
If you had electric service with North Arkansas Electric Cooperative in 2016, you should be receiving your capital credit certificate for that service around the end of the month. These certificates are notices only and cannot be cashed or used as credit against electric bills. They are the co-op’s way of informing members of the amount assigned to each account in capital credits for the year. The cooperative business structure is different from most. NAEC does not return the money earned to an unknown investor or stockholder. Cooperative profits, called margins, are assigned to you, the owners, who are also users of the co-op’s services. These margins are assigned on a prorated basis according to the amount of service used during the year in question. When and how much of your capital credits will be refunded depends on whether the co-op’s financial condition warrants such a refund. The decision to refund capital credits is a complex one because margins represent system equity. This equity is essential to the coop’s financial strength. If NAEC returns too much of the system’s equity as capital credits, then it could jeopardize its standing with lending agencies. It also would mean the co-op is refunding capital that is used as funds for construction. Without these internally generated funds, the co-op would have to increase its borrowing, increasing interest costs and the cost of providing service. On the other hand, if NAEC kept all margins year after year and built up a high equity level, we rightfully could gain the reputation of acting like a private power company, not giving any evidence of being owned by our members. The balance in a properly maintained equity/capital credit program lies somewhere between those two extremes. The board of your co-op strives to maintain that proper balance.
SAFEELECTRICITY.ORG
Capital credit certificates to be mailed
In the event of an accident involving a power line, the safest action, unless there is a fire, almost always is to remain in the vehicle and dial 911. Utility professionals then will respond.
Know how to stay safe in event of accident involving power lines Vehicle crashes always present a danger. However, when electricity is involved, the decisions made in the moments after the accident are crucial. Your vehicle may be charged with electricity. If this is the case and you step out of the car, you will become the electricity’s path to the ground and could be electrocuted. Loose wires and other equipment may be in contact with your car or near it — creating a risk for electrocution if you leave the vehicle. While downed lines can sometimes reveal they are live by arcing and sparking with electricity, this is not always the case. Power lines do not always show signs that they are live, but they can be just as lethal. After an accident, stay in the car, and tell others to do the same. If you come upon an accident involving power lines, do not approach the accident scene. If you see someone approaching, warn them to stay away. Call 911 to notify emergency personnel and utility services. Do not leave your vehicle until a utility professional has told you it is safe to do so. The safest place to be is almost always inside the car. The only circumstance when you should exit the vehicle is if it is on fire — and those instances are rare. If you must exit the vehicle, jump clear of it with your feet together and without touching the vehicle and ground at the same time. Continue to “bunny hop” with your feet together to safety. Doing this will ensure that you are at only one point of contact and will not have different strengths of electric current running from one foot to another, which can be deadly. It's also important never to drive over a downed line because that could pull down the pole and other equipment and cause additional hazards.
NAEC offices will be closed Friday, April 14. Crews will be on hand in the event of an outage. Please report an outage by calling 870-895-3221, 870-994-2191 or 870-425-2141.