NEWS FROM YOUR COOPERATI www.myremc.coop CONTACT US OFFICE
812-865-2229 888-337-5900 BILL PAYMENTS 855-865-2229 TOLL FREE
CONTACT US BY EMAIL
orangecoremc@myremc.coop GENERAL MANAGER/CEO
Danny L. Arnold OFFICE HOURS
7 a.m.–5 p.m., Monday-Friday STREET ADDRESS
7133 N. State Road 337 Orleans, IN 47452 MAILING ADDRESS
P.O. Box 208, Orleans, IN 47452 EMERGENCY POWER OUTAGES
To report service interruptions, call: 812-865-2229 or 888-337-5900, day or night. Please have the phone number associated with your account ready when reporting outages. Please limit after hours calls to emergencies and outage situations. BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Eugene Roberts, DISTRICT 1 Randy Roberts, DISTRICT 2 Danny Easterday, DISTRICT 3 Rodney Hager, DISTRICT 4 Ben Lindsey, DISTRICT 5 Brian Hawkins, DISTRICT 6 George Key, DISTRICT 7 REMC KEY STAFF
Marty Frank, OPERATIONS MANAGER Marcy Bennett, OFFICE MANAGER Larry Pinnick, STAKING ENGINEER Michael Roberts, STAKING ENGINEER Misty Tincher, ACCOUNTANT Billy Chastain, MATERIALS MANAGER Mark Belcher, MARKETING/MEMBER SERVICES MEMBER SERVICES
•Free energy analysis •Budget billing •Automatic payments •Security lights •Home security systems •Medical emergency monitoring •Air evac life team •Water heater and HVAC incentives (requires an EM switch) •Online bill payment options •Interactive Voice Response system . for payments and account inquiries via phone: 1-855-865-2229 •VISA, MasterCard and Discover accepted 4
The power is in your hands Join us for our annual membership meeting June 6 Later this month, Orange County REMC will again hold our annual membership meeting at the 4-H fairgrounds just outside of Paoli. The theme for this year’s meeting is “The Power is in Your Hands”. DANNY L. This year, as in recent ARNOLD years, the meeting will be more a celebration of the cooperative’s success than a serious formal meeting. We will have food, prizes, entertainment, activities, exhibits, and, yes, a short business meeting as required by our bylaws. And, even though the meeting is designed to entertain, educate, and reward the membership for supporting their cooperative, there will still be important issues addressed. The most important of these being the Obama Administration’s decision to abandon an “all-of-the-above” energy strategy for a new, “all-but-one” approach that effectively removes coal from the nation’s fuel mix in the future. My December column addressed this issue because the policy, proposed by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), sets stringent limits on carbon dioxide emissions from future coal or natural gas plants. Now, the situation is worsening because the EPA will soon announce another set of regulations pertaining to existing coal generation stations. And, the fact remains: the new standards are impossible to meet with existing technology. For several years cooperatives have tested carbon capture and storage (CCS) as a way to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Unfortunately, the technol-
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ogy doesn’t make financial sense. It has never been used at a commercial scale at a power plant over a prolonged period to demonstrate its viability or cost. In a 2012 Congressional Budget Office report, engineers estimate CCS would increase the cost of producing electricity from coal-based plants by 75 percent. Since the wholesale cost of power makes up the majority of your electric bill, a 75 percent increase in production cost can easily result in a 40 - 50 percent increase in the retail rate you pay. Many Orange County REMC members cannot afford the significant increases in electric bills that this policy would trigger. Because this issue is so important, the annual meeting business meeting will include a request for support from Matt Randall, legislative advocacy manager, for our state service association. Randall will explain the important role REMC members can play in influencing the EPA’s decision on this issue and explain what members can do to help. Afterward, I will again explain the Energy Management and Time-of-Use programs Orange County REMC offers to help members control both current and future electricity cost. The cooperative has invested in technology and equipment that allows members to impact the price they pay for electricity. We can provide, install, and maintain the equipment but only the membership can make the programs work. Please plan to attend the annual meeting to see what you can do to help keep electricity affordable. The POWER IS IN YOUR HANDS! DANNY L. ARNOLD is the general manager/CEO of Orange County REMC.
IVE Rate Schedule (for April, May and June of 2014) Outdoor Summer Electrical Safety Tips Warm summer weather brings an increase in outdoor work in many parts of the country, both on the job and at home. Increasing electrical safety awareness can help ensure those activities do not result in injuries and deaths. Orange County REMC and the Electrical Safety Foundation International (ESFI) provide the following safety tips: k Carefully check the location of all overhead wires before using a ladder. All ladders, even those made of wood, that contact a power line can shock or electrocute people coming in contact with them. k Unplug outdoor tools and appliances when not in use. k Inspect power tools and appliances for frayed cords, broken plugs and cracked or broken housing. Repair or replace damaged items. k Water does not mix with electricity. Avoid damp conditions — including wet grass — when using electricity. Visit www.esfi.org for more ways to keep your home and family safe this summer and beyond.
REMC employees demonstrate electric safety at Barnyard Carnival
Rate Schedule for Standard Service Standard Service Consumer Charge TOU-ETS Consumer Charge Standard Service Energy Charge TOU-ETS Off-Peak Energy Wholesale Power Cost Tracker Security Lighting- 100 W HPS Security Lighting- 175W MV Total bill x Indiana sales tax 7%
$26.00 $5.40 $0.1124 $0.0691 $0.0010602 $9.82 $9.82
Example for 1,200 kWh Standard Service Consumer Charge $26.00 1,200 kWh @ .1124 $134.88 Wholesale Power Cost Tracker @ 0.0010602 $1.27 Total $162.15 Indiana sales tax $11.35 Total bill $173.50 Example for 1,200 kWh (regular) and 750 kWh (ETS) Standard Service Consumer Charge $26.00 TOU-ETS Consumer Charge $5.40 1,200 kWh @ .1124 $134.88 750 kWh @ .0691 $51.83 Wholesale Power Cost Tracker @ 0.0010602 $2.07 Total $220.17 Indiana sales tax $15.41 Total bill $235.58 (Visa, MasterCard and Discover cards accepted)
Electric co-ops tops in consumer satisfaction
REMC’s Robert White uses a hot dog to show the destructive effects of flesh contacting energized power lines during a live line demonstration at the Barnyard Carnival on April 10.
According to the 2014 American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) survey, consumer-members belonging to notfor-profit electric cooperatives are more satisfied with their utility than consumers served by either investor-owned utilities (IOUs) or municipal utilities. Touchstone Energy® cooperatives received an overall customer satisfaction score of 81 — the highest score for any electric-only utility. Cooperatives not affiliated with Touchstone Energy scored 80. IOUs and municipals received scores of 75 and 76 respectively. Locally owned and operated, Orange County REMC is a Touchstone Energy electric cooperative serving over 8,000 meters in parts of five southern Indiana counties.
Orange County REMC’s Michael Newlin gives students at the Barnyard Carnival a close look at some safety equipment. REMC’s Michael Duke also participated in the event. Approximately 260 fourth grade students attended the event at the Orange County Fairgrounds.
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Orange County REMC News
Scholarships awarded to local students
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ach year, Orange County REMC awards scholarships to local students. The scholarship program is funded by the Operation Round Up® program and is intended to recognize the academic and community achievements of outstanding young people and assist in developing their understanding of community issues. Each winning student receives a one-time $750 scholarship. The 2014 recipients are listed below: Travis Duncan of Mitchell High School is the son of Donald and Danelle Gratzer. He will be majoring in electrical engineering at Ivy Tech Community College in Bloomington. Derek McGuire of Orleans High School is the son of Tony and Julie
Travis Duncan Mitchell High School
McGuire. He will be majoring in business at Ivy Tech Community College in Bloomington. Morgan Babcock of Paoli Jr./Sr. High School is the daughter of Joshua and Deanna Babcock. She will be majoring in advertising and public relations at University of Southern Indiana. Lindsey Galloway of Springs Valley High School is the daughter of John and Tracey Galloway. She will be majoring in occupational therapy at University of Southern Indiana. Lucas Johnson of West Washington Jr./Sr. High School is the son of Jimmy and Meleah Johnson. He will be majoring in exercise science and physical therapy at University of Indianapolis.
Derek McGuire Orleans High School
Morgan Babcock Paoli Jr./Sr. High School
Eligible students must plan to attend an Indiana accredited post-secondary school, and have a parent, legal guardian, or primary relative who is a member of Orange County REMC participating in Operation Round Up at the time of the scholarship application. Operation Round Up is a voluntary program that allows REMC members to “round up” their electric bills to the next dollar. This added amount is collected in a trust fund, overseen by an independent board of trustees and disbursed through grants. Local residents can apply for the grants by filling out the appropriate paperwork. To date, more than $316,763 has been awarded in grants and scholarships through the program. …
Lindsey Galloway Springs Valley High School
Lucas Johnson West Washington Jr./Sr. High School
Lowe twins selected for trip to Washington, D.C.
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range County REMC is pleased to announce the selection of Rebecca and Riley Lowe for the 2014 Indiana Youth Tour to Washington, D.C. The Lowes are students at Paoli Jr./Sr. High School and the daughters of Mike and Jamie Lowe. This year’s trip begins on June 12, in Indianapolis and ends on June 19. The Indiana delegation, which will include approximately 75 students, will start the trip by getting acquainted and hearing from Indiana legislative leaders during a kick-off dinner. On the way to D.C., students and chaperones will make a stop at the Flight 93 National Memorial in
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Shanksville, Pa., and then make their way to Gettysburg, where they will visit the battlefield and museum. Throughout the trip delegates will have the opportunity to tour the Lincoln, WWII, Korean and Vietnam memorials, as well as Arlington National Cemetery. The group will visit various museums including the Newseum, the National Museum of the Marine Corps and the National Archives, plus take a night cruise on the Potomac River. Students will also interact with representatives of Indiana’s congressional delegation on Capitol Hill and meet with 1,500 students from across the country at
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Rebecca Lowe
Riley Lowe
the Youth Tour Rally. Indiana’s electric cooperatives have hosted the Youth Tour since 1960, providing hundreds of young Hoosiers the opportunity to visit our nation’s capital and learn about the federal government and the cooperative utility industry. …
Middle school students to attend Touchstone Energy Camp Orange County REMC will sponsor Lexie Stroud and Kayla Baily of Throop Elementary School in Paoli, to attend the annual Touchstone Energy® Camp. The camp will be held June 4-7 at the YMCA Camp Tecumseh site in Brookston, Ind. Stroud is the daughter of Chad Stroud and Storie Lane. Baily is the Throop Elementary School students Lexie Stroud and daughter of Trisha Bailey. Kayla Bailey will attend Touchstone Energy Camp. Sixth grade boys and girls are eligible to attend and are selected by their local electric cooperative to participate in the three-day program. The students’ agenda will combine traditional outdoor camp activities with environmental education, electrical safety practices and cooperative business education. “This is a great way for students to learn about the role of electric cooperatives in their community,” said Dan Arnold, general manager of Orange County REMC. “On top of that, they get to experience all the fun of camp.” …
Service anniversaries
Stacy Slaten 15 years
Bridget Sneed 19 years
2014 Concert Schedule June 28 July 12 July 19 July 26 Aug. 2 Aug. 9
Ladies for Liberty Blend River Cities Band Tobin and Friends Sweetwater Band Crawford Co. Community Band
Danny L. Arnold 23 years
Concert-goers are encouraged to bring their own drinks, lawn chairs or blankets.
Join us June 6 at the Orange County 4-H Fairgrounds in Paoli for the 2014 annual membership meeting. Registration opens at 4 p.m. The Orange County REMC office will close at noon on June 6 to allow our employees time to set up for the event.
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