AT-Cost ELECTRICITY MEMBER CONNECTIONS
AT-Cost ELECTRICITY
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for your home AND BUSINESSwith Co-ops You’re in Good Company Neighbors helping neighbors create a better world Trace McCuan, CEO
A fair question people often ask is, “What’s in it for me?” This makes sense, as we all need to act in our own self-interest every now and then. However, the cool thing about co-ops is that we answer the question, “What’s in it for me?” with, “This is what’s in it for we.” When the market refuses to offer a good or service, or does so at such a high price, co-ops step in to fill the void. Cooperatives identify members of the community who have the same self-interests and bring them together to make a cooperative decision. Because 78 years ago, when Nueces Electric Cooperative got started, the folks in our community shared at least one self-interest––they wanted electricity. In fact, many Americans who lived in rural parts of the country needed electricity, which is why electric cooperatives were formed. Individuals acted in their own self-interest, but that self-interest led to the community and economic development of the rural areas in which they lived. Today, rural electric co-ops serve over 42 million people in 47 states. It is good to know that your friends and neighbor are also your co-owners of NEC. People coming together to meet a particular need is at the heart of every kind of co-op. Local credit unions bring financial services to people that banks do not want to serve. In urban areas and college communities, housing co-ops offer people a safe, reliable, and affordable place to live. Many agricultural co-ops started as a way to get their products to market, whether it was oranges (Sunkist), dairy (Land O’Lakes), grapes (Welch’s), organic milk (Organic Valley) or any of the hundreds of other food products that co-ops bring to our table every day. Many people who owned small businesses realized they too had a common self-interest: Stay in business. So they formed purchasing co-ops like Ace Hardware and True Value so they could compete with big-box stores like Home Depot and Lowe’s. 18
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As a co-op, we love to support local businesses like us that help give our community its unique identity. As you saw in last month’s magazine, we have distributed a Co-op Connections Card to each of our members that is an added benefit of your co-op membership. They can be used to redeem discounts at any participating national or local business and the list can be found at NuecesElectric. org/connectionscard. However, this is a new program to our community so while there may not be hundreds of local businesses on board now, we certainly hope that is the case in the future. We will be working throughout 2017 to add many new area businesses to the program. If you know a local business that would like to participate by offering a discount to members that show their Co-op Connections Card, please call 361-767-7321. Today, it is estimated that more than 40 percent of all residents in the U.S. are members of at least one co-op. Worldwide, well over a billion people are counted as co-op members. So every time you turn on (or off) the lights, it can serve as a reminder that as a co-op member, you are in good company with your local neighbors––and with people all around the world.
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Get savings on everyday items, including up to 85 percent on prescription drugs at participating pharmacies nationwide.
FIND ALL THE WAYS TO SAVE AT
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2017
Youth Leadership Tour Win the trip of a lifetime!
The Govenment-in-Action Youth Leadership Tour 2017 is an all-expense-paid trip for high school students to learn about different aspects of the government, meet their members of Congress and visit historical sites. Each year, NEC sends four delegates from the cooperative to participate. This year’s trip will begin in Austin, Texas on Wednesday, June 7 and continue on to tour sites in Washington D.C. before the trip concludes on Friday, June 16. The travel package, valued at $3,000, includes air transportation to and from Washington D.C., hotel stay, meals, admission fees, and $250 cash for extra expenses. Sophomores and Juniors only.
Essay Topic: Choose one of the Seven Cooperative
Principles and explain how NEC embodies that principle.
Application Deadline: January 31, 2017
Complete the 2017 Nueces Electric Cooperative Youth Leadership Tour Application form which can be found on both nueceselectric.org and necretail.com. Submit a 400-600 word essay on the topic “Choose one of the Seven Cooperative Principles and explain how NEC embodies that principle.” Finalists will be interviewed to determine the final four winners that will take this Youth Leadership Tour trip of a lifetime. Applicants must have consent of and reside in the home with a parent or legal guardian who is a current Nueces Electric Cooperative member. 20
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Apply Today!
How to apply:
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Ramiro De la Paz Memorial
SCHOLARSHIP Nueces Electric Cooperative awards high school seniors of cooperative members scholarships each year. This year, there are three different types of scholarships that will be awarded. Students planning to attend a 4-year college or university in Texas are eligible to apply. Two Grand Prize scholarships of $4,000 and ten $1,000 scholarships will be awarded. Students planning to attend a 2-year college or vocational school in Texas for a career related to the electrical industry (GIS mapping, communications, engineering, etc.) are eligible to apply. Ten $1,000 scholarships will be awarded. Students planning to attend a Texas lineman’s college are eligible to apply. Two $5,000 scholarships.
nt s e r a r p bers u o , If y e mem o - op ar he C win d o f t co u l s h i p ! r yo u h o l a c as
Applicants must reside in the home with a parent or legal guardian who has been a Nueces Electric Cooperative member for a minimum of six months as of the application deadline date.
Two $5,000 scholarships and
Two $4,000 scholarships and
Ca hig llin hs ga se ch ll nio oo rs! l
For Applications & Details: www.necretail.com
Application deadline: February 10
Twenty $1,000 scholarships
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A New Year’s Resolution You Can Keep
GOING ON A DIET THIS JANUARY? Opening a savings account? Joining a gym? Here’s another resolution—and it might be easier to keep for longer than two weeks: Do one thing a month that will make your home more energy efficient. Here are 12 ideas: January: Get into the habit of turning your thermostat down by about 10 degrees before your family turns in for the night or leaves home in the morning. You can save as much as 1 percent on heating for every degree you lower the heat for eight consecutive hours. February: Pull your refrigerator away from the wall and vacuum or dust its condenser and coils. Clean coils prevent your fridge’s working parts from overheating. March: Spring for an annual inspection of your air-conditioning system. It can keep your central AC running smoothly and efficiently all summer. April: Hire a licensed electrician to inspect your home’s wiring system—not every year, but at least once a decade. May: Wash your windows—inside and out—and open the drapes. The sun can’t warm and brighten your rooms if it can’t find its way through grimy windowpanes. June: Trim your hedges. Overgrown shrubs and trees can shade your windows too much and keep the sunlight from warming up your home come winter. July: Grill your dinner outside and serve fresh, cold salads as side dishes. Giving your stovetop and oven a rest also gives your air-conditioning system a break on hot days. August: Start running your clothes washer, dryer and dishwasher after dark. That will keep the heat and humidity out of the air—and help out your electric cooperative, too. September: Get that heating and air-conditioning tech back to your house for a heating inspection. A tuneup can save you as much as 5 percent on your heating bill. October: Close off your masonry fireplace and resolve not to use it anymore. Every time you use it, your home’s heated air flies up the chimney. November: Seal air leaks around windows, doors and other openings—such as the place where cables and wires come into the wall from the outside—with caulk and weatherstripping. December: Replace your old holiday lights with LED fixtures, which last years longer and use far less energy.
HAPPY NEW YEAR! MAY 2017 BE SAFE AND HAPPY. - NEC Retail Electricity
C Keep your rooms warm and bright by washing your windows inside and out.
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2017
Christmas Card Contest RULES:
Entries must be hand-drawn and follow the contest theme of combining electricity or lineworkers with a Christmas or holiday component. All entries must be received by 5 p.m on Friday, January 13. All submitted works must be an original concept and not a copy of anyone else’s copyrighted material. If your image infringes upon another’s copyright, it will be disqualified. Upon submitting your work to NEC for this contest, you are solely responsible for any infringement on copyrighted materials. Artwork must be delivered to the NEC offices or emailed in a JPG format that does not exceed 1MB. This page must also be completed and returned with the artwork submission to be considered a complete entry. All artists must be dependents of a current member of Nueces Electric Cooperative. Children 18 and under are eligible to participate. One grand prize winner and one runner up will be determined in each of the three age categories, listed below. Winners will be announced in the March edition of Texas Co-op Power magazine. The three grand prize winners will each receive a $100 electric bill credit and a $100 Wal-Mart gift card. The three runner ups will each receive a $50 electric bill credit and a $50 Wal-Mart gift card. NEC will also determine which of the winners’ artwork will be featured on the 2017 NEC Christmas Cards. Visit NuecesElectric.org for the submission form.
Three $200 GRAND PRIZES
Christmas Card Categories 6 & Under
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Avoiding the energy rush Did you know that when you use electricity often matters as much as how much electricity you consume? It’s no surprise that electricity use fluctuates throughout the day based on consumer demand, and electric coops must be able to provide enough electricity to meet the energy demands of their members during times of highest energy use, also known as “onpeak hours.” Early-morning hours, when people often start their day, and evening hours, when people return to their homes after work, are common times for on-peak hours. To reduce peak energy demand and save money, many electric co-ops have created a time-of-use rate program to encourage electricity use during off-peak hours––when energy is less expensive to provide. Similar to saving money by attending a matinee, you can keep more money in your wallet simply by using electricity during an off-peak
time period. Using less on-peak power means lower costs for the Co-op––and ultimately, lower rates for members. Electric rates based on time of use offer consumers the ability to lower their electricity costs without reducing the amount of electricity used. By performing some of your daily chores, like running the dishwasher or doing laundry during off-peak hours, you can save on your utility bill. In a similar vein, plug electronic equipment, such as computers, printers, TVs and power tools into a power strip, then turn it off during peak hours. You can also put technology to work for you. If you have a programmable thermostat, adjust the settings so your heating/cooling system syncs up with the off-peak rate periods. Use automatic timers to run hot tubs, pool pumps, water heaters and other appliances in the same way.
Saving energy can be simple. Remember, by shifting your energy use to off-peak times, you have the power to save on your monthly energy bill. To learn more about why time of use matters, watch a short video by visiting the following link: http:// tinyurl.com/TOUmatters.
Post-Holiday Check: Extension Cords Gone? The extension cord you needed to stretch from your Christmas tree to the nearest outlet isn’t needed anymore now that the holiday season is over. The same goes for the one you needed for the extra space heater you put in the guest room. Some tips for extension-cord safety: * Pack up the extension cords and put them away until next year. * Lots of people leave their extension cords plugged in all year long. Those people are putting their homes and families at risk because extension cords, when used for extended periods, can overheat, shock someone or cause a fire. * Extension cords are designed for temporary use. Continuous use tends to make them deteriorate, and that’s not safe. * Overloading an extension cord makes an already-dangerous situation even more risky. * As with any cords or electrical devices, keep them away from water. They’re not safe when they run through snow and ice. * A cord hidden under a rug or otherwise covered might overheat, and that’s a fire hazard. * Plug only one thing at a time into an extension cord. * Replace worn and damaged cords. Do not use them. * If you’re relying on extension cords past the holiday season, that’s a sign that you don’t have enough outlets. Call a licensed electrician to add more. 24
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