GOOD EATS

10,779 members were eligible to vote during this year’s election, and 1,665 members submitted their ballots. The election results are below: District 6 — Ronald Kolb District 7 — Mike Tilton District 8 — Robert Spaeth Ronald Kolb lives in Reily Township. He is a retired farmer and served in the U.S. Air Force Reserve. He has been a cooperative trustee for 30 years and has earned the Credentialed Cooperative Director, Board Leadership, and Director Gold certificates. He is a member of the Reily Township Historical Society and the Franklin County Antique Machinery Club. He was a member of the Butler County Fair Board for 15 years and was a member of the Butler County Pork Producers, serving as vice president and president. Ron and his wife, Janice, have three children and six grandchildren. Mike Tilton lives in Hanover Township. He is a retired chief deputy auditor and worked at the Butler County Auditor’s Office. He received education through the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association and received the Credentialed Cooperative Director, Board Leadership, and Director Gold certifications. He has been a volunteer officer with the Butler County Sheriff’s Mounted Patrol since 1994, is a Butler County Law Library board member, and serves on the Hanover Township Park Committee. He is a past member of the Butler County Farm Bureau board, is an Oxford SAY soccer coach, a scout leader, and a 4-H advisor. Robert Spaeth lives in Morgan Township. He is retired after owning Spaeth Builders, a home building and repair business that operated in Morgan, Reily, and Ross townships and the surrounding areas for many years. He has been a cooperative trustee for 12 years and has earned the Credentialed Cooperative Director, Board Leadership, and Director Gold certificates. He is a retired member of the Morgan Ross Athletic Association after serving as a trustee for 12 years. If you are interested in becoming a board member, please contact Julie Abbott by calling 513-867-4402 or by email, juliea@butlerrural.coop.

$100 bill credit winners

Tom McQuiston announced the bill credit winners. The cooperative gave away 32 bill credits of $100 each. The bill credit winners were randomly selected from the entire cooperative membership. We will continue to select five members randomly each month for the next year to receive $50 bill credits. Each winner will be announced in the monthly issue of this magazine and will be notified by phone if they are chosen. The $100 bill credit winners from the annual meeting video are listed on the next page. To view the annual meeting video, visit the cooperative’s website, butlerrural.coop/content/2020-annual-meeting.

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Cooperative members elected the board members above during the 2020 board of trustees election. From left, Ronald Kolb, Mike Tilton, and Robert Spaeth.

2020 annual meeting video

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$100 BILL CREDIT WINNERS

Mary Bahner Malcolm Bartram Heather Beckett Tim Cleary Elizabeth Crout Jon Dierdorf Howard Dubois Tammy Feldkamp Gary Glaser Troy Goetz Mike Hallee Linda Hesford Matt Hiatt Hueston Woods Jean James Ronald Kober David Kroll Melissa McHale Marilyn Meyers Gavin Monson Lawrence Morrissey Judyne Noyes Brad Peters Robert Powers Ella Schmidt Melvin Steigleder Krista Stenger Ed Stoffregen Shannon Sweet Donne Trudel Catherine Wolf Jeffrey Young

Butler Rural Electric Cooperative scholarship recipient receives scholarship from Ohio’s Electric Cooperatives

In February, Isabella Saylor of Ross Township was chosen as the recipient of the $2,500 Children of Members Scholarship from Butler Rural Electric Cooperative. The scholarship is awarded to outstanding high school students whose parents or legal guardians are members of the cooperative.

In April, Isabella competed for additional scholarship funds from Ohio’s Electric Cooperatives in Columbus. Twenty-four students representing each of Ohio's electric cooperatives competed for $41,800 in scholarships. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, students were asked to submit two essays instead of participating in interviews. The first essay focused on cooperative knowledge while the second essay drew upon personal experience. Isabella was awarded an $1,800 scholarship from Ohio’s Electric Cooperatives.

Isabella is the daughter of Cassie and Chris Saylor. She graduated from Ross High School and plans to attend college and major in computer or mechanical engineering. She participated in varsity tennis, the Ross Legacy Show Choir, mock trial, tae kwon do, and the Student Athletic Leadership Team. She was the National Honor Society president and is a past Butler Rural Electric Cooperative Youth Tour delegate.

Load management programs

During peak demand times, it costs more for Buckeye Power, our generation and transmission cooperative, to generate the large amount of electricity being consumed. To meet the demand, Buckeye’s large coal-fired baseload power plants are running at full capacity. Additional natural gas peaking plants, which cost more to run, are used to help supply enough electricity during this time.

Electricity cost is highest when demand is greatest. The maximum, or “peak,” amount of electricity used determines Butler Rural Electric Cooperative’s future cost of power. When the peak goes up, so does the cost.

The cooperative’s load management program is an essential tool used to help control power costs. Reducing the demand for electricity created by electric water heaters and central air-conditioning systems helps the cooperative decrease the use of electricity during peak times. Load management programs such as water heater radio-controlled switches (RCS) and Cool Returns air conditioner switches were created to help the cooperative decrease the use of electricity when many people are using large amounts of electricity at the same time.

Peak alerts

A peak alert is a way to keep electric use down, which in turn keeps members’ rates lower. Peak alerts are issued when the demand for electricity is at an all-time high and rising toward a new peak. They typically occur on hot summer days from about 2 to 7 p.m. We ask our members to reduce their energy consumption during this time in order to help avoid reaching a new peak. If you have a radio-controlled switch on your water heater or a Cool Returns switch on your central airconditioning system, it will be activated during summer peak alerts. Over 5,600 members currently have switches on their water heaters and air conditioners.

The cooperative notifies members about peak alerts with an email. We also post peak alert notices on SmartHub, our Facebook page, and on our website, butlerrural.coop.

Radio-controlled switches and Cool Returns

Members who have an RCS switch on their water heater receive a $4 monthly bill credit. When the switch is activated during a peak alert, the water heater elements will be turned off to help decrease electric demand.

Members who have a Cool Returns switch installed on their air-conditioning system receive a one-time, $100 bill credit and a $2 monthly bill credit. When the switch is activated during a peak alert, the system will cycle on and off for brief periods of time.

If you would like to have an RCS switch installed on your electric water heater or a Cool Returns switch installed on your air conditioner, please contact the cooperative by calling 513-867-4400 or 800-255-2732. Appointment scheduling may be affected due to COVID-19, but we can assist you according to appointment procedures at the time of your call.

BILL CREDIT WINNERS!

Did you attend the cooperative’s 2019 annual meeting? If so, you could be the winner of a $50 bill credit! All attendees who did not win a bill credit at the annual meeting are eligible to win. Congratulations to the April winners!

David Carter Paige Gabbard Harrison Township Trustees Jenny Lee Clarence Payne

Avoid these common utility scams

The energy industry is undergoing rapid change, and technology is paving the way for innovation in the way energy is used, produced, stored, and shared. Consumers are interested in more green energy alternatives while smart homes and apps make managing energy use and paying your electric bill more convenient than ever.

While the changing energy market has created more options for consumers, it has also resulted in more utility scams and misleading information. That’s because of two factors.

Utility scams are common because of the vast number of utilities that exist, and consumers are understandably anxious with the threat of disruption to their electric, heating, or water service. Second, new products and services in the energy industry provide an opening for scammers and pop-up companies to provide misleading information or shoddy products and services.

Recent scams reported by members

Butler Rural Electric Cooperative members have recently reported receiving phone calls from a person informing them of rebates available from their electric provider. This is a scam phone call, and members are urged to hang up the phone if they receive a call similar to this one. The cooperative will never call our members to inform them of special rebates over the phone.

Avoid phone scams

A common phone scam typically begins with a phone number that appears to be from a valid utility company. The scammer may claim you owe a past due amount and threaten to disconnect service or take legal action. The scammer will typically demand that you use a prepaid debit card or money order, often within a very short, urgent time frame, to pay the “past due” balance.

You can combat this scam by being aware of the status of your account. Never give your banking or personal information over the phone to someone you did not call. If you have a question or concern about your energy bill, call us directly at 513-867-4400 or 800-255-2732. Do not use the phone number given by the scammer.

In this ever-changing environment, it’s important to remember that you have a trusted energy advisor — your local electric cooperative. We are a community-focused organization that works to efficiently deliver affordable, reliable, and safe energy to our members.