May 2015
The alarm clock doesn’t wake you up. Power does. Power is like a trusted member of the family. It’s there when we wake up and with us all day, doing the work we need. Electric cooperatives across the West are working hard to make sure that power is reliable, affordable and responsible. With their power supplier, Tri-State, co-ops are innovating to help homeowners, farmers and ranchers, and businesses use power wisely. In doing so, members of electric co-ops save money and make better use of resources. Learn more at PowerWorksForYou.coop.
Volume 69, Number 5, May 2015
“The Rural Voice of Nebraska”
Staff Editor Wayne Price Editorial Assistant Kathy Barkmeier Graphic Design Intern Jordan Geisert Published by the
General Manager Troy Bredenkamp President Randy Papenhausen, Cedar-Knox Public Power District Vice President/Secretary Ron Jensen, Loup Valleys Rural Public Power District
Contents Features
Heritage Furniture Restoration Bev Prothman has operated Heritage Furniture Refinishing out of her home near Columbus, Neb. since 1991. What started out as a way to save a little money has turned into a full time business that will be celebrating 25 years of service in 2016.
Bringing the Power to You
Advertising in the Rural Electric Nebraskan does not imply endorsement for products by the Nebraska Rural Electric Association. Correspondence should be sent to Wayne Price, Editor, Rural Electric Nebraskan, Box 82048, Lincoln, NE 68501. The Rural Electric Nebraskan is printed by Quad Graphics, 2300 Brown Ave., Waseca, MN 56093. Form 3579 should be sent to the Rural Electric Nebraskan, Box 82048, Lincoln, NE 68501. Periodicals postage paid at Lincoln, Neb. POSTMASTER: send address changes to the Rural Electric Nebraskan, 1244 K Street, Box 82048, Lincoln, NE 68501. Publication numbers are USPS 071-630 and ISSN 0193-4937. Rates: $10 for one year; $15 for two years; $20 for three years, plus local and state tax.
May 2015
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Modern life is unimaginable without electricity. It lights houses, buildings, streets, provides domestic and industrial heat, and powers most equipment used in homes, offices and machinery in factories. But do you know how it is generated?
Treasurer David Keener, Niobrara Electric Association, Inc. Published monthly by the Nebraska Rural Electric Association, 1244 K Street, Box 82048, Lincoln, Nebraska 68501, (402) 475-4988.
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Departments EDITOR’S PAGE
4
SAFETY BRIEFS — Murphy
20
CUT YOUR UTILITY BILLS by James Dulley
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RECIPES
24
MARKETPLACE/CLASSIFIEDS
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On the cover Bev Prothman stands with a rocking chair she recently refinished at Heritage Furniture Refinishing. See the related story on Page 6. Photograph by Wayne Price
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EDITOR’S PAGE
May is National Electrical Safety Month ay is National Electrical Safety Month. It is also when people are starting to do more work outside as the weather warms up. That makes it a good time to take a look at your electrical safety practices. One of the major causes of electrocutions and home fires is wiring. U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission research found that more than 140,000 electrical fires occur each year. Electrocutions associated with wiring and consumer products result in hundreds of deaths annually. Wiring hazards, including damaged or exposed wiring and household wiring together totaled approximately 20 percent of all electrocutions. Ladders contacting power lines caused nine percent of electrocutions. Power tools were responsible for another nine percent of deaths. All of the outlets in my garage are ground fault circuit interrupter devices. They are especially useful for cord-connected equipment used outside or near water. It is estimated that installing a GFCI could prevent nearly 70 percent of the 400 electrocutions that occur each year. GFCIs will trip electrical circuits when they detect ground faults or leakage currents. A GFCI can be an electrical receptacle, circuit breaker or portable device. To take a real-world example, suppose you were in your backyard, standing by a wading pool while listening to a portable radio that was plugged into a regular receptacle. If someone accidentally knocks the radio off its stand and into the pool, a very dangerous electrical situation now exists. If you were to retrieve the radio, you could be electrocuted. However, if the radio were plugged into a GFCI receptacle, and you were to reach into the water to retrieve the radio while your foot was on the ground, the GFCI would detect a leak, shut off the power almost immediately, and prevent you from being shocked.
M by Wayne Price
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If your home is already equipped with GFCIs it is important to test them regularly. A survey by Electrical Safety Foundation International found that almost half of families in the United States did not test the GFCIs in their homes. More than 25 percent did not know that GFCIs could prevent electrocution. Even among the people who tested their GFCIs, none tested them as recommended - at least once a month and after storms. GFCIs are subject to wear and possible damage from power surges during an electrical storm. ESFI recommends performing a simple monthly test to determine if GFCIs are functioning properly. To test a GFCI, follow these simple steps: • Push the “reset: button on the GFCI receptacle to prepare the unit for testing. • Plug a light into the GFCI and turn it on. The light should now be ON. • Push the “test” button on the GFCI. The light should go OFF. • Push the “reset” button again. The light should again turn on. The light should go out when the test button in pushed. If the light does not go out, then the GFCI is not working or has been installed incorrectly. If the “reset” button pops out during the test but the light does not go out, the GFCI may have been improperly wired. In this case, the GFCI may have been damaged and does not offer shock protection. Contact a qualified electrician to check the GFCI and correct the problem. If you’re living in a home that was built more than 20 years ago, you should probably check out the wiring. Electrical systems age and deteriorate over time, making them less efficient and sometimes dangerous. Replace damaged or outdated wiring and make sure the home electrical system is adequate to support the increased electric demands of new technology such as televisions, computers and appliances. Hire a qualified electrician, rather than fixing this problem yourself.
Rural Electric Nebraskan
From the Mailbox Dear Editor, I’m writing to tell you how I will miss the Adult Pen Pal Service. I met a great man through your magazine and we were together six years until circumstances took us apart. But I am sorry to hear you will no longer have that in your magazine. I’m hoping someday you will reconsider and put it back in. Thank you, Sandra Cochran Friend, Neb. Dear Editor, I’m sorry that you’re doing away with the Adult Pen Pal Service. I answered a letter from March 1999. We went on our first date on May 11, 1999. We went to Kentucky Fried Chicken in Norfolk, Neb. for supper that night. My husband is a farmer and a custom knife maker from West Point, Neb. We live on the farm that has been in his faminly since 1887. We were married at the Cuming County Courthouse on June 6, 2002. This coming June we’ll be married for 13 years. We’ve always enjoyed the Adult Pen Pal letters. We also enjoy the recipes you put in each month. Sincerely, Roger and Hope Gaster West Point, Neb.
Day he asked me to marry him. We were married on June 3, 1995. We will be celebrating our 20th wedding anniversary. Thank you for bringing us together. Sincerely, Kristi and David Martensen Leigh, Neb.
Global warming hoax Dear Editor, I was very disappointed when I got the Rural Electric Nebraskan and saw a politically slanted article about climate change being something other than normal. Why don’t you have someone write an article about the “Gore invented global warming hoax” if you want to present political views?
Better yet, get an article that tells how many birds are killed by the turbine blades or fried in mid air by solar panels. Then you would be presenting facts. Nothing can be done by humans to change the climate. Harold L. Frickel Atkinson, Neb.
Readers are encouraged to send us mail when there is an article you enjoy or when you have a different view point. Letters can be mailed to: Rural Electric Nebraskan Editor Wayne Price P.O. Box 82048 Lincoln NE 68501 Or you can email directly at: wprice@nrea.org
Dear Editor, I am writing this letter in response to the notice you had about the Adult Pen Pal Service. I wanted to share our story how my husband and I met through your pen pal service. My husband placed an ad in the March 1993 magazine. I wrote to him and that’s where our story began. We wrote many letters and spoke on the phone. We finally met in person in June. We did a lot of road tripping on weekends. We lived two hours apart. I lived in South Central Nebraska and he lived in Northwest Nebraska. We had a long distance relationship. That following year on Valentine’s
May 2015
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Heritage Furniture Restoration Bringing the past back to the present by Wayne Price
hat started out as a way to save a little money has turned into a full time business that will be celebrating 25 years of service in 2016. Bev Prothman has operated Heritage Furniture Refinishing out of her home near Columbus, Neb. since 1991. She went to a second hand furniture store looking for furniture for her three kid’s rooms and brought home a couple dressers. They needed a little work so she decided to refinish them herself. Her husband, Tony, supplied her with a few tools, including a sander and an air compressor and with a bit of work and a lot of elbow grease, Bev was able to transform the dressers into something the family could use for many years. “I was tired of buying junk furniture,” she said. “We didn’t have a lot of money back then and the kids needed furniture.” Bev got started in furniture restoration while she and Tony lived near Duncan, Neb.; at first simply by buying and selling pieces. It was when they moved into their home north of Columbus in 1991 that she started doing furniture restoration as a business. All of the work was done in the garage but over time they saw the need to expand the work space. The majority of customers have been from Nebraska. She has refinished furniture for people in Arizona, Colorado, New Jersey and California. She has a lot of repeat customers, including Charlene Yindrick of David City, Neb. “Bev did a beautiful job on my first project,” Yindrick said. “So I took her another one. She is very professional and I know it will be done right. She’s easy to communicate with and prompt on getting back to me.” Bev also worked for Park Avenue Antiques in
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Fremont, Neb. for several years. The owner, John Wolfe, would bring big pieces, such as secretaries, poster beds and Hoosier cabinets into the shop to be refinished. He would take trips to the East Coast to purchase all kinds of antiques. “Every piece comes with a story,” she said. One woman brought in a cupboard that her husband had used to store oil in. He said Bev wouldn’t be able to fix it. She worked on it and he was flabbergasted when he came in and saw it, she said. Some unique pieces she’s done include a turning book case, a cigar box brought back by a soldier in the Korean war, a grandfather clock, and a baby grand piano. Another project that was unique was restoring a pool table from a bar in Clarkson, Neb. that was damaged during a fire. The amount of time spent working on a piece varies. She doesn’t do a lot of advertising, instead she relies on customers promoting the business by word-of-mouth. She has a Facebook page and has received a number of jobs through social media. She learned how to work on fiberboard furniture and has worked for movers to repair furniture damaged during moving. Having this skill has been quite helpful over the years since a majority of furniture being sold is made with fiberboard. She buys most of her restoration materials locally, as well as online, including wood veneers. She’s done a lot of research on how to fix various types of furniture. Tony works at an auto body repair shop in Columbus.They have three children and one grandson. Their home and shop is served electrically by Cornhusker Public Power District and is heated and cooled using a geothermal heat pump. “This is the year of the rocker,” she said. “I’ve done more of them this year than ever.” The phone number for Heritage Furniture Refinishing is 402/246-2901.
Rural Electric Nebraskan
May 2015
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GEOTHERMAL Energy from the Ground Up eothermal energy—created from Earth’s natural heat— has been used by many cultures for thousands of years to cook and bathe. But modern technology has unlocked new ways to harness geothermal potential: producing electricity using hot water and steam locked below the surface; and heating and cooling buildings. America leads the world in geothermal power production, with about 3,080 megawatts of capacity from more than 70 power plants, according to the Geothermal Energy Association, the national trade association for geothermal development companies. Western states boast the most geothermal energy.
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How it Works Typical fossil
fuel-burning
and
nuclear power plants heat water to boiling to create steam. The steam then turns a turbine, which generates electricity. Geothermal power stations essentially cut out the middle man, piping naturally heated water (which is changed into steam) or naturally occurring steam into a plant to spin turbines. Three different types of geothermal generation exist; the choice depends on the state of the hydrothermal fluid (whether steam or water) and its temperature. • Dry steam: The first type of geothermal power plants built, these facilities use steam from a geothermal reservoir (pulled from wells) and route it directly through turbines to create electricity. • Flash steam: The most common, these plants pump water boasting temperatures greater than 360
degrees Fahrenheit under high pressure to generation equipment. The steam is separated from the water and used to make electricity; leftover water and condensed steam are channeled back into the reservoir. • Binary cycle: Uses moderate- to low-temperature groundwater or steam. In a binary cycle system, hot water is pumped from a well and passes through a heat exchanger, where it warms a secondary fluid boasting a lower boiling point than water. This causes the secondary fluid to flash to vapor, which in turn drives a turbine. The secondary fluid then condenses and returns to the loop system; the water gets pumped back into the well. Other Uses Geothermal energy offers an array of benefits beyond electricity generation. In some cases, hot water can be piped directly into systems to heat buildings, greenhouses, and fish farms. Some cities run hot water under roads and sidewalks during winter to melt snow and ice. Geothermal heat pumps rely on energy of the ground—the top 10 feet of earth remains a relatively constant 50 to 60 degrees Fahrenheit temperature yearround—to move heat into and out of
Left: A long horizontal ground loop is placed in a five-foot-deep trench to extract heat from the ground. Right: Several 150-foot-deep holes are drilled into the ground for the loop to extract heat from the ground. A certified loop installation contractor can advise you. Illustrations provided by WaterFurnace
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Rural Electric Nebraskan
a building, providing winter heating and summer cooling. Also called ground-source heat pumps, these appliances come in two types: a groundwater (open-loop) system uses well water; an earth-coupled (closed-loop) model moves a water and antifreeze solution through underground pipes to disperse heat. While geothermal heat pumps generally operate more efficiently than their air-source cousins, they are more expensive to up-front. A federal tax credit equal to 30 percent of the cost for materials and installation, with no limit on total project expenses, applies to geothermal heat pumps through Dec. 31, 2016. A full list of geothermal heat pump requirements, along with a product list, can be found at www.energystar.gov/taxcredits. To see if other rebates are available in your state, check the Database of State Incentives for Renewables and Efficiency at www.dsireusa.org. A geothermal heat pump might not always be the best option in every situation. Contact your local electric utility to determine whether a geothermal heat pump is the right choice for you. Sources: U.S. Department of Energy, National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Geothermal Energy Association, International Ground Source Heat Pump Association
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Maintenance and care of rooftop PV systems by Thomas Kirk
olar photovoltaics (PV) are a rapidly expanding phenomenon. During 2013 and the first half of 2014, more solar was installed in the U.S. than in the 30 years prior. With more members installing solar panels on their rooftops, it’s only natural that more questions about basic PV operations and maintenance are arising. Let’s discuss a few.
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What is the life expectancy of a PV system? The life expectancy of a PV system depends not just on the panels, but on the inverter as well. The inverter converts the variable direct current output of a PV panel into a utility frequency alternating current that can either be fed into the grid or used by a local, off-grid electrical network. PV panels have a life expectancy of roughly 30 years. However, due to factors such as higher temperatures and the aging of materials, the power rating of PV modules tends to degrade slowly over time. For crystalline silicon panels, the loss in power ranges from 0.5 percent to 1.0 percent per year. Inverters have a life expectancy of approximately 15 years, but in some cases, they must be repaired or replaced sooner. How reliable are PV systems? Certified PV products and systems generally are reliable. Manufacturers test PV panels for hail impact, high wind and freeze-thaw cycles that represent year-round weather conditions. Unless your PV system uses a tracking device, it has no moving parts – but be sure to pay attention to the warranty. Most manufacturers offer at least a 20year warranty for their PV panels. Inverters, with capacities specified in kVA (1,000 volt amps), usually have warranties between five and 10
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years, with extended warranties of 15 to 20 years available at an extra cost. Some PV rebate programs are required to carry a full two-year warranty in addition to any manufacturers’ warranties on specific components. This warranty should cover all parts and labor, including the cost of removing any defective component, shipping it to the manufacturer and reinstalling the component after it is repaired or replaced. What kind of maintenance is required? In most regions, PV modules require little maintenance. If regular rainfall is not sufficient to eliminate accumulated dirt, customers occasionally can rinse the modules off with water. In some conditions, for example, in desert regions, soil accumulation on the module surface has been observed to reduce energy generation by up to 25 percent. But in most locations the effect will be much smaller—typically no more than a few percent. In northern latitudes or at higher elevations, snow cover can significantly reduce system output for long periods. According to PVWatts documentation, the output of a system installed in Minnesota at a tilt angle of 23 degrees (much lower than the recommended tilt) was reduced by 70 percent during winter, while snow cover reduced generation of a nearby system installed at a tilt angle of 40 degrees (which is still lower than optimal) by 40 percent. In such locations, higher tilt angles allow snow to slide off of modules more readily, thereby minimizing its effect on electricity generation. Where manual snow removal is feasible, this will also improve system performance—although the value of the additional kWh generated may in some cases be insufficient to justify the trip up to the snow-covered roof. Experts suggest periodic maintenance checks of system
components (such as tightening physical connections) and completion of any preventive maintenance as needed. Talk with your system installer about routine and periodic maintenance. Although inverter reliability has improved dramatically since the 1990s, the inverter still requires maintenance far more frequently and has a shorter projected life than the modules. The industry standard warranty for inverters is five years, with inverter mean time between failures in the range of 5 to 10 years. A new style of inverter, microinverters (so named because there is one on every module, rather than one inverter for the whole system), typically have a longer life and warranties of 20 to 25 years. Although some fault modes can be cleared by simply cycling the AC power to the inverter, maintenance usually requires the services of a trained electrician and involves replacement or repair at an authorized service facility. This limits the maintenance role of the system owner to regularly monitoring the status indicators on the inverter or identifying a sharp decline in system output that cannot be explained by factors like snow cover. Several software packages are available that allow homeowners to easily monitor their PV system’s output and identify problems with the modules or inverter. This software can also narrow the fault down to a single module with micro-inverters. Rooftop solar can be a great way to reduce your monthly energy bill and help the environment, but consumers should be aware of the costs and responsibilities. Talk to your local utility before installing solar PV on your home to find out if they offer a community solar program, which offers a better price and no hassle of maintaining a system yourself. Also ask about their policies regarding member-owned generation and advice on maintaining the system.
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Bringing the Power to You rom the power plant to your home or business, the electricity we use every day travels through a complex system of poles, wires, and substations before it provides heat and light to your home. Nebraska incorporates a diverse mix of resources into its generation portfolio which include the use of coal, nuclear, hydroelectric, natural gas, and renewable energy resources. More than 60 percent of Nebraska’s electricity is generated at coal-fired power plants. The process for this
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generation resources starts in Wyoming where low-sulfur coal is mined. At these mines, dirt and clay is stripped away to reveal the coal. The coal is collected with large cranes and trucks. Once the resource is removed, the land is reclaimed back to its original state and the coal is loaded on rail cars and shipped to a power plant. Once the coal arrives at the power plant it is burned to heat water and create steam. The pressurized steam spins a turbine converting mechanical energy into electricity. A generator is mounted at one end of the
Rural Electric Nebraskan
turbine shaft and consists of carefully wound wire coils. Electricity is generated when these are rapidly rotated in a strong magnetic field. After passing through the turbine, the steam is condensed and returned to the boiler to be heated once again. Once the electricity is generated, its voltage is increased by a transformer and it begins its journey on high voltage transmission lines. In Nebraska, these lines carry as much as 345,000 volts of electricity. Next, the electricity flows through a substation where the voltage is reduced, allowing the electricity to flow on to smaller distribution lines. These distribution lines carry electricity closer to its destination where once again the voltage is stepped
down by a transformer to the 120 volts that you use in your home. Delivery of electricity is a complex process that requires constant monitoring so that when you hit the light switch, electricity is delivered at the speed of light from the generation plant and into your home. To avoid overloading the system, electric generation has to be balanced simultaneously to match consumer needs. At any given moment, the electricity generated from power plants has to match consumer demand. Too much or too little generation could result in blackouts. This means that every minute of every day your electric suppliers are monitoring the electric generation and delivery process to ensure you receive a reliable electric supply.
Illustration provided by Nebraska Public Power District
Nebraska Rural Electric Association member-systems maintain more than
95,000 miles of powerlines across the state.
May 2015
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Trash to Treasures by T.J. by LaRayne Topp
magine you’re at the beach, a cool tropical drink in one hand, your bare toes dug into the sand. Before you is the salty brine of the Atlantic Ocean. The waves softly lap at the conch and moon shells, scallop and oyster shells, sand dollars and bits of trash washed to shore. The waves serenely float closer in, then ebb out once again. You finish drinking your bottle of soda, and carelessly toss it into the ocean. You hear a clunk as it hits a rock farther out, and you know it’s broken into dozens of pieces. The ocean then does what oceans have done for years. The ocean sends its waves to roll and tumble that broken root beer bottle. Salt water washes over it and under it and around it, smoothing and rounding the edges of glass pieces and giving the surface of those pieces of broken trash a polished and frosted appearance. After 20 or 30 years, or even 50 years, the small pieces of smooth and frosted glass are washed to an ocean shore somewhere. One day a woman, an entrepreneur possibly, is walking barefoot along the beach. She spies a piece of sea glass, picks it up and turns it over in her hands. As she holds it up to the sunlight, she discovers its beauty. She scours the beach for more pieces, colorful green ones or blue, white or brown, and wonders what beautiful treasures she can make with those scraps of glass trash.
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Trudy Rief of rural West Point doesn’t have to wonder. As she searches the beaches of the Bahamas, she gathers up sea glass and takes it back with her to Nebraska. There, at her farm home, she fashions the sea glass into costume jewelry—earrings and pendants, rings and necklaces, plus bracelets for wrists and ankles— turning what was once trash into beautiful objects to treasure. The first time Rief noticed jewelry made of sea glass was on a vacation she and her husband, Arnie Rief, took to the Grand Bahama Island, a vacation resort about 50 miles east of Florida. The Riefs were visiting the island with Trudy’s parents, Gerald and Norma Doescher of Beemer. Gerald picked up a green piece of glass from the sand and showed it to his wife. “It’s jade,” he said. “No, that’s sea glass,” was Norma’s response. At a visit to a little tourist shop on the island, Trudy saw this sea glass made into jewelry and other items as well. At the marketplace, the island’s sea glass had been transformed into “almost anything,” she said. It was the jewelry, however, that caught her eye. When the Riefs returned to Nebraska Trudy began a series of trial and error projects to turn the beautiful glass pieces into wearable works of art. From then on, the Riefs went to the
Trudy Rief shows some of the jewelry she's made for her business Trash to Treasure by T.J. beach for vacation, Trudy said. The Bahamas aren’t the only locations where sea glass can be found. Spain and other European counties with coastal areas are perfect locations to search for sea glass— wherever glass washes up to shore. Much of the glass Rief finds are the remnants of pop bottles, root beer or Pepsi® bottles, for example. Some of the pieces are bits of china plates or other discarded types of glass. Red and orange pieces are possibly glass from red lanterns or old dishes which have washed to shore from sunken ships of the 1800s, she said. Last year, Rief purchased a rock tumbler. At that point, Trudy’s scavenging for trash to turn into treasure extended beyond the sea shore to old or abandoned farmsteads, where she searches in the farm’s grove and grassy areas where the plow
Rural Electric Nebraskan
hasn’t buried the finds. She also scouts for glass during planting time, as the fields are disked over and the planter disturbs the earth. Some glass pieces come to the surface as the ground freezes and thaws. Rief might discover blue insulators once perched atop telephone poles, stringing wires down country roads and connecting one caller to another. Or she might stumble across canning jars in her search, or pieces of blue or brown beer bottles to add to her rock tumbler. Just as the ocean waves work on sea glass, the tumbler smoothes the edges of broken household glass. Two of her grandsons, Preston and Tristan Kennedy of Grand Junction, Iowa, have begun to hunt for glass with her. The most difficult pieces to find are symetrical pieces to be used for earrings, of the same size and color. “It all depends on whatever the glass breaks up to be,” Rief said. Whether it’s sea glass or rocktumbled glass Rief is working with, her approach is the same. Surrounded by special jewelry-making tools, she carefully attaches sea glass the color of jade or aquamarine to ring bases with thin, delicately shaped wire. She chooses similar pieces for earrings along with earring backs, posts or wires to make matching earring sets. She works with necklace chains and bracelet clasps, shiny beads and pearls, and accents with tiny charms for any number of types of jewelry. Rief is no stranger to creating treasures. As her kids were growing up, the farmwife sculptured dolls and animals of fabric. She sold her soft sculpture crafts at various shows around the area. Once Rief became interested in jewelry design, about five years ago, she decided to make a different type of jewelry each year. The first year, rings with sea glass settings were her focus. The next year, Rief made coral jewelry. Coral is created by millions of tiny animals, many of them less than 1 inch in diameter, which attach themselves to each other in warm and tropical seas. As they die, they leave limestone skeletons forming barriers and reefs in the sea. The coral is
May 2015
colored by the shades of tan, orange, yellow, purple and green animals forming the irregularly shaped stone, its edges smoothed by the constant movements of ocean waves. Rief uses the pieces of coral much as she uses sea glass to make pendants and other jewelry. In another year, Rief made sailboat pendants. Cobalt blue ships are connected with what Rief calls “freehand wire,” delicately curled thin silver wire to white sea glass sails flying overhead. Last year, she made angel pendants, with sculptured metal wings and haloes. Their colorful sea glass skirts are topped with delicate wire wrappings and filigree ornamentation. “I like to make something new every year, and especially at Christmastime to keep people interested,” Rief said. Lately, she decided to construct copper wire bracelets, made from discarded wire, and incorporating bits
of sea glass. She has also focused on making copper wire sculptures as wall hangings or sun catchers, along with wire angels and crosses. Rief creates the majority of her jewelry and wire sculpture in the wintertime, using the family’s dining room as her workspace. Summertime is reserved for outdoor activities, gardening or taking lunches to her favorite farmers, her husband and son, as they work in the field. She advertises her creations by posting photographs on her Facebook page Trash to Treasure by T.J. She also displays her jewelry and copper sculptures at craft shows. As shoppers discover beautiful treasures much of her advertising is through word of mouth. She enjoys the reactions of customers who enjoy something she’s made, plus she has the satisfaction of sharing her interests with others. As she does so, she’s quick to point out, “It’s really trash and I’ve turned it into treasure.”
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The evolution of
safe electricity by Reed Karaim
orking on electric lines has “Our members expect our systems always been serious to be reliable, cost effective and as safe business, but in the early as they can be, and going by the NESC years of the 20th century, it could be is one of the best ways to make sure downright scary. A lack of standards all that is happening,” says Robert and safety protocols led to far too Harris, engineering principal at the many injuries and fatalities. National Rural Electric Cooperative Something had to be done. In Association and a member of the August 1914—the same month World NESC main committee that oversees War I began in Europe—the U.S. the code. government’s National Bureau of Standards, under the direction of NESC’s history Congress, established the National In the beginning, NESC standards Electrical Safety Code. principally dealt with worker safety, A century later, in a very different but they have since expanded to world, the code still plays a critical role include the installation, operation and in electrical system safety with maintenance of overhead and standards that have been widely underground lines, substations, adopted across the United States and grounding and communications even abroad. equipment. But as it The celebrates its standards 100th birthday, mean that the NESC, as linemen or it’s known in the other workers industry, is in a are less likely process of to face revision aimed unpleasant at the future. surprises when “The NESC working on committee is parts of a taking a serious system they look at what the haven’t seen A tree-trimming crew from Burt next hundred before. County Public Power District are ready years need to Establishing to work in 1962. be,” says Sue standards was Vogel, who has vitally the responsibility for the code as a important in the early days of senior manager at the Institute for electricity, when electrical systems Electrical and Electronics Engineers were isolated and varied significantly (IEEE) Standards Association. in construction. Electric co-ops have a big stake in that But Harris says they remain process. relevant today, particularly when
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public power districts, electric co-ops or other power suppliers send employees to help with disasters or emergency situations. “It means they’re not going to be getting into something that’s completely foreign to them,” he says. Tomorrow’s code The NESC Main Committee, which has authority for approving the NESC, adopts revisions every five years to keep it up to date. Revisions currently under consideration will go into effect in the 2017 edition of the code. Mike Hyland, chair of the NESC executive committee, says the process is based on consensus, and the committee invites comments from anyone in the industry with an interest in the code. “An engineer, a lineman, meter readers, construction folks, consultants – they should all be active in this debate,” says Hyland, a senior vice president at the American Public Power Association, the trade organization for the nation’s municipal electric utility systems. One proposed revision includes better defining where communications equipment and other equipment, such as photovoltaic panels, can be placed on poles, and aligning NESC’s work rules with new Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) requirements that were published in April 2014. A broader debate All these matters have been addressed in the revisions. But there is also a
Rural Electric Nebraskan
broader debate underway about the future of the NESC. The question is whether the code should largely remain focused on the areas it has covered for decades or whether it should expand to take into account the rapidly changing face of the power industry. “The electrical system is being asked to do things that it wasn’t asked to do back then,” Hyland says. “We didn’t have wind farms. We didn’t have rooftop solar. We didn’t have community solar. We didn’t have this overlay called the ‘smart grid system.’ Electric utilities are having to adapt and plan for all these changes going forward.” If the NESC doesn’t expand to include some of these new technologies in its standards, some committee members worry it will lose its relevancy. For example, the code so far has not really dealt much with distributed generation and renewable energy. But Harris says a representative from a company involved in large-scale solar generation joined the NESC committee last year, and an NESC member has attended solar industry events to make sure the committee is staying abreast of issues in that area. With today’s pace of change, Hyland thinks it may be necessary to consider revising the code more often than every five years, possibly updating some sections every two years or so. He points out that the National Electrical Code, which is administered by the National Fire Protection Association and applies to in-home wiring, is updated every three years. “Things get done very quickly in today’s world,” Hyland says. “We can’t sit back and say, ‘I had a great idea; I’ll put it in the next cycle, and maybe it’ll get into the code in 2022.’ That’s not going to fly, especially with the younger generation in the industry.” He thinks the future may include developing apps or other digital systems to allow users to more easily access relevant parts of the code. The NESC is already used as a reference in about 100 countries, but Hyland believes expanding its use in other parts of the world could help bring
May 2015
A group of Midwest Electric Cooperative Corporation linemen set a pole in 1960. standardized, safe power delivery to countries where that is still a challenge. Protecting people When you look at the history of the code in the U.S., its record of bringing safer practices to the industry is clear, Vogel says. “If you go back to when the code was started, it was actually pretty
graphic in that the editions listed what the deaths were and where,” she says. “There was a real need to put in safety rules to keep people from being killed.” Harris believes the code also may have played a role in the spread of electrification across the nation. “There would have been a lot more injuries and fatalities and a lot more property damage without the NESC. Both workers and the public would have been at greater risk,” he says. “If people had had the perception that electricity is just too dangerous, that may well have put the brakes on electrification across the country.” From the 1940s to the 1970s, the code underwent relatively few significant changes, Harris says, reflecting an industry that continued to operate much as it had for several decades. The changes have been more frequent since the industry began a period of change. Reed Karaim writes on consumer and cooperative affairs for the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association, the Arlington, Va.-based service arm of the nation’s 900-plus consumer-owned, not-for-profit public power districts and electric cooperatives.
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The SnapRays Guidelight contains three ultra-efficient LEDs, located at the bottom of the cover. The LEDs activate during the dark and turn off during the day.
Home show highlights new and emerging technologies by Bret Curry
recently attended the National Association of Homebuilders (NAHB) International Builders Show (IBS). The NAHB is a trade association and has been in existence since the 1940s. It’s a grassroots organization that serves as the voice of America’s housing industry. NAHB members help promote policies to keep quality, safe and affordable housing a national priority. The IBS is the largest light-construction building industry tradeshow in the U.S. This one-of-a-kind exposition and convention focuses on every facet (including energy efficiency) incorporated into new homes and remodeling projects. This year’s show included 1,200 exhibitors whose displays covered nearly 476,000 square feet, or nearly 11 acres of exhibition space. About 125,000 attendees representing more than 100 countries attended the event. My mission was to learn about new and emerging technologies, as well as improvements in the energy efficiency sector. During a two-day period, I was
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able to visit with some of the brightest folks in the industry and see some fascinating new and improved technology. Some of the energy efficiency product categories included consumer appliances, insulation, lighting, heating, cooling, ventilation, windows, reflective coatings, water heating, radiant barriers and wireless home automation. Here are a few I would like to share with you: • Foam insulation has taken a foothold in the housing industry since I attended this tradeshow six years ago. There were dozens of vendors on hand this year promoting the thermal, air and moisture barrier benefits of foam insulation. Some of the specific applications were: wood and metal structural insulated panels (SIPS); insulated concrete forms (ICF); insulated concrete blocks (ICB), and open and closed-cell spray foams. • For those of you who have an older attic access ladder inside your home, Louisville Ladder has solved the air leakage around the frame and thermal conduction through the door. The company’s new Pinnacle Series energy- efficient attic ladder is equipped with an insulated door. The
door design includes an R-10 extruded foam core layer sandwiched between laminated woods. In addition, the recessed frame includes a weatherstripping seal. This new component is designed for both new homes and retrofits. • General Electric unveiled its new, Energy Star-qualified, 80-gallon hybrid electric water heater. Until now, the GeoSpring ultra-efficient water heater was only available in a 50-gallon model. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, the new larger capacity model can help a family of five to six people save from $620 to $740 annually on water heating expenses. A byproduct of heat pump water heating technology is cool air, which is fine when air conditioning is preferred. But, the cool air can be unwanted or counter productive to energy efficiency during winter months. G.E. now has a ducting kit available to enable flexibility to the homeowner. You get to choose whether you want to keep the cool air during the summer, or send it outside during the winter. • A show favorite among all attendees was the SnapRays Guidelight. Say goodbye to the incandescent bulb-style or plug-in nightlights because SnapPower has reinvented the nightlight. The company’s ingenious design is brilliant and energy efficient. Homeowners simply remove the existing cover from any receptacle and replace it with the SnapRays cover plate. How it works is quite simple, and its patented “power extractors” on the SnapRays cover plate make contact with the screws located on the sides of the outlet. The attractive design looks like a regular cover plate, but three ultra-efficient LEDs are located at the bottom of the cover. The LEDs activate during the dark and turn off during the day. Plus, the LEDs draw only a few milliamps, so the Guidelight costs only pennies per year to operate. But, there’s more! SnapPower will be unveiling its cover plate USB power charger receptacle this April! For more details visit: http://www.snappower.com
Rural Electric Nebraskan
Nature’s Majesty Comes Home in Ted Blaylock’s Masterpiece Lamp
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SAFETY BRIEFS
Posting items to utility poles creates safety risks igns, balloons and other materials on utilities poles are more than just an unpleasant neighborhood eyesore, they can be dangerous - even life threatening - to the professionals who maintain our vital lines of electricity, communication and other services. Safe Electricity urges everyone to help keep utility poles free of such materials. “Help protect those who work hard to give us essential electric service, instant communication and other modern amenities through the nation’s 120 million utility poles,” Molly Hall, director of Safe Electricity, said “Remember that anything left on a pole can cause power line workers, telecommunications utility personnel and other workers harm.” The clamped safety boots used by line workers to climb poles are vulnerable to becoming snagged on staples and nails embedded in posts. Foreign objects can also tear utility workers’ protective clothing, which is the first line of protection from an electric shock. They can
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also injure workers despite the safety gear they wear to avoid contact with rough surfaces. Such practices also present a public safety hazard as well. The materials posted on the poles not only distract people as they drive, but they also degrade the quality, effectiveness and stability of the wood. This poses a safety hazard for pedestrians as they walk by and increases the risk failure if the pole is struck by a vehicle. Posting items to utility poles is usually a violation of local ordinances as well. It is also just as important to avoid tampering with or disrupting the guy wires that surround utility poles as well. Please inform children not to play or swing on them, and maintain your distance when performing yard work. If you see the poles or guy wires are disrupted in some way, please call your local utility company immediately. Safe Electricity hopes you’ll do your part to help utility workers work safely and refrain from hanging objects to utility poles.
Power poles are a dangerous place to advertise garage sales, endorse candidates or hang ‘no hunting or trespassing’ signs. It greatly increases the risk of serious injury to linemen. Photograph provided by Safe Electricity
Rural Electric Nebraskan
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What you need to know about back up generators by James Dulley
When severe weather hits, I Q :want to be prepared, and I’m considering purchasing a backup generator for my home. What types would you recommend to take care of the entire house?
up when determining the total wattage. A contractor or installation expert can also advise you on the proper size. It should be noted that installing a whole-house backup generator is not a do-it-yourself project.
These days, most families A :depend on electricity for nearly every activity, so purchasing a backup generator is becoming more common. Residential backup generators are called standby models because they are only used when electricity from the utility grid fails. They are designed to run for a relatively short period of time until power is restored. Outages like this usually last between a few hours and a couple of days. First, you must decide how much of your home you’d like to power in order to determine the size of backup generator you will need. There are common necessities, such as refrigeration and lighting, which you will definitely need. Others, such as air-conditioning, washing/drying clothes and vacuuming may not be top priority during a power outage. Backup generators are sized by their KW (kilowatt) electricity output. A 12-KW generator can power most electrical needs of a typical family of four. If you can eliminate nonessentials, a smaller, less expensive unit will be adequate, and the fuel costs to operate it will be less. To get a rough idea of the size of generator you will need, list all electric items you want to power, and total the wattages for all of these. Items and appliances with motors often require more electric current at start-up time, so remember to round
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This is a whole-house sized standby generator installed on a concrete pad in the backyard of a house. Photograph provided by Kohler For convenience and safety (for both your family and your electric utility’s emergency line workers), install an ATS (automatic transfer switch). This switch senses when the grid electricity goes off or the voltage drops below a critical point (also known as a brownout). It automatically disconnects your home’s wiring from the utility grid and starts the generator. This occurs quickly, so there is very little down time. The ATS also runs the generator periodically (called exercising) to ensure everything is working properly. You may hear the generator start the exercise cycle, so don't be alarmed – the power may not be off. If you have natural gas available
at your house, this is the best fuel to power the backup generator. Natural gas engines run cleanly, require little maintenance and are relatively inexpensive to run. Also, if you have natural gas, you probably have a gas furnace for heat, so the size of the generator required is smaller. Another clean-running fuel for a backup generator is propane. Many homes with electric heat still have propane available for cooking. In order to power a whole-house generator, a larger propane tank would be required. Even though propane is considered a clean running fuel, it is more expensive to use than natural gas. A diesel engine-powered generator also requires a fuel tank. The shelf life of the diesel fuel is only a couple of years – even with a stabilizer -and the overall cost of installing a diesel generator will be higher. However, one advantage of using diesel is that you can always pour more fuel into the tank if you need to run the generator longer than originally expected. Another option is a smaller, lessexpensive portable gasoline-powered generator with several electrical outlets. This will provide enough electricity for the refrigerator and several lamps. These models also provide enough power to operate the blower in a gas, propane or oil furnace for heat. Never attempt to plug this type of generator into an electrical output with a homemade double-male cord. This can backfeed 120-volt current into the grid, which is dangerous for utility line crews. For more information on backup generators, contact your local rural electric utility or speak with a qualified contractor.
Send inquiries to James Dulley, Rural Electric Nebraskan, 6906 Royalgreen Dr., Cincinnati, OH 45244 or visit www.dulley.com.
Rural Electric Nebraskan
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Down Home Recipes
Homemade sauces serve up health & taste etting your family together around a delicious, homecooked meal is easier when your kitchen is stocked with betterfor-you ingredients. For home cooks looking to delight taste buds and satisfy appetites – start with the sauce. “Knowing how to prepare basic, simple sauces is an important culinary skill,” said registered dietitian Sarah-Jane Bedwell, author of “Schedule Me Skinny.” “While you probably can find store-bought versions, homemade sauces will taste better, cost less and be better for you, especially when made with highquality ingredients like fresh herbs and canola oil.” Whether your family prefers a rich white sauce or a fresh pesto, knowing how to create basic sauces allows you to whip up a dinner you’ll feel good about serving. This kid- and adult-friendly Creamy Mac and Cheese is the ultimate in comfort dishes, featuring classic bechamel “white sauce” – one of five traditional French “mother sauces” that have spread to other cuisines. The use of heart-smart canola oil instead of butter to make the roux, however, significantly reduces the sauce’s saturated fat content. Source: CanolaInfo
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Creamy Mac & Cheese 2 cups elbow macaroni 3 tablespoons canola oil 1/4 cup all-purpose flour 2 1/2 cups milk 1 1/2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese 1 1/2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese 1 teaspoon garlic powder 1/2 teaspoon paprika 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
2 tablespoons canola oil 1/2 cup Italian bread crumbs In pot of boiling water, lightly salt water and add macaroni; cook until tender. Drain and set aside. In saucepan, heat 3 tablespoons canola oil over medium heat. Stir in enough flour to make roux. Add milk to roux slowly, stirring constantly. Stir in cheeses, garlic powder, paprika and dry mustard. Cook over low heat until cheese is melted and sauce has thickened. Pour sauce over macaroni, mix and add to large casserole
dish. In skillet, add 2 tablespoons canola oil over medium heat. Add bread crumbs and brown. Spread over macaroni and cheese. Bake at 350ºF about 30 minutes. Serve.
Rural Electric Nebraskan
Reader Submitted Recipes
Hash Brown Ham Casserole 10 1/4 1 1/2 2 1 1 1/2 12 1/2
Southern Sweet Potato Hash 1 pound fresh hot Italian turkey sausage, casings removed 2 packages (11 ounces each) Alexia Southern Sweet Potato Blend 2 green onions, sliced 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro 1 tablespoon distilled white vinegar 4 cold eggs Heat large skillet over mediumhigh heat; add sausage. Cook 5–7 minutes or until crumbled, stirring occasionally. Drain. Add sweet potato blend. Cover and cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Uncover and cook 5–7 minutes more or until vegetables are cooked, stirring occasionally. Stir in onions and cilantro. Meanwhile, fill saucepan with about 3 inches of water. Heat until water simmers gently; stir in vinegar. Break 1 cold egg into small dish or saucer. Holding dish just above simmering water, gently slip egg into water. Repeat with remaining eggs. Cook eggs in gently simmering water 3–5 minutes or until white is set and yolk is cooked to desired doneness. Remove eggs with slotted spoon. Drain on paper towels. Divide sweet potato mixture among 4 plates. Top each with poached egg. Source: Alexia Foods
May 2015
cups Mr. Dells hash browns, frozen cup plus 2 tablespoons butter or margarine can chicken cream soup or mushroom cream soup cup chopped onions cups grated cheese cup crushed corn flakes cups chopped ham (I use turkey ham) ounce sour cream cup milk
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Pour 1/4 cup melted butter into 9x13 baking dish. Add 5 cups shredded hash browns. Mix soup, sour cream, milk and onions together. Blend well in separate bowl. Pour 1/2 of this mixture over shredded hash browns. Pat chopped ham over this mixture, cover with 1/2 shredded cheese. Put 5 cups hash browns, next cover with rest of milk mixture and rest of shredded cheese. Top with crushed corn flakes. Drizzle 3 tablespoons melted butter over top. Bake for 55-60 minutes. Microwave: Mix ingredients as above. Cook 16-20 minutes, turning dish 1/4 turn 4 times during cooking.
Sandy L. Psota, North Loup, Nebraska Sour Cream Raisin Pie 1 2 2 1/2 1/2 1/2 1 1
cup raisins, water to cover, boil, strain, cool packages instant French Vanilla pudding cups milk cup sour cream cup Cool Whip tablespoon brown sugar teaspoon cinnamon
Mix and pour into baked pie shell.
Marlene Fujan, Prague, Nebraska Oatmeal Picnic Bars 1 cup oatmeal 1 stick oleo 1 1/2 cup boiling water Melt oleo in boiling water, remove from heat. Add oatmeal. Let stand. In a large bowl beat 2 eggs. Add: 1 cup white sugar 1 cup brown sugar 1 1/2 cup flour 1 teaspoon soda 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 cinnamon When well mixed add the oatmeal mixture. Pour mixture into a jelly roll pan. Bake at 325 degrees for 25 minutes. Frosting: In a saucepan mix together 1 cup brown sugar, 1 stick oleo, 1 tablespoon milk, and 1 egg yolk. Boil for 1 minute- then to this mixture add 1 cup coconut and/or 1 cup ground nuts or 1/2 each cup of each. Pour frosting on bars right out of the oven.
Lois Sila, West Point, Nebraska 25
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30 days
More minute plans available. Ask your Jitterbug expert for details.
“I’ll be paying for minutes I’ll never use!” Not with Jitterbug, unused minutes carry over to the next month, there’s no roaming fee and no additional charge for long distance. “My phone’s battery only lasts a couple of days.” The Jitterbug’s battery lasts for up to 25 days on standby. Enough talk. Isn’t it time you found out more about the cell phone that’s changing all the rules? Call now, Jitterbug product experts are standing by.
Available in Blue and Red.
NEW Jitterbug5 Cell Phone Call toll free today to get your own Jitterbug5. Please mention promotional code 100538.
1-877-566-2253 We proudly accept the following credit cards.
®
47625
www.jitterbugdirect.com
IMPORTANT CONSUMER INFORMATION: Jitterbug is owned by GreatCall, Inc. Your invoices will come from GreatCall. All rate plans and services require the purchase of a Jitterbug phone and a one-time set up fee of $35. Coverage and service is not available everywhere. Other charges and restrictions may apply. Screen images simulated. There are no additional fees to call Jitterbug’s 24-hour U.S. Based Customer Service. However, for calls to an Operator in which a service is completed, minutes will be deducted from your monthly balance equal to the length of the call and any call connected by the Operator, plus an additional 5 minutes. Monthly minutes carry over and are available for 60 days. If you exceed the minute balance on your account, you will be billed at 35¢ for each minute used over the balance. Monthly rate plans do not include government taxes or assessment surcharges. Prices and fees subject to change. 1We will refund the full price of the GreatCall phone and the activation fee (or set-up fee) if it is returned within 30 days of purchase in like-new condition. We will also refund your first monthly service charge if you have less than 30 minutes of usage. If you have more than 30 minutes of usage, a per minute charge of 35 cents will be deducted from your refund for each minute over 30 minutes. You will be charged a $10 restocking fee. The shipping charges are not refundable. Jitterbug and GreatCall are registered trademarks of GreatCall, Inc. Samsung is a registered trademark of Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. ©2015 Samsung Telecommunications America, LLC. ©2015 GreatCall, Inc. ©2015 firstSTREET for Boomers and Beyond, Inc.