DE C EMB ER
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SECONEWS The 2020 construction work plan tops The costs of virtually everything required to $55 million to construct new and upgrade operate a modern electrical existing infrastructure. Tree trimming, storm system are increasing hardening and system maintenance work is rapidly. Our 2020 outlook performed largely by contract labor. 717705 is a mix of good and bad Construction and maintenance costs are rising news. The good news is wholesale power costs by a whopping 25 percent in 2020. The job market are stable, so we’re able to is tight and contractors who perform system apply a higher, member- reliability maintenance are paying higher wages to favorable Power Cost Adjustment (PCA aka Hot keep workers on their payroll. This isn’t just a Florida Bucks) credit to your bills starting January 1. The utility phenomenon - it’s happening nationwide and was spurred when California bad news is the customer charge component for both residential “CONSTRUCTION utility PG&E was court ordered to significantly beef up their tree and certain commercial members is increasing. The residential AND MAINTENANCE trimming and system maintenance programs to reduce fire risk. increase is 17 cents a day and the commercial customer and COSTS ARE RISING Florida lost a significant amount of its utility-related contract labor demand charge increases vary BY A WHOPPING workforce to California and we by rate type. 781028 are paying the price despite a 25 PERCENT booming economy. SECO’s mission is to construct, maintain and restore the electric IN 2020.” SECO Energy is experiencing system. We construct new facilities to meet growth demands. We upgrade systemwide growth. Every part of our service and maintain the electric system to prevent territory requires infrastructure additions, system outages. When an outage occurs, we restore upgrades, storm hardening, tree trimming or as quickly as possible. Unfortunately, the costs communications improvements whether you live associated with our three mission-critical focuses north, south, east or west of our headquarters. are rising at an alarming rate.
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County
2019 Growth Rate YTD
Members Served
Sumter
43.35%
65 ,115
Lake
32.91%
67,670
Marion
21.46%
59,702
Citrus
1.99%
15,574
Other Counties*
.29%
1,843
• Pennies From Heaven
209,904
• Florida Fauna & Flora
*SECO serves a small number of members in Hernando, Levy and Pasco combined.
INSIDE THIS ISSUE • Service Territory Map • United Way • SECO Champ
DECEMBER 2019 | SECO NEWS
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27A
Williston
MAP KEY
24
2020 PROJECTS
500
98
121
LEVY
Morriston
Blit
NEW SUBSTATION Rainbow Park 55
EXISTING SUBSTATION UPGRADE
NEW FIBER
Dunnellon
Inglis
NEW COMMUNICATIONS TOWER 19
Crystal River
POLE REPLACEMENTS
CITRUS TREE TRIMMING/REMOVALS
Homosassa Springs
THREE-PHASE CONVERSION
25 KV CONVERSION 700
19
HERNANDO
UNDERGROUND CONVERSION/UPGRADES
Brooksville 50
FIBER
19
Spring Hill
MICROWAVE BACKHAUL Hudson
SECO ENERGY SERVICE TERRITORY Port Richey
DECEMBER 2019 | SECO NEWS
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PASCO
PUTNAM
FLA
Salt Springs 25
tchton
MARION
27
75
Martel
Ocala
492 40 40
301 441
V
27
Ocklawaha
Belleview
D
Marion Oaks
Summerfield Weirsdale
Oxford The
75
Villages
Inverness
Coleman Lake Panasoffkee
Floral City
Umatilla
Lady Lake
LAKE
Fruitland Park
Wildwood FL Tur npi ke
Rutland
Adamsville
Eustis 441
Leesburg
500
Yalaha Howey-inthe-Hills Astatula
27
SUMTER
91
FL Tu rn
Webster Mascotte
O
pik e
Ferndale
Clermont
Groveland
436
Altamonte Springs
Lake Apopka
Minneola
50
Tarrytown
4
Zellwood
Apopka
Bushnell 75
Sorrento
Tavares
Okahumpka
Sumterville
Paisley
Altoona
Linadale
Winter Garden
50
423
Ocoee
Orlando
50
ORANG
93 429 27
400
25 33
Dade City
17
Four Corners
75
98
4 192
Kissimmee
POLK 92
Zephyrhills
O
600
Esri, HERE, DeLorme, MapmyIndia, © OpenStreetMa
DECEMBER 2019 | SECO NEWS
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You may be wondering why the financial benefit of customer growth isn’t covering rising costs, and it’s a valid question. The answer lies in the low average residential member’s energy consumption. In our service area, the average kilowatt hour (kWh) monthly consumption today is 1,037. This average consumption is much lower than our cooperative peers due to the growing Central Florida trend of energy efficient homes and businesses, use of natural gas appliances, and a strong increase in solar installations. Low energy consumption equals a lower monthly bill - that is good for our members. Less energy consumption and use of solar are also good for the environment. So, what’s the downside?
964402 There are significant financial challenges to low kWh sales, even for a not-for-profit electric provider in a growth environment. We must adjust the monthly customer charge that is collected to cover the costs associated with the delivery of power and system reliability maintenance. A recent cost of service study indicates that the cost of delivering power and maintaining infrastructure in the residential sector is nearly $35 a month. Currently, we apply an average residential customer charge of $25 a month (83 cents a day). We are bridging that gap by increasing this customer charge by 17 cents a day. Commercial account customer and demand charge increases vary based on the cost of service study. Those adjustments are detailed in our rate tariff on SECOEnergy.com. These collective increases will raise total revenue by about 3.5 percent.
DECEMBER 2019 | SECO NEWS
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We have tightened our corporate belts to carefully monitor controllable expenses while striving to maintain system reliability, but as I mentioned previously and as you can see on the 2020 Project Map, new construction, upgrades and maintenance are required across our entire service territory.
760016 In response to growth and to preserve reliability, we must build new substations, add power transformers at existing substations, upgrade voltage and conductor and convert critical overhead facilities to underground. The work plan includes building new communication towers, upgrading our radio system and installing fiber-optic cable and microwave backhaul for automated communications that facilitate faster outage restoration. To storm harden, we must support an aggressive pole replacement and vegetation management program systemwide. All of these components play critical roles in the delivery of reliable power and speedy restoration in the event of an outage. The bottom line is that none of us like having to increase the customer charge, but it is quite necessary to ensure continued service reliability. At the same time, we are pleased that stable fuel costs are allowing a larger Hot Bucks Credit (PCA) that will offset most or all of the increase depending on your respective usage level. These changes reflect the difficult balance between affordability and reliability.
Sincerely,
SECO ENERGY EMPLOYEES PLEDGE $70,000 IN DONATIONS TO UNITED WAY Each year, SECO Energy employees participate in an employee-funded United Way Pledge Drive. Our employees understand that local community support is needed year-round and not only during the Christmas season. The 2020 United Way Pledge Drive was an amazing success. SECO employees pledged $70,316 to United Way agencies in ten local counties. This total increased almost seven percent over 2019. Citrus, Lake, Marion and Sumter Counties are where the bulk of our employees live and received the highest dollar amounts in donations. The breakdown by county is: CITRUS: $7,799 LAKE: $14,316 MARION: $23,002 SUMTER: $21,559 OTHER COUNTIES (Hernando, Levy, Orange, Pasco, Polk, Volusia): $3,640 Join us in United Way’s mission to improve lives by mobilizing the caring power of communities to advance the common good. To donate or volunteer, visit www.UnitedWay.org.
Don’t forget to look for the last six digits of your account number in this month’s SECO News. You can email us at customerservice@secoenergy.com or call if your number appears. Six winners will be drawn at random from all submissions. Winners receive a $25 gift card.
DECEMBER 2019 | SECO NEWS
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KATHY JUDKINS 400010
SENIOR CONSULTANT FOR CIVIC, CHARITABLE & GOVERNMENT RELATIONS
“SECO IS COMMUNITY FOCUSED.” Kathy Judkins, Sr. Consultant for Civic, Charitable & Government Relations is a fourth-generation Floridian residing in Marion County. Her role with SECO Energy focuses on the cooperative principle of Concern for Community. Kathy manages annual SECO employee-giving campaigns and is excited that SECO is nearing the $1 million United Way contribution mark in the coming year. Kathy is honored to give hope to members in our service territory through SECO employee contributions to United Way. She also manages the Toys for Tots campaign companywide and is proud of SECO employees’ efforts to bring joy to children in our service territory on Christmas. Kathy also develops relationships with State Legislators and U.S. Congress members in Washington, D.C., to engage on issues related to the energy industry that could affect SECO’s ability to provide affordable, reliable service to our members. 084403
LENGTH OF SERVICE: 12 YEARS
RELAY FOR LIFE SECO Energy and our employees are long-time sponsors of Relay For Life events that support the American Cancer Society. Our superhero employees participated in the Sumter County Relay For Life event on Saturday, November 2. The SECO team’s theme was “Superheroes Finish The Fight.” In 2019, SECO raised $25,655 for the American Cancer Society to support cancer research, patients and caregivers and to fight for a cure. To learn more about Relay For Life or to donate to the American Cancer Society, visit cancer.org. DECEMBER 2019 | SECO NEWS
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SECO Energy and our employees are Making A Difference at Christmas by donating toys for local children through our Annual Marine Toys for Tots collection drive. Members also joined in the gift-giving by adding new, unwrapped toys in the donation boxes at our five Member Service Centers. Toys donated through Toys for Tots are delivered to local children. The donated toys remain in our local communities. For many children, toys donated by our generous employees and members will be the only gifts under the Christmas tree. SECO employees rallied to pack Santa’s sleigh by donating over 60 bicycles and tricycles for local children, along with hundreds of other gifts. New this year, SECO’s memberfunded Pennies from Heaven program matched this number with additional bike purchases. It’s clear that our employees enjoy playing Santa for local children through Toys for Tots. Thank you to our generous employees and members who are willing to share their Christmas joy and spirit with others. Making A Difference at Christmas brings happiness to children across our area. Visit SECOEnergy.com > Newsroom to see a slideshow of all photo shoot locations.
DECEMBER 2019 | SECO NEWS
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WHITETAIL DEER
PENNIES FROM HEAVEN BIKES AND TRIKES December is the month of giving, goodwill and cheer. Keep the Christmas spirit alive in the new year by joining SECO Energy’s Pennies from Heaven program. By joining Pennies from Heaven, SECO rounds up your bill to the nearest dollar and donates those pennies to charitable causes in the communities we serve.
fauna & flora
W
hitetail deer are the smallest members of the North American deer family. This deer is found throughout Florida from the Panhandle to The Keys. Whitetail deer are so named for the ability to raise their tail like a white flag to warn other deer of danger nearby. This deer has sharp hearing, a keen sense of smell, an athletic body and an apprehensive personality. In summer, whitetail deer are a brownish-red, but in winter their coat changes to a grayish-brown color. This color change happens quickly over just a few weeks. A whitetail deer’s size varies depending on its habitat. Florida’s adult male whitetail deer are much smaller than the reindeer that pull Santa’s sleigh. Average weight is 115 pounds, but deer found in North Florida can reach up to 190 pounds. Females are generally smaller than males and average 90 to 120 pounds. Males or “bucks” grow antlers each spring which are often used in fights to establish dominance and compete for females during breeding season. Females or “does” give birth to one to three fawns in late spring to early summer. In the wild, a whitetail deer will typically live about 5 years, but some have been found to be as old as 11 years.
The small change donated through Pennies from Heaven supports financial assistance to worthy causes in our service area. Requests for Angel Fund bill payment assistance are administered through several area agencies by calling 211 or visiting www.211.org online. This year, we are excited to announce that Pennies from Heaven will purchase bicycles and tricycles to match the number donated by SECO employees! Thus far, employees donated over 60 bikes and trikes and SECO will double the amount. This means hundreds of local children will get their Christmas wish of a new bike courtesy of SECO employees and SECO members who donate to Pennies from Heaven. Enroll in Pennies from Heaven to put your extra pennies to good use in charitable causes in our communities. Just a few cents every month can change lives. To enroll or learn more about the program, visit SECOEnergy. com > Your Co-op > Pennies from Heaven.
Thank you and Merry Christmas!
BOARD OF TRUSTEES & TR U STE E M E E TI N G DATE S
Jerry D. Hatfield
163403 The Board of Trustees will meet on Monday, December 16, 2019, at 2:30 p.m. in the Corporate Offices at 330 South US HWY 301 in Sumterville. A Trustees’ meeting will also be held on Monday, January 27, 2020.
District 3
Richard Dennison
Ray Vick
Vice President District 4
District 5
Bill James Secretary-Treasurer District 8
Scott D. Boyatt 24/7 Job Hotline: Report an Outage: secoenergyjobs.com stormcenter.secoenergy.com
District 1
Dillard B. Boyatt District 2
DECEMBER 2019 | SECO NEWS
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Gerald B. Anderson
President District 9
SECO Energy.com SECO Energy is an equal opportunity provider and employer.
Earl Muffett District 6
Joseph Kusiak District 7