February 2022 SECO News

F E B R UARY

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2022

DEAR MEMBERS,

and other energy-efficiency and communitypartner projects are accomplishments that It is my distinct pleasure have prepared me for a very busy future at to be serving as your new SECO, encouraging the use of electric vehicles, SECO Energy CEO. My embracing an advanced meter infrastructure energy-industry career (AMI) and increasing our philanthropic outreach is rooted in Florida. From to help those in our community who are less 1981 to 1997, I worked fortunate and also to create energy-efficiency at West Florida Electric opportunities that lower our wholesale cost Cooperative. My tenure of power and help members save energy and culminated there as Vice money on their electric bills at the same time.

My list is longer – but those items President of Member Services, IT IS MY are my main objectives in the first Information Technology, portion of my tenure at SECO. DISTINCT Marketing and Economic Development. After that, I served as President and CEO of Roanoke Electric Cooperative in North Carolina.

PLEASURE TO BE SERVING AS YOUR NEW SECO ENERGY CEO.

My wife Selene and I have three children. I hold a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Administration and Management Information Systems from Troy University. With an electric cooperative career that spans almost 42 years, I am honored to step into the shoes of your previous CEO Jim Duncan. Furthermore, I am grateful to SECO Energy’s Board of Trustees for its confidence in me in not only preserving Mr. Duncan’s legacy of success but also supporting the cooperative through immediate and long-term challenges involving supply chain, fast-changing technology, rapidly rising labor costs and other issues that can place cost pressure on a utility and its ratepayers.

I’m excited about the future here in Central Florida, working at a fast-growing, not-for-profit cooperative that focuses on competitive rates and reliable service. Technology is key to our ability to maintain that focus, and I will be using SECO News, the website and social media to communicate our plans to you. I hope you like the name of the new CEO column (Wynn’s Wire was voted as a favorite name through an employee survey). The word “wire” has many different meanings and uses in our industry, but for our purposes – it is a line of communication to ensure we are serving your needs well.

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• Old Farmer’s Almanac

In Board of Trustees President Richard Dennison’s column in last month’s SECO News, he humbled me by citing much of my past board service and history. That service

• MyWay Prepay • Safety Corner • Florida Fauna & Flora FEBRUARY 2022 | SECO NEWS

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Visit SECOEnergy.com > Contact Us if you have a member-service or billing-related question.

We typically respond within two business days. If you have a specific question for me as the new CEO, you can click on SECOEnergy.com > Your Co-op > Management Team. Just hover over my photo and select the Contact button. Transparency is essential, and I want you to know I am accessible if needed.

Best regards,

Curtis Wynn

Are the last six digits of your account number below?

Email customerservice@secoenergy.com or call if your number appears. Winners receive a $25 gift card.

782510 704901

994901 640604

115501 890504

ADVICE FROM THE

Ready to brighten up your lawn for spring and attract butterflies, too? The Old Farmer’s Almanac advises that a natural fertilizer is best and to apply before it rains. Don’t cut grass too low during the summer. Taller grass resists drought. Invest in a sprinkler timer or a rain gauge to save water. Water your lawn in the early morning or evening. Reduce mowing by planting flowers and herbs that attract butterflies instead. Flowers and plants such as aster, bee balm, daylily, honeysuckle, lilac, and snapdragon will bring color to your yard. At the same time, dill, mint, oregano, and parsley can lure butterflies to visit and add flavor in the kitchen.

Read this month’s Florida Fauna & Flora to learn more about Florida’s state insect, the Zebra Butterfly.

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MYWAY PREPAY PAYMENT FEE ALERT

For members enrolled in SECO Energy’s MyWay PrePay program, effective April 1, there will be a $3 fee for each transaction over five transactions in a 30-day calendar month. This fee affects only members who have a prepaid account type, and the reasoning is cost-conscious processing of payments. Members with a prepaid account are encouraged to self-manage through our online account manager SmartHub and closely watch their usage and prepaid balance.

The $3 fee for each transaction over five within a 30-day calendar month is applied to all payment processors that accept payment on a prepaid account. If you want to unenroll from the prepaid program, the account may be subject to a security deposit. Just reach out to us at customerservice@ SECOEnergy.com or select Contact Us on the website to start the discussion.

AGENT-ASSISTED PAYMENT ARRANGEMENT FEE ALERT On occasion, members request a payment arrangement to extend their billing due date. SECO has two automated tools (self-serve options) that make requesting an arrangement free, simple and convenient. Accounts must meet eligibility requirements.

By phone, call and speak to Electra, our automated IVR phone assistant. Call (352) 793-3801 and say, “Payment Arrangement.” Electra can assist you 24/7, and there’s no need to speak to a member service rep. Also available 24/7, you can request a payment arrangement at SECOEnergy.com. Log into SmartHub, click the Billing & Payments tab and choose the Payment Extensions option.

Effective April 1, there will be a $5 fee for members who request live agent assistance or an exception for repeat payment arrangements.

EV CHARGER WINNER The latest SECO Energy Level 2 EV Charger winner is ARLEN COLBERT from TAVARES. To enter, text “EV” to (352) 320-4500 for a link to enter. Or click on the EV Charger Giveaway homepage banner. Visit our Electric Vehicles website section to learn more about the benefits of owning an EV. FEBRUARY 2022 | SECO NEWS

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ZEBRA BUTTERFLY

ELECTRICITY AND PLAY DON’T MIX

T

he zebra butterfly, formerly known as the zebra longwing butterfly, became Florida’s state insect in 1996. It is typically 3 to 4 inches in length with long wings that are black with thin yellow bands or stripes.

Zebra butterflies are found in Everglades National Park and throughout Florida. Its habitats include thickets, hardwood forests, hammocks and gardens. Most adult butterflies rely on flower nectar for food. They sip the liquid nectar using their proboscis that looks like a long, coiled straw.

Butterflies’ life cycle has four stages: egg, larva (caterpillar), pupa (chrysalis) and adult. Female butterflies lay eggs on or near a larval host plant, and within days the eggs hatch, and the larvae begin to feed on the plant. Its appetite is voracious, and it grows and sheds its skin often.

The fully grown larva seeks shelter and attaches with silk under a leaf or twig. It then molts into a winged pupa before becoming an adult.

Over 180 BUTTERFLY SPECIES live in Florida with 40 unique to the state.

Florida’s butterfly species diversity is higher than any state east of the Mississippi River.

Safety is our number one core value at SECO Energy. Electricity is naturally dangerous.

Warn your children and grandchildren about the dangers of electricity inside and outside the home.

INDOORS: • Do not remove or play with outlet covers or switch plates.

• Invest in outlet plug covers in areas where young children can reach.

• Do not allow children to plug or unplug electrical cords.

• Do not allow children to use appliances such as toasters, crock pots, vacuums or hair dryers unattended.

• Repair or dispose of fraying extension cords. Children may handle and be injured.

OUTDOORS: • Do not allow children to play on or near electric equipment.

• Never allow children to climb trees growing near overhead power lines.

Call SECO, and we’ll inspect the trees to see if they need to be trimmed.

• Keep kites, balloons and toy planes far from overhead equipment.

• Do not enter or play near substations.

Protect the little ones in your life from the dangers of electricity. Children are curious and have active minds, quick legs and small hands and fingers. Learn more about how to be safe around electricity with our electrical safety tips at SECOEnergy.com > Safety > Electrical Safety.

Source: University of Florida IFAS Extension

The Board of Trustees will meet on Monday, February 28, 2022, 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, March 28, 2022.

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