DUNCAN'S DIGEST Jim Duncan, CEO
SECO Energy is a fiscally conservative, not-for-profit electric cooperative owned by and operated for our members. With the Board of Trustees• guidance, SECO has a solid record of providing members low-cost, reliable electric service. Based on fuel costs since 2014, SECO has routinely lowered bills by almost 11%.
markets pay higher than rates kWh the national average. Residential consumers in Connecticut paid a whopping 2 0. 29 cents per kWh. Maine, New Hampshire, New York and Rhode Island consumers shelled out over 18 cents per kWh. And for many consumers this is in addition to heating costs powered by natural gas. 7 8 790 2 At the state level, the good news continues for residential SECO members. Per the EIA's analysis, our members consumed less energy and paid a lower kWh rate than the national or the state average. Florida's 9.2 million residential energy consumers paid an average bill of $126.44 with a kWh rate of 11.61 cents and the average consumption was 1,089 kWh.
''GRE AT JO B, SECO SECO's budget-conscious MEMBERS members embrace energy _ Y OU ARE efficiency - reducing energy use and saving money. Our CONSERVING CFO tells me that in 2 17, ENERGY residential members consumed AND SAVING an average of 1, kilowatt MONEV. hours (kWh) monthly. At 1.49 0
018
1
cents per kWh for the first 1,000 - SECO residential bills averaged $116.97. These calculations include the customer charge. How does SECO's kWh rate and usage compare to national and state averages? According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration's (www.eia.gov) 20 17 analysis, 132.5 million electric consumers used 867 kWh monthly. The average kWh cost was substantially higher at 12.89 cents and bills averaged $11 1.67. 0942 0 2 The EIA's 2 017 report shows that consumers in the 15 states with deregulated energy
Continued on page 3
INSIDE THIS ISSUE •
SECO Champions
•
New Year's SAVE-olutionl
•
2019 Scholarship Program
•
Introducing Florida Fauna & Flora
Meet SECO Champions Nate and David - two examples of our 400+ SECO Champion employees. Nate and David are dedicated to providing exceptional service to members, co-workers and communities.
ATE RIOUX
LINE TECHNICIAN
I
"MEMBERS NEED US." SECO Champion Nate Rioux is a
Line Technician managing a portion of SECO's contracted overhead line crews. Nate is the liaison between contracted crews, our Engineering department and members particularly during annual pole replacements for storm hardening. Long-
LENGTH OF
SERVICE:
7 YEARS
time Lake County residents, Nate's family enjoys baseball, hunting and boating. He recalls working long hours during Hurricane Matthew and Irma restoration and was touched by the gratitude from members who brought food, drinks and snacks for crews. Nate and his crews are ready to restore power after unexpected outages and during major weather events. Nate's family understands when he leaves the house to restore power for others. "When the power is out, members need us - this is my chosen trade and I enjoy it thoroughly."
DAVID KERNS SERVICE TECHNICIAN
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"I LOVE BEING A LINEMAN." David Kerns is a SECO Champion who works in SECO's Groveland area responding
LENGTH OF
SERVICE:
to trouble calls in the field. David accepted a position at SECO in 2005, and moved with his family to Groveland from Virginia.
13 YEARS
He is proud to be part of the team who traveled to Alabama Louisiana helping to rebuild the electric grid after Hurricane Katrina. David's skills were put to good use during Hurricane Irma when he helped restore power to almost 140,000 SECO members. David and his fellow service techs expect the middle-of-the-night phone calls and are prepared for anything. His family thinks his job is pretty cool. "Knowing ¡:.J
that I help restore power, especially when it's our home, my family thinks I'm a hero."
Continued from page 1 Great job, SECO members - you are conserving energy and saving money. Those of you who follow the commodities market may have noticed that natural gas prices were on the rise in the fourth quarter of 2018 and are projected to remain higher. As a result, we must adjust the pass-through fuel charge - called the PCA (Power Cost Adjustment or Hot Bucks). Modifying the PCA portion of your monthly bill does not impact SECO's bottom-line profit. This adjustment is tied to costs associated with power generation only. This January decrease to the Hot Bucks credit changes the cost of energy to $116.80 for the first 1,000 kWh sold - still well under the state and national averages. I want to assure you that delivering safe, affordable, reliable power to more than 200,000 families and businesses is our top priority. Sincerely,
�D�eoubve Offiw
68)
WINTER HEATING TIP:
Set your thermostat to 68 degrees or lower while
awake. Add a blanket or two while sleeping and lower the temperature - you can save 1% for each degree reduction over an 8-hour period (source www.energy.gov). #SECOSAVINGS
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"HIDDEN" ACCOUNT NUMBERS
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 restaurant gift card.
ENERGY ••• ••••
Ill
•••• ESTIMATOR
NEW YEAR'S
SAVE-OLUTION!
Resolve to save energy this year with SECO's two online energy-saving tools: Home Energy Assessment and Energy Estimator. 130710
Reduce your energy usage and save on your monthly bill with SECO's Home Energy Assessment. Start by visiting SECOEnergy.com> Energy Solutions> Home Energy Assessment, fill in your home's details including square footage, roof age, insulation type and more. Enter your email address and SECO will respond with energy-saving suggestions tailored specifically for your home. Complete the list of energy-efficiency measures to reduce energy usage and save on your monthly bill. Want to calculate the amount of energy and costs associated with home electronics? Try our Energy Estimator at SECOEnergy.com > Energy Solutions > Energy Estimator. Provide your email address to receive energy-savings suggestions via email. JANUARY 2019 I SECO NEWS
II
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THE BASKING SHARK _,,ďż˝- -.-
ďż˝
FLORIDA
fauna & flora
T
he basking shark is the second-largest living
shark in the world. Basking sharks can grow up to a massive 40 feet long and weigh
between 6,600 and 13,000 pounds. This shark is
thought to mate in early summer, with gestation
of a year up to three years. It gives birth only once every two to four years. Its life expectancy is fifty
years.
277201
Scholars wanted: SECO Energy's scholarship program is renewed for 2019. Up for grabs is $36,000 in scholarship funds to be awarded to 12 students who live in a home served by SECO. The successful awardees must be high school seniors who will graduate by the end of the current school year, plan to enroll as a full-time student and have an acceptance letter from an accredited college, university, or vocational/ technical school located in Florida. An independent panel of educators evaluates
all applicants and determines each year's winners. Scholastic record (weighted GPA), school/community activities, financial need and
Despite their large appearance, basking sharks
an interest in pursuing a career in the energy industry are the primary considerations.
shark - a reflection of its relatively passive lifestyle. Listed on the International Union for Conservation of Nature's (IUCN) Red List as a vulnerable species, this shark is fully protected in the UK, Malta, New
Applications are available at SECOEnergy.
are non-aggressive and harmless to humans. The basking shark has the smallest brain weight of any
Zealand, Florida and the Gulf Coast.
082703
com > Your Co-op > Scholarship and through school guidance counselors' offices. Completed
applications must be received at SECO by 5:00 p.m. on March 29, 2019. Winners will be notified by phone or mail on or about April 26, 2019.
I
Email communications@secoenergy.com
if you have questions.
BOARD OF TRUSTEES
& TRUSTEE MEETING DATES
The Board of Trustees will meet on Monday, January 28, 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, February 25, 2019. 24/7 Job Hotline: (855) 483-2673 secoenergyjobs.com Report an Outage: (800) 732-6141 stormcenter.secoenergy.com
SECO Energy is an equal opportunity provider and employer
Jerry D. Hatfield President District 9
Richard Dennison Vice President District 4
Bill James Secretary-Treasurer District 8
Scott D. Boyat t
District 1
Richard J. Belles District 3
Ray Vick District 5
Earl Muffett District 6
Joseph Kusiak District 7
Dillard B. Boyat t
District 2
SECD ENERG