Inland Power is my cooperative!
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Keep Pets and Energy Bills Comfortable
. . . e d i s in ENERGY Outages vs Blinks
YO U R VO I C E Grassroots Action Team
SAFETY Holiday Safety Tips
During the winter months, make sure your WHOLE family, including our four-legged members are cozy - without taking a big “bite” out of your budget.
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any people consider their four-legged companion(s) part of the family. That’s why during the winter months, it’s important to make sure the WHOLE family, including our four-legged members are cozy without taking a big “bite” out your budget. This month, Inland Power would like to share a few simple ways you can make your home more comfortable this winter, which can ultimately help you save on energy bills. At the onset of the cold weather season, replace the HVAC filter for better air quality and to help the unit operate more efficiently. You can also keep your home cozier by caulking and weather stripping windows and doors. If your home is particularly chilly, you can tape or affix heavy, clear plastic to the inside of your window frames
to create an additional barrier against the the bottom of the door or window to eliminate cold. Ensure that the plastic is tightly sealed to the draft. Cutting down on cold drafts helps the frame to help reduce infiltration. everyone feel more comfortable during colder months. We know winter can be “ruff,” so set your thermostat at 68 degrees, a “purr-fect” temperature for people and pets. This is especially important for smaller, short hair and senior dogs, not just for warmth, but for their general health. Puppies, kittens and older pets with arthritis or other ailments may have a harder time controlling their body heat and need the additional warmth. Pets that sleep close to the floor can be subject to cold drafts that enter your home through windows and exterior doors. If your pet’s bed is near a window or door that feels drafty, tightly roll up a towel and place it near
If possible, elevate your pet’s bed so it’s not placed directly on a cold floor. An old chair or sofa cushion works well. If you don’t use a dog bed, take some old blankets and create a donut shape cushion so the dog can snuggle and “nest” within the blanket. You can do the same for cats on a smaller scale. Blankets enable pets to nestle into them, even when they aren’t tired, and provide a comfortable place for dogs and cats to curl up. During the day, open your blinds and curtains to allow sunlight to warm your home. Close Continued inside
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indow coverings at night for an added layer of insulation.
At Inland Power, we want to help you save energy and money. Check out our website at inlandpower.com for additional energy-saving tips. We can’t control the weather, but we can provide advice to help you save energy and keep your family and furry friends more comfortable during the winter season.
– M I S S I O N S TAT E M E N T As the holiday season approaches, we would like to remind everyone of our upcoming holiday hours.
Happy Holidays!
“OUR mission IS OUR
Outages vs. Blinks What’s the difference?
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ave you ever noticed your lights blink during a thunderstorm? How about coming home from work, or worse waking up in the morning to find your electronic clocks blinking? The power line that serves your home probably experienced a blink or brief power interruption.
closes back in, resulting in a “blink” in power. If the disturbance on the line persists, the OCR will continue to operate or “trip” two more times and then remain open, resulting in a power outage.
This is actually a safety mechanism, protecting the system, the electrical There are basically two reasons why these equipment hooked up to the line, and blinks occur. A blink can occur because cutting off power to the affected section of of a fault (short circuit) on the power line, the line in order to isolate the problem until or the operation of a protective device it can be repaired. Otherwise, the fault (and working in reaction to a fault. Blinking the outage) would affect everyone on that lights are actually a sign of a properly particular substation feeder. functioning distribution system. Typically, the OCR will open and close A temporary fault on a power line will result in a quick blink and can be caused in a number of ways, including: wires slapping together during a storm, a tree branch hitting a power line, a bird or animal touching an energized part and a grounded part at the same time, lightning or other similar events.
three times to give the fault a chance to clear itself. If the fault does not clear itself after the third “blink,” the OCR stays open, causing an outage. This protects the lines from damage and isolates the problem until line workers can repair it.
While these blinks are a sign of a properly functioning distribution system, they can Because electrical systems are built to be annoying. Electronics with digital clocks function safely and efficiently, a device need to be reset and computers can called an “oil circuit recloser” (OCR) acts shut down. Members can help counteract essentially as a breaker, functioning much these effects by purchasing appliances like a breaker in the electrical panel of with battery backups. Surge protectors your home. It permits power to continue with interruptible power suppliers (IPS) for flowing with only a brief interruption, lightning strikes, equipment malfunctions, rather than an extended outage.The OCR low voltage or loss of power are also opens to stop the fault, and then quickly recommended for critical devices.
Inland Power works to keep blinking lights to a minimum. Tree trimmers keep power lines free of interfering branches. Pest shields are installed to keep animals away from sensitive equipment. Lightning arrestors are also part of the process used to make sure members have a reliable system. If you are experiencing blinks often, please call (509) 789-4277 so crews can inspect the lines and equipment. You can also send an email to inlandpower@ inlandpower.com. It’s also helpful if you can tell us the days and times the blinks occur.
Inland Power is my cooperative! Inland Power is Fighting to Keep Your Rates Low!
Join the fight and help us advocate for fewer regulations that raise your electric rates!
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nland Power takes a lot of pride in being able to offer reliable electricity at affordable rates. Periodically we find that we need to make special efforts to protect what our friends and neighbors worked so hard to build and maintain over 85 years ago. Working together is a critical component of why Cooperatives are successful and you, as a memberowner of Inland Power, can help us to protect your interests – all of our interests – in the legislative process. We invite you to join our Grassroots Action Team so, if needed, you can help us contact legislators who make the decisions about critical issues impacting Inland Power and other
utilities in our state, region and nation. To join our voices of Cooperative Power effort, visit our website at inlandpower.com/grassroots-action.
Energy Efficiency Tip of the Month
12 Days of Holiday Safety Tips It’s easy to make safety a part of your holiday with these tips. Tackle one per day and you’re well on your way to a safe new year! DAY 1 | What’s that noise? Test your smoke and carbon monoxide alarms. Make sure everyone knows what to do if they go off. DAY 2 | What a shocker! Before use, inspect all electrical lights, decorations and extension cords for damage. DAY 3 | Two’s company, three’s a crowd! Do not overload outlets with too many decorations or devices. DAY 4 | Is it working? Test your ground fault circuit interrupters (GFIs) and fault circuit interrupters (AFIs) to make sure they’re protecting you. DAY 5 | Ouch! Prevent trips and falls by keeping cords safely along walls and out of doorways and high traffic areas. DAY 6 | Kids eat the darnedest things! Avoid putting lights, metal hooks, breakable ornaments and other small decorations within reach of young children. DAY 7 | Thirsty? Keep your tree stand full of water. A fresh green tree poses less of a fire hazard than a dry tree. DAY 8 | Make a wish! Blow out the candle before leaving a room or going to bed.
Is your home heating system ready for the winter chill? One of the easiest ways to keep your system running efficiently is to regularly replace filters. If your central air system has a furnace filter, it should be replaced about every 90 days.
DAY 9 | Nice and warm. Keep space heaters at least three feet away from anything that can burn decorations, trees, gifts and curtains.
If your home is heated through warm-air registers, baseboard heaters or radiators, remember to clean them regularly to boost efficiency.
DAY 12 | Hot stuff! Keep children away from cooking areas -- use back burners and turn pot handles in away from little hands.
Source: energy.gov
DAY 10 | Can’t touch this! Consider installing tamper-resistant outlets/receptacles to prevent kids from inserting object into slots. DAY 11 | Escape Route. Share your family fire escape plan with overnight guests.
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10110 W Hallett Rd. Spokane, WA 99224 MAIN OFFICE
(509) 747-7151 TOLL FREE
(800) 747-7151 BILLING QUESTIONS
(509) 789-4277 PAYMENT SERVICES
(855) 386-9903 ENERGY CONSERVATION AND REBATES
Touch-a-Truck
Inland Power participates in Junior League’s annual family fun event.
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rucks were on display at the 12th Annual Touch-a-Truck event presented by Spokane’s Junior League Chapter. The September event was held at Spokane Community College. This family friendly day is a favorite and allows kids the opportunity to see and experience large trucks and machinery up close. A wide variety of vehicles were on display, including tractor trailers, first responder vehicles and utility trucks. Attendees at the community-wide event had a chance to learn more about these important vehicles and the value they bring to many different types of industries. Kids
climbed aboard, honked horns, and turned on sirens. Inland Power was a proud participant and brought one of our utility bucket trucks. Kids learned all the bells and whistles of our maintenance vehicle. Touch-a-Truck also featured face painting, coloring stations, music, food and other hands on stations and booth activities. As always, it was a successful day and brought smiles to many area kids!
(509) 789-1801 EMAIL
inlandpower@inlandpower.com SOCIAL
2022 National Drive Electric Event Liberty Lake Electric Vehicle Day
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Inland Power OUR MISSION IS OUR MEMBERS
his year marked the return of the region’s Annual National Drive Electric Week and EV Day at the STA Park and Ride in Liberty Lake. Attendees were able see several types of EVs on display by registered participants. It was a fantastic opportunity for those considering an EV purchase to ask questions about efficiency, functionality and overall performance of owners, users and manufacturers of these vehicles. Inland Power was excited to attend the event and display our Ford Mustang Mach-E, and discuss our EV Charger rebate program available to current Inland Power members. Other models on display included Tesla, Nissan, Chevrolet, Hyundai, Kia and Rivian.