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matters MEMBERSHIP

JULY 2013

A MONTHLY NEWSLETTER FROM BLUE RIDGE ELECTRIC MEMBERSHIP CORPORATION

Did you know?

The U.S. has nearly 20 million miles of underground facilities including electric, gas, water, sewer, cable TV, high-speed Internet and landline telephone!

Think safety: Call 811 before digging please call 811 at least two business days before any digging project. In fact, it’s required by law to notify local utilities regarding digging projects.

This one call will get all participating utility underground lines marked for free and help prevent problems or injuries. Simply call 811 and answer a few questions about your location and the type of work to be done. The work from each ...it's required by law to notify local utility will be completed utilities regarding digging projects. in a timely manner. Then you’ll be ready to safely can disrupt service to an entire neighbegin your project! borhood, cause harm to you and othBe sure to keep the ticket number 811 ers, and potentially result in fines and repair costs. gives you in case it’s needed for future references. You can also use it to track your request online at: www.ncocc.org.

For your convenience and safety, Homeowners can make risky assumptions about whether or not they should get their utility lines marked, but every digging job requires a call ― even small projects like planting trees and shrubs.

The depth of utility lines varies and there may be multiple utility lines in a common area. Digging without calling to mark all underground facilities

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Remember, safe digging is no accident.

Know what’s below before you dig ― always call 811!

To find out more information about Call 811 or the one-call utility notification center in your area, visit www.call811.com.

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perspective From Blue Ridge CEO Doug Johnson

How our subsidiaries benefit members Every dollar earned by our two subsidiaries directly benefits our members by helping keep your bills low. Last year, these two for-profit companies produced $1.2 million that went directly to hold down costs our members pay.

Your subsidiaries are playing a major role in helping us offset rising wholesale power costs to benefit you. Even though we’ve reduced local operating costs of Blue Ridge Electric, wholesale power costs are driving projections of modest rate increases over the next few years. Profits from your subsidiaries are helping keep any necessary increases as low as possible.

Let me share how our two subsidiaries operate to benefit members.

Every member can take advantage of the services and products offered by Blue Ridge Energies, which has showrooms in each local Blue Ridge Electric office. This subsidiary provides propane and heating fuels to residential and commercial businesses. We also sell standby generators, water heaters, gas logs, grills, and other products.

It’s exciting to think of the impact it could make on keeping your electricity bill low if every member using propane or heating fuels purchased them from Blue Ridge Energies! As you would expect from a Blue Ridge company, we have highly qualified service technicians, competitive prices and exceptional service to make your experience as a customer of Blue Ridge Energies outstanding.

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Our RidgeLink subsidiary provides services solely for businesses. While it’s not as visible to the general public, this subsidiary is providing a tremendous value to our members.

RidgeLink was formed to lease the extra capacity of the cooperative’s fiber optic system that was originally installed for our own operations and automated systems. Our leased fiber is helping improve cellular communications and high-speed Internet access for companies serving consumers, including telecommunications companies, hospitals, universities, public schools and libraries. ®

One of the most exciting benefits of RidgeLink is the economic development opportunities it facilitates. Highspeed Internet access and broadband services are a requirement of most businesses today. The work RidgeLink is doing makes our area more attractive to businesses looking to locate here and offer jobs to local residents.

Our subsidiaries offer long-term value to members: in our 2020 vision we have set a goal for them to produce a $4 million benefit per year. Achieving this goal could help offset rising wholesale power costs and go directly to help meet our goal of providing the lowest cost electricity possible.

I hope you’ll take advantage of doing business with a company you own by purchasing from Blue Ridge Energies. I also hope you join in our excitement as we help revitalize local economies through our business-to-business RidgeLink subsidiary. I’m excited about the value these two subsidiaries are producing for the cooperative and you as we work to make life better for our members!

MEMBERSHIP matters

6/11/13 11:52 AM

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FlexPay offers members unique advantages Forget everything you know about monthly electric bills!

If you’re tired of household bills piling up, Blue Ridge Electric has developed a new program called FlexPay that could help solve the problem. FlexPay allows members to pay on their scheudes and in amounts that work best with their budget.

It’s an easy, manageable way to pay.

Your FlexPay account status can be monitored by a phone call, text message or email. Your bill can be paid using cash, check, credit or debit card.

Requiring no deposit, FlexPay can also help you meet the constraints of your personal budget. Because you choose the payment frequency and amount, there are no late charges, disconnect or reconnect fees.

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FlexPay also allows you to check your personal electricity usage habits online. Realizing your usage habits and variances in your normal usage can help you manage your electricity consumption to better fit your budget.

With FlexPay, you are the boss of your electric bill, and as always, you will still be a Blue Ridge Electric member, with access to all of the great benefits including capital credits.

FlexPay is just another way that Blue Ridge Electric is putting its members first.

Don’t let another monthly bill pile up.

For more information go to BlueRidge EMC.com under the “Residential” tab for frequently asked questions about the program and a “FlexPay Billing Election Form.”

You can also sign up for FlexPay by contacting your local Blue Ridge Electric office.

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Explanation of capital credits allocation on your bill Each member’s fiscal year 2012 capital credits allocation of the cooperative’s total margins is listed on their July bill.

Members are not receiving a refund at this time; the allocation is simply one of the first steps in the annual capital credits process. A refund back to members would follow next May should a capital credits retirement be approved by the cooperative’s board of directors next year.

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Each member’s allocation is based on the amount of electricity they purchased the previous year. This amount is added to the total, ongoing capital credits account balance each member has with the cooperative. However, capital credits are not held as funds. They are first used for expenses such as building and maintaining power lines, poles, and substations: everything needed to keep reliable electricity flowing to cooperative members.

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MEMBERSHIP matters

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In later years, any excess funds are given back to members in the form of a capital credits refund.

Capital credits is a benefit of belonging to a cooperative.

It’s a business model used by thousands of cooperatives to balance debt and equity to help keep rates lowered while ensuring money comes back to the local consumers using the cooperative’s services.

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Stealing electricity costs us all Electricity theft is not a victimless crime. When someone tampers with a meter and steals electricity, it costs you, the members of Blue Ridge Electric. Tracking and confirming theft is also a timeintensive, expensive job for employees of the cooperative. Nationally, . . . more than 300 billions of dollars worth of electricity power theft incidents are stolen every year at the expense of legitimate consumers. were investigated At Blue Ridge Electric in 2012 alone, more than 300 power theft incidents were investigated, with a total cost impact of $45,000. To help deter theft and help recover some of the associated costs, Blue Ridge Electric charges a $300 meter tampering fee to any account where power theft has been confirmed.

with a total cost impact of $45,000.

Not only does it cost other members, it can also be a safety issue that puts innocent bystanders and our linemen at risk of injury or worse.

If you see or suspect meter tampering to steal electricity ― or for any reason ― please report it to your local Blue Ridge Electric office. Not only does it cost other members, it can also be a safety issue that puts innocent bystanders and our linemen at risk of injury or worse.

CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER Doug Johnson

EDITOR Renée R. Whitener

PRODUCTION SUPERVISOR Susan Simmons

DISTRICT OFFICES Caldwell Watauga Ashe Alleghany Wilkes PowerLine®

(828) 754-9071 (828) 264-8894 (336) 846-7138 (336) 372-4646 (800) 451-5474 (800) 448-2383

Toll Free

(800) 451-5474

Members save $1.35 million on their prescriptions!

Blue Ridge Electric members recently reached a milestone when they surpassed $1.35 million in savings on their prescriptions. Through the Co-op Connections® Card program, members save an average of 45 percent on prescription drugs at a wide variety of local and national pharmacies. Ask your favorite pharmacist if he or she offers a Co-op Connections Card discount. It’s one more benefit to being a member of Blue Ridge Electric.

(PowerLine® is an automated account information and outage reporting system.)

(for members outside of the service area.)

To report an outage at any time, call one of the number listed above.

OFFICE HOURS: 8:30 am - 5:00 pm, Monday-Friday Night deposit available.

Visit us on the web: BlueRidgeEMC.com

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MEMBERSHIP matters

6/11/13 11:53 AM