2013 10 bre mm

matters MEMBERSHIP

OCTOBER 2013

A MONTHLY NEWSLETTER FROM BLUE RIDGE ELECTRIC MEMBERSHIP CORPORATION

Did you know...

in addition to helping over 6,200 individual members since 2007, Operation Round Up has awarded 123 community grants totaling $454,634 to fund local programs and projects?

Members helping members Thanks to the generosity of Blue Ridge Electric members participating in Operation Round Up® (ORU) and Operation Round Up® PLUS, thousands of local people are receiving crisis heating assistance and benefitting from community improvement grants awarded by the Blue Ridge Electric Members Foundation.

With Blue Ridge Electric covering administrative costs of the Members Foundation, every dollar donated to the ORU

is 50 cents. If needed, you can stop your contributions at any time.

It’s the growing number of members volunteering to participate who make these “member helping member” programs successful. Since the Foundation was formed in 2007, more than 6,200 families have received more than $750,000 to help with electric bills and 123 grants worth $454,634 have funded community improvement programs and services.

ORU donations flow through to the cooperative’s nonprofit Blue Ridge Electric Members Foundation, and it is the Foundation’s advisory committee made up of cooperative members who recommend how and where funding will be awarded. Funding decisions are reviewed and given final approval by the cooperative’s board of directors.

Every dollar donated to the programs goes directly back to members in need . . . programs goes directly back to members in need and the communities served by the cooperative.

It’s easy to participate: simply contact Blue Ridge Electric to sign up. The average monthly “rounded up” contribution

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“The Foundation was formed because we believe it’s important to help our communities and members significantly impact the local quality of life,” said Doug Johnson, chief executive officer of Blue Ridge Electric. “The Foundation has two key goals: to provide crisis assistance for those who suddenly find themselves in a difficult financial situation where a hand up can make a huge difference; and to support longer-term efforts of organizations seeking to sustain and build local communities and improve the quality of life for our members.”

To join Operation Round Up call your local Blue Ridge Electric office or visit BlueRidgeEMC.com.

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the

perspective From Blue Ridge CEO Doug Johnson

Blue Ridge Energies benefits you Everyone likes to receive a good value and that’s what we’re striving to deliver through your cooperative’s subsidiaries.

Some members may not even realize you can purchase propane, heating fuels and products such as water heaters, gas logs and generators from our subsidiary Blue Ridge Energies. These services and more are available from your heating fuels subsidiary conveniently located in each Blue Ridge Electric district office.

on our members. While we won’t be able to totally offset this significant increase in an area that makes up the largest portion of our expenses, we are working to lessen the impact to members. We’re achieving this through combined efforts of controlling operating costs and from the financial benefit provided by our subsidiaries. This includes Blue Ridge Energies as well as RidgeLink, our subsidiary that leases fiber optic capacity to other businesses.

When residential and commercial members use Blue Ridge Energies for their heating fuel and propane needs, it benefits you and all members in several ways. First, it’s important to know that the profits of our subsidiaries go directly to help hold down rates for our members.

In 2012, Energies produced a net benefit to the cooperative of $1.1 million in net income as well as from cost-sharing for space and services, while RidgeLink produced about $300,000.

This is especially helpful now as utilities across the nation are experiencing rate pressure from rising wholesale power costs. This is due in great part to increasing federal environmental regulations driving the closing of older coal plants that produce cheap electricity to replace them with power plants using generation fuels that comply with new environmental laws. An added cost pressure is the fact our nation’s transmission system is aging and must be upgraded in order to continue powering our homes, communities and businesses in a reliable manner.

While wholesale power increases are inevitable in this environment, our goal at Blue Ridge Electric is to minimize the impact Page 22

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Equally important to our members when they use Blue Ridge Energies is the value they receive from getting the same great service from a local company at a competitive price.

The success of our subsidiaries, along with our employee WorkSmart effort which has implemented efficiencies worth $3 million in avoided costs, is benefitting our members.

Another important benefit Blue Ridge Energies benefits cooperative members in another important way. Each year for the past five years, Blue Ridge Electric has contributed $25,000 of this subsidiary’s earnings to the Blue Ridge Electric Members Foundation. Foundation funds help members in need of crisis heating assistance and are also awarded in the form of grants to local nonprofit services that help improve the quality of life for our members.

We hope you see the benefit purchasing from Blue Ridge Energies can have for you personally as well as for the membership as a whole. As a cooperative member, you’re also an owner of Blue Ridge Energies. And if you’re not already a customer of Blue Ridge Energies, I hope you’ll consider becoming one — or referring one — today.

MEMBERSHIP matters

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Landscaping: a beautiful way to save energy You’ve upgraded your appliances, insulation, and lighting to help lower your monthly electric bill. What else can you do? The U.S. Department of Energy claims landscaping with energy efficiency in mind, on average, could save enough energy to recoup your investment in less than eight years.

Climate Clarity – Climate determines the direction your landscaping planning should take. The Southeast offers a hot and humid climate, so summer breezes are welcome.

Residents in these areas should make the most of summer shade, but use trees that will eventually lose leaves (deciduous) to let winter sun shine through.

Simple Shading – Shading a home with trees could drop the surrounding air temperature by as much as 9 degrees Fahrenheit. Since cooler air sinks closer to the ground, the air under trees may be up to 25 degrees cooler than the air over the driveway.

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Different trees serve unique purposes. To block summer solar heat but let the winter sun through, use deciduous trees. Evergreen trees and shrubs are ideal to provide continuous shade and block heavy winds.

Windbreaks – Shrubs and trees create windbreaks — essentially walls to keep the wind chill away from a home. A windbreak reduces wind speed nearby saving your home from even higher heating costs.

Ready, Set, GROW! Remember, your landscaping plan depends on your climate and how your home is situated. Find out more about your climate, microclimates, shading dos and don’ts, and windbreaks at www.energysavers.gov. To learn more ways to save energy around your home, visit TogetherWeSave.com.

Source: U.S. Department of Energy Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy

Service inspections

Attaching signs to utility poles presents safety hazards

While automated meters are greatly reducing the need to be on member’s properties, we must still periodically check our equipment and perform maintenance. Blue Ridge Electric or a contractor authorized by the cooperative conducts periodic inspections of service facilities. This inspection is in accordance with the requirements of the National Electrical Safety Code and helps ensure our members receive reliable electric service from Blue Ridge Electric. As a safety precaution, members should be aware that authorized contractors and their vehicles will have official Blue Ridge Electric identification.

Although seemingly innocent enough, putting signs or other items on utility poles creates serious safety hazards. Staples, nails, and tacks used to hang signs — as well as the signs themselves — pose dangers to our line technicians who must climb poles when either restoring power following storms or while performing routine maintenance to ensure system reliability.

MEMBERSHIP matters

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Posters or other objects (birdhouses, balloons, flags, and even basketball nets) can create dangerous obstacles.

Also, the nails and tacks left behind from signs can snag utility workers’ boots or puncture safety clothing, making line technicians vulnerable to slipping or even electrocution.

Thank you for helping ensure the safety of our line technicians and avoiding damage to our poles by refraining from posting anything on utility poles.

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Think safety: Call 811 before digging For your convenience, Blue Ridge Electric is a part of the “811” NC One-Call system. This allows members to call a single number — 811 — to get all of your underground lines marked, including those of Blue Ridge Electric, before you start any project that involves digging.

When you call 811, you’ll be speaking It's the law! with a NC One Call Center operator who will ask for the location of your Local utilities should be digging job in addition to several other notified two business important questions. Operators will days before digging then route your information to affectprojects. Dial 811 for ed utility companies including Blue Ridge Electric. Blue Ridge will send an fast, one-stop reporting employee to locate your underground to ALL utilities! electric lines within a few days. Once ALL of your underground lines have been marked, you can dig safely, protecting you and your family from injury and expense. It’s fast, it’s easy, and it’s FREE! Remember to keep your 811 assigned ticket number handy in case you need it for follow up calls or to track your request online at ncocc.org.

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

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

Toll Free

(800) 451-5474

(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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Check out BlueRidgeEMC.com and find easy, no-cost/ low-cost options to help you control your energy costs.

You'll find helpful videos, audit options and energy efficiency tips under the ÂGreenSmart tab. It's easier than you think to take control of your monthly electricity costs.

Your satisfaction is our goal!

Our employees are working hard to earn a top “10” rating from you on member satisfaction.

We want to thank you in advance for taking a few moments to give feedback on how we’re doing if you receive a call asking you to take a brief survey. This provides information that helps us better serve you!

A professional research firm administers our survey so that results are accurate and fair. The surveys are conducted between 5 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. and last 10 to 15 minutes.

As a member-owned cooperative, it’s our goal to give you exceptional service — whether it’s keeping the power on, maintaining the right-of-way, setting up your service or any other member service you need. We’re here to serve you, our members!

MEMBERSHIP matters

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