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A MONTHLY NEWSLETTER FROM BLUE RIDGE ENERGY

NOVEMBER 2017 Did you know...

Usage Tracker is available for free to members! This handy tool alerts you to high electricity usage, which can help you avoid a high bill! You select the daily usage level at which you want the alert sent to you. You even have the choice of text, email or phone call. Sign up under "My Account" at BlueRidgeEnergy.com.

Tips to lower your bill FlexPay

Cold weather is coming! Higher bills can result from heating and increased use of lighting, appliances and electronics since the days are shorter and more time is spent indoors. To lower your winter electric bills, Blue Ridge Energy offers the following tips:

You control your payment schedule and amounts with FlexPay! Pay in smaller amounts whenever you like, by phone, kiosk or online. Maintain a positive account balance to keep electricity flowing, or make a payment to recharge your account.

Be energy efficient

Budget Billing

Simple steps help! Set thermostats to the lowest comfortable level (try 68 degrees for winter). Open curtains to let in the sun’s heat and close them at night. Only run full loads in dishwashers and clothes washers (and use cold water when possible.) Limit shower times to reduce hot water usage. Turn off unnecessary lights.

Equalize your payments for 11 months. In the 12th month, your account is “evened up” with a final payment billed or credit applied.

service or online at My Account > BlueRidgeEnergy.com. For $10, you can avoid late or reconnection fees accumulating on unpaid bills. •

If you need more time, call us to discuss an individualized payment arrangement plan.

•

For more extensive help, call your local social services agency to see if you qualify for special assistance such as Operation Round Up® or state and federal crisis assistance programs.

Help paying your bill •

Get a three-day extension by using our self-help telephone

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From Blue Ridge CEO Doug Johnson

W ex Th wi da da helped keep member rates low!

Providing the best value to the people we serve is the driving force behind every action we take. When your cooperative first diversified in 1998 by adding our propane and heating fuels subsidiary, now operating under the shared market name of Blue Ridge Energy, it was to benefit memberowners and keep your bills as low as possible. That was also the goal when we added a second subsidiary in 2009; RidgeLink, which leases high capacity fiber to broadband and wireless service providers. Our subsidiaries are benefitting members and the customers they serve in several important ways.

Our subsidiaries also share our cooperative vision of supporting local communities. Last year, $50,000 was donated to the Members Foundation from subsidiary profits. This enabled higher levels of crisis heating assistance and community grant funds for education, elder and youth services, health care and economic development. Our Propane and Fuels subsidiary also leases space in each district office for showrooms where you can visit to view, buy and receive expert advice on gas logs, heaters, hearth products, outdoor kitchen and heating products, generators, water heaters and more!

Blue Ridge Energy donates a penny for every gallon of propane delivered by our pink propane delivery trucks to local breast cancer related organizations.

In addition to providing local jobs and strengthening local economies, profits earned by the subsidiaries are used to keep your electric bills as low as possible. In 2016, our subsidiaries produced a combined net benefit of $2.8 million to the cooperative: $1.6 million from Propane and Fuels and $1.2 million from RidgeLink, all of which

We hope you share our excitement about the positive benefits our subsidiaries are producing for you, our memberowners! We are aggressively pursuing their growth in order to further benefit you and continue offering innovative products and services to meet all of your energy needs.

Visit your local Blue Ridge Energy showroom today! Talk to one of our energy experts and see the home and hearth products now available for your homeâ€™s comfort and beauty. Go online to learn more at BlueRidgeEnergy.com/appliances. Page 22

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Power costs and that tropical vacation Make reservations to escape the winter cold with an island vacation, and you’ll find it’s more expensive to go during the winter than the summer. Lots of people want to enjoy some tropical sun. But when demand is high, the price goes up. Energy, including electricity, works the same way. When more people demand electricity at once, it’s more expensive to produce. These times are called “peaks.” They occur in both winter and summer. Typically, the winter peaks occur between 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. on weekdays, and they almost always happen on extremely cold days. In summer, peaks occur on weekday afternoons.

Holiday Utility Gift (HUG) Certificate

Here’s a “HUG” for you this Christmas ... Presented to

____________________________________________________

In the amount of

____________________________________________________

Compliments of

____________________________________________________

This amount has been applied to the Blue Ridge Energy account checked below:



Electric

 Propane

Are you looking for a meaningful gift for someone this season? Or an idea for something the entire family would enjoy? Our Holiday Utility Gift (HUG) certificate may be the perfect choice! When you purchase a HUG, the value of the certificate is applied to your choice of the recipient’s electric, propane or oil account.

 Oil

To purchase, contact your local Blue Ridge Energy office.

ers

By changing when you use electricity, you’ll help reduce the need for power during peak times. And that helps keep power costs stable, leaving you more money for that island vacation.

Get a headstart on your holiday shopping!

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You can help lower the cost Blue Ridge pays for electricity during these peaks by shifting the time you use electricity. For example, you could start your washer and dryer any time after 9 a.m. this winter. You could do the same for dishwashers. The newer ones even allow you to program the time they run.

STATEMENT OF NONDISCRIMINATION BLUE RIDGE ELECTRIC MEMBERSHIP CORPORATION Blue Ridge Electric Membership Corporation (d/b/a Blue Ridge Energy) is an equal opportunity provider. In accordance with Federal civil rights law and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) civil rights regulations and policies, the USDA, its Agencies, offices, and employees, and institutions participating in or administering USDA programs are prohibited from discriminating based on race, color, national origin, religion, sex, gender identity (including gender expression), sexual orientation, disability, age, marital status, family/parental status, income derived from a public assistance program, political beliefs, or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity, in any program or activity conducted or funded by USDA (not all bases apply to all programs). Remedies and complaint filing deadlines vary by program or incident. Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication for program information (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, American Sign Language, etc.) should contact the responsible Agency or USDA’s TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TTY) or contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339. Additionally, program information may be made available in languages other than English. To file a program discrimination complaint, complete the USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form, AD-3027, found online at http://www. ascr.usda.gov/complaint_filing_cust.html and at any USDA office or write a letter addressed to USDA and provide in the letter all of the information requested in the form. To request a copy of the complaint form, call (866) 632-9992. Submit your completed form or letter to USDA by: (1) mail: U.S. Department of Agriculture Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights 1400 Independence Avenue, SW Washington, D.C. 20250-9410;

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(2) fax: (202) 690-7442; or

(3) email: program.intake@usda.gov.

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