A MONTHLY NEWSLETTER FROM
matters
MEMBERSHIP
November 2020
Tips to manage winter bills Cold weather is coming! Higher bills can result from heating as well as increased use of lighting since more time is spent indoors as the days get shorter. To manage your winter electric bills, Blue Ridge Energy offers the following tips: Be energy efficient: Simple steps help! Set your thermostats to the lowest comfortable level. Open curtains on sunny days to let in natural heat; close them at night. Only run full loads in dishwashers. Use cold water for washing clothes. Limit shower times to reduce hot water usage. Turn off unnecessary lights. FlexPay: Control your payment schedule and amounts with FlexPay! Payas-you-use by phone, kiosk or online. No late fees or deposits, but you must maintain a positive account balance to keep electricity flowing.
Blue Ridge-1120.indd 17
Budget Billing: Equalize your payments for 11 months. In the 12th month, your account is “evened up” with a final payment billed or credit applied. Help paying your bill: •
Be sure to contact your local social services agency for special assistance options, including Operation Round Up® or state and federal crisis assistance programs.
•
You can also call Blue Ridge Energy to set up a payment arrangement plan.
Free to members: Usage Tracker! This daily electricity tracker alerts you to high electricity usage, which can help you avoid a high bill! Go to BlueRidgeEnergy.com > My Account > Usage Tracker or click “Usage Details” on the Blue Ridge mobile app to monitor your daily usage.
10/12/20 11:17 AM
the
perspective From Blue Ridge CEO Doug Johnson
Why your co-op is preparing for electric vehicles As an electric cooperative, Blue Ridge Energy exists to benefit the members and local communities we serve. Our most important goal is ensuring you have access to the most affordable, reliable electricity. That’s why your cooperative is embracing the movement toward electric vehicles, otherwise known as “EVs,” and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles or “PHEVs.” Consumer adoption is growing as improved battery technology, lower cost and better range performance make EVs more attractive. And with zero tailpipe emissions, EVs will play a critical role in meeting carbon reduction goals for environmental health. We’re also preparing to leverage this growing trend with managing rising wholesale power cost. For example, because most EV charging occurs at home, we’re currently studying an option to offer an off-peak charging rate soon. Overnight EV charging will lead to a more efficient electric grid as it creates demand for
power at a time when the grid has historically been the most underutilized and electric power is less costly. Electricity is most expensive when demand is highest — on the coldest winter mornings or hottest summer afternoons. Spreading demand across nighttime hours can help fill demand valleys and create new revenue to keep rates lower for all members. EVs also contribute to a healthier environment due to zero tailpipe emissions, which improves air quality. Even when accounting for generation of the electricity that powers EVs, emissions are lower than those of traditional vehicles. Visit ncdriveelectric.com/co-ops/ blue-ridge-energy to learn how much you can reduce emissions by switching to an EV. Even better news for you: more than half the power that comes to you from Blue Ridge Energy already comes from emissions-free sources! As we work to benefit the environment and hold down members’ rates by leveraging the growing EV trend, we hope you’ll agree that we’re making life better in the Blue Ridge area.
Looking for more information about EVs?
STA
In acc and e religio public all ba
Perso guage Relay
To file comp To req
Offic
Check out our podcast episode Plug it in! Plug it in! at www.blueridgeenergy.com/Unplugged. Or visit our blog at BlueRidgeEnergy.com/Blog where you’ll find videos including a virtual EV
This i
test drive, how to charge an EV and a comparison of the Prius Prime and Chevy Bolt!
Page 18
Blue Ridge-1120.indd 18
MEMBERSHIP matters
10/9/20 11:19 AM
M
Outdoor lighting: security and beauty Outdoor lighting available from Blue Ridge Energy can enhance the safety, curb appeal, and landscaping of your home! Select from a variety of lighting styles, including LED options. Outdoor security lights can be added to your monthly electric bill. For more information, visit BlueRidgeEnergy.com/ outdoor-lighting.
n
,
w
at
e
ers
STATEMENT OF NONDISCRIMINATION 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;
(2) fax: (202) 690-7442; or
(3) email: program.intake@usda.gov.
This institution is an equal opportunity provider.
MEMBERSHIP matters
Blue Ridge-1120.indd 19
Page 19
10/9/20 11:19 AM
CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER Doug Johnson
EDITOR Reneé 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
(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 numbers listed above.
OFFICE HOURS:
8:30 am - 5:00 pm, Monday-Friday Night deposit available. Visit us on the web: BlueRidgeEnergy.com +
Page 20
Blue Ridge-1120.indd 20
Serving Alleghany Joel Souther, 36-year employee with Blue Ridge Energy, retired in October as operations/district manager of the cooperative’s Alleghany office. John Evans has been promoted to serve in this role.
Souther, who led the Alleghany office the past seven years, joined Blue Ridge Energy in 1984 as an installer of load management systems while attending Wake Technical College to become a line technician. As a line technician, Souther was promoted to crew leader in 1990 where he remained until 2007 when he became a construction layout technician with Joel Souther responsibilities for planning the path of power lines. Souther has also been heavily involved in the community, including serving on the Blue Ridge Business Development Board and Alleghany Hospital Foundation committees in addition to responsibilities for overseeing the
cooperative’s Alleghany Member Advisory Committee and Community Leaders Council. He lives in the Twin Oaks/Elk Creek community with his wife, Pam. Prior to his promotion, Evans served as crew leader in Alleghany district, and moved into his new position of operations/district manager of Alleghany district office in late August. Evans graduated from Appalachian State University with a bachelor’s degree in Biology. With responsibilities for electric reliability, power restoration, and member/customer service for nearly 10,000 members in the Alleghany service area, Evans leads a staff of 11 line technicians, technical personnel and energy specialists, along with oversight of sales and customer service for the cooperative’s propane and fuels operations in Alleghany district office. He and his wife, Andrea, live in Piney Creek.
This institution is an equal opportunity provider and employer.
John Evans
MEMBERSHIP matters 10/9/20 11:19 AM