Fun on a Nickel

5

simple yet meaningful activities for grandchildren

By Cynthia Drake

Iwas a child during the 1950s — a time when my brothers and I were mostly spared the troubles of the adult world. Our parents let us play in the mud, climb trees or read books while lying on an old quilt in the backyard. My Halloween costume was an old sheet with two holes cut out for ghost eyes. A piece of chalk and a sidewalk would be enough to keep me and my neighborhood girlfriends hopscotching all morning. After a bowl of cereal for breakfast, my mother sent us out to play with the instruction to be back for supper.

When my grandchildren began to arrive 17 years ago, those carefree memories of days gone by resurfaced, and I experienced a “second childhood” with my children’s children. I taught young children in elementary school for many years, and that prepared me for the delight of playing and learning with my grandchildren. Now that the grandchildren are older, we love remembering those early days spent cooking together, doing science experiments in the kitchen, producing simple plays in the summer, reading books using flashlights during overnight visits.

That joy inspired me to write “A Grandmother’s Sourcebook,” filled with activities and ideas for grandparents and their grandchildren to share. Below are five entries from the book for your own “fun on a nickel.” 1. Make a concentration game. Choose a dozen or more favorite 4x6 photos of family events. At the copy shop, reduce photo size by 50%, print two of each, then glue to the “suit” side of regular playing cards. Set out all the cards with photo sides down. Play! 2. Teach the children how to offer a strong firm handshake and clearly state their name (as if they are meeting a new person). “Hi, my name is ______.” Then have them help you bake some chocolate chip cookies. Drive to the neighborhood firehouse, meet the firefighters, shake hands and thank them for their service. Finally, offer a tin of homemade cookies. 3. Help the children paint a Van Gogh-style painting. Find “The Usborne Art Treasury” by Rosie Dickens at the library. Directions are given about using forks and dabs of white paint to recreate Van Gogh’s swirly clouds! 4. A really fun science experiment is creating a crystal. Directions are provided in “Geology Lab for Kids” by Garret Romaine. Bend a pipe cleaner into a cube shape. Tie 2 feet of string to the middle of a pencil and to a corner of the pipe cleaner cube. Pour 3 cups of boiling water into a wide-mouth jar. Stir in 9 tablespoons of Borax. Lower the pipe cleaner down into the jar. In the morning there will be a crystal-covered pipe cleaner floating in the jar! If you add food coloring, you’ll create a beautifully colored crystal. 5. On a sunny day, take the children to your local cemetery. Walk through the lanes and stop to read names, dates and quotes. Talk about how these folks were loved by many people. Talk about the circle of life. Your ease will be appreciated by the children. Then read them the wonderful storybook, “City Dog, Country Frog” by Mo Willems. It is a perfect tale of friendship, loss and hope.

Cynthia Drake, author of “A Grandmother’s Sourcebook,” lives in Durham and is a member of Piedmont Electric Cooperative.

Visit agrandmotherssourcebook.com to learn more about “A Grandmother’s Sourcebook,” 10 chapters covering resources and activities to get grandchildren engaged in art, story, poetry, science, service, music, cooking, plays and games.

Connection

PIEDMONT ELECTRIC COOPERATIVE MEMBER NEWSLETTER | JUNE 2022

Annual Meeting Recap

At Piedmont Electric, our members matter. In fact, our cooperative is owned by the members it serves and we’re proud to practice the second cooperative principle, democratic member control. That means that you have a say in how your co-op is run.

The board of directors is made up of members who are committed to the success and future growth for our community. They’re responsible for setting strategic direction and approving major decisions that guide our cooperative. Each year the results of the board of directors election are announced at the annual meeting of the members.

Your Co-op, Your Voice

IMPORTANT DATES

Reminder: Piedmont Drive-Thru Hours Will Change July 1

On Thursday, April 14, we held our virtual annual meeting from our Hillsborough office. During the livestream, we discussed our 2021 annual report, the election results for our board of directors election and other news items about the cooperative. Thank you to everyone who voted in our board of directors election this year! A total of 1,084 members voted, with 335 members voting by paper ballot and 749 members voting online. The following members were elected to the Piedmont Electric Board of Directors: Stephen C. Long (District 4), Elizabeth (Beth) Townsend (District 6) and Richal Vanhook (District 9).

June 19-25

National Lightning Safety Awareness Week

June 19

Father’s Day

July 4

Independence Day Piedmont Electric offices will be closed and employees will be on call.

16 Save Energy (and Money) While You’re on Vacation This Summer Beginning on July 1, Piedmont Electric will have new hours of operation for 17 Smart, Simple Savings our Hillsborough and Roxboro 18 SmartHub: The App That drive-thrus, which will be open Virtually Does It All! from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays and closed on Mondays and Fridays. Our Caswell office drive-thru will remain open only on Wednesdays. For much of the past two decades we have seen a year-over-year reduction in the number of members who come to our office to make a payment while we have seen tremendous growth in the number of phone calls, emails, social media messages and other forms of digital communications from our members. Reducing our drive-thru hours will allow us to better focus on these growing forms of communication that our members are increasingly using and preferring while still providing options for members who wish to pay in person. We have been working with members who could be affected by these changes. If you need assistance, please call us at 800.222.3107. As always, employees will be available to help members Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. (excluding holidays) by phone, email, website and social media. If you missed the online meeting, you can watch it at any time by visiting pemc.coop/annualmeeting.

Save Energy (and Money) While You’re on Vacation This Summer

Now that the sun is shining and the kids are out of school, it’s the perfect opportunity to take time off and enjoy some well-deserved rest and relaxation. Before you head out for your vacation, take a few moments to minimize your home’s energy use while you’re away by reviewing the items on this vacation energy-saving checklist.

PUT YOUR SMART THERMOSTAT TO USE

Before you leave, set your smart thermostat to vacation mode. This will override your normal schedule and allow your thermostat to stay at a higher setting to save you energy while you’re gone. When you’re on your way home, use your mobile device to set a comfortable temperature so your home will be cool and comfortable again once you arrive. Want to really maximize your savings? Visit pemc.coop/thermostat to learn how to join our smart thermostat savings program today. Must have WiFi to participate.

TURN OFF YOUR LIGHTS

Even energy-efficient light bulbs like LEDs can waste energy if you’re not home when they’re in use. Before you head out, make sure all of your lights are turned off to help you save. If you want to keep a few lights on for security reasons, try to put them on timers so it will look like someone’s home without wasting energy.

CLOSE YOUR CURTAINS AND BLINDS

Before you start your trip, go through your home and close all of the blinds and curtains. Doing so will keep out prying eyes while you’re away and also prevent the sun from heating up your home. As a result, your home will stay cooler, without adjusting the thermostat. This is especially helpful if you don’t have a smart or programmable thermostat, but you want your home to be comfortable when you get back.

UNPLUG UNNECESSARY APPLIANCES

Many electronic devices use energy even when you’re not actively using them. Before you head out of town, go around your home and unplug anything that won’t need power while you’re gone. This can include things like your coffee maker, printer, cable boxes, etc. This will help reduce excess energy use while you’re gone.

SMART, SIMPLE SAVINGS

Join our smart thermostat savings program to save on your electricity bill all summer long! All you need is a Nest thermostat and WiFi to begin saving.

How Does It Work?

By joining the program, you’ll get paid during the summer months for allowing us to make small adjustments to your thermostat on very hot days. However, you can change your thermostat back at any time, as you always have the final say in your home’s temperature.

Why Join?

$50 Rebate and Ongoing Savings When you sign up for the program, you’ll receive an initial $50 rebate and monthly bill credits of $2.50 from June through September. Proven Energy Savings A smart thermostat learns your schedule and makes adjustments to the temperature in your home to help maximize your energy efficiency. That functionality combined with the money-saving benefits of this program makes it easier to lower your monthly bill. Helps Piedmont Electric Keep Rates Low When our members work together to reduce energy use on the hottest days of the year, it helps our cooperative keep rates low so everyone wins!

SmartHub: The App That Virtually Does It All!

As your local cooperative, part of our job is to make sure you have tools at your disposal to help you better manage your energy use. At the same time, we understand that many of our members don’t have extra time to spend thinking about how to save energy and money. That’s where our powerful SmartHub app comes into play.

Pay Your Bill Automatically

Never worry about accidentally missing your next bill by setting up automatic bill payments in the SmartHub app. All you have to do is log in to your account, go to the Billing and Payments tab and choose the Auto Pay Program option. When setting it up, you can choose to have the payment come directly out of your bank account or get charged to a debit or credit card each month. With our Budget Billing option, you can have the same amount drafted each month so you’ll always know what you have to pay. Just call 800.222.3107 to enroll.

Track Your Energy Use

The easiest way to save money on your electric bill is to pay attention to how you use energy and make adjustments from there. Using SmartHub makes it easier than ever. Once you’re logged in to your account, go to the Notifications tab and choose Manage Notifications.

From there, you can sign up for daily alerts to receive an email that shows a snapshot of your usage from the previous day. This will give you more insight into which energy-saving actions will have the biggest impact on your bill. You can also view historical data in your account by looking at daily and monthly usage on the My Usage tab.

Report an Outage, Ask a Question

Finally, SmartHub makes it easier for you to reach our team. You can use the app to reach out to us with questions whenever one pops up. You can also use SmartHub to submit a service request quickly and easily. Perhaps best of all, you can even report an outage from the app with just a few taps. Simply let us know about the issue and we’ll get right to work fixing it. Take advantage of SmartHub today by visiting pemc.smarthub.coop or by downloading the SmartHub app on your smartphone or tablet.

You can also sign up for paperless billing if you want to go green and stop getting a bill in the mail. Your bill will be emailed to you each month and will always be available through SmartHub.

PIEDMONT ELECTRIC CONNECTION

Published monthly for the members of Piedmont Electric Cooperative. Piedmont Electric Cooperative is an equal opportunity provider and employer.

Hillsborough and Roxboro Office Hours: Monday-Friday, 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Caswell Office Hours: Wednesday 8 a.m.-5 p.m.

Report outages, make payments and access account information by phone 24-hours-a-day by calling 800.222.3107. Voice instructions will direct you through the system. 2500 NC Highway 86 South PO Drawer 1179 Hillsborough, NC 27278 Stephen B. Hamlin President & General Manager

DIRECTORS

Bill R. Barber, Chair Randy Kinley, Vice Chair Richal Vanhook, Treasurer Steven P. Bailey, Stephen C. Long, V. Kay Scurlock-Ferguson, David Poythress, Elizabeth Townsend & Cyrus Vernon

IF YOUR POWER GOES OUT, CALL OR TEXT 800.222.3107

Opt in for text alerts by texting “pemc” to 800.222.3107. Once you’ve opted in, report an outage by texting “#out” to 800.222.3107 or "#status" for an update on your outage. Our automated outage reporting system uses your phone number to determine your service location. Update the number connected to your account online through SmartHub, by completing the form on your monthly bill or by calling 800.222.3107.

Use the SmartHub app to report an outage or online at pemc.smarthub.coop/#reportanissue:. Please note that it may take up to 24 hours for our system to recognize new cell phone numbers in the text outage alert program.

What You Need to Know Before Going Solar

Work with your co-op to make the right choice

By Miranda Boutelle

When I tell people I work in energy efficiency, one of the first responses I hear is, “Oh, I’m thinking about getting solar installed on my house.” I hear it around campfires, meeting other parents at the park and on the ride to the airport.

Most people don’t realize solar is not energy efficiency. Energy efficiency is finding ways to use less energy. Solar is generating energy. I can see the association because both are thought of as beneficial to the environment and a way to save money.

My follow-up question is, “What are your motivations for installing solar?”

In my experience, people are motivated by saving money, concern for the environment or both. Focusing first on energy efficiency addresses both motivations.

Here are some considerations if you are interested in installing solar.

Energy consumption Solar systems are sized based on a home’s energy needs. The larger the system, the higher the cost. Before installing solar, make sure your home is as energy efficient as possible. That means it will use less energy and allow you to install a smaller solar system — which will save money and reduce your home’s environmental impact.

Verify the efficiency of your lighting, HVAC systems and insulation. A fully insulated and air-sealed home uses less energy, and those measures are less expensive than solar panels. Finish these energy efficiency projects before installing solar.

Affordability Consider your overall out-of-pocket expenses. The expected lifespan of a heating and cooling system is 15 to 25 years. Check the age and condition of your HVAC equipment and consider the expenses of replacement. If something happens, will you be able to afford to fix or replace it?

Roofing Consider the age, orientation and shade of your roof. It is more difficult — and expensive — to reroof a home with solar panels. Will the roof need to be replaced before the solar panels need to be replaced?

The best orientation for solar panels is south facing to receive direct light throughout the day. A shaded roof helps keep your home cool in the summertime but reduces solar energy production.

Maintenance and reliability A solar system doesn’t last forever. Lifespans range from 25 to 30 years. As systems degrade over time, they produce less energy. Maintenance and repairs may be needed.

Solar panels only produce power when the sun is shining. If you want solar to power your home at other times, like after dark, you’ll need to invest in battery storage system, which comes at an additional cost.

Contact your electric co-op As with any other system for your home, I recommend getting bids from three contractors to compare equipment and pricing. Solar contractors often work in several utility service territories and may not be familiar with your co-op’s offerings, rate structures and interconnection agreements. So before signing an agreement, check with your electric co-op for local information rather than relying on what the contractor says.

Another option may be community-owned solar. Many electric co-ops offer community solar programs. You may have an option to enjoy the benefits of solar without the responsibilities of ownership and maintenance.

Understanding these considerations before installing solar will ensure you meet your money-saving and environmental goals.

This column was written by Miranda Boutelle of the Efficiency Services Group. Visit carolinacountry.com/your-energy for more ideas on energy efficiency.

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