embership M
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Take Advantage of Smar t Rebates Get money back! You can get money back from Blue Ridge Energy’s Smart Rebates program when you purchase one of the following qualifying EnergyStar® appliances or home projects! These help reduce your electricity usage, which helps you save on your monthly bill for years to come. Appliances • • • •
ENERGY STAR Refrigerator (min. 15 cu. ft.) $25 ENERGY STAR Freezer (min. 10 cu. ft.) $25 High Efficiency Heat Pump or Mini-Split (16 SEER or greater)* $150 Geothermal Heat Pump (19 SEER or greater)* $250
Weatherization • • • •
Duct Sealing or Replacement up to $100 Air Sealing* up to $100 Insulation* up to $100 Building an ENERGY STAR home* up to $500
*Indicates items for which you may also be eligible for a federal EnergyStar tax credit in addition to the Blue Ridge Energy rebate. Smart Rebates is a Blue Ridge Energy member benefit initiative to help members save money through energyefficiency. Energy efficiency improvements you make in your home can lower your monthly energy bill, providing cost savings on your energy bill for years to come. Why not consider making an energy efficiency purchase now and maximize the savings with Blue Ridge Energy’s Smart REBATE offers!
Learn more at Blue Ridge Energy.com/ Rebates Blue Ridge-0722.indd 15
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Perspective THE
Recognizing the Blue Ridge Family
At Blue Ridge Energy, we often call our employees the “Blue Ridge Family.” Family is a fitting word to describe the people who work here. Our employees are our greatest asset! Each day, they display a tremendous passion for their jobs, with hearts of service and dedication to our members. Seeing this drive from our employees is something that makes me very proud. Being a cooperative is unique and it takes a special group of people that work each and every day to support our mission to make life better for the members we serve. I’m honored that our Blue Ridge family has once again been recognized by Business North Carolina magazine as one of the top employers in the state. This is Blue Ridge Energy’s seventh time receiving this recognition, which is based on workplace policies, business philosophy, systems and employee culture, involvement in local communities and best employer practices to recruit and retain top talent. Blue Ridge Energy, like many organizations, faces challenges in the years ahead. Our cooperative has long been led by an excellent group of people coming from a wealth of backgrounds, working to serve our members and push the cooperative forward as a leader in the business, economic and community landscape of northwest North Carolina. After many years of service, a sizable amount of the Blue Ridge workforce has begun retiring. Recruiting future talent to Blue Ridge
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From Blue Ridge CEO Doug Johnson
is a top priority in making sure that we can continue making life better and Powering a Brighter Future for our membership. We recognize that this award from Business NC magazine, along with other efforts, will help us attract and retain the talent needed to serve our members. While its challenging to replace the quality of people retiring from Blue Ridge and the decades of knowledge acquired in their roles, I’m optimistic about our future and our ability to continue providing the very best service. We are proud to have been named one of the top employers in the state of North Carolina and we look forward to serving you, our members, as an organization you can be proud of for years to come.
Caroselli Appointed to Board The Board of Directors of Blue Ridge Electric Membership Corporation appointed Hope Caroselli to fill the Watauga District Board seat that was left open when Joy Coffey recently retired from the Board after 25 years of service. Caroselli will complete Coffey’s threeyear term, which began on June 24, 2021, and runs through June 27, 2024. A graduate of Appalachian State University, Caroselli is the Mortgage Relationship Manager with LifeStore Bank and a Realtor with Blue Ridge Realty and Investments. Hope, her husband and daughter, live in Boone.
Membership MAT TERS
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ge CEO nson
or e,
Kincaid Promoted to Director of Operations; Lipford Promoted to Ashe Operations Manager Mike Kincaid has been promoted to Director of Operations and Greg Lipford has been promoted to fill the position Kincaid leaves as Ashe District Operations Manager. Kincaid has been with Blue Ridge Energy for 33 years. He began his career with Blue Ridge Energy as a line technician, advancing to crew leader, and most recently serving as Ashe Operations Manager since 2009. He and his wife, Cindy, are relocating to Caldwell County. Kincaid replaces long-time Director of
Mike Kincaid
Operations Robert Kent, who will retire at the end of this year after a 41-year career with Blue Ridge Energy. Kent began his career with the cooperative as a meter reader and then as a line technician. He has served as Director of Operations since 2002 and before that as a manager. Lipford joined Blue Ridge Energy in 2014 and has worked as a line technician in Ashe and Watauga districts. Prior to joining the cooperative, Lipford served as a line technician for Pike Electric, Sumpter Utilities and Shaw EDS for 11 years. Lipford, his wife Laura and daughter Adley, reside in Jefferson.
Greg Lipford
Robert Kent
Think safety... Call 811 before digging 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 first calling to mark all underground facilities can disrupt service to an entire neighborhood, cause harm to you and others, and potentially result in fines and repair costs. For your safety, please call 811 at least three business days before any digging project. In
p
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 you prevent problems or injuries. Simply call 811 and answer a few questions about your location and the type of work to be done. Underground line markings by each utility will be completed in a timely manner. Be sure to keep the ticket number 811 gives you for future references or to track your request online at: ncocc.org. Remember, know what’s below before you dig — always call 811! Page 17
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Capital credits: allocations vs. refunds Members receiving notice of capital credits allocations During the month of July members will receive notice of capital credits allocations from the previous year. This notice will come on the back of your July billing statement or via direct notification for FlexPay members who do not receive statements. Please be aware this is NOT a refund — refunds were issued in May. Here’s more about the difference between capital credits allocations and refunds: •
Allocations are based on the amount of electricity a member purchased the previous fiscal year. This annual allocation amount is added to your overall membership capital credits balance, which reflects all the years in which you had service with Blue Ridge Energy.
•
Refunds occur when your Board of Directors approve a capital credits retirement. This involves refunding a portion of your overall membership capital credits balance. The rotation of these funds over time allows the cooperative to build and maintain power lines, substations, rights of way, and other areas to ensure safe and reliable electric service. It also reduces the need for loans, which keep costs down for members while still allowing for refunds to the member-owners of Blue Ridge Energy.
Capital credits are a benefit of belonging to a cooperative. This not-for-profit business model is used by thousands of cooperatives to balance debt and equity to help keep member rates low and provide reliable electric service. Your annual capital credits allocation notice communicated in July is NOT a refund, but rather one of the first steps in the annual process. Refunds were issued in May.
Check the back of your July billing statement to view your allocation
Visit us on the web: BlueRidgeEnergy.com CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER Doug Johnson EDITOR Renée R. Whitener PRODUCTION SUPERVISOR Jacob Puckett
Membership MAT TERS
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DISTRICT OFFICES Caldwell Watauga Ashe Alleghany Wilkes PowerLine*
TOLL FREE (828) 754-9071 (828) 264-8894 (336) 846-7138 (336) 372-4646 (800) 451-5474 (800) 448-2383
(800) 451-5474
OFFICE HOURS: 8:30 AM - 5:00 PM Monday - Friday Kiosks available
(PowerLine* is an automated account information and outage reporting system)
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