Membership MATTERS
Take advantage of Smart 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 energy efficiency.
Rebate forms and complete details are available at BlueRidgeEnergy.com/Rebates.
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!
Top honor for the Blue Ridge Family

At Blue Ridge Energy, our employees who serve you are our greatest asset! Each day, they display a tremendous amount of skill and passion for their jobs, with hearts of service for our members. Being a cooperative is unique and it takes a special group of people who work each and every day to support our purpose to make life better for the members and communities we serve.

That’s why I’m honored that our Blue Ridge family has been named by the Best Companies Group as one of North Carolina’s great employers. This recognition is based on a thorough company assessment and employee surveys regarding workplace policies, business philosophy, employee culture, involvement in local communities, and best employer practices to recruit and retain top talent.
Blue Ridge Energy, like many organizations, is facing challenges now and in the years ahead. Your cooperative team is successfully navigating these challenges with topperforming employees coming from a wealth of backgrounds, working to serve our members and carrying on a cooperative tradition of leadership 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 and retaining talent to Blue Ridge Energy is a top priority in making


sure that we continue making life better and Powering a Brighter Future for our membership. As we prepare for the future, we recognize that this award as one of the great NC employers, along with other efforts, will help us attract and retain individuals who align with the cooperative culture, business model and love for service to members in our corner of this beautiful state.
We are proud to have been named one of the best employers in the state of North
PURPA written comments and hearing notice
Blue Ridge Electric Membership Corporation d/b/a Blue Ridge Energy will receive written comments and subsequently hold a public hearing on Thursday, October 26, 2023, to consider the written comments received as part of its overall consideration and determination process with respect to adoption of the new standards set forth in the Public Utility Regulatory Policy Act (PURPA) 111(d) included in the 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA).
The IIJA requires cooperatives, municipal utilities, and state regulators to consider adopting standards on promoting greater transportation electrification (Sec. 40431) and utility demand response (Sec. 40104). The written comments will be received through a portal on the Blue Ridge Energy website. The portal opened for comments

on June 1, 2023, at 8:00 a.m. (EDT) and will close on July 17, 2023, at 5:00 p.m. (EDT).
The hearing will be held at 1:00pm (EDT) at Blue Ridge Energy’s corporate office at 1216 Blowing Rock Blvd., Lenoir. Anyone desiring to attend the hearing, will need to pre-register to attend. Registration information will be available on the Blue Ridge Energy website.
A decision on whether to implement each standard will be made on or before November 15, 2023, after considering the written comments received as well as Blue Ridge Energy’s studies regarding these two issues. The decisions will be communicated in writing on Blue Ridge Energy’s website no later than November 15, 2023.

For more information, visit BlueRidgeEnergy.com.
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 n the back of your July billing statement or via direct notification for FlexPay members ho 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:
llocations 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, hich reflects all the years in which you had service with Blue Ridge Energy.
efunds occur when your Board of Directors approves 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 memberowners 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.
Planting in right-of-way areas
Should you plant in a right-of-way area on your property? Since a right-of-way exists to help ensure reliable electricity by protecting power lines from trees and large shrubs, it’s best not to plant in these areas. Clear rightsof-ways also contribute to the safety of our line technicians.
However, we understand that planting new trees can be a good way to accent your property. When planting, here are a few tips to keep in mind for a beautiful view while also protecting the reliability of your electricity:
• Before taking a trip to a plant nursery, consider the location of power lines and right-ofway areas. Think about the height of a fully grown tree or shrub and avoid planting within 20 feet of power lines. If that’s unavoidable, select plants that grow no higher than 15 feet.
• Trees that grow up to 40 feet can usually be safely planted at least 25 feet away from power lines. Trees that will grow larger should be planted more than 50 feet from power lines.
Be aware that to provide reliable electric service for all members, we must maintain rights-of-ways. Trees and shrubs planted too close to power lines must be trimmed, cut or removed in order to maintain the required amount of clearance.
