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MATTERS
How to L ower Summer Energy Bills Costs for cooling your home can make up a large portion of your summer electric bills. These tips can help keep your bills lower:
No-Cost Tips •
Close blinds, curtains and shades on sun-facing windows during the day.
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Raise your thermostat 2-4 degrees higher than your usual comfort setting during peak usage hours of 2-7 p.m. on weekdays (and higher when you’re away).
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Ceiling or box fans use far less energy and help you to stay cooler when you raise your thermostat settings.
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Avoid using hot water for laundry or dishwashing whenever possible.
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Air dry dishes and clothes.
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Use a microwave, crockpots, microwaves or grill outdoors instead of your range or oven.
Low-Cost Tips •
Plant trees and shrubs that shade the exterior of your home in summer.
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Replace disposable air filters monthly (or according to your manufacturer’s guidelines).
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Use solar lighting to brighten up walkways.
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Replace light bulbs with LED versions.
Surge Into Savings Visit BlueRidgeEnergy.com/Save For More Tips
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THE
Perspective
Ser ving You Today, Preparing For Tomorrow From Blue Ridge CEO, Katie Woodle
This year marks an incredible milestone for Blue Ridge Energy — 90 years of serving the people and communities of northwest North Carolina. Since 1936, your cooperative has powered homes, supported local businesses and helped strengthen the communities we call home. While much has changed over those nine decades, our commitment to our members remains the same:making life better for those we serve, by providing reliable electricity at the lowest possible cost while maintaining the financial strength needed to serve you for generations to come. That commitment guides every decision we make, including some of the most difficult ones. Your cooperative is currently undergoing an extensive cost-of-service study. This is standard across the electric industry, but particularly crucial this year as we continue to see cost pressures impacting many aspects of our daily operations. While we do not have the results of this cost-of-service study as of the date this goes to press, we anticipate the results will show a need to make an adjustment to our rates sometime this fall. Two main impacts initiated this cost-of-service study and our subsequent anticipation of a rate adjustment later this year. First, the cost of operating your cooperative continues to rise. Like many businesses and organizations, we have experienced significant increases in the cost of equipment, materials, technology and other resources required to maintain and improve our electric system to provide reliable electricity for our members. Second, wholesale power costs — the cost of the electricity we purchase before it reaches your home or business, continue to increase. Wholesale power represents more than half of our operating expenses, making it one of the most significant factors affecting rates. Page 12
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Your cooperative has been working extensively behind the scenes to control expenses where possible. We continually look for ways to operate more efficiently, and we recently renewed our employee-led WorkSmart program to identify additional savings opportunities throughout the organization in our day-to-day operations. Our subsidiary companies, Blue Ridge Energy Propane & Fuels and RidgeLink, also continue to play an important role by contributing earnings that are then used to help offset costs for our electric members. In 2025 alone, those subsidiaries generated $6.7 million in after-tax net benefit back to the parent cooperative — helping mitigate some of the challenges we’ve faced from a cost perspective. Even with these efforts, inflationary pressures on the crucial components we use to provide reliable electricity, coupled with rising wholesale energy costs, have created challenges that can no longer be fully absorbed. While no one welcomes the likelihood of higher costs, this study helps ensure a rate structure exists that’s adequate for your cooperative to remain financially strong and able to continue investing in reliability, safety and the service you’ve come to expect at the most affordable cost possible. Maintaining nearly 9,000 miles of electric infrastructure across our mountain region requires ongoing investment to keep power flowing safely and reliably to more than 80,000 members. We remain focused on the priorities that guide our cooperative: providing excellent service, maintaining that reliable power, operating efficiently, and making thoughtful decisions that balance affordability with the long-term needs of our members. After 90 years, the heart of this cooperative remains as strong as ever. We are rooted in service, grounded in our values, and united by a shared purpose to make life better for the members and communities we serve.
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Teachers: Apply Now for Bright Ideas Grants!
In our 32nd year of awarding Bright Ideas grants, $25,000 will be awarded this year to K-12 teachers who submit winning grant ideas for creative learning projects. Teachers must apply by Sept. 15. Submit grant applications and learn more at ncbrightideas.com. Winners, who are announced in November, can be awarded up to $1,500 for an individual grant. Bright Ideas grants benefit students by providing learning opportunities that are not able to be funded by regular school budgets.
Board of Directors Update
Over 5,300 members voted in this year’s director elections, thanks to convenient options of voting by mail or internet. Members could also vote at the cooperative’s corporate office in Lenoir during the annual meeting held June 25. Directors elected to serve three-year terms were: David Eggers, Caldwell district; Kelvin Gryder, Watauga district; David Boone, Ashe district; and John “Johnny” Wishon, Alleghany district. Updates of annual meeting reports are online at BlueRidgeEnergy.com/company/AM. At their regular June meeting, your Board of Directors elected the following board officers: Johnny Wishon, president; James Burl (JB) Lawrence, vice president; Kelly Melton, secretary-treasurer; and Cindy Price, assistant secretary-treasurer.
Membership
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MAT TERS
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Students Awarded Scholarships Blue Ridge Energy recently awarded $32,000 in college scholarships to 12 students across its service areas who are seeking to further their academic goals. The scholarships are part of the Blue Ridge Energy Leadership Track program, designed to help high school students prepare for their future while strengthening their leadership skills. The program is one way the cooperative contributes to local quality of life. Recipients in Caldwell County: Matthew Boyle, son of Steven and Sherri Boyle, received $2,000 to attend the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and Daniela Euceda, daughter of Mario and Ada Euceda, received $4,000 to attend Rice University. Noah Livingston, son of Todd and Tina Livingston, received $2,000 to attend Lenoir Rhyne University, and Lucas Sanderlin, son of Sascha and Kami Sanderlin, received $2,000 to attend North Carolina State University. In Watauga County: Leo McEvoy, son of David McEvoy and Marta Toran, received $3,000 to attend the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Riley Olson, daughter of Dan and Carroll Olson, received $4,000 to attend the United States Air Force Academy. In Ashe County: Ellie Cable, daughter of Wayne and Miranda Cable, received $3,000 to attend the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; Addison Dollar, daughter of Jeff and Amy Dollar, received $3,000 to attend Appalachian State University; Chloe Henson, daughter of Scott and Dana Henson, received $2,000 to attend the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and Addison Williams, daughter of Josh and Lindsey Williams, received $2,000 to attend the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. In Alleghany County: Hafize Bonilla, daughter of Hatice Yilmaz, received $4,000 to study at Wilkesboro Community College, and Talmage Pasley, son of Lucas and Iboya Pasley, received $1,000 to study at North Carolina State University. For more information about the Blue Ridge Energy Leadership Track, visit BlueRidgeEnergy.com and click the “Community” tab, or contact Tasha Rountree, director of community relations and economic development, at 828-759-8994 or trountree@blueridgeenergy.com.
Visit us on the web: BlueRidgeEnergy.com CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER Katie Woodle EDITOR Renée R. Walker PRODUCTION SUPERVISOR Jacob Puckett
DISTRICT OFFICES Caldwell Watauga Ashe Alleghany 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
Membership MAT TERS
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