Published monthly by Cookson Hills Electric Cooperative, Inc.
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APRIL 2020
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WATTS WATTS INSIDE >> page 2
CHEC announces 2020 Youth Tour winners >> page 3
How you can celebrate Earth Day >> page 4
Popular app poses hazardous challenge
Lineworker Appreciation Day is April 13 Lineworkers serve on the frontlines of our nation’s energy needs, and on April 13, 2020, CHEC, along with other electric cooperatives across the country, will honor the brave men and women who work hard to keep the lights on. [623808] Line crews work around the clock, sometimes in difficult and dangerous conditions, to keep power flowing to our local communities. Whether they’re restoring power after a major storm or maintaining critical infrastructure to our electric system, lineworkers are at the heart of our co-op. When a storm hits, they set aside
their personal priorities because Mother Nature doesn’t work around holidays, vacations and birthdays. A service-oriented mentality is one of the many admirable characteristics of an electric lineworker. CHEC is proud to honor the lineworkers who maintain 3,000 miles of power lines in our service territory. CHEC invites all co-op members to take a moment and thank a lineworker for the important work they do. On April 13, you can use #ThankALineworker on social media to show your support for the brave men and women who power our lives.
#ThankALineworker Kent Altstatt Jeremy Baker Mike Barnes Jason Blalock Calvin Boren Wayne Bray David Bumpers
Elijah Cloud Cody Crase Matt Davis Steven Dodson Curtis Eppler Cody Gray Allen Hare
Kevin Harvell Kevin Hendrix Jordan Henry Dion Holcomb Reuben Kemp Chaston Oldham John Henry Parsons
Austin Poindexter Jesse Ruark Tandy Sloan Jake Simpson Michael Sizemore Justin Wixom Nick Worsham
Cookson Hills Electric Cooperative, Inc. Headquarters Office PO Box 539 • 1002 E. Main Stigler, OK 74462 800-328-2368 Branch Office PO Box 587 • 1800 KOA/Power Drive Sallisaw, OK 74955 918-775-2211 Pay-by-Phone: 1-888-678-1937 www.cooksonhills.com Alternate Emergency Only: 918-552-0016
BOARD OF TRUSTEES Kenneth Kelley, President Joe Ogle, Vice President Theron Croisant, Sec-Treas Rocky Woods, Sr., Trustee John Dillard, Trustee Dart Drummonds, Trustee Ronnie Pevehouse, Trustee
District 5 District 6 District 2 District 1 District 3 District 4 District 7
STAFF Juli Orme, General Manager Chris Morris, Chief Financial Officer Jason Fontaine, Director of Engineering Mark Blaylock, Director of Operations — Stigler Marty Huff, Director of Operations — Sallisaw Ellen Mattison, Manager of Accounting Services Kristie Cash, Manager of Office Services
Russell V. Barber, General Counsel Cookson Hills Electric Cooperative, Inc. welcomes members to submit photos, and articles which will be subject to editing. Cookson Hills reserves the right to publish or modify any article. Companies and individuals featured in the Hot Watts newsletter do not necessarily reflect the official policy, position, or view of Cookson Hills.
bit.ly/CHEConFB (case-sensitive)
Cookson Hills Electric Cooperative, Inc. is an equal opportunity provider and employer. If you find your account number hidden in this issue of the Hot Watts, you’ll receive a $25 credit on your electric bill.
2 | April 2020
CHEC announces 2020 Youth Tour winners Four local students are headed to Washington, D.C. this summer on what past participants have deemed “the trip of a lifetime.” Hanna Russell from Gore, Breanna Vinson from Gans, Madison Walters from Muldrow, and Kaytie Cash from Porum won the 2020 Youth Tour essay contest in March after judges selected their essays from the pool of applicants. CHEC’s board and staff will honor the winners and their families at a banquet, where the winners read their essays to those in attendance. The contest was open to high school juniors all across CHEC’s service area. As winners of the 2020 Youth Tour contest, Hanna, Breanna, Madison and Kaytie will travel to the nation’s capital in June alongside 70 of their peers from across the state who have also won their local electric co-op’s Youth Tour contests. They will spend the week touring Washington, D.C.’s historic monuments and museums, meeting with Oklahoma’s Congressional delegation and making new, lifelong friends. Follow their journey on the Oklahoma Youth Tour Facebook page.
Call 811 before you begin spring planting
How will you celebrate Earth Day? Earth Day is considered one of the world’s largest civic events, and on April 22, we can all be part of this global movement to help the environment. First, we want to share some things that we’re doing right here at CHEC to better our own little corner of the world. Over the past few years, we’ve launched green initiatives such as enhanced focus on EV charging, as well as continued efforts with our wholesale power provider, Associated Electric Cooperative, to enable our consumer-members to access energy from renewable sources. There are many ways we as individuals can help the environment, and some are easier than you’d think. Here are a few simple actions you can take now to reduce your energy use. Audit your light bulbs. Swapping out any remaining incandescent bulbs with LED bulbs can make a big difference in home efficiency, and it’s one of the easiest ways to reduce your energy bill. Maintain your HVAC system. Replace your home air filters to allow your HVAC system to run more efficiently. Air filters prevent dust and allergens from clogging your HVAC system. Changing the filters makes your unit run more efficiently – keeping your home cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter. Examine your smart or programmable thermostat. Make sure it is programmed for the current season and family schedule. This is one of the best tools at your fingertips, however, you can only achieve these efficiencies and savings if it is programmed properly and adjusted periodically to keep pace with changes in household routines. Seal window and doors. Seal leaks with weather stripping and caulk to keep cool air indoors during warm months and prevent cold air from penetrating the indoors during colder months. Sealing gaps around piping, dryer vents, fans and outlets also helps to seal the envelope and increase efficiency. While these suggestions may not be glamorous actions worthy of a press release or event, they do make a difference. And we’re always here to help if you want more information on how you can save energy. Stop by our office or give us a call. As we celebrate Earth Day this April, let’s continue to work together and make a positive impact on our local community – and our beautiful planet. www.cooksonhills.com | 3
Energy Efficiency
Tip of the Month This spring, consider using a rain barrel to save energy. Rain barrels capture rainwater from a roof that can be used later for watering your lawn, garden or indoor plants. Source: U.S. Dept. of Energy
TikTok Challenge + Electricity = Danger Kids who take a recent but popular app challenge on TikTok, a free social media app popular with kids, teens and young adults that allows users to watch, create and share 15-second videos, could get a whole lot more than they bargained for — a flash of fire to the face or body, an electrical fire or deadly shock. Safe Electricity and fire officials across the country are warning kids not to engage in the dangerous activity that includes a pronged charging cord cube, an electrical outlet and a penny. The challenge involves partially plugging in a charging cube/base so that the prongs are slightly exposed, then slipping a penny between the prongs and outlet. The resulting sparks or flames can flash up into the eyes or face or cause other serious injuries, including electrocution. This recipe for disaster could also start a fire behind the wall, endangering everyone in the building. It could melt the outlet, penny, or cube and usually shorts out the outlet and damages wiring, resulting in a call to an electrician for repairs. “The most important thing to know is that if kids or teens accept the challenge, they put themselves in extreme danger, all for a 15-second video. The outcome could vary — from burns to electrical shock to death,” warns Molly Hall, executive director of Safe Electricity/Energy Education Council. Although TikTok has been monitoring the app and taking down any videos associated with the outlet challenge, some videos can still be accessed and kids might continue to accept the dangerous challenge. In addition, there have been other reports from across the country of kids sticking paper clips or other metal objects directly in an outlet to create a spark or flame, but doing so, just like the penny-outlet challenge, can have devastating results. Bottom line? Kids, don’t try any of these at home. The Energy Education Council is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization dedicated to promoting electrical safety and energy efficiency. Established in 1952, the Council is headquartered within University of Illinois Extension and serves as a forum for diverse utility and energy organizations to collaborate on the mutually vital issues of efficiency and safety. Learn more at EnergyEdCouncil.org and SafeElectricity.org.
NEW! You can now report an outage with the free SmartHub mobile app.
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KSO N COO HILLS E LE PER ATIV CTRIC E
Scan this code with your smartphone’s camera to report outages, enroll in automatic bank draft, pay securely, monitor consumption and more via the SmartHub app! Visit www. cooksonhills.com for more info.