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
Can I save money by installing a solar energy system?
BOARD OF TRUSTEES Joe Ogle, President Rocky Woods, Sr., Vice President Ronnie Pevehouse, Sec/Treasurer Dan Callahan, Trustee John Dillard, Trustee Dart Drummonds, Trustee Mike Rose, Trustee
District 6 District 1 District 7 District 2 District 3 District 4 District 5
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.
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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 2021
>> Part 1 of 2 This question is being asked more and more as members look for ways to reduce energy costs. The answer is maybe, depending on many factors, and how fast you want to see a return on your investment. [1629304] Start with energy efficiency Before installing a solar energy system, consider reducing your energy use by making your home more energy efficient. Many energy efficiency measures have a faster return on investment, and the initial investment is less than that of a renewable energy system. Contact your local electric cooperative for energy efficiency rebates as well. Is solar energy right for me? If you have made your home as energy efficient as possible and now want to install a solar energy system, contact your electric cooperative in the initial planning stages. Conduct thorough research on all aspects of any system before making the investment. Determine what your goal of the system is. For example, do you want to install
solar energy because you believe it is the right thing to do? Or are you looking to save money? If you want to save money, carefully examine all the financial considerations first. Consider this: If you want to ensure you have power even if your cooperative has an outage, a battery system is required. This is an added expense and will take about 30 percent of the solar system’s power to keep the batteries charged. Keep safety in mind Most solar systems are connected to the grid. Because of the two-way flow of electricity, excess energy the system collects during the day flows into your cooperative’s lines. Improper connection and maintenance may endanger people and the reliability of the grid. There are also safety considerations for rooftop solar you should discuss with your local fire department prior to installation, such as the layout of panels. Check back next month for financial considerations in relation to a solar system.
