CHEC Hot Watts January 2022

Published monthly by Cookson Hills Electric Cooperative, Inc.

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JANUARY 2022

T WATTS

CELEBRATING A MAJOR MILESTONE

First subscribers experience Cookson Hills Connect It’s been an exciting journey in a relatively short amount of time for our team at Cookson Hills Electric Cooperative. In 2019 the Board of Trustees and General Manager began exploring possible solutions for the lack of internet options available for the members of CHEC. After some extensive research, it was determined that access to fast, reliable, and affordable internet for our members simply wasn’t available. In October of 2020 the decision was made to take matters into our own hands by forming Cookson Hills Connect. This newly formed subsidiary was established to conquer the monumental task of providing life-changing fiber technology to every member of our existing electric distribution system.

Fast-forward to the fall of 2021 where we are beyond excited to celebrate our first Cookson Hills Connect subscriber! Tom and Donna Daniel are now enjoying lightning-fast internet right here in rural Oklahoma. Like many other CHEC members, the Daniel family simply didn’t have viable options for quality internet service, which created multiple challenges at home. The speed tests from the previous internet provider were around 8 Mbps downloading and 2 Mbps for uploading. After the installation of true fiber-to-the-home from Cookson Hills Connect, they now enjoy symmetrical speeds of 100 Mbps which has opened a whole new world of opportunities for the family. Like so many students during the pandemic, the Daniel’s grandchildren were required to participate in virtual learning without the technology

Manager of Broadband Services Rockey Oldham, Tom Daniel, Donna Daniel, General Manager Juli Orme

in place to succeed at this new method of education.

The opportunity for virtual learning is one of the biggest benefits the new fiber technology has brought to the household, but it has also paved the way for a complete upgrade to their security system, the streaming of football games on four televisions at once, and has enabled Donna the ability to access multiple online features designed for her exercise bicycle which she could not take advantage of with the previous internet provider.

Congratulations to the Daniel family on being our first Cookson Hills Connect fiber subscriber!

WATTS INSIDE CHEC updating older meters

Youth Tour contest open to high school juniors

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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 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 Mark Blaylock, Director of Operations — Stigler Marty Huff, Director of Operations — Sallisaw Ellen Mattison, Manager of Accounting Services Kristie Cash, Manager of Office Services Rockey Oldham, Manager of Broadband Services Jeremy Stubblefield, Chief Technology Officer Brad Martin, Director of Member/Public Relations and Economic Development Dallin Shaw, Director of Engineering

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.

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.

bit.ly/CHEConFB (case-sensitive)

2 | January 2022

CLEARING VEGETATION TO IMPROVE YOUR SERVICE Right-of-way clearing project starting with the new year Crews in the Cookson Hills Electric service territory will begin working on clearing a new area of the right-of-way in January. This clearing of trees, limbs, and brush is an ongoing effort to decrease the number of outages and reduce the risk of someone coming in contact with the power lines.

Work will primarily be focused on the distribution lines coming from the Akins substation and is anticipated to continue until July of 2022. Below are the primary areas that are included in this right-of-way project: • Akins substation • Sequoyah’s Home area, 101 Speed Shop • Cedar Creek addition, Country Life Kennels area, Miller Ridge Road, Maple community • Sparks Store area, Brushy, Rocky Point, Bibbs Mountain Road, Dry Creek Road, the community of Akins Clearing the right-of-way improves system reliability, better protects individuals from the hazards of electricity, and makes power restoration quicker and safer. Please contact Marty Huff at 918-775-2211 with any questions or concerns you may have about this project.

Wondering if your account is eligible for Cookson Hills Connect high-speed internet?

Our announcements include substation and feeder numbers, both of which can now be found on your bill!

CHEC UPDATING OLDER METERS Exchanging old, analog meters with newer, digital meters helps us better serve you.

Beginning this month, CHEC is contracting with Anixter Utility Power Solutions to upgrade the older, analog meters that remain on our system with new Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) meters.

AMI meters, also known as Smart meters are updated, digital versions of the traditional electrical meter commonly used in the past. AMI meters not only measure how much electricity is used but also at what times during the day. Smart meters are also more accurate than the older meters and are designed to transmit pricing and energy information from the utility company to the consumer (twoway communication).

Paired with our Smarthub mobile app and billing software, AMI meters allow members limitless access to their electricity use history. It is easier than ever to pinpoint times of higher consumption so you can make changes to avoid a high bill. Members with AMI meters may view usage hour-by-hour.

Cookson Hills Electric Cooperative has contracted with Anixter Utility Power Solutions to upgrade our electric metering system since 2019. Anixter has over 80 years of experience in the metering industry. Please call 800-328-2368 with any questions.

Energy Efficiency Tip of the Month

Maximize your heating system’s performance by inspecting, cleaning or replacing air filters once a month or as needed to reduce energy costs and prevent potential damage to your system.

Make sure radiators, baseboard heaters and warm-air registers aren’t blocked so air can flow freely.

Source: Dept. of Energy

In order to provide members with the most reliable service, at times we must conduct planned outages to upgrade our system. When you receive alerts that a planned outage is occurring in your area, please plan for a power back-up if you need power for medical equipment or other needs. Our planned outages typically last 4-8 hours, and you will be notified by phone and/or email with advanced notice.

Check your availability and sign up for updates at www. cooksonhills connect.com

Bringing the fastest, most reliable, highspeed internet to our communities www.cooksonhills.com | 3

CHEC announces Youth Tour contest for high school juniors For many years Cookson Hills Electric has sent four high school juniors from its service area on an unforgettable, all-expenses-paid trip to Washington, D.C. as part of the annual Youth Tour scholarship program. Unfortunately, over the past two years, the tour to Washington D.C. was canceled due to the global COVID pandemic.

We are excited to announce plans to begin sending our student winners back on this amazing trip in 2022. While we are all aware of how quickly things can change with guidelines and restrictions related to the coronavirus, we are

extremely hopeful that this June, our Youth Tour winners are able to fully participate in this historic trip of a lifetime to Washington D.C. In addition to a trip to Washington D.C., Cookson Hills also awards scholarship money to the Youth Tour winners. Beginning this January, representatives from Cookson Hills Electric will be sharing details of the scholarship with schools throughout the entire Cookson Hills Electric service territory. Application packets will soon be available at participating partner schools within the CHEC service territory, as well as on our

website at www.cooksonhills. com. In order to be eligible for the scholarship, participants must be classified as an eleventh-grade student who attends a school or is homeschooled in Cookson Hills Electric Cooperative’s service area.

[1253302] It is not a requirement for the parent or guardian of the student to be a member of Cookson Hills Electric Cooperative. If you have any questions about the Youth Tour program, please contact Brad Martin by calling 800-328-2368 or via email at bmartin@cooksonhills.com.

Don’t miss out on the CHEC scholarship opportunity for those pursuing post-secondary education!

Applications due by March 4 Visit www.cooksonhills.com for more info 4 | January 2022