2015 March Daviess-Martin Newsletter

NEWS FROM YOUR COOPERATI www.dmremc.com CONTACT US

Daviess-Martin County REMC TOLL FREE

800-762-7362

GENERAL MANAGER

Ken Frye

OFFICE HOURS

7:30 a.m.– 4 p.m., Monday-Friday STREET ADDRESS

12628 E 75 N, Loogootee, IN 47553 MAILING ADDRESS

P.O. Box 430, Loogootee, IN 47553 SERVICE INTERRUPTIONS

To report an outage or emergency, call 812-295-4200 or 800-7627362 day or night.

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Dean Harrawood, PRESIDENT John Edwards, VICE PRESIDENT August Bauer, SECRETARY Michael E. Arvin, TREASURER Terry Chapman Dale Marchino Steve Streepy BILL PAYMENT OPTIONS

Online bill payment Budget billing Auto bank draft Drive-through window Night depository Credit card payment (VISA, Discover and MasterCard accepted) Pay-by-phone MISSION STATEMENT

“Our mission is to provide dependable electricity and quality services for our members at reasonable cost.”

Like us on Facebook www.Facebook.com/Daviess MartinCountyREMC

New rebates, incentives available For many years DaviessMartin County REMC has offered rebates to members who choose to use energy wisely by upgrading or installing energy-efficient heat pumps, air conditioners, geothermal units or even KEN FRYE water heaters. This year’s incentive program has undergone some significant changes.

There are several types of rebates and incentives, from $50 for refrigerator recycling, up to $1,500 for energy-efficient HVAC systems (depending on the type of home and the type of equipment being installed).

Consider an energy audit

Your home works hard for you. Consider giving it an energy checkup. Hire a professional energy auditor to diagnose where your house could be losing energy and where you can start saving money.

Auditors check for air leaks, inspect insulation, survey heating and cooling equipment and more. After making efficiency upgrades, you could save 5-30 percent on your energy bills.

— ENERGYSAVERS.GOV

Air Source Heat Pump, Central Air, Dual Fuel k $150 rebate - Single speed compressor k $750 rebate - Dual/variable speed compressor Heat Pump or Dual Fuel (Replacing 100 Percent Electric Resistance Heat) k $800 - Single speed compressor heat pump k $1,500 - Dual/variable speed compressor heat pump Ductless Mini-split Heat Pump (Replacing 100 Percent Electric Resistance Heat) k $300 - Single speed compressor k $600 - Two or variable speed compressor Geothermal Heat Pump k $1,500 - New installation only

Water Heating - Heat pump or hybrid water heaters (all-in-one units) k $400 rebate - minimum 40-gallon size Appliance Recycling k $50 per appliance rebate

(Must be a working refrigerator or freezer between 10 and 30 cubic feet. Limit of two appliance recycling rebates per household.)

HVAC Duct Sealing k Electric heated homes: 100 percent of the installed cost, up to a maximum of $500 rebate k Fossil fuel with central air or heat pump: Maximum $250 rebate (New homes, built in the last two years, are not eligible. Limit one rebate per home.)

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KEN FRYE is general manager of Daviess-Martin County REMC.

Home Heating

Home Upgrades TIP OF THE MONTH

Last year, we introduced a new duct sealing program with a rebate of $250 or $500, depending on the application.

This year we have added a new rebate for homeowners who upgrade the insulation in their attic.

Each incentive has conditions that must be met, and an overview of these programs are printed below.

Full details of the rebate program and an application form are available at the Daviess-Martin County REMC office, or can be downloaded from the co-op’s website, www.dmremc.com.

ELECTRIC CONSUMER • MARCH 2015 • ElectricConsumer.org

Attic Insulation k Electric heated homes: 100 percent of the installed cost, up to a maximum of $500 rebate k Fossil fuel with central air or heat pump: Maximum $250 rebate Lighting - CFL and LED bulbs k Online store with free shipping (dmremc.com) k Minimum purchase of six lamps is required k Instant rebate is applied to purchase – $2 rebate: CFL lamps and reflector floods and small LED lamps – $5 rebate: Small LED lamps and reflector floods – $10 rebate: Large LED reflector floods

New Home Construction Touchstone Energy® Home k New home construction program offered at no charge to homeowners and builders k Homes must meet Touchstone Energy Home Standards and program requirements k Provides a certified energy rating, home rating documents, and Touchstone Energy Home certification to the co-op, builder and homeowner k Visit www.itehome.com for details and qualifications.

Dual Fuel Touchstone Energy Home k Same construction requirement for all-electric Touchstone Energy Home k Requires ≥ 90 percent AFUE fossil fuel furnace with 100 percent combustion air coming from outside k Requires ≥ 16 SEER heat pump k No guaranteed heating costs k Visit www.itehome.com for details and qualifications.

IVE CO-OP NOTES GPS data collection begins

Daviess-Martin County REMC and Alpha Engineering will be collecting GPS information for poles, transformers, security lights and meters supplied from the Bramble substation. This substation provides power to areas surrounding Bramble, Loogootee, Odon and Montgomery. The trucks will be labeled, and the employees will be wearing shirts with company logos.

Energy assistance ends March 15

Participants in the Energy Assistance Program are reminded that the moratorium on disconnection for nonpayment ends Sunday, March 15.

Accounts assisted by EAP must be brought up to date before then or they may be disconnected the following Monday. If you have questions about your account, please call our office before March 15.

Statement of nondiscrimination

Daviess-Martin County Rural Electric Membership Corporation is the recipient of federal financial assistance from the Rural Utilities Service, an agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and is subject to the provisions of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as amended; Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended; the Age Discrimination Act of 1975, as amended; and the rules and regulations of the U.S. Department of Agriculture which provide that no person in the United States on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, religion, age or disability shall be excluded from participation in, admission or access to, denied the benefits of, or otherwise be subjected to discrimination under any of this organization’s programs or activities.

The person responsible for coordinating this organization’s nondiscrimination compliance efforts is Kenneth W. Frye, general manager of Daviess-Martin County REMC. Any individual, or specific class of individuals, who feels that this organization has subjected them to discrimination may obtain further information about the statutes and regulations listed above from and/or file a written complaint with this organization; or the Administrator, Rural Utilities Service, Stop 1510, 1400 Independence Ave., SW, Washington, D.C., 20250-1510; or the Director, Office of Civil Rights, Room 326-W, Whitten Building, 1400 Independence Ave., SW, Washington, D.C. 20250-9410; or call 202720-5964 (voice or TDD). USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer. Complaints must be filed within 180 days after the alleged discrimination. Confidentiality will be maintained to the extent possible.

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Daviess-Martin County REMC 2015 Annual Meeting

•••••••••••••••• Thursday, April 9 | Shoals High School Gymnasium Registration: 5:30 p.m. | Business Meeting: 7 p.m.

‘Win! Win! Win!’ Each month, Daviess-Martin County REMC asks our readers three questions to which the answers can be found in the articles of Electric Consumer. Follow these simple rules: 1.) Clip the coupon along the dotted line. 2.) Fill it out. 3.) Return it to our office with your monthly payment before the 20th of the month. (Delinquent payments are not eligible.)

Each month a winner will be drawn from the entries submitted.

Make sure you bring or mail in your most recent coupon, as the coupons are dated monthly. Members with automatic payment accounts will be entered in the contest as well. Copies will not be accepted, and coupons are not available at the office! Winners will be notified and their names published in the following monthly issue of Electric Consumer. JANUARY WINNER: Melvin Albright, Shoals

$50 MONTHLY DRAWING (FOR BILLS DATED MARCH 5; PAID BY MARCH 20)

1. The Daviess-Martin County REMC Annual Meeting will be held on __________________________________.

2. One of the most common and crucial ways DMREMC provides you with safe, reliable electric service is ________________________________ clearing.

3. To keep your children safe, teach them proper electricity _________________________.

NAME: ________________________________________________________ ADDRESS: ____________________________________________________ ACCOUNT NO.: _______________________________________________ PHONE NO.: __________________________________________________

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Daviess-Martin County REMC News

Clearing for RELIABILITY

BY MEGHAAN EVANS

T

here are many ways that Daviess-Martin County REMC provides you with safe, reliable electric service. One of the most common — and crucial — ways is referred to as right-of-way clearing (or vegetation management).

A right of way (ROW) refers to a strip of land underneath or around power lines that your electric cooperative has the right and responsibility to maintain and clear.

Trees must grow at a distance far enough from conductors where they will not cause harm to individuals or disruption to electrical service. Specifications can vary, but a general guideline of maintaining a safe ROW is 15 feet of clearance on either side of the primary conductors and 20 feet of overhead clearance above the highest wire on the pole.

Clearing the ROW is critical to keeping our members’ lights on. An average of 15 percent of power interruptions occur when trees, shrubs or bushes grow too close to power lines.

If a tree encroaches on this safe distance, our contracted brush management team will trim back branches and brush using chainsaws, bucket trucks, tree climbers, brush chippers and mowers. Chemical control methods

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ELECTRIC CONSUMER • MARCH 2015 • ElectricConsumer.org

can also be used as a way to support the growth of low growing plant species that will outcompete the tall trees growing beneath power lines.

ROW clearing also keeps your family safe by ensuring that tree branches do not become energized due to close contact with a downed power line. Power lines can carry up to 34,500 volts, and an energized tree branch is incredibly dangerous — even deadly. Be mindful when around trees close to power lines, and make sure your children know that climbing trees near power lines is extremely dangerous.

ROW clearing is also critical to ensuring that we provide members with affordable electricity. Staying ahead of the game keeps us from having to come out after a storm to restore power due to fallen trees.

Remember to contact Daviess-Martin County REMC if you decide to trim or remove trees near any power service or line. And never trim a tree in the right-of-way zone on your own. …

MEGHAAN EVANS writes on consumer and cooperative affairs for the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association, the Arlington, Va.-based service arm of the nation’s 900-plus consumer-owned, not-for-profit electric cooperatives.

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