2015 December Daviess-Martin Newsletter

NEWS FROM YOUR COOPERATI www.dmremc.com CONTACT US

Daviess-Martin County REMC TOLL FREE

800-762-7362

GENERAL MANAGER

Dave Sutter

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 MONTHLY MEETING

Tuesday, Dec. 22 7 p.m., Daviess-Martin REMC office 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.”

Tree maintenance essential to providing reliable electric service Having lived away from Indiana for a while, I realized how much I missed the big hardwood trees and their beautiful Hoosier autumn colors. You see, out west in Nebraska and Wyoming, DAVE SUTTER trees just aren’t as prevalent, and they sure don’t grow as fast due to the dryer climate and different soil type.

The trees here in our service territory are pretty. However, I do have an issue when trees and our power lines compete for the same space. This is when we have to decide what is more important — a tree’s beauty or having reliable electricity at a reasonable cost.

Each year as a part of our budget, we earmark resources to work on tree and vegetation management. Our annual goal is to trim and maintain about 20 percent of our total 1,150 miles of line, which amounts to roughly 10 percent of our overall controllable costs. Therefore, the business of tree management is an important issue for us.

The outages and potential problems that can occur if we don’t trim trees outweigh neglecting the growing trees. History has indicated that trees will fall at the least opportune times. The old saying of “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure” is true.

While we have a good program in place, we can always improve and we can use your help. Our normal right-of-way is 15 to 20 feet on each side of our power line, and sometimes trees grow within this area.

When this happens, sooner or later the tree will become a problem and will need to be trimmed or taken out in order to prevent an outage. When you compare our rightof-way to a nearby tall tree, which could be taller than 60 feet, there isn’t much we can do to totally protect the lines from falling limbs.

We try to do what we think is right and obtain your permission before we cut or trim trees. Sometimes, though, tree trimming is more dangerous and costly than cutting it down. If you see a tree that could potentially endanger our lines, please call the office and let us know the location.

We will have someone take a look at it. If it is problematic, we will work to trim or remove it.

Your help and understanding will help us continue to provide reliable and affordable electric service to you and our other members.

Thank you, and as always, please be safe. …

DAVE SUTTER is general manager of Daviess-Martin County REMC.

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Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

TIP OF THE MONTH

Close your fireplace damper unless a fire is burning

from the board of directors and employees of Daviess-Martin County REMC

Keeping the damper open is like leaving a window wide open during the winter, allowing warm air to escape through the

The office will be closed Dec. 24, 25 and 31 and Jan. 1.

chimney.

— ENERGY.GOV

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ELECTRIC CONSUMER • DECEMBER 2015 • ElectricConsumer.org

Give the gift of power!

This Christmas, wrap up an REMC gift certificate for a friend.

For details, call the REMC at 812-295-4200.

IVE ‘Win! Win! Win!’

2016 director election timeline Director districts up for election: District I: Daviess County (Elmore, Madison, Steele and Bogard townships) District IV: Daviess County (Harrison and Reeve townships)

Incumbent directors whose terms expire: District I: Steve Streepy District IV: Terry Chapman

Named incumbents’ intention to seek a seat on the board of directors will be announced in the February issue of the Electric Consumer. Petitions of nomination are due by Feb. 22, 2016. Petition forms are available by calling or stopping by the REMC office. Director candidates will be listed on the official notice of the annual meeting mailed to the membership as a separate enclosure with the March 2016 electric bill. Candidate biographies will be published in the April issue of Electric Consumer and in the annual report. Director election will be held at the annual meeting of the membership on April 7.

Rebate deadline approaches Each year, Daviess-Martin County REMC offers members rebates designed to assist them in purchasing higher efficiency heating, cooling or water heating appliances, duct sealing and insulation.

However, the program is re-evaluated each year and cannot be guaranteed to be in effect in the coming years.

The deadline for the current rebate program is Dec. 31.

For more information, visit our website at www.dmremc.com.

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 will be published in the following monthly issue of Electric Consumer.

OCTOBER WINNER: Steve McDonald, Odon

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

1.

The deadline for the current rebate program is ________________________________________________ .

2.

The Daviess-Martin County REMC pay-by-phone number is ________________________________________________ .

3.

Extension cords are designed for ______________________ use and should never be used as a permanent or long-term solution.

NAME: ADDRESS: ACCOUNT NO.: PHONE NO.:

ElectricConsumer.org • DECEMBER 2015 • ELECTRIC CONSUMER 5

Daviess-Martin County REMC News

Keep your information safe online

K

eeping your personal information secure online might seem like a difficult task, thanks in part to nearly constant news of breaches, bugs and hacks. Luckily, there are steps you can take to increase your online security and decrease the likelihood that a malicious hacker will steal your private data.

Be skeptical Bring the same skepticism you’d bring in the brick-and-mortar world to your experiences online. k You wouldn’t provide your credit card number, Social Security number and mother’s maiden name to a stranger on the street. Don’t do it online. Only provide it to trusted sources on secure sites. Look for “https” or a padlock symbol in the address bar. k If you receive an email purporting to be from a known entity, like your bank or credit card, asking you to click through to log into your account, instead go directly to the site by typing the URL into the address bar. You can also call the number on your card or the official website to inquire about the email. k Use a credit card with consumer protections to shop online instead of your debit card, which would give a thief direct access to your checking or savings account. Try to use only one card for all your online purchases to further reduce risk exposure.

Don’t overshare Social media can be a fun way to share our lives, yet some things people happily post publically on social media can compromise safety online and offline. k Your birthdate is key information to accessing many accounts. If you want to share your birthday online, consider not sharing the year. k Your mother’s maiden name, your favorite pet, the street on which you grew up and even your 28

favorite sports teams can be used to answer challenge questions to access various accounts. Keep this information shared with friends only, if possible, or pick non-factual responses to use consistently in response to security challenge questions. “Favorite pet? Abraham Lincoln.” k Consider not using your full legal name on public social media accounts.

Arm yourself It will be more difficult to keep your information secure online if your computer, tablet, smartphone, browser and home network are vulnerable. k Secure your wireless network — and all your devices — with strong passcodes that use a mix of uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers and symbols. Some security experts suggest creating a sentence with personal meaning from which you can create an acronym. Change your passwords once every six months. k Only use public wireless networks that are secure. If you must use an unsecured network, do not conduct financial transactions, such as accessing your bank account. k Make sure your operating system and browsers run with the latest updates and security patches. k Use security software on your computers and run regular scans.

ELECTRIC CONSUMER • DECEMBER 2015 • ElectricConsumer.org

k To keep digital documents safe,

you can encrypt your computer, your tablet and even your phone.

Alternatively, keep important or sensitive documents, like medical records and tax returns, on an external hard drive that isn’t connected to the Internet; plug into it only when you must access those documents. k Keep information safe offline, too. Securely shred any bills, financial statements, prescription labels, health information, receipts and similar documents that you do not need or want to keep. The personal information in these paper documents could compromise your identity both on and off line. Consider opting-out of pre-approved credit offers that, if they fell in the wrong hands, could allow someone to apply for credit in your name. Go to www.optoutprescreen.com or call 800.5.OPTOUT.

Reduce, reuse, recycle and redact Before donating your old electronics to charity or taking them to your local e-recycler, delete all data. Instructions and apps exist to walk you through wiping your electronics clean of all traces of you, and it’s an important part of keeping your personal correspondence and online identity out of the hands of strangers, ill-intentioned or otherwise. …

Tips for a safe and happy

HOLIDAY SEASON T

he holidays are upon us. For many, that means more celebrations with friends and family, travel, decorations, cooking and shopping. We can’t guarantee that the hustle and bustle of the season won’t leave you with a few frayed nerves, but we can certainly help you avoid frayed wires.

Daviess-Martin County REMC wants you to stay safe during the holidays, so here are a few tips to consider as you gear up for the season.

Inspect your seasonal items Many of us have treasured holiday mementos that we bring out of storage and proudly display every year. The holidays are also a time when we dust off specialized cooking gadgets that allow us to prepare our favorite seasonal treats. These items are often handed down through generations and might lack modern safety features.

Take a few moments to carefully inspect all your holiday items to ensure everything is in safe, working order. A few things to look out for include: k Brittle insulation on wires k Rodent damage to wires k Chafed or frayed wires, especially at stress points k Worn switches with the potential to short circuit k Corroded metal parts k Broken legs, unstable bases and other tip-over hazards

Extension cords are temporary When you asked your teacher for an extension on your term paper, it was a one-time thing, right? The same holds true for extension cords. They are

designed for temporary use and should never be used as a permanent or longterm solution.

Never defeat safety devices There are reasons why some devices have fuses, some plugs have three prongs instead of two, and one prong is wider than the other on two-prong outlets. When those safety features get in the way of your grand holiday décor plans, you might be tempted to tamper with or defeat those features. Don’t do it! If your plugs won’t fit together, that means they’re not designed to work together. Rather than tampering with a safety feature, find a safe solution.

Look up and live When working outside with a ladder, be mindful of the location of overhead power lines. Always carry your ladder so that it is parallel to the ground.

Before placing your ladder in an upright position, look around to ensure you are a safe distance from any power lines.

Beware of power lines through trees Over time, tree branches can grow around power lines running along the street and to your home. If those branches come in contact with power lines, they can become energized, too.

If your holiday plans call for stringing lights through trees, this can create a safety hazard. If you notice tree limbs that are too close to electric lines, contact Daviess-Martin County REMC.

Stay away from your service connection The overhead wire bringing power from

the utility pole to your house is dangerous. You should treat this line the same way you’d treat any other power line on our system. Maintain a safe distance – even if that means a small gap in the perfect gingerbread house outline of lights.

Read the fine print If you take a few minutes to read and understand the specifications and limitations of your lights and other electrified holiday decorations, you can save yourself a great deal of work and frustration in the long run.

For example, the tag at the end of an extension cord will tell you if it’s rated for outdoor use, whether it will remain flexible in cold temperatures and how much energy it can safely handle.

Similarly, holiday lights will tell you how many strings can be safely linked together.

Don’t forget about the kids… and pets If you have small children, you’ve probably spent a great deal of time making sure every square inch of your home is childproof. Every cabinet is locked and every outlet is covered. But sometimes the joy of celebrating the holidays with our little ones makes us a little less vigilant about electrical safety.

Make sure your holiday décor receives the same level of safety scrutiny you apply to all of the permanent items in your home. Curious and mischievous pets can present similar challenges. Make sure Fluffy isn’t nibbling on all those extra wires or using your tree as her personal back scratcher or jungle gym. …

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