2015 October Daviess-Martin County REMC News

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, Sept. 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.”

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

TIP OF THE MONTH

Unplug energy vampires

Don’t let vampires suck the life out of your energy efficiency efforts! Unplugging unused electronics — otherwise known as “energy vampires” — can save you as much as 10 percent on your electric bill.

— ENERGY.GOV

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The first thing we need to get right Some time ago, I found out that there were a few things that tended to keep me awake at night. Thoughts about work or other life worries can occupy my mind to the extent that makes it difDAVE SUTTER ficult for me to turn off. It’s those times when I have to convince myself to “change the channel in my mind” and go to a more peaceful place, like turning to the “fishing channel” so that I can get some rest.

One issue that can create sleepless anxiety is bad weather and power outages, which require our guys to work to repair our lines. Mother Nature can sure be humbling. While we do our best to keep our system in good repair, there isn’t anything we can build that will withstand the wrath of bad weather. This is when we must have faith that our staff knows what to do and how to do it safely. We invest a great deal of time and resources in training, and if we can’t work safely, nothing else really matters. Safety is truly the first thing we need to get right!

Our staff members do a good job staying focused on their work, and this is reflected in our overall safety record. While there is always room for improvement, I am pleased to be a part of an organization that “walks the talk” about safety.

A safety-related event occurred recently, which reminded me that we have more training to do. A car, driven by a high school student, ran off a rural road, hit one of our power poles and broke it off. Fortunately, the students in the car (driver and passenger) were not badly injured. However, as they exited the car, they came dangerously close to several energized power lines — each carrying 7,200 volts.

These energized lines, while stretched, were never severed or grounded, so the electricity traveling through them was not cut off. Again, fortunately, the students were able to exit the scene and were very

ELECTRIC CONSUMER • OCTOBER 2015 • ElectricConsumer.org

Use extra caution around fallen power lines.

lucky that no one was injured. Our crews were then called in to de-energize the line and make the needed repairs.

The lesson of this story is for us to remember to assess the area after an accident to make sure that our next move doesn’t create another potentially hazardous situation. In this situation, the correct action would have been to turn off the vehicle, assess the area to decide if there was any reason for anyone to exit the vehicle (such as the smell of leaking fuel).

If not, stay in the vehicle and avoid touching anything metal. Then, lower a window to tell anyone who might stop to help to stay away from the power lines, and, finally, call 911 for help.

It won’t be long before our season turns to winter. Roads will become slippery, and vehicles may slide into power poles and break them off. If this should happen to you or to a loved one, please remember to stay away from any downed power lines because they might still be energized and to call for help. By thinking about safety, perhaps we all will sleep a little better.

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

IVE REMC donates bottled water Once again, spectators buying bottled water at high school sporting events in the Daviess-Martin County REMC service area are part of a unique marketing effort. The REMC donated 252 cases of bottled water to local high schools to help in concessions fundraising. Each bottle is labeled with the co-op name and phrase “committed to community.”

“We saw, in this program, a special way to connect not only with our current members but with young people who are our members of tomorrow,” said Janet Chestnut, manager of communications/member relations at the REMC. The schools will retain all proceeds from the sale of the water and have the potential to raise more than $1,500 each. This is the 12th year the REMC has donated the bottled water to the schools.

WASHINGTON CATHOLIC SCHOOLS

LOOGOOTEE HIGH SCHOOL

SHOALS HIGH SCHOOL

BARR-REEVE HIGH SCHOOL

MITCHELL HIGH SCHOOL

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

AUGUST WINNER: Bruce Rahman, Loogootee

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

1.

When is the deadline for the annual report photo contest? _________________________________________________

2.

Unplugging unused electronics — otherwise known as ”energy vampires”— can save you as much as ________________ on your electric bill.

3.

How many cases of water did Daviess-Martin County REMC donate to local high schools? _________________________________________________

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

Wholesale tracker change Reflected on bills received in November, Daviess-Martin County REMC members will see a change in the wholesale power tracker adjustment effective Oct. 1. Hoosier Energy has changed the power tracker from $3.27 per 1,000 kwh used to $2.76 per 1,000 kwh used.

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Daviess-Martin County REMC News

Enter 2015 annual report photo contest Daviess-Martin County REMC is excited to announce its ninth annual report cover photo contest. The winning photo will be featured as the cover of the 2015 annual report. The following are the guidelines for the submission of photos for the contest. k Submissions must be recent color photographs that have been taken in our service territory. Springtime pictures are preferred due to the annual report being printed in April.

However, all pictures will be considered. A brief description of where the photo was taken, your name, address, telephone and account numbers must be submitted with the photo.

Photos that include people must have written consent for publication. k The photographer must reside in a Daviess-Martin County REMC household. k No more than three entries per photographer. k The winning photo, as voted on by REMC employees, will become the property of Daviess-Martin County REMC to use for publicity purposes such as, but not limited to, the annual report cover, website, Electric Consumer, etc. k Digital copies must be submitted with the photo. Photos and/or digital copies will not be returned to the photographer. k If the picture is a digital photo, we would prefer it to be a TIFF or JPEG file sized to 100 percent at a minimum 300 dpi. k The winning photograph will be used for the annual report front cover, and the winner will receive a check for $50. Second and third place winners will receive a $25 check each. First, second and third place photographs will be printed in Electric Consumer. k All entries must be submitted by Nov. 6 to our business office at 12628 E 75 N, Loogootee, or mailed to P.O. Box 430, Loogootee, IN 47553 by this date. The winner will be announced in the January Electric Consumer. k This is not an exhaustive list of rules. REMC reserves the right to reject all entries. Please contact our office at 800-7627362 with any questions. k REMC employees, board members and their families are not eligible to participate.

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ELECTRIC CONSUMER • OCTOBER 2015 • ElectricConsumer.org

Geothermal: the groundbreaking way to heat and cool Need to install or replace your heating and cooling system?

Consider geothermal.

Geothermal heat pumps offer some of the best heating and cooling efficiencies available. For example, a comparison for an average Indiana home shows total winter heating costs to be as low as $750 for a geothermal system and more than $2,700 for a propane furnace.

Dan Welklin of Precision Comfort Systems, a central Indiana geothermal contractor who provided the heating cost comparisons, said its geothermal customers discover big energy savings when it comes to heating and cooling.

“They enjoy greater comfort and a longer system life,” Welklin said. “Also, there is no longer an outdoor unit to maintain.”

Rather than pulling heat from outside air in the winter, as air-source heat pumps do, geothermal systems extract heat from the earth and move it into the home.

According to the U.S Department of Energy, this allows the system to reach fairly high efficiencies (300 to 600 percent) on the coldest winter nights, compared to 175 to 250 percent for air-source heat pumps on cool days. In warmer weather, the process is reversed, and the geothermal system cools your home.

Some of that transferred heat is used to warm water for the house. In some cases, as much as 60 percent of a home’s hot water is heated by a “desuperheater,” which means even more energy savings.

Best of all, new geothermal systems are eligible for a $1,500 cooperative rebate, as well as a federal tax credit of 30 percent of the cost (including installation/labor costs), with no upper limit.

The system must include a desuperheater to receive the cooperative rebate and must be installed within our service area.

However, neighboring electric cooperatives may also offer a rebate, so check with them, as appropriate.

To qualify for the tax credit, systems must be installed before Dec. 31, 2016, in a home you both own and use as a residence.

The system must meet the requirements of the ENERGY STAR program. (If you have a second home, that can qualify, too.)

For more information, visit www.TeamUpToSave.com.

Daviess-Martin County REMC celebrates

NATIONAL COOPERATIVE MONTH O

ctober is National Cooperative Month, and Daviess-Martin County REMC — and all co-ops across the United States — are celebrating the benefits and values that cooperatives bring to their members and communities.

While co-ops operate in many industries and sectors of the economy, seven cooperative principles set us apart from other businesses — voluntary and open membership; democratic member control; member’s economic participation; autonomy and independence; education, training and information; cooperation among cooperatives; and concern for community.

“Today, people prefer options and alternatives to ‘big box’ businesses,” said Dave Sutter, general manager. “The co-op business model is unique and rooted in our local communities. Co-ops help us build a more participatory, sustainable and resilient economy.”

Daviess-Martin County REMC is proud to be part of America’s cooperative network, which includes more than 47,000 cooperative businesses.

Electric co-ops provide power for many Hoosiers, with 38 electric co-ops serving 1.3 million people in Indiana.

Daviess-Martin County REMC is one of more than 900 electric cooperatives, public utility districts and public power districts serving 42 million people in 47 states.

To learn more about Daviess-Martin County REMC, visit www.dmremc.com. …

Join us for...

MEMBER APPRECIATION DAY WHEN: Thursday, Oct. 8; 11 a.m. – 2 p.m.

WHERE: Daviess-Martin County REMC 12628 E 75 N, Loogootee Enjoy sandwiches, chips and soft drinks. Be entered for a chance to win one of four $25 bill credits and other giveaways!

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