2019 February NAEC The Messenger

FEBRUARY 2019

THE MESSENGER A Publication for North Arkansas Electric Cooperative Members

Types of Heat Pumps Air-Source Heat Pumps

The member-funded Operation Round Up® program awards thousands of dollars in scholarships to local graduating high school seniors each year.

The co-op is accepting applications for the 20192020 scholarship program.

Students may get the application from the counselor’s office or www.naeci.com/ operation-round-up-scholarship. Applicants must submit the typed, completed application to NAEC by

See SCHOLARSHIP on back.

I AT I O N

SOC

AS

EC

EL

Scholarship applications ELECTRIC COOPERATIVES available OF SOUTH CAROLINA

T E N N ES S E E

North Arkansas Electric Cooperative is accepting applications for the 2019 Electric Cooperative Youth Tour. Four high school juniors will be selected to attend the all-expense-paid trip to Washington, D.C., GEO June 14-20.

RGIA EMC The application is available at www.naeci.com/ youth-tour and at NAEC offices. The co-op must receive completed applications by March 14. Please call 870-895-6210 with any questions.

TRI

IV C C O O P E R AT

E

NAEC seeks Youth Tour participants

• Most commonly used heat pumps • Moves heat rather than converting it from a fuel like combustion heating systems do • Can reduce heating costs by about 50 percent when compared to baseboard heaters or electric furnaces • Auxiliary heating system needed as our northern Arkansas temperatures drop below 10° to 25° F

Geothermal Heat Pumps • More expensive to install but provide more energy savings for heating and cooling • Move heat through pipes buried under the ground • When compared to a conventional heating system, can reduce energy use by 25 to 50 percent • Not ideal for smaller lots and certain soil conditions

THE ELECTRIC COOPERATIVES OF SOUTH CAROLINA

Ductless Mini-Split Heat Pumps

• Easier to install, quiet and small in size • Flexible for heating and cooling individual rooms and smaller spaces • No energy loss through ductwork, which accounts for more than 30 percent of a home’s energy use for space heating and cooling • Installation can be pricey

Heat pump systems should be installed by a licensed professional. Members may contact NAEC at 870-895-3221 to speak with an energy auditor or to learn about our Energy Efficiency and Conservation Loan Program that can finance heat pumps.

Sources: Department of Energy, Consumer Reports

ENERGY EFFICIENCY TIP OF THE MONTH Laundry Tip: Clean the dryer’s lint filter each load. The dryer will run more efficiently and safely. If you use dryer sheets, then clean the filter monthly with a toothbrush to remove film buildup that can decrease air circulation.

— energy.gov

Generator Safety: Workers’ lives are on the line The safety of our members and our employees is a top priority at North Arkansas Electric Cooperative, especially during dangerous times. When storms hit our area, we respond as soon as weather conditions allow our line workers to travel and make repairs safely.

Our line crews take necessary precautions before they work on downed power lines. They verify a circuit has been de-energized and that proper switches are opened and tagged to isolate the circuit from the system. They place ground chains on the circuit — on both sides of workers — to make sure the line cannot be energized while work is being done. But even after these measures, our workers’ lives remain in your hands.

Portable generators, widely used when power lines are down, can prove fatal to line workers and your neighbors when used improperly.

In 2005, a lineman died in Flomaton, Alabama, when he contacted a power line that was energized by an improperly installed generator. Forty-one-year-old Ronnie Adams of Winterville, Georgia, was working to restore power after Hurricane Dennis.

No one would purposely cause the death of a line worker. Nevertheless, a generator connected to a home’s wiring or plugged into a regular household outlet can cause backfeeding along power lines and electrocute anyone who comes in contact with them — even if the line seems dead.

NAEC employees are not the only ones in danger when a portable generator is used improperly. Generator owners themselves may be at risk of electrocution, fire injury, property damage or carbon monoxide poisoning if they do not follow the necessary safety rules.

We urge you to follow these safety guidelines: • Never connect a generator directly to a home’s wiring unless it has been wired for generator use.

Have a licensed electrician install the equipment necessary to safely connect emergency generators to your home.

• Always plug appliances directly into generators.

Connecting the generator to your home’s circuits or wiring must be done by a qualified, licensed electrician who will install a transfer switch to prevent backfeeding.

• Use heavy-duty, outdoor-rated extension cords free of cuts or tears. The plug needs three prongs.

• Ensure your generator is properly grounded.

• Never overload a generator. It only should be used when necessary to power essential equipment.

• Turn off all equipment powered by the generator before shutting it down.

• Keep the generator dry. Operate it on a dry surface under an open structure.

• Always have a charged fire extinguisher nearby.

• Never fuel a generator while it is operating.

— SCHOLARSHIP continued from front April 12. They must include a high school transcript and three letters of recommendation.

To be eligible for the scholarship program, high school seniors must graduate at the end of the 2019 school year, and their parents or guardians must be NAEC members.

Applicants also must have a high school grade point

average of 3.0 or higher on a 4.0 scale through the first semester of their senior year. The scholarship must be used to attend an accredited institute of higher learning on a full-time basis.

For more information, please call 870-895-6210 or email tmoss@naeci.com.

DAILY HIGHS & LOWS — DECEMBER 2018 Average Daily High: 50.75° compared to 49.23° in 2017

TEMPERATURE

Average Daily Low: 30.14° compared to 25.04° in 2017 Total Rainfall Amount: 4.16” compared to 1.88” in 2017 Warmest Day: Dec. 1, 68.6° at 1 p.m.

Coolest Day: Dec. 11, 16.4° at 4:30 a.m.

DAYS

CONTACT NAEC 870-895-3221 info@naeci.com naeci.com

IMAGES: TORI MOSS; NRECA; ISTOCK.COM/SMARTSTOCK

RIGHT-OF-WAY West Tree Service: Moko, Salem, Mountain Home (Northern Hills), Norfork and Salesville areas

ON THE FRONT Outside plant technician Keith Guffey visits with members at the NEXT sign-up event Jan. 8 in Horseshoe Bend.