2014 Orange County REMC News

NEWS FROM YOUR COOPERATI www.myremc.coop CONTACT US OFFICE

812-865-2229 TOLL FREE 888-337-5900 BILL PAYMENTS 855-865-2229 CONTACT US BY EMAIL

orangecoremc@myremc.coop GENERAL MANAGER/CEO

Danny L. Arnold OFFICE HOURS

7 a.m.–5 p.m., Monday-Friday STREET ADDRESS

7133 N. State Road 337 Orleans, IN 47452 MAILING ADDRESS

P.O. Box 208, Orleans, IN 47452 EMERGENCY POWER OUTAGES

To report service interruptions, call: 812-865-2229 or 888-337-5900, day or night. Please have the phone number associated with your account ready when reporting outages. Please limit after hours calls to emergencies and outage situations.

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Eugene Roberts, DISTRICT 1 Randy Roberts, DISTRICT 2 Danny Easterday, DISTRICT 3 Rodney Hager, DISTRICT 4 Ben Lindsey, DISTRICT 5 Brian Hawkins, DISTRICT 6 George Key, DISTRICT 7 REMC KEY STAFF

Marty Frank, OPERATIONS MANAGER Marcy Bennett, OFFICE MANAGER Larry Pinnick, STAKING ENGINEER Michael Roberts, STAKING ENGINEER Misty Tincher, ACCOUNTANT Billy Chastain, MATERIALS MANAGER Mark Belcher, MARKETING/MEMBER SERVICES

Looking to the future At the 2014 annual meeting, Orange County REMC members were informed about issues that can have a dramatic impact on the cost of electricity. A representative from our state service association asked the membership DANNY L. to help tell the Environmental ARNOLD Protection Agency (EPA) that newly proposed regulations will have an adverse impact on millions of households nationwide. I used my time, with help from REMC member Marlene Sipes, to encourage members to become proactive in controlling both current and future energy costs.

The results were mixed. The membership responded well on the EPA regulation issue and over 100 meeting attendees submitted comment cards before they left the meeting. Since the annual meeting, others have contacted the EPA through the www.

Action.coop website, and Orange County REMC currently ranks second in the state in number of member contacts with EPA. Not as many members acted to control their costs through the Energy Management or Time-of-Use billing option, but both of those programs continue to grow and an increasing number of members are lowering their energy costs and helping reduce the size of future rate increases. REMC remains committed to providing the membership mechanisms to take control of their energy future.

During its first meeting following the annual meeting, the board of directors elected new officers to lead the cooperative.

The board chose Danny Easterday, president; Eugene Roberts, vice president; and Rodney Hager, secretary/treasurer, as the cooperative’s leadership team for the next two years. Each is an experienced board member and all have obtained certification through the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association as Credentialed Cooperative Directors. There will be challenges facing the officers as outside forces act to increase the price you pay for electricity. The new officers, other board members, REMC management and staff, welcome your feedback and encourage you to provide suggestions or comments as we move forward. We also encourage you to continue to contact the EPA through Action.coop to make your voice heard on this issue.

Shortly after the annual meeting, REMC announced another upcoming leadership change. The 2014 annual meeting was my 24th and final as CEO for the cooperative. After a career spanning 42 years in the cooperative utility industry, I will be retiring in the spring of 2015. I have enjoyed working with and for the members, directors and employees over the years. My successor will be a very lucky person.

DANNY L. ARNOLD is general manager/CEO of Orange County REMC.

MEMBER SERVICES

•Free energy analysis •Budget billing •Automatic payments •Security lights •Home security systems •Medical emergency monitoring •Air evac life team •Water heater and HVAC incentives (requires an EM switch) •Online bill payment options •Interactive Voice Response system . for payments and account inquiries via phone: 1-855-865-2229 •VISA, MasterCard and Discover accepted 4

Board of directors elects new officers

Danny Easterday President District 3

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Eugene Roberts Vice President District 1

Rodney Hager Secretary/Treasurer District 4

IVE Employee service anniversaries

Rate Schedule (for July, August and September of 2014) Rate Schedule for Standard Service Standard Service Consumer Charge Standard Service Energy Charge Wholesale Power Cost Tracker Security Lighting- 100 W HPS Security Lighting- 175W MV Total bill x Indiana sales tax 7%

Lorena Lindsey 2 years

Ashley Terrell 10 years

Robert White 8 years

Jeff Bennett 24 years

$26.00 $0.1124 $0.0019832 $9.82 $9.82

Example for 1,200 kWh Standard Service Consumer Charge $26.00 1,200 kWh @ .1124 $134.88 Wholesale Power Cost Tracker @ 0.0019832 $2.38 Total $163.26 Indiana sales tax $11.43 Total bill $174.69 Example for 1,200 kWh (regular) and 750 kWh (ETS) Standard Service Consumer Charge $26.00 ETS Consumer Charge $5.40 1,200 kWh @ .1124 $134.88 750 kWh @ .0691 $51.83 Wholesale Power Cost Tracker @ 0.0019832 $3.87 Total $221.97 Indiana sales tax $15.54 Total bill $237.51 (Visa, MasterCard and Discover cards accepted)

Join us for the final concerts of the 2014 season: Aug. 2 Aug. 9

Sweetwater Band Crawford Co. Community Band

Concert-goers are encouraged to bring their own drinks and lawn chairs or blankets.

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Orange County REMC News

Back to school

STUDENT SAFETY

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How to shop for new lightbulbs While many of you mow grass, attend Little League games or head out for dinner, I’m at home testing lightbulbs. That’s no joke. As an energy consultant for our MARK BELCHER members, I’ve been studying the many available lights on the market, hoping to simplify the task for you.

The task is tough because products using new technology emit light differently than the traditional incandescent bulb. It requires us to assess our understanding of lighting and possibly learn new terms.

Let’s do some “home” work — in the most literal sense.

Your first action is to inventory lighting fixtures and lamps throughout your home. Unless you’ve been really proactive, you will most likely find a mix of lingering incandescent bulbs, coupled with some compact florescent lamp (CFLs). Light Emitting Diode (LED) technology might also be present. Most homes will have a mix of candelabra base (the smaller base) and standard base bulbs. Take notes on all your findings.

Next, try to determine whether it’s an area where you want warm or cool light. Color in lighting is measured on a scale referred to as Kelvin (K). The lower the K the warmer the bulb. With a rating of 2700K, it could appear as candlelight or soft white light. In the range of 4100K or higher, the light becomes much whiter, leaning toward a bluish hue.

The paint colors in your room, lamp shade tones and natural light sources should also play a role in your choices.

For instance, light walls will appear much brighter with 4100 K coloring. Likewise, white lampshades will disperse a very bright light because it comes through the shade. If you have dark shades, the light will stream a color of light above and below the shade. If you combine wood tones with a 4100

K (because of the bluish cast), some lights might appear rather green.

Confused? Basically, there’s only one way to find comfort and savings. You have to give it a try. I would suggest starting with a lower K — around 2700 — a K most similar to a traditional bulb.

A new label designed by the Federal Trade Commission is on every new lightbulb or LED. Reading it will help you make wise choices. The brightness of the light is listed in lumens at the top of the label — the higher the number, the brighter the light. As we reform our thinking, remember this important factor — lumens are not equal to watts, and contrary to popular belief, watts are not a measure of brightness. Also on the label is the K rating, noted as “light appearance.” Life expectancy, the watts or “energy used” and the estimated yearly energy cost to operate the light source are also on the label.

LEDs and CFLs are both good options for reducing your electric bills.

I recommend you try different manufacturers, check on return policies, keep

your receipts and open packages carefully. As your co-op representative, I want you to make choices that will suit your lifestyle, help you save money and contribute to the overall green efforts to reduce energy consumption.

Sooner than later, find the right combination of lights for your home needs. It’s money in your pocket. For more information on energy-efficient lighting, check out our cooperative website: teamuptosave.com/lighting.

MARK BELCHER is manager of marketing/ member services at Orange County REMC.

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