COURIER The Kilowatt
March 2022
PREPARE FOR HEA DIRECTOR ELECTIONS
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s a member of a cooperative, Homer Electric Association (HEA) members have the opportunity to vote for their board of director in the district in which they reside. Ballots will be mailed to each member on April 4, 2022, and will include a district ballot, candidates’ resumes, the Official Notice of the Annual Meeting of Members, the 2021 Financial Balance Sheet, and detailed instructions for voting on the business reply envelope. Please exercise your right to vote and cast your vote for your district representative. Completed and signed ballots must be received by mail no later than May 3 to be validated. Only mailed in ballots will be validated. The results of the election will be announced on the day of the Annual Meeting and the newly elected Board of Directors will be introduced at the Annual Meeting.
PLAN TO ATTEND THE ANNUAL MEETING
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ith the turn of events over the past two years, our meetings may have looked a bit different. . Our goal is to have an in-person Annual Meeting this May, but the format will ultimately be determined by the current state of the pandemic. But our mission has always remained the same – we are part of your community, and our focus is on you. For your convenience and ease, HEA is offering various options to participate in this year’s Annual Meeting. Details will be in your ballot packet. • Our goal is to host an-person Annual Meeting Wednesday, May 4, 2022, at Kenai Central High School • Early registration for Annual Meeting attendance Register early from April 20, 2022, to May 3, 2022 on the HEA website and skip the line at the Annual Meeting! • View the live stream online There will be a live stream of the meeting for online viewing purposes only • Submit questions prior to the meeting Questions via an online form will be compiled and answered during the General Manager’s presentation at the Annual Meeting. This year’s Annual Meeting includes 98993001 updates by the General Manager and Board of Directors, the financial report, introductions of the newly elected HEA Board of Directors, and the presentation of the HEA Youth Outreach awards.
ALASKA LEGISLATIVE PRIORITIES FOR YOUR CO-OP
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he 2022 Alaska legislative session kicked off in January with a visit from the HEA legislative team who had the opportunity to visit with Governor Dunleavy and our local legislators in Juneau. Some of the legislative priorities that were discussed included the Electric Utility Liability Bill (HB29/SB110), the Bark Beetle Hazard Mitigation grants, and expansion of the Renewable Energy Fund (REF) grants. The Electric Utility Liability bill (HB29/SB110) will help ensure that electric utilities are not held responsible when trees outside of the Right of Way (ROW) fall into the power lines during high winds and winter storms. HEA maintains a proactive ROW maintenance program which clears a 20-foot wide easement. Despite our ROW clearing rotation every seven years, the threat of trees, outside the ROW, falling on power lines is a danger. The danger can be from wind, snow, or dead Spruce Bark Beetle-infested trees. HEA also advocated for Renewable Energy Fund (REF) grants for electric vehicle (EV) charging stations, solar power, and wind power funding. Kilowatt Courier is a monthly online publication by Homer Electric Association, Inc.
DEADLINES FOR YOUTH RALLY & POSTER CONTEST APPROACHING
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HIDDEN EA offers several opportunities for our ACCOUNT NUMBERS local youth. 13610001 The summer Youth Rally for high school sophomores and Three randomly chosen italicized account numbers are hidden juniors is hosted at the College of Idaho in in the Kilowatt Courier. Caldwell, Idaho, July 11 - 16, 2022. If you find YOUR account number, call The Youth Rally is designed to develop 235-3338 and you'll receive a $50 leadership skills, foster teamwork, strengthen credit which will be reflected on communication techniques, highlight the your next bill. Thanks for unique qualities of electric cooperatives, and reading! increase the awareness regarding important issues faced by the utility industry. The application deadline is CURRENT Friday, April 1, 2022. You can find more information on the RESIDENTIAL RATES Youth Rally and the online application HERE. As of January 1, 2022 The Electrical Safety Poster Contest is offered to 3rd and 4th grade students in HEA's service territory. Students are prompted to create a poster All Residential Customers depicting an electrical safety message. Prizes are awarded Energy charge = 16.077 cents/kWh Customer charge = $20.00 for Best Safety Message, Most Humorous Poster, and System delivery charge = $24.12* Most Creative Poster. Deadline to submit entries is Friday, (*If usage is less than 150 kWh) April 1, 2022. For more contest information, visit HERE or contact Tanya Lautaret at (907) 283-5831 or tlautaret@ Cost of Power Adjustment (COPA) homerelectric.com. 7.60 cents per kWh* (*Subject to change on a quarterly basis and upon RCA approval.)
2022 RIGHT OF WAY TREE CLEARING HAS STARTED
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rees falling on power lines are one of the leading causes of power outages. HEA's proactive right of way (ROW) tree clearing program is in place to prevent trees from growing into power lines causing outages and to stop devastating fires. In addition, it allows HEA crews to access power lines, identify outage causes, and make repairs safely and quickly. Clear, easily accessible ROWs allow for fewer, shorter outages, and an overall higher level of system reliability. On New Year's day, a big storm hit the Kenai Peninsula resulting in 175 outages causing significant storm damage to 88021001 our system. HEA linemen worked around the clock, for several days, to restore the power and repair the lines. Most of the outages were due to high winds blowing trees from outside the ROW into the line (as pictured to the right). Beginning last month, HEA began working on ROW tree clearing in the areas of Beaver Creek and Pollard Loop/South Kasilof area. Members in these areas have been notified and crews are working hard to protect our community from power outages and fire hazards. HEA values our members and we do our best to be mindful and treat your private property with respect. At HEA, our focus is on you, your safety, and your electric reliability. For more information on HEA's ROW clearing, visit HEA's ROW Maintenance Program webpage.
See www.homerelectric.com for the latest residential and commercial rates.
BOARD of DIRECTORS & MANAGER Ed Oberts, President (907) 398-8039 Erin McKittrick, Vice President (907) 299-6994 Jim Duffield, Sec./Treasurer (907) 283-2203 Jim Levine, Deputy Secretary (907) 299-0323 Dan Chay, Director (907) 283-9227 Mike Chenault, Director (907) 398-1010 Louie Flora, Director (907) 717-9602 Charles "C.O." Rudstrom, Director (907 ) 420-7124 Robert Wall, Director (907) 398-9191
MONTHLY FINANCIAL UPDATE
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omer Electric finished the month of January 2022 with a total asset base of $264.1 million. Operating revenue to date was $9.9 million and total costs were $8.8 million, bringing net operating margins to $ 1.1 million through January 31, 2022. This chart is a breakdown of key financial indicators comparing January 2021 to January 2022. Year to Date Operating Revenue Cost of Purchased Power
January 31, 2022 $ 9.9 million $6.0 million
January 31, 2021 $9.4 million $ 5.6 million
Cost of Electric Service Operating Margins
$2.8 million
$ 2.8 million
$ 1.1 million
$ 1.0 million
42.8 million
43.4 million
35,946
35,640
Total Kilowatt Hours Sold Total Number of Meters
Brad Janorschke, General Manager (907) 283-2312
MARCH 2022 KILOWATT COURIER Homer Electric Association, Inc. 3977 Lake Street Homer, AK 99603 (907) 235-8551 (800) 478-8551 280 Airport Way Kenai, AK 99611 (907) 283-5831 www.homerelectric.com Homer Electric Association, Inc. is an equal opportunity provider and employer.