A newsletter for members of Rural Electric Cooperative
June 2022
Co-op Comments A center for member engagement SmartHub is a convenient two-way communication program allowing members to access their Rural Electric account information through personal computers and mobile devices. SmartHub is intuitive, easy-to-navigate and provides much more than just bill payment. SmartHub is a tool to help all of REC’s members. During this time of abnormal business practices, SmartHub allows members an opportunity to have full access to their account and a better understanding of their daily usage patterns without having to come into the office. Creating an account takes less than three minutes and many of you are already connected. With SmartHub, members can pay their bill immediately with secure online payments, view monthly electricity usage and history including daily kWh, manage account information directly
REC's Nominating Committee is scheduled to meet in June The 2022 Nominating Committee will meet in June to select candidates for Rural Electric Cooperative’s Board of Trustees. As defined in the Bylaws, the Nominating Committee selects at least three members-one from each district-as candidates for the Board of Trustees. Guidelines for nominations and election of Trustees are contained in Article Three (3), Section Seven (7) of REC’s Bylaws. Copies of Bylaws are available upon request at REC’s headquarters. Candidates for the Board of Trustees are voted on at REC’s 83rd Annual Meeting held on Saturday, October 1, 2022. The meeting will be held in REC’s Multi Purpose Center located north of Lindsay on State Highway 76. A list of candidates nominated by the Nominating Committee and by petition shall be filed in the office of the Cooperative and posted at the main entrance of the Cooperative’s headquarters in Lindsay, Oklahoma at least 90 days prior to the Annual Meeting.
and track payment history from their mobile devices or on the web. Members can also report an outage with SmartHub and signup to receive notifications via email or text messaging concerning their account information. Members also have the ability to sign up for text message or email alerts for planned and unplanned outages and outage restoration. To pay your bills or utilize any of the other features, simply go to www.recok.coop and enter your login information or register as a new user. While you are on REC's website, there is information and videos on using SmartHub. The videos and information can be found under the Account and Billing tab. From the Account and Billing tab, click on SmartHub and from the drop down menu select your desired topic. SmartHub is available on Android and iOS smartphones and tablets as well as on the web. To download the free SmartHub app for your mobile device or tablet, click on the App Store icon on your iPhone/iPad or the Google Play icon on your Android phone/tablet, and search for the “SmartHub” app. Rural Electric is proud to provide our members a powerful, secure and convenient account access, as well as detailed information about your energy usage via SmartHub. Sign up today to experience the new and exciting features of SmartHub. For any questions about SmartHub or signing up for an account, please contact our office at 405-756-3104.
CEO’s MESSAGE
New alternatives in how to use electricity
If you listen carefully, you can hear a quiet transformation happening. Electric appliances and equipment are becoming more popular than ever among consumers. Inside the home, consumers and homebuilders alike are turning to electric appliances to increase energy efficiency and savings. Whether a traditional electric stove or an induction stove top, both are significantly more efficient than a gas oven. Conventional residential cooking tops typically use gas or resistance heating elements to transfer energy with efficiencies of approximately 32 percent and 75 percent respectively (according to ENERGY STAR®). Electric induction stoves, which cook food without any flame, will reduce indoor air pollution and can bring water to a boil about twice as fast as a gas stove. Robotic vacuums are also gaining in popularity. Fortune Business Insights attributes the growth and popularity of robotic vacuums like Roomba to a larger market trend of smart home technology and automation (think Alexa directing a Roomba to vacuum). 2 Co-op Comments
More tools and equipment with small gas-powered motors are being replaced with electric ones including plug-in batteries. In the past few years, technology in battery storage has advanced significantly. Hand-held tools with plug-in batteries can hold a charge longer and offer the user the same versatility and similar functionality as gas-powered tools. For DIYers and those in the building trades, national brands such as Makita, Ryobi and Milwaukee offer electric versions of their most popular products like drills, saws, sanders and other tools. In addition to standard offerings, consumers can now purchase a wider array of specialty tools with a plug-in. A case in point is the increased use of electric-powered tools and equipment, with more national brands offering a wider selection including lawn mowers, leaf blowers, string trimmers and snow blowers. The quality of zero- or low-emissions lawn equipment is also improving. Electric equipment also requires less maintenance, and often the biggest task is keeping them charged. In addition, electric equipment is quieter so if you want to listen to music or your favorite podcast while performing outdoor work, you can; something which would not be possible with gas-powered equipment. On the horizon, autonomous lawn mowers (similar to the robotic vacuum cleaners) will be seen dotting outdoor spaces. Another benefit of using electric appliances or equipment is by virtue of being plugged into the grid, the environmental performance of electric devices improves over time. In essence, electricity is becoming cleaner through increases renewable energy generation, so equipment using electricity will have a diminishing environmental impact over time. Quite a hat trick–improving efficiency, quality of life and helping the environment.
June 2022 Co-op Comments Official publication of Rural Electric Cooperative, Inc. CO-OP COMMENTS is owned, controlled and directed by Rural Electric Cooperative, Inc. It is printed monthly and mailed to members in Garvin, McClain, Comanche, Stephens, Grady and Carter counties in Oklahoma. Rural Electric Cooperative, Inc. 13942 Highway 76 • P.O. Box 609 Lindsay, OK 73052 405-756-3104 • 800-259-3504 Outage Number: 855-399-2683 www.recok.coop
Board of Trustees Gary Jones, President, District 1 Scott Christian, Vice President, District 1 Brent Bacon, Sec./Treasurer, District 1 Larry Anderson, District 2 Johnny Harrel, District 2 Terri Hays, District 2 Charles Crawford, District 3 Mark Finch, District 3 Randy Griswold, District 3 Management and Staff Dusty Ricks, Manager/CEO Linda Ray, CFO Kelli Lindsey, Administrative Assistant and Staff Coordinator Elaine Gilreath, Manager of Customer Service and Data Processing Jon Jones, Manager of Engineering Mitch Gilreath, Manager of Information Technology Services Megan Lawrence, Manager of Member Services and Marketing Keith Hailey, Manager of Safety and Loss Control/Facilities David Crull, System Superintendent Jason Mays, Operations Superintendent
CO-OP NEWS
REC hosts art calendar contest Recently, REC held the annual art calendar contest for students within REC’s service territory. The winning artwork submitted will be used in the calendar given to the members at REC’s 83rd Annual Meeting. Students from nine schools: Alex, Cement, Elmore City-Pernell, Lindsay, Maysville, Ninnekah, Paoli, Wayne and Wynnewood submitted 134 entries. REC received submissions from students in fifth grade through 12th. 191600 Entries needed to include an rural elec-
tricity theme and contain the letters REC. Students were allowed to use their desired medium on an 8 ½ x 11 inch paper. REC had local member artists:Valerie Beck and Nancy McGee, anonymously select the winners for the contest. Beck is a former art teacher and artist from Lindsay and McGee is a former art teacher from Pauls Valley and artist from Elmore City. The judges selected the front cover art winner along with each month's winners. The cover art winner won $100 while the individual month winners won $50 each.
The front cover art winner is Ever Juarez from Lindsay. Monthly calendar winners include: Areaunna Tucker from Ninnekah, Brylee Moore from Lindsay, Tiffany Castro from Ninnekah, Kylee Byrum from Lindsay, Gabriella Walker from Ninnekah, Skiliey Turner from Cement, LMS Team: Dusty Ramsey, Maxon Simonton and Keagyn Gibson from Lindsay, Emma Heath from Wynnewood, Lydia Moore from Wynnewood, Kasey Fieds from Wynnewood, Kaiton Robbins from Lindsay, Braelyn Fowler from Lindsay and Natalie Cottrell from Lindsay.
Winners from Ninnekah from left to right: Areaunna Tucker, Tiffany Castro and Gabriella Walker.
Winners from Wynnewood from left to right: Emma Heath, Lydia Moore and Kasey Fields.
Winners from Lindsay from left to right: Ever Juarez, Brylee Moore, Kylee Byrum, Dusty Ramsey, Keagyn Gibson, Maxon Simonton, Braelyn Fowler, Kaiton Robbins and Natalie Cottrell.
Month winner Skiliey Turner from Cement. Co-op Comments 3
Classified Advertisement MISCELLANEOUS FOR SALE: New Coleman Powersports
Classified Ads are FREE to REC members to post noncommercial items. Deadline for ads is the 8th of every month. Call the Member Services Dept. at 405-756-3104 ext. 238.
Go Cart, 2 seated, never used, includes owner’s manual, $750. PH: 405-351-0878.
FOR SALE: Adult wheelchair, $280. PH: 405-351-0878.
The Steps to Restoring Power When a major outage occurs, our crews restore service to the greatest number of people in the shortest time possible - until everyone has power.
Account number worth $10 bill credit Locate your account number in an article of this issue; it will be good for a $10 credit on your electric bill. To claim the prize, you must locate the account number - if the number is yours, contact REC by the 10th of the month and we will credit your account. Only the member assigned that number is eligible for the prize. If you don’t know your account number, it can be located on your electric bill.
Does REC have your most up-to-date account information? Call our office at 405-756-3104 and make sure we have your current phone numbers and email address so we can communicate what is happening around REC.
Energy Efficiency Tip of the Month If you are looking to add smart technology to your home, consider smart plugs. Smart plugs are inexpensive and can be used to control lighting and other electronic devices through a smart phone app. With smart plugs, you can conveniently manage lighting, home office equipment, video game consoles and more. By powering off unused devices when you are away, you can save energy (and money). Learn more at energystar.gov.
1. High-Voltage Transmission Lines These lines carry large amounts of electricity. They rarely fail but must be repaired first.
2. Distribution Substations Crews inspect substations, which can serve hundreds of thousands of people.
3. Main Distribution Lines Main lines serve essential facilities like hospital and larger communities.
4. Individual Homes and Businesses After main line repairs are complete, we repair lines serving individual homes and businesses.
Local Co-op Connection Card Deals A-U-Store It, Purcell $5 off first month rent Backroads Boutique, Lindsay 5% off everything excluding special order and sale items Best Western, Chickasha 15% Off Regular Room Rate Blue Moose Outdoor Portable Rentals, Elmore City 5% Off Septic Tank Pumping, Tent Rental and Special Event Toilet Rentals
Chickasha Diesel Services, Chickasha $50 off any big diesel oil change Edwards Canvas, Pauls Valley - 5% Off Jenny’s Pics Photography, Lindsay 10% Off $50 or More Purchase of Pictures Lindsay Tire and Lube, Lindsay $5 Off Any Full Service Oil Change M & M Furniture, Chickasha 10% Off Any Purchase Mazzio’s Italian Eatery, Purcell 10% Off Purchase Photos by Ginger, Pauls Valley 1 Free 8x10 Print With First Order of $25 Pharmacy Discounts Check out the discounts available using your Co-op Connections Card at participating pharmacies throughout our area. For a complete list of pharmacies, visit REC’s website to see if your pharmacy is offering discounts to Co-op Connections Card holders.
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