ANNUAL MEETING 2020 Save the Date... This year's Annual Meeting will be held on July 8, 2020, at RushShelby Energy Headquarters in Manilla.
CONTENTS 2
Annual Meeting
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Service Awards Greg File Promoted
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2020 Rebates
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Electrical Safety
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Quick Links
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Scholarships
The meeting will include a meal, live entertainment, giveaways, a grand-prize raffle and an enjoyable evening for your entire family. Look for additional details for the 2020 Annual Meeting in our June edition of the Electrawatt. We cannot wait to share the day with all you - our members.
Board Petitions
The RushShelby Energy Board of Directors is made up of nine individuals who set the policy and direction of our organization. Each year at the Annual Meeting, members are able to vote on three directors to serve on the board. In 2020, the three districts up for election are 1, 4 and 7.
Cover photo by: Kate Lunsford
District 1 - Keith Theobald
(USPS 171-360 Published Monthly) Contributors: Jason Clemmons, Cathy Rhoades, Brad Rogers and Jared Seiffert Publication Office: 2777 S. 840 W. Manilla, IN 46150 Periodical Postage paid in Indianapolis, Indiana 46206 POSTMASTER: Send address changes to: ELECTRAWATT P.O. Box 55, Manilla, IN 46150
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www.rse.coop
District 4 - Charlie Smith
District 7 - Bruce Everhart
Any member residing in a home served by RushShelby Energy and in a district up for election, may have his or her name placed on the ballot by completing a petition. The petition must have fifteen signatures from other RushShelby Energy members living anywhere on our cooperative system. If you are interested in serving on the board by becoming a director for RushShelby Energy, you must obtain a petition from our office beginning March 8, 2020. These petitions must be completed and returned to RushShelby Energy no later than May 8, 2020. Additional information pertaining to district boundaries and qualifications of candidates may be found on our website, www.rse.coop, in the bylaws section.
Help Us Help Y ou - Is Your Information Up to Date? In the utility business, we know that rough weather will occur, accidents will happen and sometimes power outages simply can't be avoided. Fortunately, there are some steps that you can take to ensure that your electricity is restored promptly. By keeping your contact information up to date, you can take full advantage of the service offerings RushShelby Energy provides. You may have called our office and been asked to update information, or perhaps you've seen a post on social media or in one of our newsletters. Ultimately, the more information that we have, the better equipped we are to serve you! We recommend that you review the following information to ensure that it is current and up to date: • Home Phone Number - Allows the system to automatically recognize your service location. • Cell Phone Number - This information ties to your account address as well. • Email Address - This allows us to send you updates and messages to keep you informed regarding your account. In addition to these, please ensure that all members living in the household that may call to request or update information are listed on the account. Updating your contact information can also help speed up power restoration. With correct information, our outage management system can predict the location and the possible cause of the outage, making it easier for our crews to correct the problem. Call us at 765-544-2600 or visit www.rse.coop, and make sure you're up to date.
Congratulations, Greg File Greg File has been promoted to Working Foreman with the retirement of Larry Herbert.
apprenticeship and started as a lineman. Greg has worked diligently over the years serving our membership.
Greg's father and grandfather were both linemen. True to form and following in their footsteps, Greg started with RushShelby Energy on August 5, 1991 as an apprentice. In May of 1995 Greg completed his
Greg is now one of two working foremen here at RushShelby Energy. As part of this new role, Greg will be responsible for supervising and directing a crew of linemen in the construction and maintenance of
overhead and underground electrical distribution systems. With more than 28 years in the field, we are excited for the wisdom and experience he will bring. Please join us in congratulating Greg on his new role.
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2020
Are you interested in transforming your home into a more efficient space and saving on your monthly energy costs? RushShelby Energy is focusing on you, our members, by offering rebates to help offset costly home improvements and improve your home's efficiency. We work alongside Hoosier Energy, our generation and transmission provider, to offer these programs. LIGHTING STORE Save big on lighting with our online lighting store. Lighting accounts for 10% of your home's cost for electricity. LED bulbs can make a big difference on your power bill. RushShelby Energy is a Team Up electric cooperative that offers discounts and easy online shopping for energyefficient lighting. Compared to traditional incandescent bulbs, energyefficient light bulbs typically use about 25-80% less energy and can last 2-25 times longer. Visit www.rse.coop and start saving today. FILTER CHANGE The most important maintenance task that will ensure the efficiency of your furnace is to routinely replace or clean its air filters. Clogged, dirty filters block normal air flow and reduce a system's efficiency significantly. To make saving energy easier, visit filterchange.coop and order your filters. Filter Change will email you friendly reminders when it's time to change your filter and you could save up to 15% on heating and cooling costs. APPLIANCE RECYCLING Appliance recycling has been a successful way of helping members as they upgrade to more energy efficient refrigerators and freezers. Again in 2020, we will partner with Raintree Habitat for Humanity ReStore. You can recycle your running refrigerator or freezer by calling Cathy Rhoades at 765-544-2938. We coordinate with Habitat for Humanity and provide you with a $50 rebate for recycling an older appliance. You also have the option of donating your rebate money to Habitat for Humanity
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REBATES
HEAT PUMP WATER HEATERS
Upgrading your electric water heater to a heat pump water heater is a very easy way to save a substantial amount of energy. Heat pump water heaters work by drawing in the surrounding air to heat the water. If the outside air is too cold, an electric resistant element kicks on to help heat the water. On average, switching from a standard electric water heater to a heat pump water heater can save $344.52 each year and you will receive a $500 rebate. HVAC • Air Source Heat Pump, Dual Fuel, Mini-Split - 16 SEER minimum; 14 SEER minimum for manufactured homes - $750 • Heat Pump, Mini-Split Heat Pump or Dual Fuel Replacing 100% Electric Resistance Heat16 SEER minimum; for manufactured homes - $800 single speed compressor; $1,500 for dual or multi-speed compressor • Geothermal Heat Pump - $1,500 It is very important that, as you begin researching a replacement HVAC system, you take the time to properly prepare. Prior to making any HVAC changes, you need to seal all air leaks throughout your home and add insulation to the attic, crawlspace/basement and walls. During this process, the installer will evaluate your home's size, the direction your home faces, the size of your windows and other criteria. This will be used in determining the proper equipment size and will allow your home to operate as efficiently as possible. As you apply for your HVAC rebate, we will require an AHRI certificate. You should request this certificate from your installer. The AHRI certificate compares the ratings of your indoor and outdoor HVAC equipment, confirming that the equipment is performing as expected within the home.
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Downed Power Lines,
What Should I Do?
Unfortunately, accidents do happen. They tend to happen to us when we least expect them. Whether it's a tree that's fallen on a powerline, a car accident that's taken out a pole or severe weather that has taken your power down, there are some things that you need to be aware of when dealing with high voltage powerlines. Imagine you're driving down a rural country road in the middle of the night, when suddenly your tire blows, you lose control and run into a power pole. With downed powerlines on your vehicle, a number of questions likely flood your mind. Am I safe? Should I get out? What should I do? If this happens to you, it is extremely important that you remain in your vehicle. While it can be tempting to leave the vehicle, you are far safer if you remain inside. What if my vehicle is on fire and my life is in danger? This is a great question and is the only instance in which you should vacate your vehicle. If you do find yourself needing to exit the vehicle for such a circumstance, then there are a few important steps to follow: • Do not step out of the vehicle. Touching the vehicle and the ground at the same time creates a path for the electric current and can result in serious injury or death. Instead, place both feet on the edge of your vehicle and leap, landing on both feet at the same time. • Do not walk or run from your vehicle. You should either hop or shuffle your feet until you have made your way to a safe distance. What if you're not the victim, but you happen to be the first one on the scene? The victim will likely be in shock and afraid. While our instinct may be to help, under no circumstances should you touch the vehicle, doing so is likely to cause serious injury or death. Instead, maintain a safe distance from the scene, encourage the victim(s) to remain in their vehicle and instruct any witnesses or bystanders to remain a safe distance away until emergency help has arrived and confirmed that the power is off. Lastly, if you encounter a downed powerline, always assume that it is live and dangerous until professionals arrive on scene and are able to confirm that the power is off. We are thankful for the opportunity to serve our communities. We hope these tips help you if you encounter a dangerous situation involving powerlines.
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Quick Links 2019 Milestones
March Events March 1 Vincennes Old Post Bluegrass Jam March 5-7 Bloomington Indiana Heritage Quilt Show March 13 Greenfield Shamrock the Block
In January, RushShelby Energy honored a group of employees for their years of service.
30 Years - Linda Hood, Vice President of Finance & Accounting 20 Years - Trudy Jones, Corporate Services Mangager Chris Chastain, Vice President of Engineering 15 Years - Dale Ann McCain, Service Order Clerk Jason Clemmons, Vice President of Marketing/Member Services Warren Shuppert, Staking Engineer
Sugar cream pie Saucepan mix: 1 1/2 C sugar 1/2 C flour 1 carton of half & half 1 T butter
From the Kitchen of Betty Mason
1/2 t vanilla 1 egg yolk 1 unbaked pie shell nutmeg
March 13-14 Portland Jay County Fiber Arts Festival March 17 Crown Point St. Patrick's Day Nighttime Parade March 21 - 22 New Castle Sugar Camp Days March 28 Metamora Annual Metamora Mandolin Gathering
Cook filling until it comes to a boil and thickens, pour into unbaked pie shell, sprinkle with nutmeg. Bake at 4250 for 25 minutes.
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PERIODICAL POSTAGE PAID
P.O. Box 55 Manilla, IN 46150-0055
Scholarship Deadline Connersville
Batesville
New Palestine
Franklin
For many years we have had the opportunity to offer scholarships to high school seniors. Two $1,000 scholarships will be awarded to graduating students living in homes served by RushShelby Energy. One scholarship will be designated for a Rush County or Shelby County resident. The other scholarship will be for a resident of the RushShelby Energy service territory. Home-schooled applicants within the RSE territory are eligible. All applications are all due on April 11, 2020. For more information or to print a copy of the application visit http://www.rse.coop/content/ scholarships or see your high school guidance counselor.
North Decatur
Southwestern
Morristown
Eastern Hancock
Knightstown
Triton Central
Tri High
Edinburgh
Shelbyville
Waldron
Rushville