TIMES M a r c h & A p r il 2 022
Winter storm landen
pg. 4
Safe, Reliable & Prepared
in this issue
president's message PG. 3 plant trees safely PG. 6 Cast your ballot Pg. 8 distracted driving awareness Pg. 9 community spotlight pg. 13
TRANSMISSION RELIABILITY By Todd Ware, President & Chief Executive Officer
Every day, you expect safe, reliable and affordable energy to operate your home or business. Delivering these services requires a complex system of natural gas pipelines and electric infrastructure and require a lot of coordination between multiple agencies and organizations. Due to the complexity of the systems, you may have noticed a Todd Ware slight increase in your Energy Cooperative bill. We have addressed the increase in natural gas and propane prices in earlier issues of this newsletter. Today, I would like to discuss the increase for our electric members.
We have seen a steady increase in transmission costs over the past several years. The offset of these costs is increased reliability from our transmission supplier. We see less down time and our members see fewer outages. The investments make the system more robust while also allowing a quicker outage restoration time as a result of improved technology. Several years ago, Energy Cooperative started to operate a small amount of transmission lines for our own use. We decided it made sense to build more transmission lines and move this trasmission into the PJM grid. By moving our existing line into PJM and making it part of their system, we are reimbursed by PJM at an excellent rate of return. This still allows us to use it for ourselves, however, PJM could call on these transmission lines, if needed. We currently have thirty-two miles of transmission and are planning to build fifteen additional miles over the next two years.
Each month our electric members see a charge on the back of their bill. This cost is simply a pass through from our wholesale supplier, Buckeye Power, to generate and deliver power to our substations. Energy Cooperative owns a share of the generation at Buckeye Power; however, we rely on an investor-owned utility to deliver this energy to us. They belong to a regional transmission organization, PJM, who coordinates the delivery of power.
While we cannot control the dollars spent by our transmission partners, we are working hard to keep other costs down and increase revenue that does not directly affect our members. We know that many costs are rising at a fast pace, and we are continuing to work hard to keep your energy bills as affordable as possible.
Territory served by PJM
As our partners make investments to improve the reliability of the transmission grid, they pass the increased cost to us and it ultimately affects our members. We have little control of this cost. We do, however, work with Buckeye Power to ensure these projects give our system the most benefit.
If you have specific concerns about your bill, please reach out to us and consider scheduling a home energy audit to help find ways you may be able to save.
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Winter storm landen By Josh Filler, Vice President & Chief Operating Officer - Electric Operations From time to time, mother nature causes damage to electric infrastructure. Winter storms have the potential to cause multi-day outages. Depending on the severity of the storm, the damages could be extensive to assess and dangerous to our crews. Winter storm Landon brought heavy snow and ice Josh Filler to Ohio in early February. The brunt of the storm hit electric cooperatives in the southern part of the state, including our neighbors in Muskingum and Fairfield counties. Guernsey-Muskingum Electric Cooperative, South Central Power and Washington Electric Cooperative experienced extended outages for nearly 20% of their membership.
In times like these, we rely on Cooperative Principle #6: Cooperation among Cooperatives. Thankfully, Energy Cooperative did not sustain damage from the recent storm, and we were able to keep our members power on. After ensuring our members power stayed on during (and after) the storm, we sent line crews to work on outages for Guernsey-Muskingum Electric Cooperative and South Central Power. Ohio’s Electric Cooperatives organized mutual aid for cooperatives in need, sending line crews and equipment from other Ohio cooperatives. MYENERGYCOOP.COM
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Energy Cooperative sent a line crew to Guernsey-Muskingum Electric Cooperative for two days. During that time, our crews were able to help restore power for their members. We also sent a line crew and our track machine to South Central Power in Lancaster. The track machine is capable of setting poles in treacherous terrain, and (as you can see in the pictures) they needed it. Five of our linemen worked in Hocking County to restore power in portions of South Central’s most unsafe terrain. Our crews met heavy ice falling from trees and roads blocked by fallen tree limbs and electric lines. By chance, Ohio Electric Cooperative’s photographer Tim Baldwin followed our crews as they worked on outages for South Central Power. His photos highlight the dangerous conditions our crews faced and give insight to the hazardous nature of our work. Mutual aid is an integral part of the cooperative model. It means we help and support other cooperatives in times of need. There is an understanding that those who can send crews and resources do it, because one day they may be the ones asking for help. Typically, mutual aid support in our areas extends to the Eastern and Midwest Cooperatives. Energy Cooperative recently sent crews to Georgia, North Carolina and Virginia to help cooperatives with storm-related outages. If someday the Energy Cooperative has a major storm event, we know we can count on crews from local and out-of-state cooperatives to send help and reinforcements.
“When disaster strikes, electric cooperatives help one another by providing crews, equipment and other resources to those in need. I want to extend a thank you to our crews who loaded our bucket trucks, track machine and UTV to assist our neighbors with their outage restorations during winter storm Landen.” -Todd Ware, President & CEO
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NATURAL GAS SAFETY By Dan McVey, Vice President & Chief Operating Officer — Gas Operations The Energy Cooperative proudly provides safe and reliable natural gas to more than 36,000 members. We work hard to ensure every member has the energy they need for their home, organization or business. Safety remains our top priority for members, employees and the public.
Before you break ground at any construction site or begin a project around your home, take the proper measures to achieve the highest level of safety possible. By law, everyone must contact OHIO811 at least two days before starting any digging or excavation work that involves any movement of the earth. This is required if you are installing a mailbox, planting a tree, building a deck or planning a project around your home. Always contact the Ohio Utility Protection Service (OUPS) before you start to dig at 811 or 1-800-362-2764.
Dan McVey
Examples of what we do to keep you safe • Perform leak tests on our main lines and service lines before we activate them. • Do periodic leak surveys throughout our system to locate and repair a leak before it becomes hazardous. • Remotely monitor and control our pipeline facilities 24/7/365. • Have crews on call 24/7/365 to respond to member concerns about any potential gas leaks. • Add an organic compound to our gas that smells like rotten eggs (Mercaptan) to help alert you of gas leaks. • Identify our natural gas pipelines with yellow markers to help prevent dig-ins.
What we need YOU to do for your safety Learn the three ways to recognize a natural gas leak. To help you SMELL a leak from a gas line or appliance, a familiar odor like rotten eggs (Mercaptan) is added to natural gas and propane gas. Near a gas leak, you might SEE blowing dirt, bubbling water or an unusual area of dead vegetation. A leaking pipeline might make a hissing sound you can HEAR.
The natural gas transmission, gathering and distribution pipelines we operate and maintain are mostly not visible to the public. The pipelines are buried below ground in our right-of-way. The approximate locations of our pipelines are identified by pipeline markers placed within the right-of-way. In accordance with federal regulations, our pipelines are patrolled on a regular basis to inspect for any leakage, corrosion problems, encroachment, etc. Some segments along our pipelines have been designated as “high consequence areas”. We have developed supplemental assessments and prevention plans for these highly populated areas that are near our pipelines’ right-of-way.
Before natural gas enters your home or business, it passes through a meter (located outside your home or business). Leave the area immediately. Do not use anything that might It is very important that we have clear access to your gas create a spark, such as a cell phone. Do not turn lights on or meter. This includes three feet of clearance on all sides for off. Do not light matches, cigarette lighters or use a flashlight. normal operations. Please consider the mature size of any When at a safe distance, call 911 and then call us at 1-800- plants before planting them. Landscaping that is too close to 255-6815. utility equipment is in danger of being damaged or removed. 7
1-800-255-6815
DIRECTOR'S CORNER By John Klauder, CCD, BLC, DGC, District 6 Director The Energy Cooperative Board of Directors works to keep the members’ best interest in mind, whether our cooperative faces a challenge or an opportunity. One of the challenges (and opportunities) the cooperative currently faces is significant growth. We see extraordinary development in the western side of Licking County within John Klauder our service territory. From Etna to Pataskala to New Albany to Johnstown, there is rapidly growing commercial, industrial and residential development. When the board discusses how to approach this growth, we act in the best interest of the membership. With this development comes increased demand. The board is confident our employees will meet this challenge while maintaining high levels of service and commitment to our members and the community. Another continued challenge for our cooperative is the COVID-19 pandemic. The board continues to be impressed with the employee’s response to the adjusted policies and mandates. Like many of others, most of the cooperative’s
employees were suddenly working from home (including the call center) in March of 2020. Our members experienced minimal to no service interuption because our employees continued to meet their needs. We are proud to know every employee continued to provide prompt service. The Board of Directors sends a big “thank you” to our employees. They are the future of the cooperative and are ready to take on the growth of the Energy Cooperative with continued dedication, hard work and perseverance. Cooperative Principle #2 is democratic member control. Cooperatives are democratic organizations controlled by their members. They elect representatives (directors) to actively participate in setting policies and making decisions. You will soon have an opportunity to participate in that democratic process by voting for three directors. You will receive a ballot in late March. The ballots can be returned by mail, or members can vote online. To see the candidate biographies or for more information go to . On behalf of the Board of Directors I would like to thank you for trusting us to keep the members in mind and work to do what is best for the membership and community.
CAST YOUR BALLOT As a member of the Energy Cooperative, you can participate in the annual election for our Board of Directors. The Energy Cooperative works with Survey & Ballot Systems to conduct the elections. Voting runs from March 30th to May 2nd at 4 p.m. EST. There are multiple ways to vote. Find one that works best for you and cast your ballot.
vote by mail 1.
Complete the paper ballot you will receive in the mail. 2. Detach the ballot and return in the enclosed envelope.
vote in smarthub Visit and click the Vote Now button. You can also vote in the SmartHub mobile app. Look for the Vote Now option.
Vote online 1. Go to the website: 2. Enter your member number and election passcode that are located in the paper ballot you will receive in the mail. 3. Use both numbers to login and register. 4. Follow the online voting instructions to cast your ballot.
If you have any problems voting online, email support at support@directvote.net or call 952.974.2339.
Distracted driving awareness By Connie Hogue, Director of Human Resources and Safety
Connie Hogue
the United States in 2020.
When driving, it's important to stay alert. Unfortunately, too many drivers are easily distracted, which can lead to accidents. The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) claims that more than 600,000 vehicle crashes result from distracted driving each year. According to the National Safety Council, 42,060 people died on the roadways in
may even lose control of the vehicle causing you to be in a dangerous position that you cannot correct. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Adminstration, in 2019, speeding killed 9,478 people, and nearly half of those killed were not wearing seat belts.
Tips to Drive Safe • Be an engaged driver even if your vehicle has new advanced driver assistance technology • Stop every hour or two to get out of the vehicle, stretch and get refreshed • Don’t drive when you're tired • Always wear your seatbelt • Be vigilant and aware of your surroundings • Move over and slow down for all law enforcement officers, emergency responders, road construction and maintenance vehicles, tow trucks and utility crews
With April being National Distracted Driving Awareness Month, we wanted to share ways we can all work together to make a difference and help resolve distracted driving and other challenges.
Common Distractions
The next time you get into your vehicle, put your phone away, the coffee cup down, input the navigation and fasten your seatbelt all before you leave your driveway or a parking lot. By doing these simple steps and being aware of distracted driving, we can all make the initiative to keep ourselves and other drivers and pedestrians free from harm.
Whether the distraction is visual, manual or cognitive, below are a few of the most common driving distractions that put you, your passengers, other vehicles and pedestrians in danger: • Changing the radio station • Eating and drinking • Messing with the navigation system • Texting or talking on the phone • Smoking or vaping
Other Distractions Aggressive driving not only causes roadway accidents, but it causes the driver to suffer from cognitive distractions. They aren’t able to focus on safely driving, but rather, what is going on with the car ahead or next to them. Examples of aggressive driving would be making gestures at other drivers, tailgating too close to another vehicle and trying to make eye contact. An AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety study found that nearly 8 in 10 American drivers demonstrate aggressive behaviors when behind the wheel. When a driver is speeding, they may be distracted by looking for police vehicles in the distance, behind them or on the other side of the road, because they don’t want to get a ticket. If speeding in a rain storm or snow storm, you 9
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MYENERGYCOOP.COM
Financial corner By Pat McGonagle, Vice President & Chief Financial Officer Efficiency upgrades can save you money, enhance the value of your property and are good investments, however, big improvement projects often require a lot of time and significant upfront costs. So, where do you start? A variety of energy-efficient technologies and cost-saving opportunities Pat McGonagle are available, such as installing a programmable thermostat, replacing standard incandescent light bulbs with LED bulbs and replacing older appliances to the Energy Star brand. Selecting and prioritizing projects may depend on your type of facility, hours of operation, age of equipment and access to funding.
Start with the easy targets It doesn't take a lot of money to start saving energy. Begin by making a commitment, benchmarking your energy performance and creating a plan. Next, put your plan into action. Prime examples of low-cost energy-saving measures include: • Encourage family members and friends to turn off lights in empty rooms • Install programmable thermostats to adjust home temperatures based on your schedule • Use power management settings on computers, printers and other office equipment • Seal energy leaks around doors and windows with caulking and weatherstripping
Simple payback How do you decide among project options? Simple payback (SP) is a financial analysis tool to help you find the answer by estimating how long the cash flow (cost and savings) from a project will take to reach zero. To understand how SP works, take a look at these examples: a furnace upgrade that costs $15,000 and a lighting upgrade that costs $10,000. The projected annual savings from the furnace upgrade is $5,000 and $2,500 for the lighting project. Which will provide a faster return? A SP analysis will tell you. • Furnace upgrade: SP = $15,000/$5,000 = 3 years • Lighting replacement: SP = $10,000/$2,500 = 4 years While easy to use, simple payback fails to take into account the changing value of money and other factors. Net present value and life-cycle cost analysis are more sophisticated tools giving you a more accurate picture of the long-term financial impact of a project.
Reach a little higher Start with an energy assessment of your properties. A qualified professional will inspect your home and provide you with a set of targeted recommendations to improve efficiency and comfort. By planning ahead and using the right tools, you can select upgrades that will optimize savings, while matching your budget and strategic initiatives.
Take it to the next level Big projects can provide long-term savings, but they're also more expensive and involve greater risk. To evaluate the financial impact of a project, consider the following: • Initial cost (purchase, installation and so on) • Ongoing costs (maintenance and training) • Disruption to home and life operations • Rebates and other incentives • Projected annual savings
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1-800-255-6815
OPERATION ROUND UP PROGRAM Thank you to our members for their continued support of Operation Round Up. Because of the generosity of our members rounding up their bills to the next whole dollar amount each month, the Energy Cooperative's Operation Round Up Foundation has donated more than $3.5 million to community groups and organizations.
High Hopes for Ropes to rebuild rope course Perry Township to build handicapped accessible sidewalks Abbott Senior Living for salon equipment Beechwood Trails Park & Pool for pool equipment and certifications Lazarus Life Ministries for furnishing a mission home Ohio Nature Education for a donation kiosk Weathervane Playhouse to replenish tools stolen from the facility Danville Baseball for installation of field lights
Application materials need to be received ten days prior to the meeting date for consideration at that meeting, except in November when the application materials need to be received by November 21, 2022 for early disbursement before the holidays. The next meeting dates for 2022 are April 5, June 4, Aug 2, Oct 4, Dec 6.
To learn more about Operation Round Up Foundation or to apply for a grant, visit . MYENERGYCOOP.COM
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community spotlight By Gary Baker, Director of Marketing & Public Relations Energy Cooperative partners with local organizations and community members who work to make a positive difference for our members. One of those local organizations is the United Way of Knox County. The organization has raised more than $20 million since 1951 to improve the quality of life for Knox County residents in the areas of education, Gary Baker financial assistance and health. Executive Director for the United Way of Knox County, Kelly Brenneman, spoke with me about their efforts to get books into the hands of children.
DISTRIBUTION Imagination Library handles the process of mailing the books to the households through a secure system. The books ship from warehouses located across the United States. If for some reason the local post office has undeliverable or returned books, the United Way of Knox County picks them up and brings them to places throughout the county where they can be put to good use, such as local preschools and the Salvation Army.
OHIO’S IMAGINATION LIBRARY FOOTPRINT
Kelly mentioned when Fran DeWine became the first lady of Ohio, she wanted to find a project that she felt passionate about. In doing research, Fran found Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library and started devoting her time and energy to getting books into children’s hands. Her goal is to implement the program in each of Ohio’s 88 counties. Kelly IMAGINATION LIBRARY The United Way of Knox County offers the Imagination shared that Fran is amazed Knox County has 75% of their Library to all the children in their community. Dolly Parton children enrolled since all of Ohio is only at about 50%. The started this initiative in 1996 in her home county in Eastern United Way of Knox County would love to get participation Tennessee with the goal of giving free books to children. in the program up to 80% enrollment, but there are a few The Imagination Library has delivered more than 25 million areas in the county where it can be challenging to sign books to children all over the United States, Canada and the children up for the program. United Kingdom. At the Energy Cooperative, we are very proud to support and partner with organizations like the United Way of Knox County. Kelly Brenneman has been a great addition to the United Way, and she has been an active board member on the Energy Cooperative Operation Round Up Foundation. We look forward to supporting this organization in the future and are excited to see other programs they put into place.
Kelly Brenneman and Fran DeWine
Executive Director for the United Way of Knox County, Kelly Brenneman, stated they’ve been able to offer this program all throughout Knox County since 2010 – with 75% of the children in the county enrolled. From the moment a child is born and are a part of the program, they receive one book a month up to the age of 5 years old. That’s 60 books by the time a child graduates the program when they turn 5. The books change often to avoid duplicates in the same household. 13
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We appreciate the dedication our crews have to providing safe, reliable and affordable energy to our members and the community.
Attention Natural Gas Members In accordance with Federal Pipeline Safety Regulations 49 CFR, Part 192.16, The Energy Cooperative is required to inform members that the member shall be responsible for their gas service lines. What you need to know The member is responsible for the maintenance and repair of all gas piping from the gas meter to all gas appliances. The member is responsible for the repair/replacement of the gas service line located on the member’s property from the buried curb valve to the inlet of the gas meter. Buried gas piping that is not maintained may be subject to the potential hazards of corrosion and leakage. For your safety, all buried pipe should be periodically inspected for leaks. If the buried piping is metallic, it should also be periodically inspected for corrosion. If an unsafe condition is found, the gas piping will need to be promptly repaired.
When digging near buried gas piping, the piping should be located in advance and the excavation done by hand. As a reminder, any time you are excavating, OHIO811 should be called by simply dialing 811 or 1-800-362-2764 at least 48 hours prior to digging. OHIO811 will notify various utility companies to locate utilities lines in the area. Plumbing and heating contractors can assist in locating, inspecting, and repairing the member’s buried piping. The Federal Department of Transportation (DOT) requires that a DOTqualified plumbing contractor must be used to repair or replace a member’s buried piping upstream of the meter, including the gas riser attached to the meter set. While this is not required for piping downstream of the meter, the Energy Cooperative strongly recommends a DOT-qualified plumber be used for all buried gas piping.
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DO YOU KNOW ABOUT LINEWORKERS?
Every April, we celebrate lineworkers and the hard work they do to make sure we have electricity to power our lives.
How much do you know about lineworkers? Take the quiz below to find out! (Use the answer key to check your work.)
1.
Lineworkers have to wear a lot of gear to do their jobs. A lineworker’s gear can weigh up to ______. a. 15 pounds b. 50 pounds c. 80 pounds
2. Lineworkers maintain and repair electrical lines, but they do not install them. a. True (no installation) b. False (They maintain, repair and install lines.) 3. There are approximately ______ lineworkers in the United States. a. 50,000 b. 90,000 c. 120,000 4. Lineworkers must wear ______ clothing to protect them from a possible electric arc while working. a. fire resistant b. extra thick c. leather or rubber 5. Lineworkers must wear special conductive boots when climbing a steel structure. a. True b. False
Answer Key: 1) b. 50 pounds 2) b. False 3) c. 120,000 4) a. fire resistant 5) a. True
PRSRT STD U.S. POSTAGE
1500 Granville Road P.O. Box 4970 Newark, Ohio 43058-4970 1.800.255.6815
Business hours The Energy Cooperative’s business hours are Monday through Friday from 7:30am to 4:30pm. We respond to outages and emergencies 24/7/365. Call if you need us. Our crews are on call and ready to respond.
Important phone numbers • • •
Member service: 1.800.255.6815. Electric outages or emergencies: 1.888.535.5732. Natural gas or propane emergency: 1.800.255.6815.
PAID
COLUMBUS, OH PERMIT NO. 608
Safety Reminders • • •
If you smell rotten eggs or suspect a gas leak, leave the area immediately. Call 911. Then call us at 1.800.255.6815. If you see a downed power line or other electrical hazard call 911. Then call our outage line at 1.888.535.5732. Assume every downed power line is energized and dangerous. Consider any object touching lines energized as well.
KNOW WHAT'S BELOW CALL OHIO811 BEFORE YOU DIG