www.prairieenergy.coop WITH MEMBERS OF PRAIRIE ENERGY COOPERATIVE December 2010 A supplement to Living with Energy in Iowa magazine . December 2010 Prairie Energy continues to face upward pressure from its wholesale power provider. This expense accounts for 75% of the cooperative’s operating costs. I have mentioned in prior manager’s columns that Prairie Energy has control over approximately $.15 on the dollar. Other fixed costs include: interest expense @ $.04 and depreciation @ $.06. Those fixed costs fluctuate a little from year to year. I’m confident that your directors and employees do a good job managing that $.15. Pricing adjustments are something we only consider during times when factors indicate the increase. We believe that reliable electric service at a reasonable price is: (1) something our member- owners can count on and (2) something we deliver on a daily basis. To meet these goals we must also protect the financial stability of the cooperative by asking our member- owners to share in these costs. We believe that reliable electric service at a reasonable price is: (1) something our member-owners can count on and (2) something we deliver on a daily basis. Darrell Goff, Executive VP/GM Prairie Energy Cooperative By Darrell Goff, Executive Vice President/General Manager Energy Cost Adjustment to increase January 1, 2011 The last rate adjustment for Prairie Energy member-owner’s occurred January 01, 2007. Since that time we have used an ECA (energy cost adjustment) as an additional component of your monthly bills. This allows us to keep up with wholesale power increases/decreases. The current ECA is $.0062 which indicates that power costs have risen $.002 in 2008, 2009 and 2010. In 2011, we anticipate a wholesale power cost increase somewhere between 4.5% to 5%. Times are changing. We simply cannot use old methods to deal with the new realities we face. In many cases, development of renewable energy sources is more costly than traditional fuels. In addition, new transmission lines are needed to connect these sources to the electrical grid. Environmental compliance costs are escalating at an unprecedented pace in order to install equipment in existing power plants to meet the new standards. Prairie Energy will employ a consultant, proficient in cost of service and rate making, in order to come up with rates that are fair to each rate paying group. This is one, if not the most important, task your directors and staff face. Once the cost of service is completed the next step will be a rate increase. Until then, we will continue to use the Energy Cost Adjustment. That could go from $.0062 to $.01. We will need to wait until year end to determine the actual increase. We will keep you informed as 2010 comes to a close. It’s that time of the year again, Prairie Energy Cooperative is performing line patrol to address maintenance issues including tree trimming, removal and spraying. Trees and brush that come in contact with power lines are very costly. They can cause outages and create dan- gerous situations. The line crews will trim what is necessary for proper line clearance and may contact member/ owners to discuss where branches may be disposed of on or near their property. If other work is desired such as removing a tree, the member will be contacted to meet with a representative of the cooperative to discuss it. Occasionally, the crew will leave a door hanger at the location explaining what they want to do beyond trim- ming. The door hanger will have the name of the contact person and phone number for the member to follow up. We thank you in advance for the cooperation with our crews to dispose of brush on or near your locations. This speeds up the process and helps keep the cost of the program to a minimum. This work must be done for continu- ity of service, to eliminate outages and most of all for SAFETY. Please call the Clarion office at 800-728-0013 or the Garner office at 888-225-8707 if you have any questions concerning this policy. TREE AND BRUSH TRIMMING
Transcript
www.prairieenergy.coop
With members of Prairie energy cooPerative
December 2010
A supplement to Living with Energy in Iowa magazine . December 2010
Prairie Energy continues to face upward pressure from its wholesale power provider. This expense accounts for 75% of the cooperative’s operating costs. I have mentioned in prior manager’s columns that Prairie Energy has control over approximately $.15 on the dollar. Other fixed costs include: interest expense @ $.04 and depreciation @ $.06. Those fixed costs fluctuate a little from year to year. I’m confident that your directors and employees do a good job managing that $.15.
Pricing adjustments are something we only consider during times when factors indicate the increase. We believe that reliable electric service at a reasonable price is: (1) something our member-owners can count on and (2) something we deliver on a daily basis. To meet these goals we must also protect the financial stability of the cooperative by asking our member-owners to share in these costs.
We believe that reliable electric service at a reasonable price is: (1) something our member-owners can count on and (2) something we deliver on a daily basis.
Darrell Goff, Executive VP/GMPrairie Energy Cooperative
by Darrell goff, executive vice President/general manager
energy cost adjustment to increase January 1, 2011The last rate adjustment for
Prairie Energy member-owner’s occurred January 01, 2007. Since that time we have used an ECA (energy cost adjustment) as an additional component of your monthly bills. This allows us to keep up with wholesale power increases/decreases. The current ECA is $.0062 which indicates that power costs have risen $.002 in 2008, 2009 and 2010. In 2011, we anticipate a wholesale power cost increase somewhere between 4.5% to 5%.
Times are changing. We simply cannot use old methods to deal with the new realities we face. In many cases, development of renewable energy sources is more costly than traditional fuels. In addition, new transmission lines are needed to connect these sources
to the electrical grid. Environmental compliance costs are escalating at an unprecedented pace in order to install equipment in existing power plants to meet the new standards.
Prairie Energy will employ a consultant, proficient in cost of service and
rate making, in order to come up with rates that are fair to each rate paying group. This is one, if not the most important, task your directors and staff face. Once the cost of service is completed the next step will be a rate increase. Until then, we will continue to use the Energy Cost Adjustment. That could go from $.0062 to $.01. We will need to wait until year end to determine the actual increase.
We will keep you informed as 2010 comes to a close.
Completes Leadership Program
Congratulations
It’s that time of the year again, Prairie Energy Cooperative is performing line patrol to address maintenance issues including tree trimming, removal and spraying.
Trees and brush that come in contact with power lines are very costly. They can cause outages and create dan-gerous situations. The line crews will trim what is necessary for proper line clearance and may contact member/owners to discuss where branches may be disposed of on or near their property. If other work is desired such as removing a tree, the member will be contacted to meet with a representative of the cooperative to discuss it.
Occasionally, the crew will leave a door hanger at the location explaining what they want to do beyond trim-ming. The door hanger will have the name of the contact person and phone number for the member to follow up.
We thank you in advance for the cooperation with our crews to dispose of brush on or near your locations. This speeds up the process and helps keep the cost of the program to a minimum. This work must be done for continu-ity of service, to eliminate outages and most of all for SAFETY.
Please call the Clarion office at 800-728-0013 or the Garner office at 888-225-8707 if you have any questions concerning this policy.
TREE AND BRUSH TRIMMING
Two members of Prairie Energy Cooperative were lucky contest winners in the month of September.
Jerry Nielsen of Britt was the winner of the Editor’s Choice Contest found in the Living with Energy in Iowa magazine. Jerry won an Apple Battery Charger.
Sue Melohn of Kanawha won a Little Harvest First Aid Kit by completing the survey on our web site.
Every month Prairie Energy members can enter the con-tests by registering at the Living with Energy in Iowa web site, www.livingwithenergyiniowa.com and by completing our survey at www.prairieenergy.coop.
Jerry nielsen scott stecher
Scott Stecher, assistant secre-tary/treasurer, earned his Board Leadership Certificate. The Board Leadership program provides on-going education and information needed to keep directors on top of the important industry related issues and developments.
Directors must earn 10 cred-its to receive their certificates. The program is through the Na-tional Rural Electric Cooperative Association.
set your thermostat to 68°f (or lower if comfortable).
You’ve budgeted for holiday gifts, meals, maybe a vacation—and with money tight, that doesn’t leave much room for home energy efficiency upgrades. Does that mean you’re power-less to lower your electric bill? Not at all. Keep your energy bill cool this winter with these tips and tricks:
Drape Delivery: Are you using your curtains to capture heat? Make sure drapes and shades • are open to catch free solar heat during the day. Close them at night to keep the heat inside.
Fan it up: Run ceiling paddle fans on low and reverse the rotation to blow air up in winter. •This keeps warm air circulating without cooling you. Free vents: Your HVAC system will have to work twice as hard if your air registers and vents •are blocked by rugs, furniture, or drapes. Keep them clear to allow air to flow freely.
Garage Drain: Leave your garage door down. A warmer garage in winter will save energy.•Rug Relief: Have a spare rug? Use it to cover bare floors for added insulation.•Cool Food: Don’t make your fridge work too hard. Clean coils every year, and set the temperature between •34°-37° F; leave the freezer between 0°-5° F. Keep the freezer full—frozen food helps your freezer stay cool. Hot Savings: Heating water accounts for 12 percent of your home’s energy use. Set your water heater tem-perature no higher than 120°F. For households with only one or two members, 115°F works.
There are other ways to conserve energy, too. Find more ways to save at www.TogetherWeSave.com.
Cool off your winter energy bill
sue melohn
Offer ENDS soon!
Purchase up to 12 CFLs for as little
as $0.99 each after a discount at participating
retailers.
How line crews restore power
After larger pockets of customers have power, crews repair lines to individual homes. Next, crews repair
lines that bring power to the greatest number of customers.
Main distribution lines are then repaired.
Distribution substations must be repaired first.
1High-voltage transmission linesmust be repaired before other parts of the systemcan operate.
5
4
3
2
When a widespread outage occurs, line crews work long, hard hours to restore service safely to the greatest number of customers in the shortest time possible. Working from substations to homes results in faster repairs for the most customers.
Iowa REC power OUTAGE MAPInformation about power outages affecting homes, busi-nesses, and farms served by electric cooperatives in Iowa is available online. To see a statewide map of power outages in each of the state’s 99 counties, go to your local electric cooperative’s website:
Butler County REC - www.butlerrec.coop•Franklin REC - www.franklinrec.coop•Grundy County REC - www.grundycountyrecia.org•Humboldt County REC - www.humboldtrec.coop•Prairie Energy Cooperative - www.prairieenergy.coop• Although the weather and nature’s creatures are beyond our
control, you can reduce the frustration of blinks by purchas-ing digital alarm clocks equipped with battery backups. These types of digital clocks offer “ride through” abilities for momentary outages.
You may also want to consider installing an uninterrupted power supply (UPS) for your computer or other electronic devices whose “memory” would be lost with a power inter-ruption. The UPS uses surge-suppression technology with a battery backup and gives you some time to save whatever you were working on and exit your computer properly.
“Blinks” can signal a properly working electrical system
We often hear members ask “What causes my lights to blink?” Your electric cooperative takes all possible measures to prevent blinks, but the fact is the electric utility network is subject to certain unavoidable short-term losses of power. Blinking lights are a result of momentary outages that occur when some type of disturbance exists on
the line. The cause could be a lightning strike, an auto-mobile hitting a pole, or a squirrel or tree branch coming in contact with an energized power line.
While blinks can be annoying, they show that your cooperative’s
equipment is working properly. If a fault or short circuit happens on a power line, a device called an “oil circuit recloser” (OCR) opens to stop it, and then quickly closes back in. Although the process is quick – and usually temporary – it may cause your lights to blink, making it necessary to reset digital clocks and appliances with digital displays.
The OCR is essentially a breaker, functioning much like a breaker in the electrical panel in your home. It permits power to continue flowing through the line with only a brief inter-ruption of service – rather than causing an extended power outage.
If the short circuit continues, the OCR will open or “trip” three times
before eventually staying open, which stops the flow of electricity and causes a power outage. The process protects the lines from damage, cutting off power to the affected section of line and isolating the problem until it can be repaired.
What can you do to reduce the BLINKS’s effects?
Certain digital clocks with battery backups can keep the correct time and sound an alarm in case of a long-duration outage, provided a charged battery is in place.
Expanding your home? Steer clear of power lines
Whether you’re a contractor or a do-it-yourselfer planning to build a home or structure near power lines, call your electric co-op before the construction begins. The professionals at your co-op can help you stay safe.
A line doesn’t have to be touched to spark dan-ger—electricity can jump, or arc, from a power line to a person or equipment that gets too close. Keep yourself and all equipment at least 10 feet from power lines. That includes the lines that run from the road to your roof.
The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Admin-istration (OSHA) provides these general guidelines:
If an object (scaffolds, cranes, etc.) must be •placed near overhead power lines, appoint a worker whose sole responsibility is to observe the clearance between the power lines and the object. Warn others if the minimum 10-foot distance is not maintained.Never touch an overhead line if it has been •brought down by machinery or has fallen. Never assume lines are dead.If a machine contacts an overhead line, DO •NOT allow anyone to come near or touch the machine. Stay away from the machine and contact your electric co-op immediately. If you should be in a vehicle in contact with •an overhead power line, DON’T LEAVE THE VEHICLE. As long as you stay inside and avoid touching outside metal, you should avoid an electrical hazard. If you need to exit to summon help or because of fire, jump out without touching any wires or the exterior, keep your feet together, and hop to safety.
Source: National Rural Electric Cooperative Association; U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration; and Electrical Safety Foundation Institute
Ladders placed too close to power lines become dangerous conduits of electricity.
An oil circuit recloser works much like a breaker in an electrical panel in a home.
Oil circuit reclosers are located throughout your co-op’s distribution system.
To locate a store near you, go to www.iowachangealight.com or call
800-339-6856.
Contact your ELECTRIC CO-OP for detailsREBATES of $2 per string on LED holiday lightsLED holiday lights purchased this holiday season may qualify for a rebate. Contact your electric co-op for a rebate coupon. Limit of five strings per member. Sales receipts must be included.
SCHOLARSHIPS for members and their dependents$1,000 Basin Electric Scholarship• $500 Electrical Technology Powerline or Powerline Technology • Scholarship$500 Wind Energy and Turbine Technology Scholarship•
Offer ENDS soon!
Purchase up to 12 CFLs for as little
as $0.99 each after a discount at participating
retailers.
How line crews restore power
After larger pockets of customers have power, crews repair lines to individual homes. Next, crews repair
lines that bring power to the greatest number of customers.
Main distribution lines are then repaired.
Distribution substations must be repaired first.
1High-voltage transmission linesmust be repaired before other parts of the systemcan operate.
5
4
3
2
When a widespread outage occurs, line crews work long, hard hours to restore service safely to the greatest number of customers in the shortest time possible. Working from substations to homes results in faster repairs for the most customers.
Iowa REC power OUTAGE MAPInformation about power outages affecting homes, busi-nesses, and farms served by electric cooperatives in Iowa is available online. To see a statewide map of power outages in each of the state’s 99 counties, go to your local electric cooperative’s website:
Butler County REC - www.butlerrec.coop•Franklin REC - www.franklinrec.coop•Grundy County REC - www.grundycountyrecia.org•Humboldt County REC - www.humboldtrec.coop•Prairie Energy Cooperative - www.prairieenergy.coop• Although the weather and nature’s creatures are beyond our
control, you can reduce the frustration of blinks by purchas-ing digital alarm clocks equipped with battery backups. These types of digital clocks offer “ride through” abilities for momentary outages.
You may also want to consider installing an uninterrupted power supply (UPS) for your computer or other electronic devices whose “memory” would be lost with a power inter-ruption. The UPS uses surge-suppression technology with a battery backup and gives you some time to save whatever you were working on and exit your computer properly.
“Blinks” can signal a properly working electrical system
We often hear members ask “What causes my lights to blink?” Your electric cooperative takes all possible measures to prevent blinks, but the fact is the electric utility network is subject to certain unavoidable short-term losses of power. Blinking lights are a result of momentary outages that occur when some type of disturbance exists on
the line. The cause could be a lightning strike, an auto-mobile hitting a pole, or a squirrel or tree branch coming in contact with an energized power line.
While blinks can be annoying, they show that your cooperative’s
equipment is working properly. If a fault or short circuit happens on a power line, a device called an “oil circuit recloser” (OCR) opens to stop it, and then quickly closes back in. Although the process is quick – and usually temporary – it may cause your lights to blink, making it necessary to reset digital clocks and appliances with digital displays.
The OCR is essentially a breaker, functioning much like a breaker in the electrical panel in your home. It permits power to continue flowing through the line with only a brief inter-ruption of service – rather than causing an extended power outage.
If the short circuit continues, the OCR will open or “trip” three times
before eventually staying open, which stops the flow of electricity and causes a power outage. The process protects the lines from damage, cutting off power to the affected section of line and isolating the problem until it can be repaired.
What can you do to reduce the BLINKS’s effects?
Certain digital clocks with battery backups can keep the correct time and sound an alarm in case of a long-duration outage, provided a charged battery is in place.
Expanding your home? Steer clear of power lines
Whether you’re a contractor or a do-it-yourselfer planning to build a home or structure near power lines, call your electric co-op before the construction begins. The professionals at your co-op can help you stay safe.
A line doesn’t have to be touched to spark dan-ger—electricity can jump, or arc, from a power line to a person or equipment that gets too close. Keep yourself and all equipment at least 10 feet from power lines. That includes the lines that run from the road to your roof.
The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Admin-istration (OSHA) provides these general guidelines:
If an object (scaffolds, cranes, etc.) must be •placed near overhead power lines, appoint a worker whose sole responsibility is to observe the clearance between the power lines and the object. Warn others if the minimum 10-foot distance is not maintained.Never touch an overhead line if it has been •brought down by machinery or has fallen. Never assume lines are dead.If a machine contacts an overhead line, DO •NOT allow anyone to come near or touch the machine. Stay away from the machine and contact your electric co-op immediately. If you should be in a vehicle in contact with •an overhead power line, DON’T LEAVE THE VEHICLE. As long as you stay inside and avoid touching outside metal, you should avoid an electrical hazard. If you need to exit to summon help or because of fire, jump out without touching any wires or the exterior, keep your feet together, and hop to safety.
Source: National Rural Electric Cooperative Association; U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration; and Electrical Safety Foundation Institute
Ladders placed too close to power lines become dangerous conduits of electricity.
An oil circuit recloser works much like a breaker in an electrical panel in a home.
Oil circuit reclosers are located throughout your co-op’s distribution system.
To locate a store near you, go to www.iowachangealight.com or call
800-339-6856.
Contact your ELECTRIC CO-OP for detailsREBATES of $2 per string on LED holiday lightsLED holiday lights purchased this holiday season may qualify for a rebate. Contact your electric co-op for a rebate coupon. Limit of five strings per member. Sales receipts must be included.
SCHOLARSHIPS for members and their dependents$1,000 Basin Electric Scholarship• $500 Electrical Technology Powerline or Powerline Technology • Scholarship$500 Wind Energy and Turbine Technology Scholarship•
www.prairieenergy.coop
With members of Prairie energy cooPerative
December 2010
A supplement to Living with Energy in Iowa magazine . December 2010
Prairie Energy continues to face upward pressure from its wholesale power provider. This expense accounts for 75% of the cooperative’s operating costs. I have mentioned in prior manager’s columns that Prairie Energy has control over approximately $.15 on the dollar. Other fixed costs include: interest expense @ $.04 and depreciation @ $.06. Those fixed costs fluctuate a little from year to year. I’m confident that your directors and employees do a good job managing that $.15.
Pricing adjustments are something we only consider during times when factors indicate the increase. We believe that reliable electric service at a reasonable price is: (1) something our member-owners can count on and (2) something we deliver on a daily basis. To meet these goals we must also protect the financial stability of the cooperative by asking our member-owners to share in these costs.
We believe that reliable electric service at a reasonable price is: (1) something our member-owners can count on and (2) something we deliver on a daily basis.
Darrell Goff, Executive VP/GMPrairie Energy Cooperative
by Darrell goff, executive vice President/general manager
energy cost adjustment to increase January 1, 2011The last rate adjustment for
Prairie Energy member-owner’s occurred January 01, 2007. Since that time we have used an ECA (energy cost adjustment) as an additional component of your monthly bills. This allows us to keep up with wholesale power increases/decreases. The current ECA is $.0062 which indicates that power costs have risen $.002 in 2008, 2009 and 2010. In 2011, we anticipate a wholesale power cost increase somewhere between 4.5% to 5%.
Times are changing. We simply cannot use old methods to deal with the new realities we face. In many cases, development of renewable energy sources is more costly than traditional fuels. In addition, new transmission lines are needed to connect these sources
to the electrical grid. Environmental compliance costs are escalating at an unprecedented pace in order to install equipment in existing power plants to meet the new standards.
Prairie Energy will employ a consultant, proficient in cost of service and
rate making, in order to come up with rates that are fair to each rate paying group. This is one, if not the most important, task your directors and staff face. Once the cost of service is completed the next step will be a rate increase. Until then, we will continue to use the Energy Cost Adjustment. That could go from $.0062 to $.01. We will need to wait until year end to determine the actual increase.
We will keep you informed as 2010 comes to a close.
Completes Leadership Program
Congratulations
It’s that time of the year again, Prairie Energy Cooperative is performing line patrol to address maintenance issues including tree trimming, removal and spraying.
Trees and brush that come in contact with power lines are very costly. They can cause outages and create dan-gerous situations. The line crews will trim what is necessary for proper line clearance and may contact member/owners to discuss where branches may be disposed of on or near their property. If other work is desired such as removing a tree, the member will be contacted to meet with a representative of the cooperative to discuss it.
Occasionally, the crew will leave a door hanger at the location explaining what they want to do beyond trim-ming. The door hanger will have the name of the contact person and phone number for the member to follow up.
We thank you in advance for the cooperation with our crews to dispose of brush on or near your locations. This speeds up the process and helps keep the cost of the program to a minimum. This work must be done for continu-ity of service, to eliminate outages and most of all for SAFETY.
Please call the Clarion office at 800-728-0013 or the Garner office at 888-225-8707 if you have any questions concerning this policy.
TREE AND BRUSH TRIMMING
Two members of Prairie Energy Cooperative were lucky contest winners in the month of September.
Jerry Nielsen of Britt was the winner of the Editor’s Choice Contest found in the Living with Energy in Iowa magazine. Jerry won an Apple Battery Charger.
Sue Melohn of Kanawha won a Little Harvest First Aid Kit by completing the survey on our web site.
Every month Prairie Energy members can enter the con-tests by registering at the Living with Energy in Iowa web site, www.livingwithenergyiniowa.com and by completing our survey at www.prairieenergy.coop.
Jerry nielsen scott stecher
Scott Stecher, assistant secre-tary/treasurer, earned his Board Leadership Certificate. The Board Leadership program provides on-going education and information needed to keep directors on top of the important industry related issues and developments.
Directors must earn 10 cred-its to receive their certificates. The program is through the Na-tional Rural Electric Cooperative Association.
set your thermostat to 68°f (or lower if comfortable).
You’ve budgeted for holiday gifts, meals, maybe a vacation—and with money tight, that doesn’t leave much room for home energy efficiency upgrades. Does that mean you’re power-less to lower your electric bill? Not at all. Keep your energy bill cool this winter with these tips and tricks:
Drape Delivery: Are you using your curtains to capture heat? Make sure drapes and shades • are open to catch free solar heat during the day. Close them at night to keep the heat inside.
Fan it up: Run ceiling paddle fans on low and reverse the rotation to blow air up in winter. •This keeps warm air circulating without cooling you. Free vents: Your HVAC system will have to work twice as hard if your air registers and vents •are blocked by rugs, furniture, or drapes. Keep them clear to allow air to flow freely.
Garage Drain: Leave your garage door down. A warmer garage in winter will save energy.•Rug Relief: Have a spare rug? Use it to cover bare floors for added insulation.•Cool Food: Don’t make your fridge work too hard. Clean coils every year, and set the temperature between •34°-37° F; leave the freezer between 0°-5° F. Keep the freezer full—frozen food helps your freezer stay cool. Hot Savings: Heating water accounts for 12 percent of your home’s energy use. Set your water heater tem-perature no higher than 120°F. For households with only one or two members, 115°F works.
There are other ways to conserve energy, too. Find more ways to save at www.TogetherWeSave.com.
