The Enlightener

Mar 2004

Blue Ridge Members Make a Difference

Blue Ridge Electric members and their cooperative are making a difference in the lives of local families going through hard times. Through BREMCare, which is supported by member donations with administrative costs covered by the cooperative, hundreds of families in our area received financial assistance to help pay heating or electric bills in 2003.

“As part of our commitment to supporting our local communities in meaningful ways, Blue Ridge Electric coordinates the BREMCare program and offers it as a way we can all join together to make a difference right here in northwest North Carolina,” said Chief Executive Officer Doug Johnson.

In 2003, Blue Ridge Electric members donated $38,228 to the BREMCare program and through this program, 295 member households received assistance with their electric bills.

The number of BREMCare contributors increased by 14 percent last year, for a total of 4,445 members now giving to BREMCare.

All BREMCare funds are awarded through local helping agencies, such as Social Services and Blue Ridge Opportunity Commission, where qualified staff identify deserving households and disperse funds. In order to help as many households as possible, assistance is limited to $100 yearly per family. And because proper weatherization of a home can provide long-term benefits in helping control heating bills, BREMCare funds are also available for weatherization efforts to qualifying households.

Want to Support Your Community Through BREMCare?

The easiest way to give to BremCare is by signing up to “round up” your bill to the next dollar amount. For example, if your bill is $50.54 and you’re signed up for BREMCare, your bill would automatically be rounded up to $51, with the extra 46 cents going to BREMCare. Blue Ridge Electric members average monthly contribution is just fifty cents per month or $6 per year. Members may sign up or discontinue BREMCare participation at any time. Lump sum donations are also accepted, and all donations are tax deductible. To sign up today, call your local Blue Ridge Electric office or sign up online at www.BlueRidgeEMC.com.

Members Only News
-For Members of Blue Ridge Electric

How Electrically-Savvy Are You?

In addition to learning about safety, a basic understanding of electricity can help you select the best electrical devices for your home and reduce your energy bill as well. The Leviton Institute helps you test your knowledge with the following true/false quiz on electricity.

Dimmers simply absorb energy from light bulbs and don’t save money.

False. Dimmers don’t absorb power. They control the amount of time a bulb is on and off 120 times a second, but your eye can’t see this. A dim setting limits the time the bulb is on. A bulb dimmed to 50 percent uses approximately 25percent less power and lasts approximately 20 times longer, saving both on lighting energy and bulb replacement costs.
Dimmers cannot be used to control ceiling fans.

True. Dimmers can damage fan motors. Only fan speed control units can be used with ceiling fans. They are usually available with the same styling and features as dimmers but are safe for fan motors.
Ground Fault Circuit Interruptors (GFCIs) offer the same protection that circuit breakers do.

False. Circuit breakers are designed to trip when a severe short causes high levels of electrical current to flow through your wires. GFCIs provide protection from ground fault. This can occur when current leaking from a damaged appliance travels to ground through a person touching the appliance. Ground fault current can be lethal, but is typically not high enough to trip a breaker. A GFCI is designed to trip when it senses a relatively tiny amount of ground fault current.
Only a licensed electrician can test a GFCI.

False. Using a simple procedure you should test your GFCIs monthly. Plug a lamp into the GFCI outlet and turn it on. Press the Test button – the GFCI should trip causing the light to go off. Press the Reset button on the GFCI and the lamp should go on again. This confirms that the GFCI is working properly. If the GFCI does not trip (shut off the light) when you press the Test button, there is an electrical problem and you should contact a licensed electrician.
If a plug keeps falling out of a receptacle, use pliers to spread the plug blades farther apart.

False. When a receptacle no longer holds a plug firmly in place, the half-inserted, live plug is a serious shock hazard, especially for children. When a receptacle is old or worn out by excessive use, its contacts no longer properly grip a plug. Any receptacle in this condition must be replaced.

Source: Leviton Institute

Photo_CEO Johnson The Perspective

An Editorial by Chief Executive Officer Doug Johnson
Subsidiary Update

Iwant to take this opportunity to share a report with you about the 2003 performance of our heating fuels subsidiary, Blue Ridge Energies. This is important information for you because as a member-owner of Blue Ridge Electric, you also own the cooperative’s subsidiary.

As an owner of Blue Ridge Energies, you’ll be pleased to know that our fuels subsidiary provided a net benefit to the cooperative of over $200,000 last year. During the next three to four years I expect the benefit from Energies to grow to over $1 million per year. This and many other positive successes that occurred last year are due to the hard work and dedication of our employees.

One success area is in customer growth. Our total customer count at the end of 2003 was up by nearly 20 percent – these are accounts that were added in a single year! Furthermore, volumes in propane increased 25 percent from the prior year and diesel volumes increased 34 percent. Although volumes did not increase for fuel oil, kerosene, and gasoline, gross margins were improved for each fuel from the prior year.

To help customers manage their heating fuels bills, we offered several options. Budget Billing, which allows customers to make equalized payments over the year, was introduced. Last August before heating season began, we offered an option for propane customers to “pre-buy” their propane at the market’s price levels at that time. We also offered a propane “lock in” option at last August’s prices for customers wanting to lock in the current market price for the supply they would need for the season.

Additionally, appliance sales in our showrooms located in our district offices continue to be strong.

The achievement I’m most proud of is the continued high customer service rating. As the subsidiary of a cooperative, we place a special emphasis on providing exceptional service. Our customer service rating for 2003 was a 9.5 out of a possible 10 points. This is just another indicator of the exceptional employees at Blue Ridge and their willingness to take care of the customer.

I would like to thank each Blue Ridge Energies employee for the outstanding job they do. These results could not be achieved without their efforts.

Attaching Signs to Poles is Illegal

Attaching signs or other objects to utility poles without the electric utility’s consent is against the law and can be dangerous for our line technicians.

Signs and other illegal attachments to power poles make the poles extremely hazardous – and sometimes impossible – for line workers to climb and make repairs. It only takes a nail partially driven into a pole to cause serious injury to a line worker. Nail holes also allow moisture to enter wooden poles, causing premature decay and the expense of early replacement.
Attachments to poles also pose a safety hazard for drivers as they impair visibility.

In addition to signs, the cooperative has also seen deer stands, bird feeders, basketball goals and other illegal pole attachments. It is often impractical and costly to send a line technician to remove pole attachments.

Blue Ridge Electric asks the public to please refrain from placing signs or other structures on power poles.

Published monthly by Blue Ridge Electric Membership Corporation for its 52,156 member-owners.