The Enlightener

January 2008

Be Prepared Before a Storm Hits

Although Blue Ridge Electric works hard to keep the power on for our members, severe winter weather can damage power lines and lead to outages. The following tips will help you stay safe and more comfortable if an outage occurs:
Prepare an emergency kit placed in a central location, that includes:

Emergency telephone numbers, including Blue Ridge Electric’s outage reporting number as well as numbers for the police, fire department and hospital.
A traditional telephone (cordless phones won’t work without power)
Battery powered radio
Flashlights
Battery powered clock
Extra batteries
Bottled water
Canned and nonperishable food
Manual can opener
First-Aid supplies
Extra blankets, sleeping bags

If you experience a power outage

The fastest way to report an outage is to call our automated Powerline at 1-800-448-2383.

Tune in for Updates

On rare occasions when widespread outages affect our area, Blue Ridge Electric strives to keep members informed of power restoration efforts through news reports to local radio stations. Tune in to your local station to hear updates and get weather reports:

Caldwell County:
WKVS (103.3 FM), WJRI (1340 AM), WKGX (1080 AM), WYCV (900 AM)

Watauga County:
WATA (1450 AM), WZJS (100.7 FM) WECR (102.3 FM), WXIT (1200 AM)

Ashe County:
WKSK (580 AM), WMMY (106.1 FM)

Avery County:
WECR (1130 AM)

Alleghany County:
WCOK (1060 AM)

Wilkes County:
WKBC (97.3 FM & 800 AM), WWWC (1240 AM)

Members Only News
- For Members of Blue Ridge Electric

Board to Appoint Nominating Committee

At their January board meeting, the Board of Directors will appoint a Nominating Committee consisting of 12 members who will select candidates to fill four available board seats this year.

Nominating Committee members may not be employees, agents, officers, directors, close relatives, or known candidates to become directors. The committee should have adequate representation reflecting the number of directors from each district, except one member representing the membership-at-large who must be of the minority membership and may be a resident of any district.

The committee will meet February 21 to develop the slate of board candidates for available seats. A list of the candidates will be posted in each Blue Ridge Electric office the week after the February 21st meeting of the Board of Directors.

Additionally, nominations by petition must be made at least 95 days prior to the 2008 Annual Membership Meeting on June 14. Petitions must be signed by 15 or more members in good standing, with each signing his or her name as it appears on their electric service bill. Deadline for petitions is Tuesday, March 11. Petitions will be posted in each Blue Ridge Electric office beside the list of nominees from the Nominating Committee.
Information about board nominees will be mailed in late May to every Blue Ridge Electric member.

The following are qualifications to serve as a director of Blue Ridge Electric:

Must be receiving electric service from Blue Ridge Electric at their primary residence
Must not be a close relative of an incumbent director or of an employee of the cooperative
Membership must not have been suspended at any time during the 12 months preceding the annual meeting
Must be at least 18 years old
Must not be employed by or in a position to financially gain from a competing enterprise of the cooperative or its subsidiary, or a business selling electric energy or supplies to the cooperative
The Director-at-Large seat is reserved to represent the minority membership of the cooperative. Only African American, Native American, Asian, or Hispanic members are eligible for this seat.
Must not have been employed with the cooperative for the previous six years if a nominee is a former cooperative employee.

The Perspective

An Editorial by Chief Executive Officer Doug Johnson

Positioned for a New Year

Our commitment to members for the New Year is to continue ben-efiting you by providing highly reliable electricity and nationally recognized customer service.

Investments in our electric system are helping ensure highly reliable power, even while operating in some of the state’s most severe terrain and winter weather. Major investments last year include the most significant project in Blue Ridge Electric history: a $20 million transmission and substation project to increase capacity to serve our mountain districts by 50 percent. During 2008 we will complete upgrades in the northern and western parts of Caldwell County and additional reliability work in Watauga, Ashe, and Alleghany counties. These projects will help us meet growing power demands of our more than 70,000 consumers, a number which is projected to grow to over 100,000 by the year 2026.

We’re also implementing strategic technologies to help us operate more efficiently and better serve you. AMI (automated metering infrastructure) is being installed in phases across our system over the next three years. In addition to reading our meters automatically, AMI meters can communicate with our outage management system, which in turn will help reduce outage restoration time. This new technology will also give us more information about outage causes. Additionally, information available through AMI will give our members better information about their energy usage, which can help them become more energy efficient consumers.

As a cooperative, our plans are also focused on benefiting the communities we serve. One of the most tangible ways we can positively impact the quality of life for our members is through the Blue Ridge Electric Members Foundation which was founded in 2006. The foundation is supported by members who contribute to Operation Round Up. These donations, along with contributions from our heating fuels subsidiary, Blue Ridge Energies, fund grants awarded by the Foundation. A committee of members decides on the winning grant entries from worthy organizations from across our service area. Last year, more than $60,000 went to 17 nonprofit agencies or community programs that share our mission to improve the quality of life in northwest North Carolina. The Foundation plans to award close to $100,000 and will also be awarding even more heating assistance in 2008!

We’re excited as we look ahead to serving you in 2008. While our cooperative is growing to meet the needs of our members, one thing will always remain the same: our care for the local communities and members we serve and our desire to always be a part of shaping the future of this region.

Timely Payments Benefit You

Paying your bill on time not only helps the cooperative contain costs, more importantly it benefits you by helping protect your credit record and ensures that your power stays on.

Due dates on all bills are exactly 25 days from the date of billing. If the due date of your bill falls on a weekend, it will be important that you pay your bill by the end of the day on the Friday prior to the weekend.

If you are paying electronically or by mail, please allow several days for processing.

To always ensure your bill is paid on time, we offer bank draft for your convenience. With bank draft, your bill is automatically drafted on the due date (which is the last possible date to avoid late fees). We offer bank draft from your checking, savings, or credit card account. To sign up, contact your local Blue Ridge Electric office.

Published monthly by Blue Ridge Electric Membeship Corporation for its
72,670 member consumers.