Blue Ridge Electric Website Gets a Makeover!
For Immediate Release
Contact: Renee Whitener, Director of Public Relations, Blue Ridge Electric Membership Corporation, (828) 758-2383 ext. 3213; Pager:1-800-471-1323; or E-mail: Renee Whitener
Lenoir, North Carolina (September 23, 2005) - Recognizing the power of the Internet, Blue Ridge Electric Membership Corporation is excited to “re-introduce” their website, www.BlueRidgeEMC.com. The updated site is in response to much-appreciated member and employee feedback and features a new look emphasizing the cooperative’s “Membership matters” theme, interactive energy sections, and improved navigation.
“Blue Ridge Electric is looking to touch all of our members through online business options beyond those we can see face to face between 8:30 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. as well as to educate adults and children alike on energy usage. Our Internet site helps extend our reach into the communities we serve and allows us to emphasize that the members – not distant stockholders – own cooperatives like Blue Ridge Electric,” said Renee Whitener, director of public relations.
Several new features have been added and include an action-packed section called “Kids Korner” to increase interaction with its younger members and kids of all ages.
Kids Korner delivers engaging and informative energy education that’s also entertaining. Using colorful animations, playful graphics, interactive games, puzzles, science experiments, house projects and online coloring books, Kids Korner explores everything from power generation sources, transmission and distribution to electrical safety, energy efficiency and utility careers.
Using the Kids Korner lighting and appliance calculator features, kids can easily compute how many of their favorite toys or candy can be purchased for the amount of money saved by converting incandescent lamps to compact fluorescents or by changing their appliance use. Over 100 pages of content are presented online.
“Kids Korner makes learning about energy fun, which encourages children to want to learn more,” said Whitener. “It also offers opportunities for parent/child and teacher/student interaction and activities. This new area of our web site offers a wealth of information that’s fun to explore at any age.
“We believe it’s our responsibility to encourage and educate our children about what we know best: electricity,” Whitener continued. “Kids Korner is an excellent vehicle for not only reaching kids, but adults, too. And it’s a great supplement to our local school involvement and other educational programs,” Whitener added.
On the cooperative’s new web site, members can also see which home improvements can save them the most in energy costs without a lifting a hammer. All they need to do is click on the “Residential Calculator” located on the utility’s web site.
The interactive home energy calculator requires just a few inputs from the customer before instantaneously generating a home energy analysis and the dollar savings possible for each behavior modification, appliance change or home improvement made. The calculator is already programmed to account for local weather data and the utility’s residential rate.
You can see Kids Korner and the Residential Calculator along with an entire “energy suite” of information at www.BlueRidgeEMC.com.
Blue Ridge Electric is a not-for-profit, member-owned cooperative utility serving some 68,000 consumers in Caldwell, Watauga, Ashe, Alleghany, Wilkes and Alexander counties.
