matters MEMBERSHIP
Did you know...you can keep electricity costs low by signing up for “Beat The Peak” today at BlueRidgeEnergy.com/BTP, via email at BeatThePeak@myBlueRidgeEnergy.com or text “BTP” to 70216.
Time IS Money It’s true. Time IS money when it comes to when you use electricity each day. Blue Ridge Energy’s Beat The Peak program is helping members join together to keep costs lower for all members simply by lowering your usage during a few key periods. Peaks occur when the majority of people are using electricity all at once. Power suppliers must generate enough electricity to meet this high usage requirement. Leveling out these peaks helps control the cost. Summer peaks typically occur on the hottest afternoons, from 2-6 p.m., when people are arriving home and using more air conditioning and large appliances for cooking, washing clothes and dishes. Peaks can also occur on our coldest winter mornings. What can you do to help? Sign up to receive Beat The Peak alerts by text, email or the Blue Ridge mobile app.
April 2019
BEAT THE
PEAK
When you receive an alert, take steps to reduce your electricity usage during the specified times. Easy but helpful tips include: •
Raise your thermostat as high as comfortable in summer.
•
Shift the time you wash and dry clothes.
•
Wait to run the dishwasher.
•
Turn off unnecessary lights.
•
Grill outdoors or use the microwave instead of the oven or stove.
•
Postpone hot water use until after the peak.
Every action helps! Keep electricity costs low by signing up today at BlueRidgeEnergy.com/BTP, email BeatThePeak@myBlueRidgeEnergy.com or text “BTP” to 70216.
28
Blue Ridge-0419.indd 25
3/11/19 2:11 PM
the
perspective From Blue Ridge Energy CEO Doug Johnson
Helping secure federal funds for local projects Concern for Community is one of the seven cooperative principles we at Blue Ridge Energy take to heart in many different ways. One way we’re fulfilling that commitment is by working to secure funds for qualifying community projects through the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Rural Economic Development Loan and Grant Program (REDLG). This program is an important tool in bolstering the economies of rural America, which are more challenged in attracting jobs and ensuring affordable access to health care, emergency services, and other vital resources. The program funnels zero-interest loans through cooperatives to community projects that REDLG selects. Over Blue Ridge Energy’s long history of involvement with REDLG on behalf of our communities since 2005, over $6 million has been awarded for local projects across our entire service area. These projects are benefitting members and communities in tangible ways. For example, they’ve helped several companies expand to offer more well-paying jobs for local residents. Hospitals are being modernized. Clean water and sewer projects are helping residents and businesses as well as keeping our environment healthy. More recently, a focus on public safety and emergency response has resulted in additional fire stations, fire trucks and safety training equipment. Examples include: Caldwell County: • City of Lenoir fire station #3 on Wilkesboro Blvd: $1.36 million • Adhezion Biomedical, LLC: $1 million for expansion MEMBERSHIP matters
Blue Ridge-0419.indd 26
•
Grace Chapel Fire Department: $552,000 for fire pumper truck
Watauga County: • Watauga Fire Association: $54,250 for fire and safety training trailer • Charleston Forge: $60,000 for operational software Ashe County: • Ashe Memorial Hospital: $360,000 for emergency room expansion • Villages of Ashe: $105,000 for water and sewer project Alleghany County: • Alleghany Library: $306,000 for improvements • VA-NC Water Authority: $100,000 to improve water quality in Alleghany County • Alleghany Memorial Hospital: $280,000 for new equipment Blue Ridge Energy and other cooperatives are involved in the REDLG program because of our unique business calling to strengthen the communities we serve. I’m pleased Blue Ridge Energy has been able to secure funds that improve quality of life in our local communities. COO Alan Merck discusses improvements for the Ashe Memorial Hospital expansion (top) and the Alleghany Library (bottom).
Page 26
3/11/19 2:11 PM
M
re
y
Sign up now to receive kit by email
Sign up NOW to vote online for director elections! If you prefer email rather than paper, sign up now to receive your cooperative’s Board of Directors Election kit and vote online! On May 29, member’s Annual Meeting notice and director election kit will be mailed. If you’re signed up to receive the kit electronically, you can quickly and easily vote online by using the link in the email you’ll receive! To sign up for email and avoid the paper, go to BlueRidgeEnergy.com and look for the blue, red and white box that says “Director Elections Coming May 29.” The deadline to sign up is April 19, 2019. Those not signed up to receive the kit by email will receive a paper kit in the mail. It will include a proxy and postage-paid return envelope to cast your vote.
Happy Easter Even when our offices are closed, you can always go to BlueRidgeEnergy. com, day or night, for information and self-service options. Log into “My Account,” to see what customer service options and tools are waiting for you. You can: •
Securely pay your bill 24/7 by
check, credit or debit card • Discover ways to lower your bill using your home’s energy footprint • Create a time extension • View your current and past statements + payment history
• • •
Request services Sign up for paperless solutions View our outage map
You can also use our automated telephone options, download our mobile app or make a payment using any of our kiosks locations.
Your feedback is needed! Electric Vehicles (EVs) are gaining in popularity across the nation due to their cost-effective and environmentally-friendly operation. We want to help make the purchase of an EV more affordable for members. We appreciate your input to help develop the best incentive plan to benefit members! Our seven question survey takes less than three minutes to complete.
er n
ss
ds in
26
Blue Ridge Energy offices will be closed in observance of the Easter holiday on Friday, April 19, 2019.
Take the survey online at BlueRidgeEnergy.com/ EVSurvey. MEMBERSHIP matters
Blue Ridge-0419.indd 27
Page 27
3/11/19 2:11 PM
The largest reliability project in Blue Ridge Energy’s history is continuing this spring. These pictures show contractor crews working to construct the new transmission lines — replacing and improving the more than 50-year-old electric infrastructure connecting Ashe and Watauga counties and bringing electricity to reach the cooperative’s mountain service areas. The project is vital for the capacity and ability to serve a membership that has grown in the past 50 years. It will also provide improved electric reliability for members living in the cooperative’s mountain communities for the next 50 years.
m
CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER Doug Johnson
EDITOR
Renée R. Whitener
PRODUCTION SUPERVISOR Susan Simmons
DISTRICT OFFICES Caldwell Watauga Ashe Alleghany Wilkes PowerLine®
(828) 754-9071 (828) 264-8894 (336) 846-7138 (336) 372-4646 (800) 451-5474 (800) 448-2383
Toll Free
(800) 451-5474
(PowerLine® is an automated account information and outage reporting system.)
(for members outside of the service area.)
To report an outage at any time, call PowerLine at (800) 448-2383. OFFICE HOURS: 8:30 am - 5:00 pm, Monday-Friday Kiosk available 24/7 + Night deposit Visit us on the web at BlueRidgeEnergy.com and follow us via our social media channels at
Save time and make your life easier! Download the “Blue Ridge Mobile App” for FREE today on your smartphone or tablet! This institution is an equal opportunity provider and employer.
MEMBERSHIP matters
Blue Ridge-0419.indd 24
Page 28
3/11/19 2:11 PM