What’s Inside A new preventative maintenance tool proves to be beneficial for co-op and members
Safety remains our focus and mission
Caring for fresh flowers
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The
Current
A Publication of Cotton Electric Cooperative Inc.
“The Current - Informing Our Members Since 1957” VOLUME 67
May 10, 2024
NUMBER 9
Make sure your home meets basic electrical safety essentials We often take electricity for granted. Unless there has been a storm or an accident, electricity is there doing its thing, allowing us to do ours—from running our appliances to powering our electronics and keeping our lights on. How-
ever, one aspect of electricity that we should never take for granted is using it safely. May is National Electrical Safety Month, and your cooperative continues to do all it can to make sure power is delivered to your home safely.
Top 10 Home Electrical Sa�e�� T�p�
use a qualified electrician for repair work
repair loose outlets; replace cracked, worn electric cords
watch for hot or discolored switch plates, flickering lights, or buzzing sounds.
use bulbs with if children are present correct wattage install tamper resistant outlets to protect get for the against shock regular fixtures check-ups unplug electrics if you for older smell something keep homes burning cords out of educate the walkways and use extension cords household high traffic temporarily, not as on electrical areas permanent wiring safety
Learn more about home electrical safety at
Cotton Electric Cooperative and Safe Electricity provides a checklist of basic safety essentials to help you keep your home safe from electrical fire and shock hazards: • Electrical outlets – Check for loose-fitting plugs, which can be a safety hazard. Replace missing or broken wall plates so wiring and components are not exposed. If you have children in the home, install tamper resistant outlets, or cover unused outlets. • Ground Fault Circuit Interrupters (GFCIs) – Make sure GFCIs are installed in your kitchen, bathrooms, laundry, workshop, basement, and garage as well as on outdoor outlets. Test them monthly to ensure they are working properly. • Plugs – Do not remove the grounding pin (third prong) to make a three-prong plug fit a two-conductor outlet. Avoid overloading outlets with adapters and too many appliance plugs. • Cords – Make sure they are not frayed or cracked, placed under carpets or rugs, or located in high traffic areas. Do not nail or staple them to walls, floors, or other objects. • Extension cords – Use them on a temporary basis only. They are not intended as permanent household wiring.
Make sure they have safety closures to protect children from injuries. • Light bulbs – Check the wattage to make sure light bulbs match the fixture requirements. Replace bulbs that have higher wattage ratings than recommended on the fixture. Make sure they are screwed in securely so they do not overheat. • Circuit breakers/Fuses – Fuses should be properly rated for the circuit they are protecting. If you do not know the correct rating, have an electrician identify and label the correct size to be used. Always replace a fuse with the same size you are removing. Check that circuit breakers are working properly. • Appliances/Electronics – If an appliance repeatedly blows a fuse, trips a circuit breaker, or has given you an electrical shock, immediately unplug it and have it repaired or replaced. Look for cracks or damage in wiring and connectors. Use surge protectors to protect electronics. • Electrical wiring – Check periodically for loose wall receptacles, loose wires, or loose lighting fixtures. Listen for popping or sizzling sounds behind walls. Immediately shut off and then professionally replace light switches that
are hot to the touch and lights that spark or flicker. • Planting/Digging - Do not plant shrubs and trees close to green box transformers or other utility equipment. Contact your electric provider with questions about any changes near a padmount transformer to learn what is allowable, and always call OKIE 811 prior to any digging. • Service capacity – As you continue to upgrade your home with more lighting, appliances, and electronics, your home’s electrical service capacity may become overburdened. If fuses blow or trip frequently, you may need to increase the capacity of your electrical service or add new branch circuits. A qualified electrician can determine the appropriate service requirements for your home. These are the safety basics that need to be checked in your home. The Consumer Product Safety Commission on www.cpsc.gov has a roomby-room checklist that can help you keep each and every room of your home safe from electrical dangers. For more information on electrical safety around the home, visit www.cottonelectric.com/safety.
Oklahoma electric cooperatives participate in media preference online survey Your cooperative continuously strives to improve our service to our membership. Every fall, Cotton Electric Cooperative sends out a survey to randomly selected members of the co-op, and this spring, we encourage you to continue providing feedback. Several Oklahoma electric cooperatives, including Cotton Electric Cooperative, are partnering with Oklahoma Living and MRI Simmons to conduct an online survey that focuses on members’ media preferences. The survey includes 34 questions related to demographics information and media consumption preferences, including three questions customized to your co-op. Members who have an email address connected to their account will receive an email from Cotton Electric in the following months inviting them to participate in the online survey. When members participate in the survey, they will have a chance to win one of four $25 gift cards. At Cotton Electric, our focus is to serve our members, and that’s why your Members who have an email address connected to their Cotton Electric feedback is important and valuable. For questions or more information, call account will receive an email in the following months inviting them to partici580-875-3351. pate in an online survey. Photo courtesy of Metro Creative.
Power Cost Adjustment Calculated The power cost adjustment now being applied to bills mailed after May 1, 2024, is $0.00604 per kilowatt hours (kWh).
On a member’s average bill of 1,300 kWh, this will amount to a charge of $7.85 on the May bill.
April 2024 Temperature Extremes Day High Low 1 75 52 2 62 41 3 71 39 4 80 38 5 84 46 6 82 53 7 76 39 8 77 35 9 67 50 10 70 46 11 71 43 12 79 39 13 84 47 14 90 53 15 78 65
Source: srh.noaa.gov/oun/
Avg. 64 52 55 59 65 68 58 56 59 58 57 59 66 72 72
Day High Low 16 84 56 17 89 53 18 77 56 19 67 48 20 59 48 21 66 42 22 72 37 23 81 52 24 77 62 25 83 69 26 85 61 27 80 62 28 80 60 29 82 53 30 88 62
Average Daily High: 77 Average Daily Low: 50
Avg. 70 71 67 58 54 54 55 67 70 76 73 71 70 68 75
Did You Know? Cotton Electric offices will be closed on Monday, May 27, to recognize Memorial Day. Emergency calls will be answered at 580-8753351 or 800-522-3520.
Contact Us
Do you have a story idea for The Current, or do you need to place an ad? If so, let us know. We can be reached at 580-875-3351 or by email at TheCurrent@ cottonelectric.com. You can also drop us The next issue of The a line at Cotton ElecCurrent should arrive tric Current, 226 N. in mailboxes June 14, Broadway, Walters, OK 2024. 73572.
Mission Statement Our mission is to safely deliver reliable and affordable power, provide excellent member service, and improve the quality of life in the communities we serve.