country living
Your favorite heating and air guy will tell you, September is the best time to schedule a tune-up to ensure your HVAC, furnace, or heat pump is winter ready.
A qualified technician can clean filters, check for leaks, and ensure all system components are working efficiently to keep your home cozy and warm when the temperatures begin to drop.
If it’s time to replace an old unit, take time to research the
size of unit needed to most efficiently heat your space and the rebate requirements for East Central Electric Cooperative’s rebates (ecoec.com/rebates).
You can search online at energystar.gov to find the most energy efficient systems and details about available tax credits.
Upfront investments in your home’s energy efficiency can make a serious impact on your winter electric bills.
notes from the chair
Standing Up to the Bullies
From the Archive: This column originally ran in August 2021.
By Lowell Hobbs, President, East Central Electric
Cooperative Board of Trustees
Our Board’s responsibilities include constantly looking forward to keep our co-op healthy by understanding new technology and programs that will benefit our members.
This includes approving a budget adequate enough to clear the right-ofway for our lines to insure adequate and dependable delivery of electricity to our homes and businesses. We are always mindful of the need to keep the cost reasonable.
Part of our training includes gathering information that hones our skills as directors by attending classes and interacting with personnel from other co-ops.
I stated before that I made A’s in my vo-ag class, and A’s in English because my parents taught those classes. Actually, I made A’s in all my classes because my parents expected me to. I also got up early enough to milk the cow, feed the pigs and chickens, get ready for school and catch the bus because it was expected by my parents.
That attitude carries over to my every day life, and I see that attitude in the other directors as well. We study, react, and strive to make our co-op strong, reliable, and reasonable as you expect.
We are good stewards of your money and other resources as expected.
I started first grade at Forrest Hill School near Heavener (my sister was 2 grades ahead of me) and we walked just less than a mile to and from school. At the start of my 2nd grade in Cleveland, we walked from the east side of Cleveland to West Side School which was eight tenths of a mile each way. Two years later we moved closer to West Side School (6 blocks).
A long wooden bridge lay between our house and school that we had to cross. (No kids in the street.)
The two Carter boys lived beyond our house, and they would meet me at the bridge after school and make me walk the railing. The bridge spanned a fairly deep ravine that was wild looking. The 3’ high bannisters on the wooden bridge were topped with a flat 2 x 4. The bridge was about 120’ long. It was scary for me. I feared I would fall into the ravine, or worse, they would push me off.
After several afternoons of their bullying, I left school on the run to my house, got my dog Cub and hurried back to the bridge by the time the Carter boys got there.
Lowell Hobbs, District 2 President
Larry Harvey, District 1 Vice President
Dwight Luther, District 7 Secretary / Treasurer
Jim Hall, District 6
Assistant Sec. / Treasurer
Max Shoemake, District 3
Michael Vernnon, District 4
Jay Emerson, District 5
I felt a lot bigger with Cub there; I could sic him on anything or anyone. I told the Carter boys to get on the rail it’s a new day! They said no and started toward me.
I told Cub sic em! He lunged his 120-lb burly body at them with a loud vicious bark. They immediately climbed on the rail. I (with Cub) made them walk back again just to prove it was no fun. This practice went on a few more days, and then one evening as I came home my Dad and Mrs. Carter were sitting on our back porch.
Mrs. Carter asked me for an explanation as to why her boys were late getting home and had to walk around several extra blocks. I meekly told my story. Mrs. Carter and my Dad agreed the Carter boys and I would stop this craziness and get along. They expected us to do as they said, and we did. The Carter boys never attended one of our class reunions. This may be a good thing because Cub died the first few months I was away to college.
Lowell Hobbs represents ECE District 2. To reach him, please call his cellphone at 918-695-5289.
“I felt a lot bigger with Cub there; I could sic him on anything or anyone. I told the Carter boys to get on the rail—it’s a new day!” -
By Molly Christian, NRECA
Electric cooperatives are applauding a recent series of actions announced by the Environmental Protection Agency. These actions would alleviate challenges to reliability and cost for electric co-ops across the U.S.
The EPA said it will review and reconsider the power plant greenhouse gas rule, the mercury and air rule, the ozone transport rule and the power plant wastewater rule. The agency will also address a number of fundamental problems with the coal ash program and take other actions to unleash American energy while protecting the environment.
The National Rural Electric Cooperative Association, the trade association that represents electric cooperatives in D.C., flagged concerns with these rules in a letter to EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin in January. The letter served as a policy roadmap recommending ways the EPA could address harmful regulations for electric co-ops while ensuring reliable and affordable power and promoting a healthy environment.
Electric cooperatives appreciate the EPA’s recent actions that could bolster American energy dominance with sound policies that protect our environment without leaving American families in the dark.
Balancing Supply and Demand
Electricity is essential for nearly every aspect of daily life so essential that we rarely think about how it’s produced and delivered to our homes. You might be surprised to learn that behind the scenes, a network of experts is working daily (and even by the minute) to anticipate how much electricity you need before you even use it.
We’re all connected to the electric grid, so ensuring the right amount of electricity for all involves a complex process of forecasting energy demand, planning for capacity and securing enough supply to meet Americans’ needs.
Powerful sources
First, electricity must be generated at a power plant using either traditional sources, such as coal, natural gas or nuclear energy, or from renewable sources, such as solar, wind or hydropower.
At East Central Electric Cooperative, we work closely with KAMO Power and Western Farmers Electric Cooperative, our local wholesale power partners, to secure enough electricity for our communities, using a diverse mix of energy sources to generate the power we deliver to your home or business. By maintaining a diverse energy mix—[coal, natural gas, wind and hydropower]—East Central Electric has options to ensure reliable power at a competitive cost.
On a larger scale, across the country, electricity supply and demand are managed through a market that includes long-term planning
agreements, where electricity is bought and sold just like other common goods and services. Because we work with our wholesale power partners, which are also cooperatives, we are able to pool resources and expertise to deliver affordable power to our local communities.
Electricity supply changes throughout the day because demand fluctuates based on consumers’ needs. For example, we need to ensure more electricity in the mornings when you’re starting your day, and in the evenings when you’re cooking dinner, running appliances and watching TV. Demand also increases when weather patterns change, such as extremely warm or cold temperatures.
Looking ahead
As the energy sector undergoes rapid change, it’s important for all consumers to understand the basics of electricity supply and demand.
Electricity use in the U.S. is expected to rise to record highs this year and next, with the demand for electricity expected to at least double by 2050. At the same time, energy policies are pushing the early retirement of always-available generation sources, which will undoubtedly compromise reliable electricity.
East Central Electric Cooperative remains committed to providing affordable, reliable energy to the members we serve. That’s why we are preparing now for increased demand and other challenges that could compromise our local electric supply.
Annual Meeting Prize Winners
Thank you for participating in your 2025 Annual Meeting.
Congratulations to our prize winners!
Grand Prize $1,000:
Melissa Exum, Eufaula
One Year of 1GB ecoLINK:
Fredda Tabor, Henryetta
Florence Booth, Bristow
Douglas McDonald, Checotah
$500:
Thomas Greuel, Muskogee
Wanda Baldridge, Okmulgee
Three Months of 1GB ecoLINK:
David Shanahan, Bixby
Prescott Davis, Okmulgee
Ronald Green, Beggs
Dan Goble, Porum
One Month of 1GB ecoLINK:
Pamela Hunt, Eufaula
Darla McCall, Bristow
Randy Mathews, Morris
Joyce Haddox, Okemah
Leroy Wilson, Okmulgee
Walt Cotner, Okmulgee
Ron Lheureux, Morris
Arvil Baldridge, Okemah
Josh Taylor, Checotah
Kara Thornton, Bristow
$100:
Ona McNew, Bristow
HK Pharaoh, Henryetta
Ricky Workman, Morris
Morse Baptist Church, Castle
Rob Hudson, Glenpool
Mack Thompson, Okemah
Robert Howe, Okmulgee
Dennis Krawetzke, Sapulpa
Connie Bailey, Henryetta
Rick Pippin, Weleetka
Willie Blundell, Muskogee
Sunrise Fire Dept., Okemah
Mike Brannon, Morris
Tina Cruce, Bristow
Ronald Hardage, Bixby
Dwayne Smith, Depew
Michele Mortensen, Muskogee
Deep Fork Community Action
Gerald Duncan, Okemah
Charles Battenfield, Bristow
James Humble, Okemah
Oconee Oil & Gas
Nuyaka Baptist Church
Jerry D. Wagner, Eufaula
Leonard Simpson, Boynton
Betty Lindsey, Bristow
Lee W. Johnson, Bixby
Amanda McLemore, Morris
Mary Lee, Okemah
Sherri Martin, Henryetta
April Martin, Muskogee
Bob Farmer, Checotah
Robert Fields, Checotah
City of Rentiesville
Dustin Hallum, Haskell
Morgan Baker, Mounds
Larry Limpus, Bixby
Allan Murray, Morris
Timothy Rudiger, Haskell
Donald Jenkins, Warner
Ronnie Wilson, Okemah
Jerry Gaskins, Bristow
Theadore Newell, Oktaha
Gary M. Story, Beggs
Earl Whittington, Checotah
Edna Shrum, Muskogee
Tina Burgess, Okmulgee
Steven Tillery, Okemah
Clark Story, Okmulgee
Shandy Dunn, Bristow
Chester Metcalf, Beggs
Rex Franklin, Porum
Joe B. Duvall, Hitchita
Terry Wilson, Okemah
Robert Williams, Okemah
Elizabeth A. Harned, Haskell
Sunrise Baptist Church
Bobby Moody, Mounds
Glenda Reynolds, Checotah
Debra Marshall, Okmulgee
$100 Stay to Win Bill Credit:
Donna Propst, Bristow
Jane Pihl, Checotah
Recipe Contest $25 Bill Credit:
Hannah Tuttle, Glenpool
Recipe: Mocha Frappe
Get it in the 2028 Member Cookbook
Cool Car Contest $50 Bill Credit:
David Casey, Morris
