NAECI Arkansas Living - April 2026

MEL COLEMAN CEO

Ready When it Matters Most

April 13 is Lineworker Appreciation Day

At North Arkansas Electric, we have the unique privilege of seeing firsthand what it truly takes to keep the lights on for our members. In April, we take time to pause and recognize the brave men and women who make that possible every single day — our lineworkers.

When storms impact our communities and outages occur, members experience the inconvenience, but our lineworkers see a call to action. Our crews are always ready when it matters most — leaving family dinners, heading into challenging conditions and working through the night to restore power as safely and quickly as possible. That readiness is not accidental. It comes from rigorous training, deep experience and a shared commitment to serving others.

What makes lineworkers especially remarkable is that they aren’t just restoring power to a system — they’re restoring power to their own communities. They live here. They raise their families here. They understand that electricity is more than a convenience; it’s essential to daily life, to local businesses, to schools, farms and emergency services. Powering the places we call home is personal to lineworkers.

Electric cooperatives are built on the principle of neighbors helping neighbors, and our lineworkers

embody that spirit every day. They are the first to respond and the last to leave, often working long hours behind the scenes. At times, serving our neighbors means going beyond our own service territory through a process known as mutual aid.

During major outage events, crews stand ready to assist neighboring co-ops — sometimes close to home and sometimes across state lines — to help restore power. This spirit of mutual aid strengthens all cooperatives and ultimately benefits the members we serve.

We understand any time the lights go out can be frustrating, bringing everyday life to a halt. We are incredibly grateful to our members for your patience and encouragement during these times. Linework is demanding, physical and at times, it can be dangerous. Our crews approach each job with a focus on safety and teamwork. They take pride in their craft and in the trust our members place in them.

On April 13, we will celebrate Lineworker Appreciation Day, but one day is hardly enough. Every day, we thank lineworkers for their service and dedication, which are the backbone of our cooperative.

To our lineworkers: Thank you for your hard work, your readiness and your unwavering commitment to the communities we serve. We are proud to stand behind you and grateful for all that you do.

Board selects Cunningham for open seat

Scholarship applications due April 1

The North Arkansas Electric Cooperative Board of Directors selected Jerry Don Cunningham to fill the remaining term of Beth Carter, who resigned from the board in November after serving since 2005. Cunningham’s term will run through mid-2030.

Auto bank draft: NAEC’s easiest payment option

The North Arkansas Electric Cooperative (NAEC) member-funded Operation Round Up® program awards thousands of dollars in scholarships to local graduating high school seniors each year. In 2024, 15 students were awarded $1,000 scholarships, and three students were awarded $4,000 scholarships to be disbursed in $1,000 installments for up to four years.

To fill the position, the board accepted résumés from interested Baxter County members. After reviewing the three submissions, the board voted Dec. 8.

NAEC is accepting applications for the 2025-2026 scholarship program. The application is available at naeci.com or through high school counselors’ offices.

“The NAEC family thanks Beth for her years of service,” CEO Mel Coleman said. “She became a trailblazer as the first woman on the NAEC Board of Directors and spent the past two decades leading with a members-first perspective.”

Automatic bank draft is the most convenient payment method NAEC offers. Enrolling in this free service ensures the bill is paid on time each month. It also eliminates the cost of a stamp or time spent in the drivethru lane. You also don’t have to worry about updating credit or debit card information when it expires or is compromised.

Applicants must mail or deliver the typed application to NAEC by April 1. They must include a transcript and two letters of recommendation — with at least one from a nonschool employee who is not a relative.

Up-to-date contact info important

LIHEAP helps qualified with electric bills

To be eligible for the scholarship, high school seniors must graduate at the end of the 2025 school year, and their parents or legal guardians must be NAEC members. Applicants also must have a grade-point average of 3.0 or higher on a 4.0 scale through the first semester of senior year. The scholarship must be used to attend an accredited institute of higher learning on a full-time basis. For more information, please contact Tori Moss, NAEC marketing and communications director, at (870) 895-6210 or tmoss@naeci.com.

Automatic bank draft is an electronic transfer from your checking or savings account to NAEC’s each month. On or about the 14th of every month, the amount of the bill is deducted from your account. To enroll your account(s) in auto bank draft, call (870) 895-3221 or visit an NAEC office during regular business hours.

Sending an automated call when your home is going to be part of a planned outage and mailing a capital credits check are only two of the many reasons why NAEC might need to contact you.

The federal government’s Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) provides help for qualifying members with their energy costs during the summer and winter months.

Members can help fund future scholarships by enrolling their accounts in Operation Round Up. Volunteers allow their electric bills to be "rounded up" to the next dollar each month. Call (870) 895-3221 to join today!

LIHEAP is administered by community action agencies, not North Arkansas Electric Cooperative. In NAEC’s service area, those are Northcentral Arkansas Development Council and Ozark Opportunities. Northcentral Arkansas Development Council serves residents in Fulton, Izard, Sharp and Stone counties. Ozark Opportunities serves residents in Baxter and Marion counties. NAEC encourages

Auto bank draft: Members' easiest payment option

It's important to keep a current mailing address and at least one phone number and email on file. To update or check your contact information, call (870) 895-3221, visit an NAEC office or submit a form available at naeci.com/contact-naec.

home is going to be part of a planned outage

two of the many reasons why NAEC might need to contact you. It's important to keep a current mailing address and at least one phone number and email on file. To update or check your contact information, call (870) 895-3221, visit an NAEC office or submit a form available

OUTAGE (870) 895-3221 (844) 335-4461

895-3221 (844) 335-4461 NAEC App naeci.com ▶ Outage Viewer

Osmose employees are inspecting poles in parts of Fulton and Sharp counties. Affected members received a postcard as well as an email if an address was on file. Inspections allow damaged poles to be repaired or replaced before causing outages.

High school juniors have until March 5 to submit an application for Youth Tour, an all-expenses-paid trip to Washington, D.C., and Philadelphia June 14-20. Download the application at naeci.com.

Energy Enigmas

Uncovering unexpected causes of high electric bills

BY MITCH ROSS

While performing energy audits, we end up seeing the same issues come up repeatedly. Many are so familiar, that just by looking at the hourly energy use or speaking with the homeowner on the phone, it’s an easy diagnosis. The list of common culprits includes lack of insulation, major duct leakage, electric heat with no heat pump and a few other things. I enjoy audits that go beyond the common issues and require a deeper look.

Here are just a few of the head-scratching circumstances that have come up over the years:

• Heat strips stuck: This rare problem is hard to diagnose. It can be caused by a failed sequencer, faulty thermostat, improper wiring or other issues. When this happens, it is possible that the heat strips can consume energy 24/7 until the issue is found, leading to expensive bills and potentially other hazards. This can occur even as the unit is running in air conditioning mode.

Although rare, checking smart thermostat settings to make sure it's set on air conditioning rather than dehumidify ensures the unit isn't causing a spike in energy usage.

Malfunctioning heat strips are difficult to diagnose and can continually consume, energy causing high electric bills.

• Heat pump not operating properly: Heat pumps can be great at providing affordable heat for most of the winter. Depending on the units, they heat our homes even when the outdoor temperature is below freezing. At times, we find that homeowners are surprised to find that their heat pump isn’t operating, and the heat is being provided by the expensive backup heat strips. This can be caused by many issues including low refrigerant, dirty filters or coils, faulty wiring and more.

• Thermostat settings: Some new thermostats have special settings, such as using the central HVAC unit as a dehumidifier instead of just traditional air conditioning. It’s rare but worth going through all the thermostat settings to ensure it isn’t causing your home to use excessive amounts of energy.

• Supplemental heaters: Some members use block heaters for heavy equipment and trough heaters for livestock. NAEC energy advisers have seen members forget to unplug them once the weather warms. These devices can use as much electricity as a space heater.

Apart from these rare occurrences, other issues such as HVAC failings, hot water leaks, hot water circulation pumps, etc., can cause excessive energy bills that can be very hard to understand. If your energy bill is higher than expected and everything else looks in order, it might be worth ruling out some of these rare issues.

Contact North Arkansas Electric Cooperative at (870) 895-3221 or info@naeci.com with any questions.

Mitch Ross is the energy efficiency manager for the Electric Cooperatives of Arkansas.