Visit us at the Home and Garden Show this weekend!

Cass County Electric will be at the Home and Garden Show at the Fargodome this weekend and we want you to visit our booth! We have lots of exciting news we want to share with you.

We will be demonstrating how some of our members will be able to access their account information in the future with a new application called Smart Hub. Through the Smart Hub application members will have the ability to view their bill, pay their bill, view past energy use history by month, day and down to the hour and send notices to the cooperative – all through a handheld device. This service will help members understand how they use energy, how much they use by hour and when they used it. The Smart Hub application is expected to be available this fall for over 50% of CCEC members. The software requires a special meter that is remotely read over the power lines.

Our booth will also feature a lighting display that will demonstrate a comparison between LEDs, CFLs and standard incandescent light bulbs showing light quality and fixture options. Both LEDs and CFLs save about 75% over standard light bulbs and last much longer.

Other displays include a Marathon water heater, NorAire air to water heat pump, mini-split heat pump (ductless), and an air-source heat pump.

Come visit us at booth 780, Friday- Sunday, at the Fargodome. See you this weekend!

Check out a Kill A Watt meter at your library

Two years ago, Cass County Electric Cooperative donated two Kill A Watt meters to each library in its service territory. Have you checked one out?

The Kill A Watt meters can be checked out and taken home to help members find how much energy their appliances are consuming. Members can see how turning certain items off can save on their bills. The meters also help understand the benefit of buying an ENERGY STAR appliance when it is time to buy a new item. Compare how much energy your current appliances are using with the energystar.gov site to find how much a new ENERGY STAR model costs to run. The information will be useful if the time comes to replace any of the appliances.

As the cost of energy goes up, more people are becoming concerned about their utility costs. Consumers are looking for ways to manage their energy use and reduce costs. Using a Kill A Watt meter is a simple way to see how much energy is used.

Find “phantom load” in your home. Find how much items are cost to operate when they are plugged in, yet not in use – you may be surprised. Simply unplugging them gives you instant savings. Items that typically cause “phantom load” when plugged in, yet not in use are: cell phone chargers, coffee makers (with a display that lights on at all times), TVs, computers, anything that is left in a stand-by mode when not in use or anything that has a transformer-type plug in, such as a hair dryer.

Check out a Kill A Watt meter at your library today! Libraries include: Arthur, Buffalo, Casselton, Enderlin, Fargo Main Library, Fargo Northport Library, Fargo Dr. James, Carlson Library, Kindred, Leonard, Lisbon, Valley City and West Fargo.

Check out a video demonstration at http://www.togetherwesave.com/watch-and-learn.

Thinking about three-phase power?

Tech Talk: So you are thinking about three-phase

By Troy Knutson, P.E., Distributed Generation Engineer at Cass County Electric Cooperative

Are you thinking about adding or upgrading to three-phase power?

Sounds easy enough, right? Just get an electrician to add a few wires and presto, you’re ready to go. We only wish it could be that easy. But there are some real issues to understand so you can make an informed decision before you jump into three-phase power.

So what is three-phase?

Without getting too technical, a good analogy for how three-phase power works on a motor is like rolling an oversized tire. Anyone who has rolled an oversized tire knows that it is difficult to get it started alone. Now try to imagine starting to roll the tire with the help of two other people. The tire is still the same size but it takes much less effort by each individual person because the work is spread out over three people. Three-phase acts on a motor in a similar way. It keeps a constant torque on the rotor. Lose one of the phases of a three-phase motor and it’s like rolling the tire with two people instead of three, it will still roll, but not as smoothly. Now this is not to say that single-phase motors have any lesser qualities than three-phase motors. If there were two identically sized motors one single-phase and one three-phase, the main difference would be that the single-phase motor would take more electrical current whereas the three-phase motor would get that current spread over three wires. More simply, three-phase motors can handle more power and start heavier loads. That is why three-phase is the most common set up for industrial and commercial services. Read more.

Set it and forget it – the benefits of a programmable thermostat

A programmable thermostat is one of the quickest, easiest and most inexpensive ways to save on energy bills year-round. The average household spends more than $1,200* in heating and cooling costs. Programmable thermostats – which cost between $50 to $200 – are a smart investment because they can reduce energy costs by as much as 15 percent, or about $180 annually*.
 
A programmable thermostat makes saving energy easy by controlling the heating and cooling settings in both the winter and summer. It’s like putting your house on “cruise control” by using preprogrammed settings that regulate the home’s temperature during the night and even while you’re on vacation. This type of thermostat automatically turns down the heat in the winter and turns up the cooling in the summer. A homeowner can save energy and money while still maintaining overall comfort.

Programmable thermostats are an easy energy-saving tool. Here are a few more energy savings tips:

- Always look for the ENERGY STAR label when buying a new thermostat.

- Use the pre-programmed settings to maximize energy savings.

- Heat pump systems require a special type of programmable thermostat. Consult with an energy advisor or a HVAC specialist to determine what will work best for your home.

- Be sure to have the thermostat installed correctly using a certified HVAC contractor.

Programmable thermostats offer a lot of value by maximizing energy savings without sacrificing comfort. Best of all, they can be tailored to match a family’s schedules. To learn more about buying and setting a programmable thermostat, contact Cass County Electric or visit TogetherWeSave.com.

* figures from Touchstone Energy

Choosing efficient settings on your ENERGY STAR appliances can boost your savings

Your ENERGY STAR-qualified clothes washer or dishwasher is energy efficient. That’s why you bought it. But thanks to a choice of settings, you can reduce energy use even further. Here’s a tip that can help you save even more energy – and money – when you use your washing machine or dishwasher.

The average American family washes almost 400 loads of laundry every year. That’s a lot of laundry. An ENERGY STAR – qualified clothes washer uses one-third less electricity – and one-half less water – than a conventional washer. And an ENERGY STAR clothes washer offers a choice of efficient settings that will save you even more.

You can select a lower water temperature – a cold wash/cold rinse setting, for example – which reduces energy use. And you can choose a lower water level for smaller loads, cutting your water use. Some ENERGY STAR clothes washers also have energy-saving features such as pre-soak and “suds saver.”

Much of the energy used by your dishwasher – as much as 80 percent – is used to heat the water. An ENERGY STAR-qualified dishwasher with a booster heater will let you set the temperature on your home’s water heater at 120 degrees, saving energy.

Many ENERGY STAR dishwashers have efficient settings, such as “energy-saving” and “short-wash” cycles that will reduce both energy and water use. And most dishwashers have an air-drying option, which also will save on energy use.

For other tips on how to save energy – and money – visit www.kwh.com or call the energy experts at Cass County Electric Cooperative at 701.356.4400. Find out how the little changes add up at www.TogetherWeSave.com.

Memories of a member

Paul Gage, Cass County Electric member

Throughout 2012 we will be including memories from our members in each issue of Highline Notes. These memories are from members who remember when electricity first came to the rural areas. The following is from member Paul Gage:

I had bought a farm in 1946 that had never had any form of electrical service. So, with the promise of high line power in the next few years, I purchased a 3000 watt alternating current generator with an automatic panel to provide electricity for my farmstead. In addition to providing lights, I was able to pump water, run the milking machine and cream separator as well as the laundry equipment in the house. So, getting buildings wired for electrical service I was anxious for the high line to come. Lines were finally energized the afternoon of Sept 1st, 1950. My bride of only two and a half months was all smiles as she cooked supper on our
new Monarch electric range. What great dependable service CCE Co-op provided all the years we lived on our farm until Oct. 1992 when we retired (42 years).

Paul and Marilyn Gage
Section 34, Minnie Lake Township
Barnes County
Oriska, ND

Light bulb standards put on hold

Congress has delayed the implementation of light bulb energy efficiency standards that would have taken some incandescent bulbs off store shelves in 2012. Republicans successfully included language in a recent spending bill that cuts funding to the U.S. Department of Energy to implement light bulb standards originally laid out in the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 (EISA). The standards would have triggered a phaseout of relatively inefficient bulbs beginning this week.

The standards—now defunded until at least October 2012—would have incrementally targeted 100-watt, 75-watt, 60-watt and 40-watt incandescent bulbs, requiring each to use less power in putting out the same amount of light.

Republicans argued that the standards would limit consumer choice; Rep. Joe Barton (R-Texas) called the delay a “present for all Americans,” according to The Hill newspaper. Some industry groups countered that the delay will have a negative impact on the light bulb industry.

“American manufacturers have invested millions of dollars in transitioning to energy-efficient lighting as a result of the EISA provision,” the National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA) said in a statement. “Delay in enforcement undermines those investments and creates regulatory uncertainty.”

Although the standards would gradually phase out less efficient incandescent bulbs, the technology is not going away anytime soon. Incandescent bulbs currently account for 80 percent of the bulb market, with CFLs accounting for the majority of remaining sales, according to NEMA. Sales of incandescent bulbs had been on a steady decline since sales of compact fluorescent alternatives began growing in 2003, although incandescent bulb sales for Q3 2011 were up 21.5 percent compared to the same period last year.

More information for consumers on the range of bulbs on the market is available at www.energysavers.gov/lighting.

Article from Cooperative Financial Corporation Solutions News Bulletin