Summer Safety Tips

When the weather gets hot, we head outdoors for sun and fun. Keep in mind some tips from the Electrical Safety Foundation International to make sure everyone has a safe summer.

Water and electricity don’t mix

Summer is the season for swimming and boating, and awareness of electrical hazards around water can prevent deaths and injuries.

Water and electricity don’t mix

• Use covers on outdoor power outlets, especially near swimming pools. Keep cords and electrical devices away from the water, and never handle electrical items before you’ve dried off.
• Use a ground fault circuit interrupter (GFCI) to help prevent electrocutions and electrical shock injuries. These devices interrupt the flow of power when they sense a surge. Portable GFCIs require no tools to install and are available at prices ranging from $12 to $30.

Lightning and storms

Lightning strikes are fatal in 10 percent of victims, and 70 percent suffer serious long-term effects, according to the National Weather Service. Because lightning can travel sideways for up to 10 miles, blue skies are not a sign of safety. If you hear thunder, take cover.

• If weather conditions indicate a storm, stay inside—away from doors and windows—or seek shelter in a low-lying area away from trees and any metal, including sheds, clotheslines, poles, and fences. If you’re near water, stay as far away as possible.
• If you’re in a group, spread out—don’t stand close together.
• Indoors, unplug electronics before the storm arrives, and don’t use corded phones.
• Avoid plumbing—sinks, bathtubs, faucets.
• Don’t forget about your pets. Doghouses are not safe from lightning, and chained animals are easy targets.
• If your home is flooded during a storm, don’t turn on appliances or electronics until given the okay by an electrician. If there’s laying water, don’t go inside. The water could be energized.

Working with large appliances

If your air conditioner goes out, keep a few things in mind before you start poking around. Large appliances, such as air conditioners, are responsible for almost 20 percent of consumer-product electrocutions each year.

• Understand your electrical system—know which fuse or circuit breaker controls each switch, light, and outlet.
• Make sure circuits are turned off before starting work and take measures to ensure they’re not turned back on while working.
• Use a circuit tester—always test before you touch.

            Find more safety tips at esfi.org.

The Power of Membership

The following is an editorial written by Marshal Albright, VP of member and energy services. The editorial appeared in the June/July issue of Highline Notes.

As a member of Cass County Electric Cooperative, you are also an owner. As a Touchstone Energy Cooperative, we strive to provide dependable electricity at a competitive cost to every member. But as a member, you have the power: the power to have a voice in how the co-op is run; the power to energize and enhance your life with affordable electricity; and to save money through responsible energy use and giving back to our local communities through Operation Round-up. The power is all yours. It’s up to you to turn it on.

Being a member-owner of CCEC, you can feel confident that decisions are made in the best interest of your community. These decisions are made by a local board of directors, who are members just like you, which you elect. Most employees are members as well.

Last year we celebrated our 75th Anniversary and since inception your cooperative has grown to over 38,300 members. Last year we sold more than 1,000,000,000 kWh of electricity to power your community from energy generated right here in North Dakota. In the early years of the cooperative, the price for electricity was around 5 cents per kilowatt hour. Today the average cost is around 10 cents per kilowatt hour, about double the cost from 1937.

POWER OF ELECTRICITY
The electricity CCEC provides is essential for everyday life and is often taken for granted and expected to be on ALL the time. Now, more than ever, we depend on electricity every minute of the day. Through innovation and new technology, CCEC is doing everything we can to keep electricity reliable and affordable.

POWER OF VALUE
Affordable electricity. While so many things we buy have climbed steadily over the years, electricity is still one of the best values out there. That is comforting to know, because electricity is essential to energizing our lives and keeping us connected more than ever. As mentioned, electricity has doubled in price since 1937. The cost to purchase goods and services has no doubt increased over time. The following list shows how prices have changed:

                   1937           Today          Increase
Coffee        $.15/lb        $7.43/lb        49x
Eggs           $.27/doz     $1.97/doz      7x
Bacon         $.38/lb       $4.51/lb         12x
Gas             $.10/gal     $3.65/gal       36x
Car              $665          $25,015          38x
Electricity  $.05/kwh  $.10/kwh       2x

POWER OF USING ENERGY WISELY
When we work together, using energy wisely and saving money go hand in hand. With helpful energy efficient tools and resources from CCEC, doing both is easier than you think. Start by visiting kwh.com and clicking on the “Together We Save” link and then take a room-by-room walkthrough with the Virtual Home Tour and learn how simple responsible energy use practices can add up to big savings. We also have energy experts on staff to assist you with questions about electricity use.

POWER OF CONNECTIONS
One of the benefits of being a member-owner of CCEC is that your membership means more than just affordable electricity. With the Co-op Connections® Card, it also can add savings at hundreds of participating local and national retailers. Visit www.kwh.com for more information. It’s just another way we’re looking out for our member-owners.

To show our appreciation for our member-owners we are holding a member appreciation event at the Red River Zoo on August 18 from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m.  Admission is FREE, so come join your friends and neighbors for a day at the zoo.

Remember…the power is yours. It’s up to you to turn it on!

Automatic controls can keep lighting costs in check

Whether you can’t train your kids to turn out lights when they leave a room or need a better outdoor lighting scheme, automatic controls might be a cost-effective solution.

No matter what type you use, “the most important thing to remember for any lighting control is to use a type of lightbulb that doesn’t need to ‘warm up,’” says Brian Sloboda, a senior program manager specializing in energy efficiency for the Cooperative Research Network, the research and development organization for the nation’s electric co-ops. “All of the lightbulbs for residential use now on the market will work—incandescents, compact fluorescent lamps [CFLs], and LEDs [light-emitting diodes].”

Indoors
Occupancy sensors are helpful indoors, as long as they’re positioned to detect people in any corner of the room. They’re also good as task lighting—above places like a desk or kitchen sink—so you get the extra light you need while working, but you don’t forget and leave it on all night.

They are two types of occupancy sensors: ultrasonic and infrared. Ultrasonic sensors detect sound; infrared sensors detect heat and motion.

Timers make an empty home look occupied. If kids are still running in and out, however, timers aren’t as effective as occupancy sensors. Plug timers into a wall outlet or install them in the wall, like a light switch or thermostat. New varieties are digital.

Photosensors are generally best outdoors, but new applications have found they’re also useful for LED nightlights. When an overhead light is on, the nightlight shuts off automatically.

Outdoors
If you already have or are thinking about installing an outdoor security light, consider combining it with a photosensor to keep it from burning all day. A motion sensor goes one step further, if you don’t want continuous light.

Timers are commonly used for aesthetic or holiday lighting, sometimes in conjunction with a photosensor—so they turn on at dusk and turn off at a designated time.

Visit EnergySavers.gov to learn more about energy efficiency in your home.

Source: U.S. Department of Energy (EnergySavers.gov)

Landscaping can have a big impact!

When you are planning to landscape your yard, there are many items to consider. Aesthetics and overall looks are very important, but there are also many other factors to consider. Landscaping can play a major part in foundation protection, protection from the wind and sun, and power line friendly layouts. Now is a great time to look at some landscaping options for what would work best for your home.

As a homeowner, you may envision what you would like the layout to look like. Make a point to visit with your local nursery for their knowledge and expertise in plant and tree varieties. It’s important to know what varieties work best in your area.

In our area, it makes sense to plant trees for summer shading on the east and west sides of the house, but you should avoid planting on the south side to take advantage of the warmth of the sun during the winter. When considering shading, you want to look at deciduous trees, (lose their leaves in the winter), trellis systems, and shrubs.

According to the Department of Energy, carefully positioned trees can save up to 25% of a household’s energy consumption for heating and cooling and provides enough energy savings to return an initial investment in less than 8 years.

A common windbreak typically consists of evergreen or shrubs, planted on the north and northwest. A windbreak is designed to reduce wind speed coming at the house and this can make a big difference on heating costs.

Foundation planting in another area to consider and can decrease your energy consumption year-round. Shrubs, bushes, and vines planted at least one foot away from your home create dead air spaces that insulate your home in both summer and winter. However, be sure to plant varieties that are not water intensive or ones that require daily watering. A flower bed next to your home will do nothing to improve your energy use. In fact, any water-intensive plants will increase the humidity of your home, making your air conditioner work hard.

Everyone knows that trees and power lines do not mix, so it is very important when planning your landscaping to consider where the power lines are and how big the trees will grow. Cass County Electric trims trees away from power lines on a regular basis to help avoid power outages during high winds and ice storms. In addition, we trim trees to ensure the tree does not become electrified, which poses a hazard to people who come near the tree and wastes electricity by sending it into the ground. Also, before starting any project where you will be digging in your yard, there is one call you have to make. In North Dakota, simply call 811 at least 48 hours before you dig and they will take care of locating any underground facilities.

As you start planning your landscaping projects this spring, pay close attention to the decisions that will have an impact for years to come, both in terms of energy costs and safety.

The big, green box

Never let anything grow closer than 10 feet from a pad-mount transformer. This is an example of what NOT to do!

They’re big. They’re often green. They generally sit on concrete, often within housing developments. Some folks don’t like these “electrical boxes” (a common nickname for pad-mount transformers) and try to hide them with bushes, fences, or flower beds. But stay clear: even small additions around pad-mount transformers create hazards.

To improve aesthetics of new neighborhoods, developers often put in underground power lines. While this eliminates utility poles and overhead wires, it requires installing pad-mount transformers in some front yards. Unfortunately some homeowners, concerned about curb appeal, attempt to screen pad-mount transformers from view—creating an unsafe situation for all concerned, including Cass County Electric Cooperative (CCEC) lineworkers.

CCEC recommends leaving at least 10 feet of clear space in front of pad-mount transformers. Linemen repair units while they are energized so homeowners don’t experience an interruption in service. To ensure safety, they use an 8-foot fiberglass hot stick that requires about 10 feet of “elbow room” in front of the access panel.

In some cases, consumers may leave plenty of space in front of the transformer, but grow vegetation on the other three sides. This invites other problems. For example, plant roots can interfere with its operation. Overheating is another big concern that can cause service interruptions when air circulation is compromised.

Pad-mount transformers surrounded by vegetation or a structure may overheat and cause service interruptions when the air circulation around them is compromised. Allow at least three to four feet of space on both sides and behind the transformer.

Members should also be aware that plantings along rights-of-way—strips of land owned by a member on which the co-op places poles, wires, and other equipment like pad-mount transformers—could be damaged by co-op vehicles.

Call before you dig!

Because underground service continues from the transformer to your home, you should never dig anywhere in your yard without first calling 811 to find out where cables are buried. Remember to call 48 hours prior to digging.

Quick Tips

• Never let anything grow closer than 10 feet from a pad-mount transformer. (The access panel is marked by a handle, lock, and sticker on the front.)

• Never enclose a pad-mount transformer with fencing, shrubs, or anything else with less than a 10-foot-wide gate or opening.

• Never allow children to play near pad-mount transformers.

• Never pour waste oils, chemicals, or other liquids on or near a pad-mount transformer. These liquids can seep into the ground and damage underground cables.

EPA’s regional haze program is not the answer

Following several years of deliberation and more than a year after ruling in favor of the state of North Dakota and Minnkota Power Cooperative, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is reopening its consideration of a decision regarding regional haze.

The decision means Minnkota, our cooperative’s power supplier, could face a significant increase in its costs to meet environmental requirements that may not even improve the environment.

The National Parks Conservation Association and the Sierra Club last year petitioned the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals for review of the EPA’s regional haze determination for the state of North Dakota as well as requested the EPA to reconsider the ruling.

Then, on March 15 this year, the EPA published its notice in the Federal Register to reconsider approval of the state’s Best Available Retrofit Technology emission limits for nitrogen oxides (NOx) for Units 1 and 2 of Minnkota’s Milton R. Young Station, a coal-fired plant located near Center, N.D., which provides the majority of the electricity for Cass County Electric Cooperative and Minnkota.

Two re-elected, one newly elected to CCEC board

Cass County Electric Cooperative held its 76^th annual meeting at Ramada Plaza in Fargo on Monday, April 22, 2013.  Wendy Loucks, board chair, and Scott Handy, president and CEO, reported on the state of the cooperative in 2012.

John Froelich, of Valley City, was re-elected to serve District 1 and Russell Berg, of Horace, was re-elected to serve District 6. Glenn Mitzel, of West Fargo, was elected to the District 5(3) seat.

John Froelich,Valley City, was re-elected to serve District 1

 

Russell Berg, Horace, was re-elected to serve District 6.

Glenn Mitzel, West Fargo, is the new board member for District 5(3).