March 2015 - Brown County Rural Electrical Association

March 2015
Vol. 19, No. 3
Electric cooperatives highlight
electricity issues with St. Paul legislators
Federated’s delegation met with Senator Julie Rosen.
Pictured: Directors David A. Hansen, David Meschke,
Cheryl and Bruce Brockmann, Rosen, Harold Knutson and
General Manager Richard Burud.
Electric cooperative directors and
general managers from across the
state tracked to St. Paul February 17
to voice concerns to their legislators.
Your electric cooperative was a part
of this delegation. “Electric cooperatives join together to voice concerns
about legislation that could impact
members’ electric bills,” stated Wade
Hensel, Brown County Rural Electrical Association general manager. “We
visit with our local representatives and
senators to highlight issues that could
become legislative bills. It’s also a
great opportunity to educate them on
our industry.”
Cooperatives focused on three main
topics this year.
State FEMA reimbursement
Electric cooperatives believe member-owned electric cooperatives should
have access to state disaster funds to
help our communities rebuild after
natural disasters, just as municipal
utilities do. Damage to electric co-op
Brown County
Rural Electrical
Association
Connecting our co-ops & members
to a progressive future
BCREA hosted a lunch and visited on the legislative issues.
Pictured: BCREA’s Jim Hanson, Senator Gary Dahms, along with
BCREA directors Jim Mickelson, Representative Paul Torkelson,
Bill Berg, Brad Sprenger, Tom Hayes and Reuben Kokesch.
lines is included in the calculation
that triggers Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Disaster
Declarations; electric cooperatives are
eligible for federal assistance.
Electric cooperatives strongly support HF484/SF599 (Urdahl/Newman)
bill. The legislation provides electric
cooperatives with access to state relief
funds through the Department of Public Safety, streamlining the process
currently in place.
Stray voltage
Minnesota continues to lead the
country in the number of electric
cooperatives with stray voltage cases
in court. Electric co-ops are pushing
legislation (HF400/SF563 — Swedzinski/Koenen) that will require those
providing expert testimony be licensed
electrical engineers if commenting on
the way a utility’s system is designed
and engineered. The legislation would
also require those providing expert
testimony on stray voltage testing and
measurements on a farm be licensed
Master Electricians. Co-ops believe
these common-sense requirements
will deter some of the questionable
“consultants” pushing cases.
In conjunction with the stray voltage
legislation electric cooperatives are
working with other utilities and agriculture groups to agree on standards
for stray voltage incidents, including
the responsibilities of utilities when
testing, measuring and mitigating
stray voltage on farms.
Net metering reform
Electric cooperatives also strongly
support the HF655/SF808 (Fabian/
Koenen) bill involving net metering;
this involves small, member-owned
wind or solar generation. The legislation reforms the state’s current
net metering statute for electric cooperatives and municipal utilities by
eliminating the shifting of costs and
allowing co-ops boards and municipal
— Continued on Page 7
Inside this issue:
Annual Meeting notice — March 28...Page 4
Meet your BCREA director candidates...Page 5
Connect ons
Cooperative Alliance Partners
This publication focuses on CAP’s members, programs and
events. As this is the official member publication, member’s
story ideas, letters-to-the-editor and comments are welcomed.
Andrea Christoffer, CCC, Editor
“Owned by those it serves”
Connections (USPS 010-456) is published monthly by Federated Rural Electric, 77100 US Hwy
71, Jackson, MN 56143. Subscriptions: Members $5 a year. Nonmembers $10 a year. Periodicals
postage paid at Jackson, MN and additional mailing offices.
POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Connections, PO Box 69, Jackson MN
56143-0069. Printed by Livewire Printing, Jackson, on recycled paper with soy ink
This institution is an equal opportunity provider and employer.
See the light and savings with our
Commercial and Industrial rebates
Your electric cooperative’s Commercial and Industrial Program (C&I)
helps farmers and business owners
receive rebates to improve the energy
efficiency of their operations. Lighting
is one of the more common ways members take
advantage of the program.
Retrofit lighting
• A ratio of high wattage “old” lights and low
wattage “new” lights will maximize your rebate.
Your co-op must show kilowatt-hour (kWh) savings
for every rebate they give out. A retrofit project of
10 400-watt metal halide fixtures being replaced
by 10 132-watt T8 high-bay fluorescent fixtures
provides more kWh savings than retrofitting 10 200- Russell Laue, Fairmont, installed LED lighting in his new shed last
watt incandescent fixtures with T8s. LEDS are an year. He received a rebate that covered about 20 percent of this new
option too. Ask a lighting vendor or your electrician construction lighting project. Laue also liked the 25,000 hour life exto do a lighting assessment so you have the desired pectancy on the LEDs. Visit with your electric co-op’s energy expert on
new and retrofit LED lighting rebates. — Photo courtesy of Michael Laue
footcandles or lumen output for your building.
fluorescent fixtures or LEDs. While they are a little more
New construction lighting
• If you are constructing a new building, choose a lighting expensive than metal halides, their “instant on” start up
system that will operate for many years. If you have a taller power is more efficient and will help your payback. Visit
space (14-foot walls or higher), consider T8 or T5 high-bay with your cooperative’s energy expert too!
Other energy improvements qualify for the C&I rebates
Ground source heat pump
Heating and cooling your commercial property with a
ground source heat pump qualifies for a rebate. Ground
source heat pumps have a higher initial cost than other
cooling/heating systems, but their efficiency is unmatched,
leading to a realistic payback period.
Retrofit motors
If your electric motor is working properly, you may not
need to consider retrofitting. An upgrade in efficiency may
not provide enough kWh savings for your cooperative to
report, meaning rebate totals will be minimal. However,
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if an electric motor is on the verge of failing, your local
co-op provides incentives for purchasing a new premiumefficiency motor to replace it.
Special energy-efficient purchases
Units such as dairy plate coolers, commercial refrigeration, variable frequency drive motors and Microzone hog
barn lamps also qualify for incentives. While these units
are a little more rare or specific to a certain job, each one
can provide the member with energy savings and a rebate
from the cooperative.
Interested in C&I rebates? Call your electric co-op.
Connections — March 2015
Start cooking dinner from anywhere
Sometimes getting home for dinner on time
is impossible. Now enjoy the flexibility to have
dinner ready whenever you are, even if you
aren’t there...
Using the Crock-Pot Smart Slow Cooker with
WeMo-enabled technology, start cooking dinner with your
smartphone, increase or decrease cooking time, turn the
temperature up or down, switch the slow cooker to keepwarm mode or turn it completely off!
Prepare your ingredients and program your cook settings.
Simply choose your temperature and cook time. Want to
know how dinner is coming along? Check the status of your
meal to find out how much time is left, check the temp or
even turn it off. Running late? Simply adjust the cooking
time or temp to fit your schedule with your Wi-Fi device.
Then enjoy your slow-cooked meal when you’re ready. Get
notifications when cooking is complete or the unit turns off.
What’s needed?
• Crock-Pot Smart Slow Cooker enabled by WeMo.
• Apple Smart device (phone or iPad) with iOS 7 or higher
or Android smart device (phone or tablet) using 4.0 or higher.
• Wi-Fi router and internet connection.
To begin using the Crock-Pot Smart Slow Cooker simply
plug it into an outlet in your kitchen and download the free
WeMo app from the Google Play Store, the Apple App
store, or the Amazon App store onto any smart device. The
free WeMo app keeps you connected to your Crock-Pot
Smart Slow Cooker anywhere you are — over Wi-Fi, 3G
or 4G networks.
Delayed? Running late or ahead of schedule? The family
meal won’t be overcooked or undercooked thanks to a new
technology with slow cookers. Just turn up or down the heat
to fit your schedule with your smart phone or tablet with this
new “smart” slow cooker using Wi-Fi.
Other features
• Once cooled, the slow cooker cleans up easily. Wipe
down the heating base’s exterior with a damp cloth and place
the removable stoneware and glass lid in the dishwasher.
• The roomy six-quart capacity slow cooker is great for
families or parties with seven or more. The oval shape fits
roasts and large cuts of meat.
• Keep it tidy in storage. At the rear of the crock pot is a
space for wrapping and storing the power cord.
Find it on Amazon.com for about $130.
What is the difference between GFCI and AFCI?
The world of electricity is filled with
acronyms — CFL (compact fluorescent
light), kW (kilowatt) and AC (alternating current). It’s confusing! Compare
GFCI (ground fault circuit interrupter)
and AFCI (arc fault circuit interrupter). Both contain the words fault, circuit and interrupter in the
same order — so what is the difference? They do
different things, but basically they keep you and
your home safe from the dangers of electricity.
GFCIs (like the one pictured at right) help prevent burns, electric shocks and electrocution. A GFCI has
sensors that measure the current going out and the current
coming back. Normally, the current is balanced as it goes
out and comes back in. However, if the current is out of
balance, something is wrong; the electric current has made
contact with a human or somewhere else it should not be.
Connections — March 2015
The GFCI senses this and instantly shuts down
the circuit, stopping the flow of electricity. Since
water is an excellent electric conductor, GFCIs
are important in areas where water and electricity
could meet, such as bathrooms, kitchens, laundry
rooms and garages.
AFCIs help prevent electric fires. Electricity can
leak out of damaged or decaying wires and start a
fire. These fires spread quickly in the wiring behind
walls. Electric fires cause more damage than other
types of fire and are twice as deadly. AFCIs sense
that electricity is leaking from the electric system and shut
the electricity off before overheating happens.
Basically, GFCIs prevent shocks and AFCIs prevent fires.
Both can be installed by a qualified electrician to make
your home safer.
— Information courtesy of safeelectricity.org
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Brown County
Official Notice of
BCREA Annual meeting
Member Advisory Council
The first meeting of
the new Member Advisory Council will
be Monday, April 20
at 7:30 p.m. at the Brown County
REA headquarters. Please park
in the south lot and enter through
auditorium doors.
Lignite Council opportunity for
teachers
Registration is open for the
Lignite Energy Council’s 30th annual Teacher Education Seminar.
Apply online at www.lignite.com/
teachers.
The seminar gives elementary,
middle and high school teachers a
first-hand look at North Dakota’s
fifth largest industry, lignite mining and related energy production.
The seminar will be held June
15–18, at Bismarck State College’s National Energy Center of
Excellence, Bismarck, N.D.
“Teachers should apply before
April 10, but the earlier the better,” said Kay LaCoe, Lignite Energy Council communications and
education coordinator. “One of the
biggest draws of our seminar is
that it offers two graduate credits
paid for by the Lignite Energy
Council, not to mention the popular tours of lignite facilities such
as a lignite mine and power plant.”
The seminar provides instruction on history, geology, land
reclamation, environmental protection, economics of the lignite
industry, the need for more workers, energy conservation and
transmission. Teachers will take
home materials that can be used
in the classroom.
All members of Brown County Rural Electrical Association are
hereby notified of the 78th Annual Meeting
Briefs
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When: Saturday, March 28
Location: Orchid Inn, Sleepy Eye
Registration: 10:30 a.m.
Meal: 11:30 a.m.
Meeting: 12:30 p.m.
Agenda includes 2014 review, financial report and election of directors in District 6, 7 and 9. All members encouraged to attend.
— James Hanson, Secretary
Community
Health Day
Saturday, March 21
Sleepy Eye Public School
6:30 a.m.-10:30 a.m.
• Blood analysis (including cholesterol, LDL, calcium, glucose,
etc.): $40, plus it requires a 12-hour fast for best results
• PSA test for men: $30
• Thyroid Stimulating Hormone (TSH) screening: $30
• Blood pressure check: FREE
Call BCREA at 794-3331 or 1-800-658-2368 for appointments between
8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.
Walk-ins accepted after 7:30 a.m. on Health Day.
Operation Round Up distributes
more than $1,300 to local causes
The Brown County Rural Electric Trust distributed $1,380
to five organizations and one individual at its first quarterly
meeting February 17.
The following were funded:
• KT Humble Hearts Foundation for scholarships at Sleepy
Eye Public and St. Mary’s Schools
• Comfrey School Garden Project
• CRU local event March 9 & 10
• After Prom events for MVL and Springfield schools
• Bob Mickelson Benefit
Applications are available on our website at www.browncountyrea.coop, under
the “Programs & Services” tab or by calling the office at 794-3331. The Trust
Board will meet again April 14.
Connections — March 2015
BCREA Director candidates
District 6
Joel Christensen
Joel and his wife, Monica,
live on the farm Joel grew
up on in Eden Township,
Brown County. They have
four grown children: Dayna
(Chris), Jon (Kendra), Tyler
(Lydia) and Jake.
Joel has a cow-calf operation and raises corn and
soybeans. He graduated from
Morgan High School and attended the University of Minnesota-Waseca for two years before going into farming.
He has been involved with the Redwood Area Cattlemen’s
Association and also serves as a church board member.
Joel is completing his first term as Brown County REA
Director for District 6. He says his goal for the cooperative
is to continue to provide excellent service and affordable
power. The challenge, he says, is to deal with ever-increasing government mandates and regulation.
“I welcome the opportunity to continue to serve as a
director on the Brown County REA Board,” Joel added.
District 7
Greg Mages
A life-long resident of
Brown and Nicollet counties,
Greg raises corn, soybeans
and hogs with his parents,
Dan and Arlene Mages, in a
family-farm corporation. He
manages farm employees,
makes crop input and marketing decisions, monitors
hog-herd health, maintains
equipment, makes asset-purchasing decisions and constantly looks for ways to conserve resources and improve
farm efficiency.
Greg holds a Farm Management degree from South
Central Technical College. He is a people-person who
values his friends and is always eager to meet and learn
from new people. In his free time — or as often as his wife
lets him — Greg is an avid sportsman. He is a member of
New Ulm’s Farm City Hub Club and a former member of
the Lafayette Area Lions. Greg is a past church president.
Connections — March 2015
Greg lives with his wife, Mary Kay, on the Mages’ family
farm in Home Township, Brown County; they have four
children: Grace (9), Adam (7), Anna (4) and Martin (2).
Greg was elected in 2014 to fill a one-year vacancy on
the BCREA Board. He is interested in continuing to serve
as a BCREA director because he values affordable and reliable electricity. His farm business experience, hometown
common sense and management experience complement
his fellow directors’ capable and effective leadership.
District 9
Tom Hayes
Tom Hayes, his wife Patti,
and their family live on the
160-acre farm, east of Lafayette, where Tom grew up.
They grow corn and soybeans and finish out about
1,800 head of hogs each
year. Tom and Patti have four
children: Anna, David, John
and Daniel.
Tom has always been very involved in community organizations. “With 18 years of experience, being on the REA
board, I have become more appreciative of the things that
Brown County REA is involved in and stands for,” he said.
“Issues like generation and transmission of electricity, government policies, right-of-way and transportation, which
are going to affect our members and energy prices. With
the experience I now have I feel I can help this organization
continue to run efficiently and effectively, keeping rates
low and the lights on.”
In 2014 Tom was elected to the board of directors of the
National Rural Utilities Cooperative Finance Corporation.
He served as Brown County REA board president from
2004 to 2014, and past director for Cooperative Network.
A self-employed farmer since 1973, Tom serves as chair
of Sib-Bro-Nic Feeder Pig Corporation, is a graduate of
the Minnesota Agricultural Rural Leadership program
and steering committee member for Connecting Nicollet
County.
Director elections will be held during the 12:30 p.m.
business meeting at the 78th Annual Meeting March 28
at the Orchid Inn. Members may also be nominated from
the floor at the Annual Meeting by another member who
resides in the respective district.
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Before you switch on the lights,
we’ve already put up the poles,
connected miles of wire and flipped
more than a few switches of our own. All to
make sure your life is always ‘on.’ Learn more
about the power of your co-op membership at
TogetherWeSave.com.
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Connections — March 2015
Help us be ‘rolling’ in the meatball recipes; share favorites!
We’re having a ball asking for your favorite meatball recipes. Send your meatball recipes whether as
appetizers or main courses by March 25 to Editor, Federated Rural Electric, PO Box 69, Jackson MN
56143-0069 or e-mail to [email protected]. Add your name and phone number. Thanks
for sharing!
Gram Anita’s Buttermilk Pancakes by Elizabeth Shimon,
Granada
Banana Pancakes by Laurie
Sherman, Truman
2 c. buttermilk
½ tsp. salt
8 oz. sour cream
2 T. sugar
3 eggs, separated
1¾ c. flour
2 tsp. baking soda
dash of vanilla
2 tsp. baking powder
Beat the egg whites until stiff and set aside. Combine buttermilk, egg yolks and sour
cream in a bowl; mix. Add dry ingredients — mix. Gently fold in egg whites. Bake on
hot griddle.
Syrup
1 c. white sugar
1 c. brown sugar
1 c. water.
Boil 1 minute. Flavor with vanilla or maple flavoring. Serve hot — enjoy!
1 banana, mashed
1 egg
½ c. oatmeal
Mix all together and make on the griddle
— makes 3-4 cakes.
Can add other ingredients to taste: flax
seed, chia seeds, fruit, applesauce, cinnamon or pumpkin purée. Be creative!
Legislative visits provide energizing information
— Continued from Page 1
utility commissions and city councils to recover the fixed costs it takes to serve
net-metered members and customers.
Under the legislation, new installations of small (under 40 kW) distributed
generation would have a choice:
• Sell all of the output to the utility at avoided or wholesale cost; or
• Receive a kilowatt-hour credit on their bill with excess credits rolling over
month to month.
• At the end of a calendar year the credits may expire at the choice of the
utility, eliminating the incentive to oversize generation.
• Boards and commissions will be allowed to charge a monthly grid fee to
recover costs of using the utility’s lines.
“We have been working on the net metering issue for years,” added Richard
Burud, Federated Rural Electric’s general manager. “We want to be fair to both
sides of the issue. The owners of the wind and solar should pay their fair share of
our distribution lines and equipment with fair incentives that are not subsidized
by the entire membership, increasing their electric rates.”
No matter where you
are, Heartland Security keeps you close
to home. View system
status, monitor activity,
watch live video, arm or
disarm your system, set
up user codes and even
control your lights and
thermostats — all from
the easy-to-use web
and mobile interfaces.
Connections — March 2015
1-888-264-6380
www.heartlandss.com

He Man Hot Cakes by Mary
Mills, New Ulm
1 c. flour
2 T. vegetable oil
2 T. sugar
2 T. baking powder
½ tsp. salt
¾ c. to 1 c. milk
1 egg, beat
Mix all ingredients.
Bake in hot pan or on heated griddle.
Call before digging
1-800-252-1166
Contact Gopher State One
Call before doing any digging
more than 12-inches deep
— 48 hours before digging
for foundations, trees, tiling
and more. You can also register on www.gopherstateonecall.org. Call a licensed
electrician to locate the underground lines on your side
of the meter.
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Brown County
Rural Electrical
Association
Bill pay options available
As we work toward members not having to read and submit meter readings anymore with installation of Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI)
meters, we remind you of the bill paying options available at BCREA.
Automatic payment from checking or savings
You can have your monthly electric bill payment automatically transferred from your checking or savings account to Brown County REA on
the 5th of each month. If the 5th falls on a weekend or holiday, the transfer
will be made the following business day. You will continue to receive a
monthly statement from BCREA. This arrangement will remain in effect
until you terminate the authorization. To apply, fill out and submit the
form below along with a voided check from your checking account or a
deposit slip from your savings account.
Online bill pay
Sign up to securely pay your REA bill online by visiting our website
at www.browncountyrea.coop.
To take advantage of the free, convenient, secure and easy-to-use option,
click on the “Pay Bill/Access Your Account” icon on the home page of
the Brown County REA website. Click on “Register Account” and follow
the onscreen instructions to create your account. You may enter multiple
account numbers. You can also choose a paperless billing option, sign up
for recurring payments and more.
Credit Card
Contact the office or visit the website for a form to authorize payment
of your electric bill from your specified credit card on or about the 1st of
each month. A maximum $2,000 monthly charge is allowed.
And as always, we accept checks or cash to pay your monthly bill as
well. Reminder, all payments are due by the 5th of each month.
Automatic Payment Plan Authorization
Name: _________________________________________
Address: _______________________________________
Brown County REA Location Number: _________________
I wish to have my payment taken out of my checking/savings
account, until further notice (check one):
Send to (or enclose with bill payment):
Brown County Rural Electrical Assn.
Checking: _____
Savings: _____
24386 State Hwy 4, PO Box 529
Sleepy Eye MN 56085
Signature: _______________________________________
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Brown County Rural Electrical Assn.
24386 State Hwy 4, PO Box 529
Sleepy Eye MN 56085
E-mail address: [email protected]
Website: www.browncountyrea.coop
Phone: 507-794-3331 or 800-658-2368
Office hours: 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday-Friday
Wade Hensel, General Manager
Board of Directors
James Mickelson, President — 794-6298
Thomas Hayes, Vice President — 228-8954
James D. Hanson, Sec.-Treasurer — 829-6756
William Berg — 354-4895
Brad Sprenger — 877-2633
Allen Hanson — 276-0691
Reuben Kokesch — 359-2112
Greg Mages — 794-3540
Joel Christensen — 828-4550
The Board of Directors meets the last Thursday
of each month.
Board meeting
highlights
The Brown County REA Board of Directors held its monthly board meeting February 19 at the BENCO office in Mankato.
Discussion and/or action were taken on the
following agenda items:
• Updated on progress of the Advanced
Metering Infrastructure (AMI) meter installations.
• Informed of progress on line patrol,
maintenance projects and recent linemen
training.
• Updated on the Alliant territory acquisition progress and reviewed reports from
management staff committee activity.
• Reviewed plans for the 78th Annual Meeting March 28 at the Orchid Inn.
• Reviewed and approved a Rural Utility
Services (RUS) signature resolution.
• Discussed the recent site visit for the 20
KW solar array Great River Energy is installing at the Brown County REA Headquarters.
Construction is planned for May.
• Reviewed staff and director meeting reports, plus individual director reports.
The next meeting will be March 26 at the
Brown County REA office, Sleepy Eye.
Connections — March 2015