October 2014

CHELCO NEWS2
Choctawhatchee Electric Cooperative, Inc.
Vol. 1 | No. 5
September 2014
CHELCO helps protect sea turtles
CHELCO recently added three turtle-friendly light shields to streetlights the road instead of toward the light of the horizon.
near The Red Bar in Grayton Beach. After a report that hatchlings were
A turtle hatchling’s natural instinct is to move toward the brightest
traveling toward CHELCO lights instead of the Gulf of Mexico, CHELCO
light, which in nature is the light of the night sky reflecting off the Gulf
Lighting Coordinator Cynthia “Sinder” Perring and CHELCO Services Inc.
water. Therefore, any streetlights in the turtles’ immediate surroundings
(CSI) took immediate action.
must be shielded to prevent such
Within two hours, aluminum
misdirection.
shields that block radiant light
South Walton Turtle Watch,
were in place.
a group of citizens dedicated to
Red Bar owner Philippe
protecting sea turtles, rescued the
Petite, who leases the lights,
confused turtles and turned them
was happy to help CHELCO
back toward the gulf. The group was
and the sea turtles. “We want to
able to redirect 49 live hatchlings.
be a good friend to the turtles
They contacted CHELCO the
and the turtle watch group,”
next morning and reported the
he said.
problem. Perring quickly located
While most CHELCO
the three necessary light shields and
lighting on the beach is already
dispatched CSI’s lighting team to
turtle-friendly, these three
install them. Shortly after lunch, the
lights were on the northern
shields were in place.
boundary of the 750-foot.
Thanks to Perring and CSI’s
Wildlife Conservation Zone
quick action “three more nests
and had never posed a problem
in the same area stand a better
in the past. But this year, the
chance of making it without human
glow from the streetlights
intervention,” said Bobby Stuart,
The turtle hatchling’s natural instinct is to move toward the brightest light on the
disoriented the hatchlings,
area coordinator for the middle-east
horizon.
causing them to travel toward
sect of South Walton Turtle Watch.
Grayton beach streetlight before turtle shield
was installed.
Using an infrared light to check unfertilized eggs to
make sure there are no living hatchlings.
Grayton beach streetlight with turtle shield
installed.
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In Brief...
Check compatibility for chelco.com
Freeport Payment kiosk installed
If you receive an error message that refers to
upgrading to the latest version of Internet Explorer when
visiting chelco.com, click the
compatibility icon in the righthand corner of your browser
address bar, which looks like a
page torn in half. However, the same issue may occur when
visiting other websites, so you might need to consider
upgrading to a more current version of Internet Explorer.
CHELCO has installed a payment kiosk in the parking
area of the Freeport City Hall. Members can make
payments with cash, credit/debit cards or checks. There is
no service charge for cash or checks, but credit/debit card
payments are subject to a $3.95 processing fee. Accounts
may be accessed with an account number or its associated
phone number. For security purposes, the last four digits
of the member’s Social Security number must also be
supplied.
Get your treats for tweets
Walton county fair coming soon
The Walton County Fair is Oct. 6-11. CHELCO will
CHELCO recently joined Twitter
and is offering treats-for-tweets, which
are special promotional gifts to Twitter
followers who attend live events. To
participate, members will be asked to
tweet to a specified hashtag related to
a live event and then collect their gift
at the event. The next event will be the Walton County Fair
Oct. 6-11. Follow MyCHELCO on Twitter for details.
be on site with conservation and efficiency tips, safety
suggestions and promotional gifts.
TIME
O
Save money during off-peak ho
SE
U
F
Take advantage of CHELCO’s Time of Use Rates
Time of Use means you are charged
according to the time of day you use electricity.
Power does not cost the same amount
at all hours of the day or year.
If you can avoid using power during peak hours,
it will save you money and help CHLECO control cost.
Time of use rates save money
Electricity does not cost the same at all hours of the day or
night. When demand for electricity is high, the price also increases.
For members who can conserve energy during times of peak
demand, CHELCO’s Time of Use (TOU) rate plan provides an
alternative to traditional rates.
“The program is intended to be an incentive
to encourage members to use power during offpeak periods and conserve during peak periods,”
explained Manager of Marketing Bryan Gilbert.
There’s a certain amount of energy we all use,
regardless of whether we’re at home or away.
Bryan Gilbert
Refrigerators, air conditioning, heating systems
and other steady appliances create base load power requirements.
Of course, we all have energy usage patterns—television
shows to watch, laundry to do, dishes to wash, baths to take. Most
Americans tend to use electricity in the morning to start the day
and get kids ready for school and in the afternoon after work when
we power up televisions, computers, stoves and other electronics
and appliances. These are known as “peak hours” of the day.
“Members who are able to schedule household tasks later in the
day or even at night may benefit from TOU rates,” said Gilbert.
“Programmable appliances and thermostats may also help.”
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Time of Use rates require a 12-month commitment period.
On-Peak Hours
May-October, 2 p.m. until 7 p.m.
November - April, 5 a.m. until 9 a.m.
Off-Peak Hours
Any time that is not an On-Peak Hour.
Residential Energy Charge
10.880¢ On-Peak purchased power
5.736¢ Off-Peak purchased power
plus WPCA and DCA
For more information visit chelco.com
Is $25 Yours?
If the account number below
matches yours, sign this page
and mail it with your bill
to CHELCO or drop it off at
any office. You’ll win a
$25 credit on your next bill.
McLaney – 9000029393
Join the conversation
Insight
I recently heard a newscaster say “Let’s see what
social media says,” and it sounded like she was
referring to an actual person. Throughout the day,
the thought stayed with me that social media has
become an entity in and of itself, which provides a
collective voice to its users and demands attention
in a way that most individuals cannot.
This can be a very powerful tool. I know it has
made celebrities of obscure pets like Grumpy Cat
and a talking dog, but on a more serious note,
it allows users to communicate a message to the
group collectively and gather a rapid response.
CHELCO has joined social media by establishing
a Facebook page (Choctawhatchee Electric
Cooperative) and a Twitter account (MyCHELCO)
in order to communicate directly with members.
We are continuing to explore other avenues as well.
This allows members to join us in conversation
and be a part of social media’s voice. Through
Facebook and Twitter, members can receive outage
information, as well as tips on storm preparation,
safety, energy conservation and other co-op member
benefits.
In the past, the conversation has been largely
STEVE RHODES
Chief Executive Officer
one-sided. We produce CHELCO News, members receive it
and, hopefully, read it, but rarely do we know what readers
think or how they react to the content. Thankfully, social
media has changed that, and now many members feel free
to engage us via Twitter or Facebook. We welcome this
interaction and want to hear from members. So, if you haven’t
already friended us on Facebook at Choctawhatchee Electric
Cooperative or followed us on Twitter at myCHELCO, we
encourage you to do so and join the conversation.
Fast, easy bill pay
The fastest, easiest, no cost way to pay your electric
bill is with an e-check on CHELCO’s website. By paying
your electric bill directly from chelco.com, your payment
is deducted from your banking account and credited
immediately. By using the e-check option, there is no credit
card service fee.
On the homepage of chelco.com there are three buttons:
Pay Bill, Turn Power On and Outages. To pay your bill, just
select the “Pay Bill” button and either register or login to the
online account services. You will be prompted to choose the
CHELCO account or accounts you would like to pay. From
there, click the Pay Online Now option and choose e-check
on the following screen.
Then simply enter your bank’s routing number as well
as your banking account information and choose between
a checking or savings account. You will also be given the
opportunity to schedule your payment.
The payment will be deducted from your account and
applied to your electric bill at the time you specify.
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CHELCO installs energy-saving LED lights in Bluewater Bay
Areas of Bluewater Bay were the first to receive new LED
outdoor lighting as part of CHELCO’s “shared-lighting”
project, which began in May. The project is replacing aging
lights and poles, which are difficult to maintain, with highefficiency LED lighting fixtures similar to ones already in
place.
While in many cases, homeowners associations contract
street lighting, some subdivisions in Bluewater Bay are not
represented through an association. Residents pay their share
of a subdivision’s lighting cost directly to CHELCO. These
are known as shared-lighting subdivisions and were the first
to receive the new LED fixtures. LEDs cost more to install
but use 46 percent less energy.
Advantages of LED outdoor lighting:
• Known for their long life.
• Cost for installation, operation and
maintenance is comparable to traditional
outdoor lighting.
• Environmentally friendly.
• Require less maintenance.
• Emit no ultraviolet light to attract bugs.
• Portray color more accurately.
• Light can be directed more accurately to
where it is used.
• Dark skies friendly.
Most of the new LED lights have been moved closer to
the road, and while feedback is limited, it has been largely
positive. Comments have mainly come from members who
are curious about the project, and some have asked about
additional lighting.
Report streetlight problems by phone or online
To report a CHELCO street light that is inoperative or
malfunctioning, call (850) 892-5069, ext. 198, anytime and leave a
message. The messages are checked on weekdays, and repairs are
scheduled. To fill out a report electronically, go to www.chelco.com
and click on Report a Streetlight Out under the “Member Services”
tab.
Each street light pole is numbered, so if possible, include the
number with your report. If you cannot see the number, use the 911
address nearest the pole.
If using a smart phone at the light location, go to chelco.com and
scroll down to the button that reads “Report a street light out.” The
phone app will then send CHELCO the information and light location.
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