Avoid power supply equipment

Daviess-Martin
County REMC
P.O. BOX 430
12628 E. 75 N.
LOOGOOTEE, IN 47553
812-295-4200 or 800-762-7362
www.dmremc.com
Office Hours
Monday-Friday, 7:30 a.m.-4 p.m.
Closed Saturdays
Directors & Manager
John Edwards, president
Steve Streepy, vice president
August Bauer, secretary
Dean Harrawood, treasurer
Terry Chapman
Dale Marchino
Michael E. Arvin
Ken Frye, general manager
Service Interruptions
To report an outage or emergency
Call: 812-295-4200 or
800-762-7362
day or night.
Bill Payment Options
Online bill payment
Budget billing
Auto bank draft
Drive-through window
Night depository
Credit card payment
(Visa and MasterCard accepted)
Mission Statement
“Our mission is to provide dependable electricity
and quality services for our members at
reasonable cost.”
Tip
of the
Month
Don’t get your electric bill
caught in a spin cycle! When
doing laundry, use cold water.
If your dryer has a moisture
meter, use it to prevent overdrying clothes — 50 minutes
often works best for a full
load. And remember to check
your lint filter each time
before you run a load to help
your dryer run more efficiently
(and save energy). Find more ways to save
at TogetherWeSave.com.
—Touchstone Energy® Cooperatives
Information from your electric cooperative
Avoid power supply equipment
D
elivering electricity to your home
takes a variety of equipment, some of
which may be sitting in your yard or
neighborhood. While both adults and
children may be curious, the inherent
dangers of electricity provide a good
reason to maintain a safe distance.
“Some of the equipment may not
look dangerous, but it can contain highvoltage electricity,” warned Ken Frye,
general manager at Daviess-Martin
County REMC. “If someone comes into
contact with that electricity they could
be killed or seriously injured.”
Co-ops and other electric power providers will sometimes install large metal
cabinets, called transformer boxes, in
homeowners’ yards. These cabinets
contain cables and other electrical
equipment that converts the high-voltage
electricity used in power lines to the
lower voltages that serve home outlets.
The boxes normally feature labels that Power supply equipment contains high-voltage electricity
that is very dangerous. It is best to avoid getting near any
warn of the hazards.
“As long as the boxes are secure, such equipment, including large substations like the one
they’re perfectly safe,” said Frye. “But shown here, as well as transformer boxes and electric
children should not play on or around meters.
them. In addition, our crews need to be
equipment that power companies use to change
able to access the boxes, so homeowners shouldn’t
voltage in preparation for delivery to hundreds
plant flowers or shrubs in front of them. This
or thousands of customers.
ensures that we are able to find the boxes quickly
“To an adventurous child, a substation looks
when we need to. Lastly, if the transformer box
a lot like playground equipment,” Frye noted.
appears to have been left open or has been van“However, high fences are built around substadalized in any way, call Daviess-Martin County
tions
for good reason. Much of the equipment
REMC or your power provider right away.”
carries high voltage, and it’s impossible for
Electric meters are another source of electrical
someone who does not work with electric power
danger and can be found on near almost every
to identify which parts are energized and which
home or commercial building. Although electric
are safe. Our linemen receive specialized trainmeters seem fairly small, they’re equipped to
ing that allows them to work safely around the
handle all of the electricity used in the home
equipment.”
or building. A meter can easily injure someone
If you see children playing in a substation,
who handles it incorrectly.
call
9-1-1 immediately.
“If you need to have the meter disconnected
“If a child’s model airplane, kite, or some other
to perform some electrical work in your home or
kind of toy goes into a substation, do not attempt
business, do not try to remove it yourself or allow
to recover it yourself,” said Frye. “Instead, call
a handyman to remove it for you,” cautioned Frye.
the power company listed on the signs around
“Coming in contact with the metal parts inside
the substation to have someone retrieve it the
the meter case creates a risk for serious burns
next time they are in the area.”
or electrocution. Meters should be removed only
Substations also draw thieves who attempt
by Daviess-Martin County REMC. Our service
to
steal copper wire and other equipment for
crews have the correct training and equipment
scrap. Some of those criminals have died or have
to handle meters safely. If you notice that your
been critically injured when they tried to remove
meter has become loose, don’t try to secure it
wiring that was energized. If you see anyone in
yourself. Call Daviess-Martin County REMC or
a substation other than a power company emyour power provider right away to come out to
ployee, call the police immediately. —Arizona Public
check and reattach the meter,” added Frye. “This
Service, Central Electric Cooperative, Cuivre River Electric
is to ensure both your safety and the accuracy
Cooperative, Electrical Safety Foundation International,
of your billing.”
Electricsubstationsafety.com, Incident-prevention.
A third hazard that may be around your home
com, Inspectapedia.com, OSHA, Powerlinesafety.info,
is a substation. These are large, fenced-in areas of
Toronto Hydro
ELECTRIC CONSUMER • APRIL 2012 • 7F
Plan to attend 2012 annual meeting
Official notice of annual meeting
Top 10 reasons to attend the meeting
Notice is hereby given that the annual membership meeting of DaviessMartin County REMC will be held Thursday, April 12, at Shoals High
School, Shoals, at 7 p.m. to take action on the following items:
10. Enjoy FREE polish sausages, hot dogs, popcorn and soft drinks.
•The election of three directors for the cooperative to serve a term of
three years as follows:
District II
Van Buren and Barr townships in Daviess County
Dean Harrawood
District V
Perry and Center townships in Martin County
Michael Arvin
District VII
Marion and Spice Valley townships in Lawrence County
John Edwards
•Passing upon reports for the previous fiscal year
•Transacting such other business as may come before the meeting
Since the membership of the cooperative is joint, either husband or wife
may vote.
Respectfully,
August Bauer, board secretary
Daviess-Martin County REMC
9. Take home a great door prize from the cooperative.
8. Enjoy musical entertainment from southern gospel singer Judith
Montgomery and family.
7. Find out about industry updates.
6. Hear from our speakers: general manager and officers of the board.
5. Receive a $10 bill credit, energy efficiency kit and reusable shopping
bag.
4. Be a part of the democratic process and vote for your board of directors.
3. Socialize with other cooperative members — greet old friends and
meet new ones.
2. Meet your cooperative employees and directors.
And the number one reason you should attend
your cooperative’s Annual Meeting is:
1. It’s your cooperative! You are a member, and as a member you own
the business — so find out more about how you personally benefit
from being a cooperative member.
Who are the candidates for the REMC board of directors?
Dean Har r awood
and his wife, Pam,
along with their children — Paige, 20,
and Jeffrey, 15 — live
in rural Montgomery. A graduate of
Vincennes University, Harrawood is
employed as a raw
material coordinator
and customer service
representative for
Dean Harrawood
Berry Plastics, where
District II
he oversees customer
service in the Odon
and Bloomington plants. He is in charge of national accounts, orders raw materials for plant
production and works with the quality assurance
programs in the plants.
Harrawood is serving his fourth term. He is
currently serving as treasurer of the board and
has held all other officer board positions in
the past. Harrawood earned the Credentialed
Cooperative Director Certificate and the Board
Leadership Certificate from the National Rural
Electric Cooperative Association Director Education Program.
He enjoys horseback riding, photography and
spending time with his children and his Great
Danes. He has been active in Veale Creek Civic
Players productions. The Harrawoods are members of All Saints Catholic Church in Cannelburg,
where he has served on past church councils.
8F • ELECTRIC CONSUMER • APRIL 2012
Michael E. Arvin is
an assistant vice-president and credit analyst with Springs Valley Bank and Trust.
A lifelong resident
of Martin County,
he is a 1986 graduate of the University
of Southern Indiana
and holds a Bachelor
of Science. degree in
accounting. He has
Michael E. Arvin
passed the certified
District V
public accounting
exam. Arvin has been
active in the management of his family’s farm.
He earned the Credentialed Cooperative Director Certificate and is currently working on the
Board Leadership Certificate from the National
Rural Electric Cooperative Association Director
Education Program. Arvin previously has served
on the Martin County Co-op Credit Union board
of directors and worked at White River Co-op as
an assistant controller. His community activities
include the Loogootee Summerfest Committee,
Loogootee K of C Club, and serving as treasurer
of the Martin County Alliance for Economic
Growth Board.
Arvin and his wife, Lisa, have two daughters:
Allyson, 19, and Adalyn, 14. His hobbies include
attending high school sporting events, playing
golf and table tennis, and spending time with
family. The Arvins are members of St. John
Catholic Church in Loogootee.
John Edwards and
his wife, Deb, live in
the rural Bryantsville
area. A graduate of
Harding University,
Edwards has been
employed with Farm
Bureau Insurance
for approximately 24
years. His wife teaches music at Orleans
Community Schools.
Edwards has
John Edwards
served on the REMC
District VII
board since 1997. He
has held all offices on
the board and is currently serving as president.
He earned the Credentialed Cooperative Director Certificate and Board Leadership Certificate
from the National Rural Electric Cooperative
Association Director Education Program. Edwards is a lifelong resident of Lawrence County.
Edwards and his wife live on a small farm and
both enjoy country living and outdoor interests.
They are members of Hillcrest Christian Church
in Bedford and are active in many church activities and services.
Daviess-Martin County Rural Electric Membership Corporation
72nd Annual Meeting
Thursday, April 12
Shoals High School Gymnasium, Shoals
REGISTRATION:
5:30-7 p.m.
•Musical Entertainment: Southern Gospel Soloist
Judith Montgomery, accompanied by her family*
•Food: Polish sausages, hot dogs, popcorn and soft drinks
BUSINESS MEETING:
7 p.m.
•Invocation
•National Anthem followed by Pledge of Allegiance
•Call to order, John Edwards, president
•Board secretary report, August Bauer, secretary
•Introduction of directors
•Approval of 2011 annual meeting minutes, John Edwards, president
•Petitioning results/director election, Rita Baldwin, attorney
•Report of Manager, Ken Frye, general manager
•Prize drawings
Receive a $10 bill credit (applied to your May 2012 bill),
an energy efficiency kit and a reusable shopping bag for attending!
LOTS OF GREAT DOOR PRIZES!
You could win one of these items:
•Two Dewalt 7.2-18V Worksite Radios
•Two Little Giant Safety Step 3 Ladders
•Two Black & Decker 18V Cordless Alligator Loppers
•Two Skil 14.4V 2-Speed Li-Ion Drills
•Two Cuisinart 6.5 Quart Programmable Slow Cookers
•Frigidaire Professional Slow Cooker
•Two OXO Chefs Mandolin Slicers
•Two Hamilton Beach Premiere Cookware 12”x16” Electric Skillets
•Kidkraft Pink Chenille Upholstered Rocker/Ottoman Set
•Kidkraft Denim Upholstered Rocker/Ottoman Set
•Two KitchenAid 3.5 Cup Food Choppers
•Two Skil 4V Max Li-Ion Screwdrivers
•Two Coleman CPX LED Worklight Lanterns
Daviess-Martin
County REMC
PLUS MUCH MORE!
*Judith Montgomery is a southern gospel soloist from Shoals. She has been a professional soloist for 18 years. She is accompanied by her family, including
husband and soundman Marold; 18-year-old daughter Megan, who now sings duet with her; 11-year-old son Graham, who sings duets with Megan on a few
children’s songs; and 3-year-old son Justin, who doesn’t sing yet, but loves music! The entire family enjoys traveling and singing for the Lord. Her ministry has
allowed her to travel throughout Indiana, and to Michigan, Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee, Florida, Illinois, Wisconsin, Missouri, North Carolina and South Carolina.
ELECTRIC CONSUMER • APRIL 2012 • 9F
Co-opNotes
Second quarter wholesale
power cost tracker change
Reflected on bills received in May, Daviess-Martin County REMC members will see a change in
the wholesale power tracker adjustment effective April 1. Hoosier Energy has changed the
power tracker from a credit of $2.15 per 1,000
kWh used to a credit of 32 cents per 1,000 kWh
used.
Sign up for budget billing
The Daviess-Martin County REMC budget billing
program is offered to members who prefer a
level payment plan for monthly electric bills. So,
whether your high use is during the hot summer
months or the freezing cold winter months, you
will pay a fixed amount monthly. All accounts are
balanced with the bill received in May. Overpayment of less than $10 will be applied to your
account. Checks will be mailed separately if
overpayment is in excess of $10. If you have
used more kilowatt-hours than you have paid for,
the bill will reflect the amount due the REMC and
that amount must be paid by the due date on
the bill.
Budget billing becomes even more convenient when combined with one of our Automatic Payment Plans. With these plans you
may choose to have your bank account drafted
monthly or a credit card charged monthly.
For those of you already taking advantage
of this convenient billing option, your new budget
amount will automatically be recalculated.
There is no need to contact us unless there are
changes in your household that will affect your
electric use in the coming 12 months.
Contact our billing department for more
information.
Find us on Facebook
Be one of the first 200 to “like” our page and
get freebies! Find us at www.facebook.com/
daviessmartincountyremc.
Students chosen for
Youth Tour, energy camp
T
wo area youths have been chosen to represent
Daviess-Martin County REMC in Washington,
D.C., and at Touchstone Energy® Camp
One local high school junior and one local
sixth grader have been chosen to represent your
cooperative at these two very special events.
Indiana Youth Tour
to Washington, D.C.
High school junior Allen
Doane will join over 1,500
other REMC youth for the
Indiana Youth Tour to Washington, D.C..
Doane is the son of Darrell and Nora Doane and
is a junior at Mitchell High
School.
Doane will meet
with the other Indiana
tour participants in
Indianapolis on June
13. Before heading
east, students will visit
the Hoosier Training
Center in Franklin.
From there they will
travel to Washington,
D.C., where they will
tour many of the museums and monuments
in our nation’s capital.
Students will view the
Allen Doane
changing of the guard
at Arlington National Cemetery, participate in
the “Youth Tour Rally” and visit Capitol Hill,
where they will meet with representatives of
Indiana’s congressional delegation. They also
will visit the Flight 93 National Memorial in
Shanksville, Pa., as well as the battlefields of the
Civil War in Gettysburg.
The Indiana Youth Tour to Washington, D.C.
is sponsored by Indiana’s Rural Electric Cooperatives and the Indiana Statewide Association
of Rural Electric Cooperatives, Inc.
Touchstone
Energy Camp
Sixth grader Dylan Jones
has been chosen to participate in Touchstone Energy®
Camp, a fun and educational program at Camp
Tecumseh near Brookston.
Jones is the son of Eric
and Lisa Jones. He is a sixth
grade student at Loogootee
Intermediate.
Touchstone Energy
Camp is designed to
help sixth grade students learn about electrification and electric
safety. It also teaches
them about cooperative business principles
through a variety of
activities.
Campers also get
to enjoy the complete
camp experience with
swimming, wall climbDylan Jones
ing, archery and other
activities.
The Touchstone Energy Camp program was
developed by a committee of electric cooperative
employees from around the state of Indiana. It is
funded in part by Hoosier Energy, Wabash Valley Power Association, Indiana’s Rural Electric
Cooperatives, the Indiana Statewide Association
of RECs and local sponsors.
‘Win! Win! Win!’ $50 monthly drawing
Each month, Daviess-Martin County
REMC will be asking our readers
three questions with answers that
can be found in the articles of the
Electric Consumer.
Follow these simple rules:
1. Clip out the coupon.
2. Fill it out. Be sure to answer the
questions.
3. Return it to our office with your
monthly payment before the 20th of
the month. (Delinquent payments
are not eligible.)
Each month a winner will be drawn
from the entries submitted. Make sure
you bring or mail in your most recent
coupon from Electric Consumer as the
coupons are dated monthly. Members
with automatic payment accounts
will be entered in the contest as well.
Copies will not be accepted.
Coupons will not be available at
the office!
Winners will be notified and
published in the following monthly
publication of Electric Consumer.
The winner could be YOU!
The winner of the February
drawing was Jeff Fox, Washington.
10F • ELECTRIC CONSUMER • APRIL 2012
$50 MONTHLY DRAWING
FOR BILLS DATED APRIL 5 — PAID BY APRIL 20
1. What is the date of the Daviess-Martin
County REMC annual meeting?
____________ _______.
2. Where is the annual meeting being
held?
_____________________________
3. Name one Daviess-Martin County
REMC director candidate.
_____________________________
NAME
ADDRESS
PHONE
ACCOUNT #
Commentary
‘Out with the old, in with the new’ saves you more
W
might hold on to an outfit
from last year. But the
hen my wife goes
problem with keeping an
shopping, fresh outfits
old refrigerator is simple:
don’t replace last year’s
you’re not saving money.
looks — instead, new
By sending these “energy
clothes are added to
hogs” to the basement or
the bulging closet. No
garage to keep sodas and
one gets around to repopsicles cold for the kids,
cycling the clothes she
jack up electric bills
never wears anymore.
Kenneth Frye you
even more.
The same situation
General Manager,
Appliances already use
often applies with
Daviess-Martin
13 percent of your home’s
County REMC
refrigerators. In both
electricity, and older applicases, it can lead to
ances drain even more. A
waste.
refrigerator from the 1970s costs
In 2010 and 2011, a lot of
$200 more to operate every year
folks got federal rebates for a
than a current model; a 1980s
new fridge, water heater, or other
fridge isn’t much better, wasting
household appliance. About 1.7
$100 in energy dollars annually.
million rebates were redeemed,
Are you in the market for a
and the U.S. Department of Enernew fridge or another energy-efgy estimates these appliances will
ficient appliance? Although most
cut $65 million from electric bills
of the federal rebates are gone,
every year. Around $48 million of
there are still a few ways to save.
that chunk will be saved mainly by
Check dsireusa.org for incentives
consumers who bought energyin Indiana. We also want to help
efficient refrigerators, clothes
you really save energy when you
washers, and dishwashers.
buy a new refrigerator; that’s why
Great news, right? Sure, if folks
we’re proud of our fridge recyreally follow the adage, “Out with
cling program. Call 877-395-5535
the old, in with the new.” But for
to schedule a pick-up.
one in five households, that’s not
Save your money. We all know
the case. A national survey by the
every dollar counts. If you buy a
Cooperative Research Network,
refrigerator, trade in the old one
an arm of the National Rural
and save your electric bill. Want
Electric Cooperative Association,
to save even more? Find out how
found 19 percent of homes have
little changes add up to big savtwo refrigerators; 2 percent own
ings at www.TogetherWeSave.
three or more.
com.
I understand why my wife
Fun Easter egg hunts start with safety
Kids anticipate the yearly hunt for those meticulously dyed Easter eggs. But Easter eggs can be
dangerous if they’re not cooked correctly or are
unrefrigerated, and hunts can become dangerous
if eggs are hidden in unsafe locations. Here are
some tips for safe cooking and hunting:
HAPPY EASTER
from the directors and employees of
Daviess-Martin County REMC
The REMC office will be
closed Friday, April 6, in
observance of Good Friday.
•Buy fresh eggs no more than a few days
before cooking them.
•Put one layer of eggs in a pot and cover them
with water. Boil 12 minutes for medium eggs,
15 minutes for large and 18 minutes for extra
large. Put an extra egg in as the test egg — both
the white and the yolk should be firm before
removing the eggs.
•Refrigerate eggs immediately and let them
cool before dyeing. Discard any cracked eggs
and only use food-safe dyes.
•When hiding the eggs, avoid electrical dangers. If indoors, steer clear of stoves and toasters, and never hide an egg inside an appliance.
If outdoors, don’t hide eggs in tool sheds near
power tools or near electric water pumps.
•Don’t allow eggs to go unrefrigerated for
more than two hours. Bacteria love protein-rich
foods.
•Make a list of where you hide the eggs so
none are forgotten and left to rot.
Keep lawn tools high, dry
Tossing your leaf blowers and hedge trimmers into a corner of a dirty garage isn’t the
best way to keep them operating their best
or to help them last longer.
Before you hang your string trimmer,
electric saw or clippers and spades in your
garage, clean them. Work off stubborn
grease with a kitchen scrubbing pad. Use
a damp cloth to wipe grass and dirt from
your equipment after every use. A thorough
cleaning before your first springtime use will
help prevent clogs and mishaps. An inspection will reveal frayed cords or faulty parts.
Dry tools completely with an absorbent
towel before you hang them after each use.
Allowing them to air-dry could cause them to
rust. Choose a spot in your garage that won’t
get wet — away from spigots, the garage
door and leaks. As an extra precaution,
throw a plastic tarp over tools to prevent
moisture from finding them between uses.
ELECTRIC CONSUMER • APRIL 2012 •3F