September 2015 - Redwood Electric Cooperative

POWER LINE
September 2015
“A TOUCHTONE ENERGY COOPERATIVE”
Redwood Electric Cooperative
60 Pine Street ● Clements, Minnesota 56224-5000
Alliant Purchase Complete
~REC Welcomes New Members and Employees~
Redwood Electric Cooperative with 11 other electric distribution cooperatives, wrote a new page in
history with the completion of the acquisition of Alliant Energy’s electric service territory in southern Minnesota. As a result, all southern Minnesota customers of Alliant Energy are now memberowners of their respective electric cooperative.
“It is a very unique situation for electric cooperatives to have the opportunity to purchase service
territory from investor-owned utilities,” said Ron Horman, general manager of Redwood Electric
Cooperative. “Further, it is the first time to our knowledge that several – we have 12 – electric cooperatives have banded together to acquire new service territory.”
In 2013, the 12 cooperatives formed Southern Minnesota Energy Cooperative (SMEC) as the single
point of contact for the purchase of electric service territory in southern Minnesota from Alliant Energy. The more than two-year process of acquiring the territory involved receiving approvals from
the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission, Iowa Utilities Board and the Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission. The acquisition transfers approximately 43,000 electric accounts to local electric cooperatives.
For Redwood Electric Cooperative, the combined territory serves approximately 4,500 members.
Cities added to those Redwood already serves are Lamberton, Revere, Sanborn, Vesta, Seaforth,
Wabasso, Walnut Grove and Wanda.
“We are excited to share the benefits of being a member of a cooperative with these new memberowners,” Horman added. “Our team of local professionals has been serving this area with reliable,
affordable electricity for more than 70 years. We look forward to meeting and building relationships
with these individuals, families and business owners.
“It has been a win-win opportunity from the beginning,” said Horman “For our new member-owners,
they will receive high-quality service at lower rates than if Alliant Energy had continued to serve as
their electric utility. For our legacy member-owners, this acquisition grows and increases the efficiency of each cooperative by spreading fixed costs over more member-owners. We are grateful that
all our members benefit so much from this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”
Redwood Electric welcomes about 2000 new members and we acquired 3 of Alliant Energy’s Local
Lineman.
Office Hours & Contact Information
Monday-Friday 7:00 AM-3:30 PM
(507) 692-2214 or (888) 251-5100
Email address: [email protected]
Web: www.redwoodelectric.com
Pay By Phone: 844-846-2696
OUTAGES
(507) 692-2214 or (888) 251-5100
24 HOURS A DAY
*CALL BEFORE YOU DIG*
Gopher State One
Call (800) 252-1166
General Manager
Ronald Horman
Board of Directors
Werner Fischer
Dick Nelson
Michael Baune
Dan Tauer
Welcome!
Leo Mertens
Dean Fultz
Jill Weber VanDerWal
STATEMENT OF NON-DISCRIMINATION
Pictured Left to Right: Matt Grunewald, Don Dietz, Dave Irlbeck
~IMPORTANT~
*Payments are due in our office the 6th of
EVERY month to avoid
Penalty Charges.
*For payments please allow an adequate amount
of time for mail in route. For your convenience,
utilize our drop boxes located outside our office
in Clements or at the Lucan Bank, sign up for
automatic payment or use our Pay-By-Phone
Option (844-846-2696).
Energy & Money Saving
Tips From Willie
Turn off all lights, appliances and
electronics not in use. A power
strip can help turn off multiple items
at once. (Sometimes the simplest things
are really effective!)
Redwood Electric Cooperative is an equal opportunity
provider and employer. If you wish to file a Civil
Rights program complaint of discrimination, complete
the USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form
found online at
http://www.ascr.usda.gov/complaint_filing_cust.html,
or at any USDA office, or call (866) 632-9992 to request the form. You may also write a letter containing
all of the information requested in the form. Send your
completed complaint form or letter by mail to:
U.S. Department of Agriculture, Director, Office of Adjudication, 1400 Independence Avenue, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20250-9410, by fax (202) 690-7442
or email at [email protected].
Sauerkraut Hot Dish
1 can sauerkraut
1 lb. fried hamburger
1 can soup
(celery, mushroom, chicken or whatever
you prefer)
1 pkg Cooked Reames frozen
egg noodles.
(or any other kind of pasta or rice.)
SEND ME YOUR
By: Mary Lange
Combine all the above ingredients (hamburger and pasta
cooked) and cook until cooked through.
Tastes better the second day after everything is soaked together.
Minnesota Cold Weather Rule
Avoiding Disconnect
Notice of Residential Member Rights & Responsibilities
If you receive a notice of scheduled disconnection, you
must call Redwood Electric at 507-692-2214 or 888-2515100 immediately to apply for Cold Weather Rule Protection and fill out and return the Inability to Pay Form to
Redwood Electric Cooperative. You will not be protected
from disconnection if Redwood Electric does not receive
this completed form.
Your service will be subject to disconnection if you do not
make the agreed upon payments. If you cannot keep your
original payment plan, advise Redwood Electric immediately. It may be possible to make a new payment plan and
avoid disconnection.
The law provides for income verification which may be
requested by Redwood Electric. You are automatically
eligible for protection against disconnection if you are a
recipient of any form of public assistance, including energy assistance but you must enter into a payment agreement
and make timely payments.
Copies of the Cold Weather Rule are available at Redwood Electric Cooperative.
This explains the Cold Weather Rule and the steps you must
take if you cannot pay your bill or your electric service is
scheduled to be disconnected.
The Cold Weather Rule does not forbid all winter disconnections. If you receive a Notice of Disconnection this winter,
you must act immediately.
The Minnesota Cold Weather Rule
Each year, some Redwood Electric Cooperative members are
unable to pay their electric bill during cold weather. If you
can’t pay your electric bill, please contact us.
The Minnesota Cold Weather Rule was established to protect
residential members from electrical service disconnection
between October 15 and April 15. Cold Weather Rule protection is available if ALL THREE OF THE FOLLOWING
CONDITIONS EXIST:
1.
2.
3.
FAVORITE RECIPE
The disconnections would affect your main heating source;
Your household meets Cold Weather Rule payment plan guidelines;
You and Redwood Electric Cooperative agree to
a payment plan and that arrangement is kept.
If you receive any form of public assistance, including
energy assistance between October 15 and April 15, you
are eligible for Cold Weather Rule Protection; however,
you MUST call Redwood Electric Cooperative with your
specific information.
Cold Weather Rule Payment Plans
If you can’t pay your entire bill and need to make arrangements, call Redwood Electric Cooperative at 507-692-2214
or 888-251-5100 to enter into a payment plan which is acceptable to both you and Redwood Electric Cooperative.
The arrangement must cover the amount that is past due plus
your current charges must be paid each month. The arrangement must be put on the inability to Pay Form and returned
to Redwood Electric Cooperative.
If you and Redwood Electric cannot agree on a payment
plan, you have ten days to appeal to the State Public Utilities
Commission. Your service will stay on during the appeal
process.
Third Party Notification
Redwood Electric Cooperative offers all members the
opportunity to have a third party notified when their
electric service is about to be disconnected. This program can be especially helpful for the ill, senior citizens,
or those who live alone. The purpose of this program is
to notify a third party, as well as the member, that a
Notice of Proposed Disconnection has been sent.
A third party cold be a friend, relative, church, or community agency. The third party receives copies of all
disconnection notices mailed to the member but is NOT
required to pay the bills. The third party is authorized to
exchange information about the member and make a
payment plan with Redwood Electric on the member's
behalf. This helps avoid the hardship that would result
from disconnecting the member’s service.
If you want to name a third party, please fill out the
Third Party Notice form, and return it to Redwood Electric Cooperative. THIS IS EFFECTIVE BETWEEN
OCTOBER 15TH, 2015 TO APRIL 15TH, 2016
ONLY! EACH YEAR A NEW FORM MUST BE
FILLED OUT TO ALLOW THIRD PARTY NOTIFICATION.
60 Pine St. Clements, MN 56224
Or email me at
[email protected]
Financial Assistance
Energy Assistance Providers Serving Redwood
Electric Cooperative Service Area:
Southwest Health and Human Services
507-637-4050
Minnesota Valley Action Council (MVAC)
507-354-3138 or 800-767-7139
Lyon Co. Region 8 Welfare Office:
507-537-6747
Western Community Action
800-658-2448 or 507-537-1416
Medical Alert
If you have a medical emergency, disabled person
in the residence or require medically necessary
equipment requiring electricity, a certification
form needs to be filled out by your medical provider and given to Redwood Electric. You are
still responsible to pay your utility bill each
month.
IF YOU CAN’T PAY YOUR REDWOOD ELECTRIC POWER BILL
AND NEED COLD WEATHER PROTECTION FROM YOUR UTILITIES
BEING SHUTOFF, YOU MUST CALL
OUR OFFICE IMMEDIATELY.
MISCELLANEOUS CHARGES
$ 15.00 -Return check charge—check return for nonsufficient funds, account being closed & payment stopped.
$ 40.00—Meter reading fee - Linemen read meter after meter has been estimated two consecutive months. (Does not
apply to members who have made arrangements with the office personnel)
$ 40.00—Collection fee—payment past due and no arrangements were made with collection department.
$ 40.00—Disconnect fee—no payment or arrangements made after collection was attempted.
$ 40.00—Reconnect fee during Office hrs.—plus security deposit and any amount owed.
$100.00—Reconnect fee after Office hrs.—plus security deposit and any amount owed.