AN WIN - Washington St. Tammany Electric

RESIDENTIAL RATE COMPARISON PER 1000 KWH
Dr. Francis Cefalu President
Charles Hill General Manager
Washington-St. Tammany Electric Cooperative
P.O. Box 697 Franklinton LA 70438 (839-3562)
[email protected] • www.wste.coop
2013 Rate Comparison 1000KWH
$120.00
$121.25
$119.01
$116.16
$102.27
$116.77
$115.98
$80.40
$119.97
$118.67
$107.06
$105.66
$119.87
$104.27
$117.23
$97.76
$81.17
$80.92
$118.29
$103.54
$99.50
$97.16
$80.84
$80.05
$120.31
$105.94
$104.69
$101.29
$100.00
$80.00
$117.65
$81.29
$80.99
$81.24
$81.40
$81.33
$95.12
$81.17
$81.35
CLECO
ENTERGY
WST
$60.00
$40.00
$20.00
WSTE offers chance to win free trip to Washington
Two local students will have the opof our students to visit our nation’s capitol.
portunity to participate in a week-long all
WST Electric is dedicated to the education
expense-paid trip to Washington, D.C.,
of our children through programs such as
sponsored by WSTE. They will also attend
the Youth Tour, our
annual scholarship
A WEEK-LONG
TRIP
the National Rural Electric Cooperative
program, Newspapers in Education (NIE)
Association’s (NRECA) “Government-In
and teacher mini-grants.” Action” Youth Tour Conference in Baton
Hill also pointed out that the winners
Rouge.
will receive an all expense-paid trip to the
Approximately 28 young people from Co-op Youth Leadership Conference in
Louisiana will join more than 1,300 stuBaton Rouge April 14-16, 2014.
dents from 40 states on June 13-20, 2014, The contest is open to children ages
for a week of sightseeing and a firsthand
16-18 of WST members. Students interlook at our how government functions.
ested in applying will need to complete
Before reaching Washington the stuan application form and prepare a type
dents will tour one of the Seven Wonders
written essay of 800 words or less.
of the Modern World, the Natural Bridge
The topic this year is, “Cooperatives
in Shenandoah Valley, Va.
are member-owned and controlled, as a
In Washington the students will tour
future decision maker for your cooperathe Lincoln and Jefferson Memorials,
tive, describe the best ways we can conWashington Monument, Vietnam and Konect and communicate with you.” Please
rean War Memorials, Arlington National
submit your essay along with an applicaCemetery, the Holocaust Museum, the
tion to: WST Electric, Attn: Robin Drago,
Smithsonian Institution, Ford’s Theatre,
P.O. Box 697, Franklinton, LA 70438 by
the White House and will also take a boat
March 6, 2014. An independent board,
cruise on the Potomac River. One day
selected by the Association of Louisiana
will be spent on Capitol Hill touring the
Electric Cooperatives, will judge the esU.S. Capitol and visiting the offices of the says. Louisiana Delegation.
For more information or to receive an
WST General Manager Charles Hill
application contact your school principal
said, “This is a great opportunity for two
or visit WST’s website at www.wste.coop.
YOU CAN WIN
TO WASHINGTON DC
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Please support
Operation Round Up
As a cooperative we have a special responsibility to the communities we serve not only to provide reliable economical power
but to lend a helping hand where it is needed.
We are proud to re-introduce our community service program
called Operation Round Up®.
This program gathers voluntary contributions from participating
co-op members by “rounding up” their monthly bill to the next dollarresulting in an average donation of roughly $6 per year per account
which is distributed to a worthy local cause.
The most rewarding concept of Operation Round Up® is that
it is an extension of the idea of neighbor helping neighbor. Just as
those before us joined together 70-plus years ago when private
power companies refused to serve rural areas Operation Round
Up® helps co-op members join together to help one another.
Please join with us in making Operation Round Up® a success
throughout the Washington-St Tammany Electric Cooperative service area as it has been at other cooperatives throughout the state
and nation. (Acct. No. 342002100)
Simply fill out the form below and return it to one of our offices
and begin making a difference today.
Operation Round Up sign-up form
NAME: ________________________________
DATE:_________________________________
PHONE:________________________________
Enroll all my accounts in Operation Round Up®
Enroll one of my accounts in Operation Round Up®
ACCOUNT #____________________________
SIGNATURE____________________________
__________________________________
For Office Use Only:
Signed Up by:______________
In the Board Room
Regular Board Meeting
Due to this month’s publication schedule, the regular board minutes were
unavailable at press time. The board minutes are available by contacting WSTE at
985-839-3562.
Page 6 • Louisiana Country • January 2014
Join hundreds of young people from across the country.
Visit historic monuments and museums.
Meet with your U.S. Representatives and Senators.
Meet and mingle with students from
many states on Rural Electric Youth Day.
Statement of Non-discrimination
YOUTH
TOUR
Visit out website:
www.nreca.coop/youthtour
Follow us on Twitter:
@YouthTourDC
Follow us on Facebook:
www.facebook.com/NRECAYouthTour
How smart home appliances interact with the grid
“Smart appliances” promise consumers greater control of home energy costs
while giving electric co-ops a new way
to bolster energy-saving programs. While
not-for-profit electric cooperatives are
at the forefront in testing these devices,
smart appliances have a long way to go
before they will be a useful addition to
modern life. First of all, what makes an appliance
“smart?” Manufacturers are beginning
to add communications modules inside
some appliances, such as dishwashers,
as well as in wall outlets that can use a
home’s Wi-Fi to send and receive simple
messages from a connected home energy
network.
Through these networks, you can
monitor energy consumption, turn devices
on and off, and change the setting on your
thermostat.
A word of warning: Before investing in smart appliances, call your local
electric cooperative to learn about rate
structures that might benefit from these
devices. The cost of a “smart” dishwasher
might not be worthwhile if you aren’t able
to use it to its full savings potential. If
you don’t have a high-speed Internet connection, for starters, your money might
be better spent on a highly efficient appliance, such as those rated by the federal
ENERGY STAR program.
Working with electric utilities
Many electric co-op members around
the country let their hometown cooperative cycle their HVAC (heating, ventilation, and air conditioning) system or electric water heater on or off during times
of peak demand, when electricity is most
expensive. Called “demand response,”
these programs result in electric-bill savings for all of the cooperative’s members
because it avoids the need to purchase
expensive power on the open market or
even delay building additional power
plants. Adding smart appliances to the
fold could help control power costs even
more. (Acct. No. 121823100)
Electric co-ops are conducting a handful of pilot projects in the area of home
energy networks, most of which are in
an early stage of development. Some of
these programs tell consumers when peak
demand is approaching so they can take
action like curtailing electric use. Others
offer special pricing for electricity at various times of the day.
Current applications of home energy
network technology are wide-ranging and
can be best understood by looking at their
capabilities: limited, basic, and advanced.
Limited approach
Limited applications of home energy
networking give consumers access to
detailed information about their monthly
electricity use. Data is collected and provided to the consumer via an in-home
display or password-protected website.
Enhanced information and graphs may
also be included. Demonstrations of limited-capability systems have consistently
resulted in energy savings of between 6
percent and 11 percent. A co-op also may
be able to suggest further energy-saving
opportunities specific to the consumer’s
home, appliances, and electricity use.
Basic applications
Basic home energy networks provide
consumers with the same detailed information and offer increased control over
HVAC systems and major appliances to
take advantage of time-of-use pricing.
With time-of-use rates, the cost for electricity varies according to the time when
it’s used. Consumers also gain the ability
to set home comfort levels and operating
preferences remotely via a mobile app,
and optimize performance under available
rate options.
Such basic systems have been shown
to shift energy use out of peak periods
and reduce a consumer’s demand contribution by as much as 50 percent. However, if a consumer does not pay attention
to grid signals that alert to higher or lower
electric rates, he or she could end up paying more for power.
Washington-St. Tammany Electric is the recipient of Federal financial assistance
from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). The USDA prohibits discrimination in all its programs and activities on the basis of race, color, national origin, age,
disability, and where applicable, sex, marital status, familial status, parental status,
religion, sexual orientation, genetic information, political beliefs, reprisal, or because
all or part of an individual’s income is derived from any public assistance program.
(Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs.) Persons with disabilities who require
alternative means for communication of program information (Braille, large print, audiotape, etc.) should contact USDA’s TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and
TDD). To file a complaint of discrimination, write to USDA, Director, Office of Civil
Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20250-9410, or call toll
free (866) 632-9992 (voice) or (800) 877-8339 (TDD) or (866) 377-8642 (relay voice
users). USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.
Washington-St. Tammany Electric
950 Pearl St., Franklinton, LA 70438
ATTENTION
Protection of three-phase motors against single-phasing
shall be the responsibility of the Co-op consumer-member.
Also the member shall be responsible for providing over- and
under-current protection of all motors.
The Cooperative has installed equipment on its system to
prevent major catastrophes but isolated problems such as
lightning and other factors will occasionally occur.
It is the responsibility of the consumer to protect his motors
and equipment from these isolated over- and under-current
situations with electrical protection devices available on the
market.
Look for TWO lucky account numbers!
Washington-St. Tammany Electric is offering its members two opportunities to win the Co-op’s monthly Lucky Account Number contest by publishing two account numbers somewhere on pages 6-7 of Louisiana Country. Look for your account number hidden somewhere on these pages. To
win you must locate your account number (listed on your electric bill) on
these pages and then contact the Co-op within seven working days of that
issue. To claim your prize call 985-839-3562.
January 2014 • Louisiana Country • Page 7
WSTE News
Pages 6-7 • Jan. 2014
Vol. 30 No. 10
www.action.coop
Frank talk about
America’s future
energy supply
- see page 5