Give Your Home’s Energy Use a Vacation When You’re Away

Going on vacation? Even if you plan to be away just a few days, you can save energy in your home when you travel. Here are tips that can give your

electric bill a break when you’re away for a few days:

Water heater. Turn down the temperature, so it doesn’t have to work — and use electricity — keeping the water heated while you’re away. Thermostat. During hot weather, turn up the thermostat temperature on your air conditioning system. That way, you’ll save energy while ensuring that your home doesn’t get too warm.

Refrigerator. Depending on food stored in your refrigerator, you may be able to turn the thermostat as high as 38 degrees without risking spoilage. Storing water-fi lled bottles in your refrigerator can prevent temperature fl uctuations, which will save energy. Food in the freezer compartment will stay frozen if the temperature remains at minus 5 degrees.

Lights. Turn off all lights in your home. You may want to install timers on one or two lights for security.

Electronics. Unless you’re recording something while away, unplug all of your electronic devices — computer, monitor and printer, TV and cable boxes, DVD player, microwave, and digital clocks. Any electronics with digital displays, instant-on features, or remote controls will consume energy even if they’re not in use.

For other tips on how to save energy — and money — visit the GreenSmart section of BlueRidgeEMC.com or call us for a free energy effi ciency tips booklet at your local Blue Ridge Electric offi ce. Or share your vacation energy savings tips on our new energy effi ciency Facebook page at Facebook.com/GreenSmart.

July 2011

Carolina Country JULY 2011 21

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22 JULY 2011 Carolina Country

For every cause, there is an effect. The wind blows; a limb falls. Cause-and-effect relationships exist in the energy industry as well. For example, electric bills will climb if the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) moves forward with imposing a series of potentially crippling regulations on power plants. Some of these new rules directly result from court orders.

According to a report from the North American Electric Reliability Corporation, which oversees the nation’s bulk power grid, EPA mandates affecting cooling water intake structures, coal ash disposal, interstate transport of air pollutants, and hazardous air pollutants, including mercury, could force electric utilities to retire or retrofi t between 33,000 MW to 70,000 MW of generating capacity by 2015 — power that will need to be replaced in some way, and during a period of rising construction costs. Another hurdle, reducing emissions of greenhouse gases, including carbon dioxide, from power plants presents an even greater challenge.

Stringent regulations in each of these targeted areas could potentially impose tens of billions of dollars of extra compliance costs onto the backs of utilities — and electric bills. For example, in June 2010, EPA proposed two possible approaches for managing coal ash and other coal combustion byproducts (CCBs) ― residues produced when coal is burned to make electricity. One, non-hazardous regulation of CCBs will ensure that coal ash is handled safely and protect not just the environ-ment, but also jobs and consumers .

EPA’s other option ― to regulate coal ash as hazardous, a determination the agency has rejected before, the last time in 2000 ― would hit coal-fi red power plant opera-tors with staggering costs, send electric bills up, and eliminate benefi cial coal ash recycling (about one-third of the fl y ash created in the U.S. is used as a Portland cement replacement). The Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI), a non-profi t utility research consortium that includes electric co-ops as members, pegs the po-tential price tag from a hazardous CCB designation at between $54.66 billion and $76.84 billion over a 20-year period.

Electric co-ops have been actively urging EPA through comments, testimony, and litigation to consider the negative consequences of higher electric bills in promulgat-ing new rules. In fact, more than 10,500 comments from co-ops and their consumer-members were fi led with the agency opposing regulating CCBs as hazardous.

Until EPA’s various power plant rules are fi nalized, the bottom line remains unknown ― cause and effect uncertain. But no matter what comes down the pike, electric cooperatives like Blue Ridge Electric are committed to working hard to provide you with safe, reliable electric power at an affordable price.

An Editorial by C

hief Executive Offi cer Doug Johnson

Regulatory Overload

Explanation of Capital Credits Allocation on

Your BillYour fi scal year 2010 capital cred-its allocation of the cooperative’s total margins is listed on your July bill. You are not receiving a refund at this time: the allocation is one of the fi rst steps in the annual capital credits process. A refund back to members would follow next May upon a capital credits retirement as approved by your board of directors next year.

Your allocation is based on the amount of electricity you purchased last year. This amount is added to the total, ongoing capital credits account balance you have with the cooperative. Capital credits are not held as funds; instead they are ei-ther distributed to members in the form of capital credits retirements (payments) or reinvested into util-ity infrastructure for reliability and electricity delivery projects. This is an underlying principle of the coop-erative business model and is one way we keep your electricity rates as low as possible. Capital credits are one of the benefi ts of belonging to a cooperative.

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Carolina Country JULY 2011 23

MobilePay Now Available to Blue Ridge Electric Members

With our new MobilePay service at www.bremco.mobi, you’ll be able to pay your bill anywhere, anytime from your mobile device. You’ll never have to worry about getting to our offi ce, mailing your bill or being in front of a computer — simply pay from your mobile device. It’s secure, easy to use, and offers you the comfort of knowing you can take care of business when you want.

Like other businesses that provide this convenience option, you’ll be charged a small transaction fee of $3 per payment. You should also be aware your mobile carrier’s web access charges may apply.

Enjoy the freedom and convenience of going mobile today! You can sign up for MobilePay by visiting www.bremco.mobi on your mobile device. Or learn more and sign up online at our regular website at www.BlueRidgeEMC.com.

More NewsAn Appalachian Summer Festival Fireworks Concert featuring: Dierks Bentley

Ticket Order FormTickets may be ordered from ASU by phone, FAX, mail, or at www.BlueRidgeEMC.com:1. For mail orders, cut ( ) this form out and send it along with your check, money order, VISA® or MasterCard®

number to: Farthing Auditorium Box Offi ce Appalachian State University PO Box 32057 Boone, NC 28608-2057 2. For phone orders using your VISA® or MasterCard®, call toll free: 1-800-841-2787 or (828) 262-4046 in the

Boone area. Hours: 10 a.m. - 5 p.m., Monday - Friday. Blue Ridge members: to receive your discount, have your electric account number ready.

3. FAX this order form with your VISA® or MasterCard® number to: (828) 262-2848.4. To order tickets over the Internet, go to www.BlueRidgeEMC.com and click on “ASU Concert Tickets.”

NameAddressCity State ZipBlue Ridge Electric account number (required for discount) Phone (day) (evening) Adult tickets x $27 = $ Check: (payable to ASU) Children’s tickets x $ 5 = $ Charge to my: Visa® MasterCard® (12 years & younger) Credit Card # Subtotal $ Exp. Date Handling Charge $ $2.00 Grand Total $ Signature All tickets must be purchased through ASU.

* Tickets will be held at the box offi ce and can be picked up at Farthing Auditorium on the day of the concert, or they can be mailed back if a self-addresed envelope is included and received by July 13.

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Members OnlyNEWS ~For Members of Blue Ridge Electric

CORPORATE OFFICEPO Box 112 • Lenoir, NC 28645

CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICERDoug Johnson

EDITORRenée R. Whitener

PRODUCTION SUPERVISORSusan Simmons

DISTRICT OFFICESCaldwell (828) 754-9071Watauga (828) 264-8894Ashe (336) 246-7138Alleghany (336) 372-4646Wilkes (800) 451-5474PowerLine® (800) 448-2383(PowerLine® is an automated account information and outage reporting system.)

Toll Free 1 (800) 451-5474(for members outside the service area)

To report an outage at any time,call one of the numbers listed above.

OFFICE HOURS8:30 am - 5:00 pm, Monday - FridayNight deposit available.

Visit us on the Web:www.BlueRidgeEMC.com

Handling CFLs SafelyThe following tips are recommended for safe CFL handling:

• Carefully handle CFLs when removing packaging or installing them.• Hold the bulb by its base and not the glass part.• Never forcefully twist the CFL into a light socket.

If a CFL breaks, follow these guidelines:

• Open a window and have all people and pets leave the room for 15 minutes.• Carefully sweep up fragments, wipe the area with a wet paper towel, and dis-

pose of all fragments (including the used paper towel) in a sealed plastic bag.• Use duct tape to collect small glass fragments from carpet. • Don’t use a vacuum cleaner as it might stir up the remaining dust and vapor.• North Carolina residents can dispose of CFLs in their household trash.

Recycling or disposal:

• Recycle CFLs when they no longer work and aren’t broken.• Blue Ridge Electric has helped Caldwell, Ashe and Watauga counties

set up CFL recycling programs. Contact your county for convenience center locations.

• Most Lowe’s locations began accepting CFLs for recycling earlier this year.

Energy Tip of the Month

Consider using solar lights for outdoor lighting. Solar cells convert sunlight into electricity that can be stored in a battery and tapped at night to make light. Check manufacturers’ instructions to make sure your solar lights are situated to receive suffi cient sunlight to recharge each day.

Source: U.S. Department of Energy 24 JULY 2011 Carolina Country

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