LIVEWIREa SuPPLeMeNT TO OKLaHOMa LIVING

F e b r u a r y 2 0 1 8 | V O L u M e 6 9 I S S u e 2 | P u b L I S H e D F O r M e M b e r S O F T r I - C O u N T y e L e C T r I C C O O P e r a T I V e

Slam the door on scamsAvoid being fooled by utility company imposters

You may get a call saying your electric bill is past due. The caller ID says TCEC or Tri-County Electric and has the cooperative’s actual phone number. If this happens to you, arm yourself with a few precautions.

KEEP YOUR INFO CURRENT

While we warn you to be cautious of callers demanding payment or personal information, we still urge you to keep your phone number and email address current with TCEC.

Sometimes, TCEC schedules automated calls to notify members of planned outages or pending disconnection of their service. We might mail a deposit refund check to the mailing address on fi le. Your email is used to access your account online, subscribe to notifi cations and receive TCEC email updates.

New this year, we will conduct our member satisfaction survey via online means as well as via the phone. The survey helps TCEC identify ways to improve its service and programs for you, our members. If you’re contacted, please take a moment to tell us how we’re doing.

To ensure you receive the latest information regarding your service, be sure to provide TCEC with the best phone number and email address to reach you. �

Be wary of anyone who calls to demand immediate payment, even if it appears to be someone you know. We’re here to help. If you have questions regarding a suspicious call, please call us at 580.652.2418. �

Listen then hang up.TCEC does issue automated calls on past due accounts. We also contract with a third party to conduct member survey calls every other year. However, we’ll never ask for immediate payment over the phone.

Don’t provide personal details.TCEC already has your account information. We won’t call you to ask for it.

Check your account balance.Use SmartHub at www.tcec.coop or on your mobile phone to access your account online and check your balance. You can also call TCEC directly at 580.652.2418 to check your account status.

Report spoofi ng to the FCC.If you receive a call that is not legitimate, you can report it to the FCC at: consumercomplaints.fcc.gov.

PaGe 2 | LIVEWIRE | February 2018

Energy Effi ciency Tip of the Month Meter tampering can result

in electric shock, is illegal and increases electricity rates for other co-op members. Never break a meter seal. Never open a meter base. Never remove a meter or alter an entrance cable in any manner. If you know or suspect someone has tampered with a meter, call TCEC.

Electrical Safety Tip of the Month Consider insulating your hot water

pipes. Doing so can reduce heat loss, allow you to lower the temperature setting and save an additional 3 to 4 percent per year on water heating.

Source: NRECA Source: NRECA

Download and use the SmartHub app on your phone to pay your bill and report an outage with a few simple clicks. It’s fast, easy and free. If you need help setting it up, call us at 580.652.2418 during business hours.

Apply for TCEC scholarships to OPSU by February 15 and the Golden Spread Electric Cooperative scholarship by March 1. To learn more, look under the ‘Community’ tab at www.tcec.coop.

Click to make a payment

Stop By ASpotlight You could win $100!Mark your calendar to stop by these local businesses on your lunch hour.

See what the business has to off er and enter to win a $100 gift certifi cate sponsored by TCEC. You don’t need to be present to win and no purchase is required. Simply come by during the spotlight and drop your name in the drawing.

Feb. 8, Noon to 1 pmWow Boutique SPC Offi ce Products322 N. Main StreetGuymon, Oklahoma

March 22, Noon to 1 pmWhispering Bliss 1009 N. Main StreetGuymon, Oklahoma

Watch TCEC’s Facebook page for more details.

phone to pay your bill and report an outage with a few simple clicks. It’s fast, easy and free. If you need help setting it up, call us at 580.652.2418 during business hours.

ScholarshipDeadlinesApproach

LIVEWIRE | February 2018 | PaGe 3

Electricity has become such an integral part of our everyday lives, we tend to think of it only when we pay the bill or the power goes out.

Four NinesPart of my responsibility at TCEC is to monitor the reliability of our electrical system and work to improve it. After a tough first half of 2017, I’m happy to report our fourth quarter average system availability index (ASAI) number was 0.9999. The index represents the percent of time during the year that the average member has power. Four nines are the best numbers a system can expect.

For comparison, our second quarter ASAI number was 0.9767. The April 2017 snow storm hit the system hard with some extended outages. It was the primary cause of the lower number. When rebuilding after a storm, TCEC takes steps to improve the system’s reliability in the future.

After a stormSome of the steps we take to improve reliability when reconstructing power lines after a storm are:

� Strategically placing ductile iron poles in place of wooden poles to strengthen the system.

� Placing poles closer together.

� Using bigger conductor or wire. � Using fiberglass cross arms instead of

wooden cross arms.

Year-round maintenanceWe have a robust maintenance program in place year-round at TCEC.

Our utility poles are tested and treated on a 15-year rotation. That means that every year, we have a contract crew go through our territory to test and treat 1/15 of the poles on our system. That equates to about 7,000 poles a year.

We also contract with a professional tree trimming company to maintain our right-of-way. They trim trees to a safe distance from power lines. Trimming trees to the industry standard helps reduce power outages and safety issues.

Our maintenance crew and service technicians continually inspect the system for weaknesses and repair them.

System improvementsWe plan improvements every year to increase the system’s safety, efficiency and reliability. In recent years, we’ve made the following changes:

� Upgrades to the transmission breakers in the Cole Interchange for reliability in Beaver County (2015).

� Upgrades to Sunset, Ellison and

Tucker-Thompson substations in Guymon (2015).

� New substation and voltage conversion in the town of Goodwell (2015).

� New substation and voltage conversion in the town of Texhoma (2017).

� New substation and voltage conversion in the town of Keyes (2017).

� New substation for Boise City (2017), with future plans to convert the town.

We often say we’re ‘converting’ a town. This means we’re changing out transformers, insulators and poles to put the system on a more standard voltage.

The year in parenthesis above indicates the year completed. Many of these projects took several years to complete and some are still in progress.

For example, we are working closely with GridLiance, the owner of the transmission system, to plan transmission upgrades in Cimarron County. We’re hoping to loop the system together which allows for multiple ways to feed power to substations. This will greatly improve the reliability of the Cimarron County and Elkhart, Kansas, communities. If an outage does occur, we can possibly change the way the power is fed to turn the lights back on faster.

Future plansThe 2017 storms put a kink in some of our improvement plans. Completing the repair work that is partially reimbursable by FEMA is a priority. If we don’t complete that work in a timely fashion, we could lose some funding. We will continue to work on improvements in areas like Boise City and Elkhart as the work load and budget allows. They just may take longer than we initially thought.

We can’t predict the future or the weather. We plan for the worst and hope for the best. We at TCEC are committed to providing the very best service possible. �

Member Matters: Reliability

By Lyle Mathis, Engineering & Operations Vice President

PaGe 4 | LIVEWIRE | February 2018

CONTACT USTri-County Electric Cooperative 995 Mile 46 RoadP.O. Box 880 Hooker, Oklahoma 73945

Office Hours:8 a.m. - 5 p.m. Monday - FridayPhone: 580-652-2418Toll Free: 800-522-3315E-mail: info@tcec.coopwww.tcec.coop

BOARD OF TRUSTEESDistrict 1 Randy SchreinerDistrict 2 Gayla JamesDistrict 3 Ronny WhiteDistrict 4 C.J. MouserDistrict 5 Joe MayerDistrict 6 Larry DunnDistrict 7 Shawn MartinezDistrict 8 Cletus CarterDistrict 9 Larry Hodges

TCEC board meetings are the fourth Friday of every month.

PAYMENT OPTIONSAutoPay (Bank or credit card draft)

Pay As You Go (Prepay)

Online Bill Pay (www.tcec.coop)

Pay by Phone IVR (844-203-6547)

Drop off Payment (Office in Hooker)

Payment Centers (Locations below)

Town Name and Address Hours Beaver Downing’s Market

216 Douglas St.7a-7pMon-Sun

Boise City Moore’s Food 201 East Main Street

8a-9pMon-Sun

Elkhart EPICTOUCH 451 Morton St.

9a-6p, Mon-Sat

Goodwell 54 GAS-N-GO 108 West Highway 54

6a-11pMon-Sun

Guymon Mitchell Theaters Northridge Shopping Center, 1928 N. Hwy 64

24x7

Guymon Mora’s Market 702 N. Main Street

8a-9pMon-Sun

Hooker TCEC Office 995 Mile 46 Road

24x7

DIGITAL EDITIONwww.ok-living.coop

Co-op Connections

Members who show their Co-op Connections Card at H&R Block in Guymon will receive $15 off tax preparation OR first month free for all payroll services.As a TCEC member, the H&R Block office in Guymon offers you a place to walk in and ask for help with taxes or other financial matters. You can also make an appointment online at www.hrblock.com to discuss having a Tax Pro help you with any of the below services:

� Tax Preparation � Taxpayer ID (ITIN) � Year Round Assistance � Notary � Tax Audit Support � Bookkeeping � Payroll

“Our Tax Pros are highly trained,” said Marla Gonzales, who is the office manager at the Guymon H&R Block office. “Every tax professional completes over 80 hours of training and some have additional certifications and expertise.”She said if you have more than a W-2, it’s a good idea to come to the office to consult with one of their professionals on taxes.

“We help our customers with complex situations and offer advice on improving their next year’s return,” Marla said. “We care about people and are here to help.”She said they have Spanish speakers on staff and translation devices for other languages.For more information, contact:

H&R Block Guymon601 NE 12th StreetGuymon, Oklahoma580.338.5547 Se Habla Español

To see all offers, visit www.tcec.coop and look for ‘Co-op Connections’ under the ‘Community’ tab. �