Each spring, Hancock-Wood Electric asks our Members to participate in the Member Attitude Survey about the quality of our service.

For the fourth year in a row, Hancock-Wood Electric received an above-average score.

This year, Members scored us at 86 — a percentage point improvement from last year. The average score of all Ohio cooperatives is 85. The average rating of investor-owned utilities is 72, and municipal utilities scored a 68. We couldn’t have achieved this high rating without your support!

Our overall satisfaction rating was 8.92 on a10-point scale. Areas in which our cooperative scored well are: having friendly, courteous, and highly trained/professional employees; cost and efficiency; Member service; and electric service reliability. This triumph is thanks to you — our Members! This survey information inspires our

highly trained team to do their best each day and helps

us recognize both our strong areas and

those areas that need attention.

Learn more about how

your co-op earns these high scores at hwe.coop.

O C TO B E R 2016 • C O U N T R Y L I V I N G 19

HANCOCK-WOOD ELECTRIC COOPERATIVE

MEMBER CONNECTIONS

IN T

HIS

ISSU

E

ORU program donates $13,398 in fourth quarter

Rep. Latta speaks at OurSolar ground breaking

1399 Business Park Drive South, P.O. Box 190, North Baltimore, OH 45872 • www.hwe.coop • info@hwe.coop • 800-445-4840

LEARN MORE ABOUT YOUR CTF BOARDYou might already be a contributor to the Operation Round Up (ORU) program at Hancock-Wood. Members have the choice to round their electric bills up to the next dollar, and those cents are put into a grant fund. The Community Trust Fund (CTF) board oversees this money and approves applications. Only nonprofit organizations can apply for these grants, and the CTF board puts an exceptional amount of thought into each application before making a decision.

The CTF board is made up of five Hancock-Wood Members: Dan Branson, board chairman, has served eight years; Ellen McKee, vice chair, has served five years; Darlene Petkwitz, treasurer, has served eight years; Denise Foos has served five years; and Karen Schuh, secretary, has served two years. Each board member volunteers his or her time to support local nonprofits that promote projects to improve the quality of life in our communities.

If you are interested in applying for an ORU grant or would like to learn more about the program, please visit hwe.coop and search for “community involvement.”

HWE - a powerful value for 78 years.

George Walton, Hancock-Wood Electric Cooperative President and CEO

NOTICE: Don’t forget to vote on Nov. 8. There is still time to pledge to be a co-op voter at vote.coop.

Thanks for the high scores! Once again, Hancock-Wood places higher over municipal and investor-owned utilities when it comes to Member satisfaction.

Businesses continue to save with rebates

HWE CELEBRATES RAISING ACSI SCORE

CTF board members are (top row, from left) Secretary Karen Schuh, Denise Foos, Vice Chair Ellen McKee, (seated) Chairman Dan Branson, and Treasurer Darlene Petkwitz.

20 CO U N T R Y L I V I N G • O C TO B E R 2016

MEMBER CONNECTIONS

Last month’s article focused on preparing the outside of your property for the upcoming cold weather. This month, I am providing tips from the Department of Energy to make the inside of your home as warm and energy efficient as possible.

• Take advantage of heat from the sun. Open curtains on south-facing windows during the day to allow sunlight to help heat your home. Close windows at night to reduce the chill. • Cover drafty windows. This task requires installing a clear plastic film on the inside frame of a leaky window to keep cold drafts from entering until the worn windows can be replaced.• Adjust your temperature. For times when you are home and awake, set your thermostat as low as is comfortable. For times when you are asleep or out of the house, turn your thermostat back 5 to 10 degrees for at least eight hours at a time to save on your energy bill.• Maintain your heating systems. Schedule service for any mechanical heating equipment. Be sure to change filters as often as recommended, and have flue pipes inspected annually for wood-burning heaters. • Find and seal leaks. Look for leaks around any wall, floor, and ceiling penetrations in your home. This may be hard to find with the naked eye, but fortunately Hancock-Wood has a great service for helping you locate leaks. The FREE energy audit Hancock-Wood provides includes a blower door test. This test is conducted with an infrared scan to locate drafts and temperature variations in your ceiling, floor, and wall assemblies. See hwe.coop/save-energy/energy-audits for more details.

I hope these tips provide useful information to keep you warm and energy $mart this winter. For questions, or to schedule an energy audit, please contact me at 419-257-5025. Bruce Warnecke is a certified commercial energy auditor with an applied business degree from Lima Technical College and a universal EPA refrigerant certification. He is a Trane Service One graduate and an HVAC specialist with more than 21 years of experience.

THINK ENERGY $MART WITH BRUCE

Bruce Warnecke

Visit Hancock-Wood’s website, hwe.coop, to sign up for e-mail alerts

and news and to enter to win a quarterly drawing for $300 off your next electric bill.

Click on Members Connect to complete the form.

WIN $300 OFF YOUR ENERGY BILL

ORU GRANTS $13,398 THIS QUARTER

The Community Trust Fund board awarded $13,398 in third-quarter grants to seven local nonprofit organizations. The HWE Community Trust Fund receives funding from HWE Members through Operation Round Up. Checks were presented in a special ceremony at the Hancock-Wood headquarters on Aug. 24.• Hancock Public Health Cribs for Kids program: $1,000• Literacy Coalition of Hancock County Tell a Tale Advertisement: $2,300• Vanlue Fire Dept. Operation Clear Message: $898• Northwest Ohio Railroad Preservation, Inc., parking lot and driveway lighting: $1,500• Hancock Historical Museum community room renovation: $3,000• Forest Jackson Public Library Eagle Scout landscaping project: $1,700• Youth for Christ of Northwest Ohio Hancock County independent living program: $3,000Applications for fourth-quarter grants are being accepted through Oct. 17. For more information, visithttps hwe.coop/community-involvement/operation-round-up-community-trust-fund.

The Community Trust Fund board presented grants to seven local nonprofit groups at a presentation ceremony on Aug. 24.

Hancock-Wood Electric Cooperative held a ground-breaking ceremony Aug. 19 for its OurSolar community solar array, a green- energy option for nearly 10,000 residential Member-owners. U.S. Rep. Bob Latta spoke about the importance of the co-op’s being on the leading edge of technology. Also in attendance were Hancock County Treasurer J. Steve Welton; Buckeye Power (wholesale power supplier) representatives Ben Wilson, Janet Rehberg, and Craig Grooms; co-op Members; and, from the Findlay-Hancock County Chamber of Commerce, Director Dionne Neubauer, Membership Manager Laurie Poland, and ambassadors. Learn more about OurSolar at hwe.coop.

O C TO B E R 2016 • C O U N T R Y L I V I N G 21

HANCOCK-WOOD ELECTRIC COOPERATIVE

BOARD OF TRUSTEES Chair Tom Kagy, Vice Chair Dave Corbin,Secretary/Treasurer Tom Dierksheide, Assistant Secretary/Treasurer Marlene Barker, and trustees James Demler, William Kale, Edward Ingold, Knut Lahrs, Glen Miller, and Timothy Phillips.

HWE 2016 REBUILD PROGRAM UPDATEIn October, Hancock-Wood plans to continue three-phase work along Township Road 150 in Delaware Township, Hancock County. Crews

will also start a three-phase rebuild along State Route 37 and Township Road 149 in Delaware Township, Hancock County. Single-phase rebuild work will be finishing along Liberty Hi Road in Henry Township, Wood County. Crews will also begin work along Yates Road in Bloom and Perry Townships, Wood County. For more information about the rebuild program, visit hwe.coop/construction-corner.

BUSINESS MEMBERS SAVE WITH REBATES

HWE supports the national “Co-ops Vote” campaign. In 2012, rural voter turnout was down a staggering 18 percent. We need to remedy that in

2016 — there’s too much at stake. Together, we have the power to impact election results. We recommend this checklist for the election:• Register to vote by Oct. 11.• Remember that early voting starts Oct. 12.• Absentee/mail-in ballots are available by contacting your county election board.• Visit www.action.coop to let your voice be heard on issues important to electric co-ops.• Contact HWE to join ACRE® Co-op Owners for Political Action® to become more informed on issues that affect your cooperative.• If you didn’t vote early, vote on Nov. 8.

HWE Energy Services Advisor Bruce Warnecke (left) presents a rebate check to Michael Spann.

LATTA SPEAKS AT OURSOLAR CEREMONY

In June, HWE business Member Trinity Baptist Church of Findlay received a rebate check for reducing wattage with LED lights at their facilities. The rebates are funded via our wholesale power supplier and facilitated by HWE. Learn more about rebates at hwe.coop.

WE NEED YOUR VOTE ON NOV. 8

OCTOBER IS NATIONAL CO-OP MONTH

From left: Buckeye Power’s Janet Rehberg, HWE Chairman Tom Kagy, Rep. Bob Latta, and HWE President and CEO George Walton.

ELECTRIC CO -OPS BUILD

COMMUNITY

IN MEMORY OF GLADYS BAKER-LEE

Hancock-Wood Electric Cooperative board members and employees mourn the loss of our longest-served Member, Gladys L. Baker-Lee of rural Carey, who died Aug. 19 at age 105. At the co-op’s 75th anniversary celebration in 2013, HWE trustees presented an award to Vivian Gery and Joyce Miller, daughters of Mrs. Baker-Lee. Mrs. Gery reported Mrs. Lee was delighted when she saw the plaque honoring her lengthy participation as a Member-owner. Our condolences and prayers go to her family and many admirers.

22 CO U N T R Y L I V I N G • O C TO B E R 2016

HANCOCK-WOOD ELECTRIC COOPERATIVEKIDS CONNECTIONS

Save energy in your home by locating energy vampires! These are the electronics and appliances that consume energy even when they are not being used. Circle the energy vampires below, and use the key to check your answers.

Answer Key:Cell phone charger, Laptop charger, Cable box

OVEN

LAPTOPCHARGER

CELL PHONECHARGER

CABLE/SET TOP BOX

DISHWASHER

LAMP