2012-04 April 2012 - Harrison Rural Electrification Association
Contents
1. RR 6 Box 502 Clarksburg WV 26301 0502 304 624 6365 Harrison Rural Electrification Association Inc Your Touchstone Energy Partner KE www harrisonrea com HREA s 75th Annual Meeting As you can see from the cover wrap on this magazine it is time once again for our annual meet ing This one is significant be cause it marks our 75th anniversary of serving the mem bership Very few businesses have been around as long as the cooperative and conquered the many obsta cles we have faced on a daily basis We can only imagine what the creators envisioned for the fu ture of the cooperative Back then getting electricity to their homes was truly a major im provement in their standard of living Just think what it must have been like to get refrigeration to get light without candles or kerosene indoor plumbing and news from around the world Today we may take all of that for granted as our expectations have evolved far from what they were back then Board of Directors By onalp Dist 1 0cesseees President James Stuart Dist 4 Vice President Darrell Powell Dist 6 Secy Treas Greg Robertson Ron Watson Alan Cox Richard L Fox Scott Wyckoff Nada McNemar Dist 2 Dist 5 Kent Vance Dist 3 Michael Cross Dist 7 Terry Stout General Manager Operations Manager Staking Engineer Staking Engineer Editor Office Hours 7 30 a m to 4 p2. the years there have been fewer power outages and reliability has increased Our main goal has always been to deliver reliable affordable electric power to all our members For the future we remain committed to this same goal as we strive to become an even better cooperative Over the last year we have accomplished much but there is so much more to do and the board management and staff will continue to dedicate ourselves to providing you our member owners with the best electric serv ice possible Operating and maintaining your heat pump Like all heating and cooling systems proper mainte nance remains the key to efficient heat pump opera tion The difference in electric use between a well maintained heat pump and a severely neglected one ranges from 10 to 25 percent Remember not to set back a heat pump s thermo stat if it causes any backup heating system to kick on they are usually more expensive to operate Continu ous indoor fan operation can also hurt heat pump performance unless you use a high efficiency vari able speed fan motor Operate your heat pump with the auto fan setting on your thermostat Clean or change filters once a month or as needed and maintain the system according to manufacturer s instructions Dirty filters coils and fans reduce air flow which will decrease system performance and possibly damage the compressor Clean outdoor coils whenever they appear dirty occasionally turn off powe
3. Club with one slight twist Because we saved budget dollars by not having to send out ballots etc this year and for our 75th anniversary the menu will be based on baked steak rather than pasta The 4 H group will begin serving at 6 15 p m At 6 30 live entertainment will begin in the school auditorium This year s entertainment is being provided by Mr Braden Stover and Miss Jocelyn Stout These two teenagers are part of our cooperative family and are di rectly and indirectly a part of my personal family At 7 15 President C B Sharp will call the business meeting to order and after a few brief reports and discussion Op erations Manager Alan Cox will lead the prize drawing giveaway We know everyone s schedule is busy but come and join us if you can We only ask that you RSVP with the ladies in the office 304 624 6365 so that we can ensure we have enough food and drink APRIL 2012 e COUNTRY LIVING 19 President s Report C B SHARP PRESIDENT What a great time to be a part of Harrison Rural Electric Cooperative This year 2012 marks our 75th anniversary Please allow me to share a few thoughts with you Co ops were originally formed because those of us who did not live on the main roads or on a road where there was a coal mine or a factory were out of luck get ting investor owned compa o 9 President S nies to provide electric service to our homes In Report vestor owned companies by were not int
4. erested in serving C B Sharp mom and pop because Peden iy there wasn t enough profit for them In areas where there 20 were no cooperatives many families had to wait on the in vestor owned utilities and did not get electric service until the 1950s I spent many summers staying with my grandmother who lived in Calhoun County and she did not have electricity in her home until 1951 The government made it possible to form co ops in 1936 by making available low interest Rural Elec trification Administration loans I can just imagine our forefathers starting this cooperative in 1937 These people were not necessarily businessmen but were farmers neighbors and friends who could see that electric power was a necessity not a luxury With their vision they created a new time and a new be ginning With the flick of a switch co op members could chase away the darkness They could stay up later and get up earlier all the while being able to see They could listen to the radio without a battery and electric refrigeration was now available because of this new utility Homemakers no longer had to wait for the iron to heat up on the stovetop they simply plugged in their new electric iron making that chore a lot easier and faster The early days were plagued with many outages that lasted for long periods of time Members usually didn t complain however because they were so grate ful for the convenience of electricity Over
5. h the reading of the meeting minutes and a motion was duly made sec onded and approved A motion was made from the floor to approve the minutes as presented and the motion passed Mr Powell then gave his treasurer s report where he highlighted the financial results from 2010 CEO General Manager Gary Jackson then took the floor and covered various subjects relating to the operations of the cooperative These subjects in cluded topics on the PSC mandate to begin the de livery of electricity from renewable sources starting in 2015 to claims by political candidates that they would ensure that utility rates were rolled back Mr Jackson then answered questions from the member ship President Cross then introduced Ms Brenda Swiger chairwoman of HREA s Credentials and Election Committee Ms Swiger reported that the committee had counted and reviewed all ballots re turned and that all items on the ballot have passed She also reported that Director Stuart ran unop posed as the incumbent for the District 4 seat and that Mr Kent Vance ran unopposed for the District 3 seat formerly held by Mr Glenn Cox who retired Mr Jackson then presented Mr Cox with a plague honoring his tenure and service to the coop erative Mr Jackson then asked Mr Alan Cox to conduct the prize drawing for door prizes Mr Cox stated that the first name selected would receive a 100 energy credit then all door prizes would be awarded then the final name
6. m Mon Fri When we get questioned about why we have an annual meeting of the membership the easy an swer most often given is because it is required However that an swer doesn t even begin to touch on the real reasons The purpose of the meeting is to let you the membership know what the co operative has accomplished and what we are planning for the fu ture The benefits of the meeting are getting to meet the member ship face to face to be able to put a face with the voice on the tele phone and to hopefully gain a better understanding of each of our concerns We celebrate 75 years of being here for each other and we honor those who have made it possible but we also celebrate the future and what we hope it will bring The road we travel may be differ ent than the one that got us here but it no doubt has its own curves inclines and declines pot holes and treacherous intersec tions By continuing to work together we can navigate this road and hopefully make it possi ble for future generations to cele brate our history The meeting will once again be at Liberty High School and it will be held on April 19 If you don t already know Liberty is served by HREA The doors to the cafeteria will open at 6 p m for registra Manager s Corner by Terry Stout CE0 General Manager oa tion This year s meeting will once again begin with a meal provided by the Harrison County 4 H Ex change
7. nually for an electric range or 18 for gas Refrigerators Keep your refrigerator at 35 to 38 degrees Fahrenheit Place the fridge in a cool place away from a heat source such as an oven a dishwasher or direct sunlight Allow air circulation behind the fridge Keep the condenser coils clean if it s an older model Read the user s manual to learn how to safely clean coils Coil cleaning brushes can be purchased at most hard ware stores Make sure seals around the door are airtight If not replace them Minimize the amount of time the refrigerator door stays open Source ENERGY STAR
8. r to the fan and clean it remove vegetation and clutter from around the outdoor unit Clean the sup ply and return registers within your home and straighten their fins if bent COUNTRY LIVING e APRIL 2012 You should also have a professional technician service your heat pump at least every year The tech nician should do the following Inspect ducts filters blower and indoor coils for dirt and other obstructions Diagnose and seal duct leakage Verify adequate airflow by measurement Verify correct refrigerant charge by measurement Check for refrigerant leaks Inspect electric terminals and if necessary clean and tighten connections and apply non conductive coating Lubricate motors and inspect belts for tightness and wear Verify correct electric control making sure that heating is locked out when the thermostat calls for cooling and vice versa and Verify correct thermostat operation To learn more about heat pumps visit www energysavers ZOV Harrison Rural Electrification Association Inc Annual meeting of the membership minutes The 2011 annual meeting of the membership began when the doors opened at 6 p m and a pasta dinner was provided to the membership The dinner was prepared and served by the Harrison County 4 H Interstate Exchange Group As members finished dinner they gathered in the school auditorium and were entertained by Mr Braden Stover and Miss Jo celyn Stout with a selection of country
9. ses not including power cost increased by approximately 419 000 This increase resulted from an increase in depreciation expenses and a change in ac counting methodology in recognizing vacation and holi day time Total long term debt decreased by approximately 280 000 The membership s equity grew to approxi mately 35 8 percent of the total electric plant In addi tion we paid off all of our 400 000 in short term debt A copy of the audited financial reports is included in the annual report and on the Country Living cover wrap If you would like to see and review the complete audit report you may visit our Charles Pointe office Thank you Energy saving appliance tips from ENERGY STAR Clothes Washer Wash your laundry with cold water whenever possible using cold water laundry detergents To save water try to wash full loads or if you must wash a partial load re duce the level of water appropriately Water heating accounts for about 90 percent of the energy your machine uses to wash clothes only 10 per cent goes to electricity used by the washer s motor Switching to cold water can save the average house hold more than 40 annually with an electric water heater and more than 30 annually with a gas water heater Washing full loads can save more than 3 400 gallons of water each year Clothes dryer Don t overdry your clothes If your dryer has a moisture sensor that automatically turns the machine off
10. songs Miss Stout then stepped forward and asked the attendees to observe a moment of silence in remembrance of Miss Allison Crosby a recently fallen member of the 4 H exchange group and the daughter of HREA members James and Carolyn Crosby President Cross called the meeting to order at 7 15 p m and then called upon Mr Sharp to give the invocation President Cross led all in attendance in the Pledge of Allegiance and appointed Manager Office Services Terry Stout as recording secretary President Cross then asked if there were any objec tions to using the meeting agenda as printed on page 2 of the annual report There being no objec tions President Cross introduced the current Board of Directors and all former Directors that were in attendance and retired employees President Cross then turned the meeting over to Mr Powell secretary treasurer Mr Powell pre sented the legal notice of the meeting the proof of mailing of the official notice and he then read the official notice Following the reading of the notice Mr Powell noted that the minutes of the meeting held on April 16 2009 as well as the minutes from the meeting held April 15 2010 were published in Country Living magazine and in the Annual Meet ing Report distributed to the members in atten dance Mr Powell explained that the 2009 minutes needed to be approved due to their not being a quo rum at the 2010 annual meeting Mr Powell called for a motion to dispense wit
11. when clothes are done use it One of the easiest ways to increase drying efficiency is to clean the lint trap before each and every load It s easy to overdry clothes if one setting is used for various fabrics Try to dry loads made up of similar fab rics so the entire load dries as the cycle ends Dishwashers Rinsing dishes can use up to 20 gallons of water before the dishes are loaded Instead scrape food off dishes ENERGY STAR qualified dishwashers and detergents are designed to do the cleaning so you don t have to If dirty dishes sit overnight use the dishwasher s rinse feature It uses a fraction of the water needed to hand rinse Most dishwashers use about the same amount of en ergy and water regardless of the number of dishes inside 22 COUNTRY LIVING eAPRIL 2012 so run full loads whenever possible Select the no heat drying option It gives good drying results with less energy Microwave Use a microwave or toaster oven to reheat or cook small portions Reduce cooking energy by as much as 80 percent when using a microwave for small portions This also helps save on summer air conditioning costs since less heat is generated when compared to using a stove or oven Oven range Use the right sized pot on stove burners A 6 in pot on an 8 in burner wastes more than 40 percent of the burner s heat Also cover pots and pans to keep heat in Using the right sized pot on stove burners can save about 36 an
12. would be selected for another 100 energy credit Secretary Certification Darrell Powell Secretary Treasurer Energy Efficiency lip of the Moran Don t get your electric bill caught in a spin cycle When doing laundry use cold water If your dryer has a moisture meter use it to prevent over drying clothes 50 minutes often works best for a full load And remember to check your lint filter each time before you run a load to help your dryer run more efficiently and save energy Find more ways to save at TogetherWeSave com Source Touchstone Energy Cooperatives APRIL 2012 e COUNTRY LIVING 21 Secretary Treasurer s Report BY DARRELL POWELL SECRETARY TREASURER The 2011 operating year marked the third consecutive year whereby the cooperative operated on a cashflow basis Loan covenants dictate that the cooperative main tain minimum financial ratios including times interest earned TIER assets as a percentage of equity Equity and modified debt service coverage MDSC for the life of the loans For the year your cooperative noted the following fi nancial results Operating revenue increased by approximately 567 000 This increase resulted from increased kilo watt hour sales from new members Power cost increased by approximately 350 000 This increase resulted from the increased sales and in creases in transmission costs Our current power con tract is effective until May 2015 Total expen
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