Manager's November Comments
Manager's Corner
We celebrated Cooperative Month by open-ing the doors of our new headquarters October 27th on West Washington Street and the new Roosevelt Avenue—named after the founder of the Rural Electric Cooperative.
We are now busy un-packing and finding new homes for everything we moved from the old building. Contractors are still working on a few items such as the perimeter fencing, communication tower and the fueling equipment. We will be hosting an Open House in January to give you an opportunity to see your cooperative’s new facility. Look for more information on the Open House in next month’s Highline Headlines.
IVR
We are preparing to start utilizing an Interactive Voice Response (IVR) system during nights and weekends. We will still have human dispatchers answering the phones; but if they can not handle the volume of calls, the overflow will be directed to the IVR. To make the IVR system operate as seamlessly as possible, it is important we have your correct home phone and cell phone numbers in our computer system. In January, please be looking for an insert in your bill or your newsletter asking you to provide us with your phone numbers. Please return them to us with updated information. I will keep you updated in the Highline Headlines as we implement this new technology.
PEAK ALERTS
We are preparing once again to run Peak Alert notices in December. During the winter months usage tends to peak in the mornings from about 6:00am to 9:00am and again in the late afternoon and early evening from about 4:00pm to 8:00pm. Peak days in the winter are usually caused by subzero temperatures and a low wind-chill index. During Peak Alerts we ask our members to try and limit your energy use to one major appliance. We will relay the information on Peak Alerts via the following area radio stations: KILJ, KDMG, KMCD.
LET US HELP YOU SAVE ENERGY
Peak Alerts are just one of the ways you can help control our demand for energy. An energy audit is a great way for you to reduce your home’s or business’s energy uses and the cooperative’s peak demand. Access Energy Cooperative provides free energy audits for our members and propane customers.
Our member services staff will make recommendations on ways you can make your home or business more energy efficient. Simple things like weather stripping or setting your thermostat back a couple of degrees can make a difference. Adequate attic insulation makes your home easier to heat and cool. Over time insulation in your attic tends to settle, reducing its effectiveness.
We also have financing available through our Energy Resource Conservation Loan program (ERC) to assist with larger energy efficiency projects such as heating and cooling system upgrades, added insulation or window replacements. ERC loans currently have an interest rate of 5% and based on the amount borrowed have a term of up to five years.
If you are interested in information about an energy audit or our ERC Loan program give our Member Services Department a call at 1.866.242.4232, or visit our website at www.accessenergycoop.com.