Scams Keeping Co-ops on Alert

Scammers continue to target electric cooperative members in several states, using a variety of schemes including one where a man looks like he might work at the co-op.

That’s occurring in Paintsville, Ky.-based Big Sandy RECC’s service area, where officials say someone has been approaching members, requesting money under threat of disconnection.

“He’s dressed like a utility worker,” said David Estepp, president and general manager of Big Sandy RECC. “He’s driving a vehicle that looks similar to our vehicles. It does not have our emblem or our name on it, but if somebody is not paying attention they could be deceived.”
Estepp said co-op members who were approached knew they had paid their bills and didn’t give the man any money. Estepp also noted that his employees never collect money in the field, and he urged members to ask anyone claiming to work for the co-op to show identification.
In neighboring Tennessee, scammers posing as co-op employees have been calling both residential and business members, demanding immediate payment to avoid disconnection.

“The calls sound official,” said David Callis, executive vice president and general manager of the Tennessee Electric Cooperative Association. “They claim to be with the local electric cooperative, and many times the caller ID even displays the name of the utility.”

Callis said co-ops don’t operate that way. He urged members to hang up on such callers and then phone the co-op to tell them what happened.
“No one can protect you from being victimized better than you,” Callis said.

Credit card numbers are what an imposter is after in Colorado, where commercial members of La Plata Electric Association are being targeted.
“The caller apparently indicates that the businesses’ LPEA account is past due, and if payment is not made immediately by credit card, then the electricity would be disconnected,” said Steve Gregg, manager of operations at Durango-based LPEA.

The co-op first learned about the calls Christmas Eve, and Gregg said they know of at least four calls. “Chances are there have been many more attempts.”
In New Mexico, Taos-based Kit Carson Electric Cooperative said some members have been getting calls from a man claiming to be a co-op service representative named Mark Lopez. The caller threatens to turn off the electricity in 30 minutes unless the member makes an immediate payment using a prepaid money card.
Luis Reyes, Kit Carson CEO, urged his members to gather as much information as possible from the caller, and then phone the co-op, which is working with local law enforcement.

“Any information you can provide may help us stop the fraudulent activities that are occurring across New Mexico and other co-ops throughout the U.S.,” Reyes said.

This article has been republished with permission. Source: ECT.coop

Go Now

If you have “dragged your feet” on making your home more energy efficient, the recent cold snap should be providing some real motivational “messages” for you. If you haven’t noticed, please drop whatever you are doing (Okay, go ahead and finish reading this – it’s short.) and go to your nearest window or door and take a look and feel. It’s that simple.

The “messages” I refer to are frosted spots and cold breezes around windows, doors, hinges, wall switches and outlets and other perforations in walls, floors and ceilings that lead to cold outdoor air. The frost you see indicates a high rate of air movement that makes surfaces so cold that the humidity in the warm air escaping condenses and freezes. Let me say that part again, “humidity in the warm air escaping condenses and freezes.”

The great news is that so many of these little things can be fixed so easily and you must realize that this statement is quite a revelation coming from a guy who never used to worry about “little things.” I’ve said it before, my motto when it came to home construction used to fall somewhere between “good enough” and “trim will cover that.” That may have saved me a few hours in construction, but that attitude cost me hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars in lost heat and many hours of retrofitting work, but I digress.

So go now to your nearest door sweep, basement rim joist, outdoor plumbing perforation or leak of your choice and see what you can do to stop it. Caulk, insulation, foam in a can and weather stripping are all easy to apply. Just do the best you can. If you don’t think you can tackle the job, make a comprehensive list of items for your building contractor. Air leaks in your home are expensive, uncomfortable and collectively, waste an enormous amount of energy across the U.S. We can do better.

Maybe It Is!

Do you think the energy you buy today is a good value? My guess is that most people do not think so and furthermore, I’d wager that gasoline, oil, electricity, natural gas, propane or any other fuel today ranks low on any popularity ratings of commodities. But if I may say so, the sentiment is not fair.

A basic economic fact is that when something is judged to be a good value, we buy more. This principle is true for hamburgers, cars, homes, clothes and energy. Over the last 30 years, energy increased in price considerably less than did the price of food, medical care, real estate or cars. Not only that, average median income also increased more than energy. Not surprisingly, the energy use of the average American has doubled as well. The homes we build are larger, we travel more often and we travel further for things that are optional.

It wasn’t all that long ago when most people hunted the animals found in their local woods, caught fish in a local lake, shopped in their home town and rode bike on the street at the end of their driveway. These things still happen of course, but much more often, we take the liberty to travel to far off places to do the very same things in order to enhance the experience. We feel it’s a good value. Don’t get me wrong – travel, hobbies and recreation are great things and are good for the economy, but these activities are not common everywhere. Folks in England and Sweden pay over $8/gallon for gas. Electricity for most industrialized countries of the world costs from $.20 to $.35/kWh. As a result, most people around the world drive smaller cars, have smaller homes and are more likely to shop next door than we are.

A final thought on the price of gasoline. If you are one who spends $80 to fill up the gas tank on your truck and you get 300 miles per tank, the price of gas is understandably “uncomfortable.” If $80 provides 800 miles for your compact car there is a good chance you don’t even pay much attention to the price of gas. Is the issue at hand the price of energy or choice in vehicle performance?

Carbon in Sixty

Carbon is an amazing element but it is also poorly understood. If you were to ask the average person on the street what they know about carbon they’d likely have little to offer. In normal circumstances, a person could deflect the topic with a quick, “How about them Vikes?” but since that is not an option this year, I offer this “Carbon in Sixty” just in case.

Carbon is a basic building block of life. It is the second largest element in the makeup of the human body, the leading element in plants and a small part of the air we breathe. Great accumulations of animal and plant matter over time make for rich underground carbon deposits called “fossil fuels.” They are commonly found in the form of petroleum, coal and natural gas and strangely enough, are actually stored solar energy from a very long time ago. In other scenarios, carbon under intense pressure becomes diamonds, the hardest material on this plant, while carbon in the form of graphite is extremely soft and will break under the pressure that a six-year old can put on a pencil. In addition, atoms that make up carbon can be realigned to make super strong, light carbon fibers used to build anything from airplane wings to fishing poles. Yes, carbon is cool.

Most of the world’s carbon is stored in the ground, but it is also released into the air in a natural cycle of events that happens continuously between the atmosphere, plants, animals, oceans and soil. Plants take carbon gas (carbon dioxide or CO2) from the air around them and deposit it back into the soil. Decaying plant matter emits CO2 back into the air and animals release CO2 in the air when we exhale. Mankind releases additional carbon into the atmosphere when we use fossil fuels for transportation, industry, electric production or within our homes. The discussion on climate change today is whether or not this balance of exposing carbon and storing carbon is where it should be. Without enough carbon dioxide retaining heat in the atmosphere the world would be a very cold place. Too much carbon dioxide is feared to lead to warming.

A personal part of this discussion is your “carbon footprint” which is nothing more than the carbon you produce through lifestyle which includes the food you eat, travel and how well your home is built. To make a long story short, eating healthy foods, driving a car with good gas mileage and keeping your home energy efficient all combine to lower your carbon footprint, which for Americans is about 50 tons of carbon emissions per household/per year or five times the world average.

So there you have it. There is much more to the story than can be told in 60 seconds, but it’s a start. Carbon is an important part of the energy discussion going on right now and it includes just about everything you do – not just everything “they” do. Just thought you should know!
– Leo

He was Right!

Have you ever had trouble trying to justify a purchase and the only one you are arguing with is yourself?

A couple years ago, I needed a seat cover for my old tractor, so I stopped at Hongisto Implement, a farm equipment shop located near Cloquet. I asked Mr. Hongisto, “Do you have tractor seat covers?” He pointed over to a shelf that had just what I needed and the price tag indicated it was only $20. I was pretty happy, but as I turned to the counter I spied a brand new tractor seat that was a perfect replica of the original. “Wow! You even have a new one!” I noted. “How much?” Without having to check a computer for price, Mr. Hongisto answered back in his dry and matter-of-fact tone, “A hundred bucks.” “A hundred bucks, eh?” I said somewhat disappointed. Then Mr. Hongisto just looked at me for a moment without any expression and offered advice that has stayed with me since that day. He just said two words, “Treat yourself.”

Now you have to realize that I am a person who researches things for weeks or months and asks a half dozen people what they think before I’ll purchase most anything. I had enough money in my pocket to buy either. One offered a temporary fix that performs the basic function, while the other offered lasting quality and even more comfort. Then his short, sensible advice “hit home” with me and I said with a smile, “You’re right. I’ll do it.“ In a few minutes I walked out of that place satisfied with having made a quality purchase and more over – I didn’t feel guilty. I’m thinking a quality boat would be a good example of this new approach but “other people in our household” are not quite as convinced.

We’ve come a long way just to make a point which is to “treat yourself” when it comes to decisions surrounding energy. Here are some choices that help prove this simple but significant point:

• An Energy Star refrigerator uses one third of the energy of the unit it replaces and saves $1,000 in energy in 10 years.
• A compact fluorescent light bulb (CFL) saves $40 in its lifetime over an incandescent bulb.
• A 2,400 square foot super-insulated home saves about $1,000 per year in heating over a conventionally built home.
• With a gas price of $3.50/gal, a car that gets 35 mpg saves $11,252.50 over a 150,000 mile lifespan compared to a car that gets 20 mpg.

Thank you Mr. Hongisto! (I hope he starts selling boats)

Leo

Roughing It

Continuous electric power is important for most folks today, but it’s not guaranteed. When Hurricane Sandy hit the east coast in 2012, New York City was inundated with rain, storm surge flooding and 115 mph winds. Almost three hundred people were killed by the storm. Battering waves washed away roads, buildings, beaches and the world-famous Coney Island Amusement Park. Power lines above ground were smashed and power lines underground were ruined with corrosive salt water. A week later, some people still did not have electricity and television reports showed that they were both frustrated and angry.

I’m not insensitive, a large metropolitan area without power is a tough thing, but what else could be expected from a 65 billion dollar storm – a one-day outage? After such a destructive weather event, there is a window of time before sufficient materials and labor from near and far can converge and that is not measured in minutes or hours.

Fortunately for Minnesota electric consumers, there are no hurricanes to worry about and it’s a good thing because the Vikings and Twins are plenty enough to worry about already. Still, we have the potential for severe weather in the form of tornadoes, high winds, floods, sleet and blizzards. And while infrequent, any of them can damage power lines and turn the power off.

I live in some rather remote country in the Northland so rather than stressing over each storm prediction, I’ve found peace of mind for such events though my little portable generator. There are many years I don’t even use it, but when needed, it will run my sump pump, refrigerator, some lights, a coffee maker and of course, charge my smart phone, but not all at the same time. I’m OK with that. If you aren’t, there are larger generator systems that will turn on automatically and provide back-up for the entire home.

Deer hunters have appreciated the benefits of portable generators for a long time when it comes to making a cold, lonely hunt in the wilderness bearable. Somewhere, parked deep in the forest at the end of an abandoned, logging road, I can almost hear the conversation going on in a small camper, “Hey Jim, after the pizza comes out of the microwave what do you say we go check out some deer stands? Jim, “Sounds good, but let’s finish watching the news first and then I need to take a quick shower.”

Think about it.

Leo

A New Heating System? Oh Deer!

Last evening found me disking ground at my hobby farm while four whitetail deer cautiously watched from the opposite end of the field. After a time of nervously feeding, a large doe suddenly left the others and came marching directly across the field with eyes fixed firmly on me and my tractor before coming to a stop just 20 yards away. She looked like a spectator at a 4th of July parade while my noisy tractor and I passed by. Apparently, she assessed no danger in my “parade float” then walked lazily back across the field nibbling on clover along the way. It seems she wasn’t satisfied with guessing what I was from afar, nor going with any opinion that might have come from the herd – she needed a good look for herself.

If you’re considering the purchase of a heating system, you will hear many opinions but I think the doe sets a good example – check out the facts for yourself. Here are just a few facts.

Off-peak, dual fuel and heat pump electric systems tend to cost more to install, but they are clean, quiet and 100% efficient, or 300% efficient in the case of ground source heat pumps. Oil and propane do not compete on price historically and involve sizable storage tanks in the yard. Natural gas is inexpensive to operate, but it is not available to most rural consumers because it’s expensive to extend lines. Wood heat is cheap at first glance and the work involved can be a pleasurable activity, I like it myself. One should consider the cost of saw gas, wood splitters, band aids, higher home insurance premiums, the labor to cut, split, pile and feed it, chimney cleaning and ash removal before making the commitment. – Leo

Are You Serious?

I’ll never forget a day in 1973 when the pump attendant checked the oil, cleaned the front windshield, filled ‘er up and then announced, “That’ll be $5 bucks.” “FIVE BUCKS – ARE YOU SERIOUS? “ I pleaded. I was mad!

If you haven’t guessed by now, it was the year of the oil embargo which found a group of oil-producing countries (OPEC) band together to halt the sale of oil to the U.S. Almost overnight the price of gasoline nearly doubled from 32 cents per gallon to 50 cents, and quickly headed towards a buck from there. It was a thing that shook the country’s collective senses and it’s fair to say that the price of gasoline has been on a mystical path ever since.

The chart below shows the average gas price in the U.S. over the last ten years. To oversimplify, one could deduct that a strong economy (2008) equates to a high price and a recession (2009) equates to a low price. The chart suggests that when we have more money to spend we buy more gas – which increases demand, which increases price. OK. So, maybe if we had more supply the price would go down? Well, not exactly. Oil production in the U.S. has dramatically increased from 5000 barrels per day in 2008 to an all time high of 6488 barrels per day production in 2012. This 30% increase has simply made the U.S. a net exporter of oil rather than create a domestic supply glut to drop the price. Strangely enough, new techniques in drilling and harvesting oil continue to increase world oil production and capacity estimates, but the price continues to rise. So, what’s the scoop?

Opinions vary, but a constant is that world demand continues to increase which has kept crude oil prices high. A major factor to demand is increasing car ownership in China and India which together grew by 100 million vehicles in just the last five years and it’s still growing! This fact alone doesn’t guarantee that gas prices will rise, but it makes a better forecast for a 40 mpg Focus than it does for a 10 mpg Hummer.

Where are the Drapes?

When my son-in-law-to-be stopped by to visit our country home for the first time, one of his comments was, “Where are your drapes?” He had always lived in a city so it was only natural when he explained how drapes are something of a necessity for privacy. I told him, “There is nothing out that window but woods for several miles. Privacy isn’t much of a problem here.” In hindsight, I wish I would have said, “Having no drapes helps light the path to the outhouse,” but that might have been a bit much for first impressions.

Don’t get me wrong, window coverings are good and they can play an important function in home efficiency. When closed, they block out sun to help cool a home during the summer. During winter, closed drapes create a small air space that decreases heat loss. Quilted and sealable window coverings take this a step further, but cost can be an issue. Opening drapes on sun-washed walls provides significant solar heat gain for a home and maybe even all the heat needed during spring, fall and mild winter days.

The next time you consider window coverings, think about the efficiency they provide in addition to style or privacy. It’s a small matter that may not solve world energy issues, but you’ll enjoy the comfort and savings all year long.

Whiskers are Overrated

It seems electric motors are the “Rodney Dangerfields” of the mechanical world. Not near as cool as an smart phone, they get no respect even though they are the backbone “tool” of modern life. They are quiet, efficient, durable and range from just a fraction of a horsepower (HP) in an electric razor to thousands of HP in an industrial mill. Still, the best a motor can do is to share in whatever credit it can garnish from the appliance or process it drives.

I was reminded of this recently when I bought a new cordless electric shaver. It occurred to me that it is just the third electric shaver I’ve owned in 40 years and the first two still worked ― they just got dull. This razor example makes a good argument for just how tough electric motors are, but I may have a contingent out there who would argue that my facial hair did not put up much of a fight! Indeed, I’ve only tried growing a beard once in my life and the patchy results look more like a poor job of raking leaves rather than a lush lawn of hair. I have better examples.

In addition to the razor, my clothes dryer was used when I bought it 32 years ago. The clothes washer is nearly as old and will be upgraded to an Energy Star model soon, but it appears that it would rust out before the motor gives out. I have a drill press, electric grinder and band saw that are all over 50 and an electric clock, formerly owned by my folks, that has operated without error for 60 years plus. I suspect at least one of you reading this has an old, rounded-corner freezer in the basement that is going on 70! By all indications, the electric car is promising the same lasting quality. Hmmm, years without servicing? What would I do on Saturday mornings?

A parting thought; an estimate shows my electric razors together cost about $8.00 to operate over the last 40 years. Yes, my chin tends to look like that of Popeye even when I don’t shave, but that’s still a good value. And that’s one app you won’t find on a smart phone!

– Leo