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03 Pee Dee
Hi-Lite
Volume 16, March 2015
SERVING 20,760 PEE DEE ELECTRIC MEMBERS
INSIDE
26 New and
improved
customer
service portal
27 Attention
students!
Win a trip!
28 Do a little,
Save a lot
Pee Dee Electric’s Customer Service Portal
Your One-Stop Shop
M
embers can now access all account information by visiting the Customer Service Portal
on www.pdemc.com. You can manage your account and billing information and pay your bill
online, whether it’s traditional or PrePay. Recent improvements to the portal include
the My Energy Usage online monitoring tool, where members can see how much power they
are using each day. Understanding how and when you use power can be a powerful tool in
reducing your monthly electric bills.
Not sure how to get started? Follow along with us as we walk you through the different
aspects of the portal and show you how to make the most of our customer service portal.
1.Visit Pee Dee Electric’s website at www.pdemc.com
Daylight Savings
= Battery Time!
Daylight Savings
Time goes into
effect on Sunday,
March 8th! Let the
change in time
serve as a reminder
to replace the
batteries in your
smoke and carbon
monoxide alarms.
2.Click on the link to the Customer Service Portal, or the PrePay Electric Service button
This will route you to the Pee Dee Customer Service Portal.
The Customer Service portal contains several tabs across the top of the page, each of which contains different menu items. No matter which option you choose, you will be required to enter your
account number or user ID and Password to access any account information. If you are a new user,
click on the New User option at the top of the
page, or under the Log In field and follow the
steps listed to create a new profile.
CONTINUED ON PAGE 27
Pee Dee Hi-Lite Carolina Country MARCH 2015 25
CEO’S COMMENTS
Donnie Spivey, CEO and Executive Vice President
New and Improved Customer Service Portal
W
hen I began
working at Pee
Dee Electric in
December 1985, cooperative
members were responsible
for reading their own meters
each month and mailing
in those readings to Pee
Dee Electric. I imagine
a lot of our members can
remember having to do this.
We billed members based
on the readings that were
reported. We estimated a lot
of power bills in those days
because members would
forget to send in their readings or send them in late.
Because of the delay in
information, it was very difficult for members and Pee
Dee Electric employees to
understand how and when
members were using power.
In the fall of 1989, Pee
Dee Electric employees
began reading meters with
handheld devices, which
greatly improved the accuracy of readings; however,
we still read meters only
once a month. I don’t
know about you, but it
is hard for me to remember what I had for lunch
yesterday, much less how
much electricity I used last
month, so you can imagine that it was difficult for
members as well.
In 2003, Pee Dee
Electric began installing
a meter reading system
that used the power lines
26 MARCH 2015 Carolina Country Pee Dee Hi-Lite
to read meters. Once the
installation of this system was complete and we
began to learn the many
advantages of this system,
we were able to improve
our level of customer service because we now had
access to daily readings and
could discuss a member’s
current usage.
Over the years Pee Dee
has continued to implement and utilize technology in ways that helps
improve our accuracy, but
also underscores our efforts
to provide legendary customer service. Because
knowledge is power, we
have taken steps to provide
as much information to our
members as quickly and as
easily as possible.
With the introduction
of the new and improved
Customer Service Portal,
members now have a host
of useful information available at their fingertips. You
have access to daily energy
usage and corresponding
temperature data, which
are very important pieces
of information when trying
to understand how much
power is being used each
day. Heating and cooling
systems are usually the
largest users of electricity
in a home. With access to
daily usage information,
you can target what activities are using the most
energy. By understanding
how you are using electricity, you can better identify
ways to reduce your use of
electricity and save money.
The improved customer
service portal offers the
ability to set up alerts that
will send you a text message or an e-mail based
on your preferences. The
two most common alerts
used by members are
high usage alerts and payment confirmation alerts.
Members also have the
ability to update phone
numbers and account information through the portal.
Keeping your phone number updated with the cooperative is very important
because it helps us identify
your account when you call
about an outage.
I encourage every member to take advantage of
the improvements and
new features described in
the following pages and
sign up for the portal and
start enjoying the wonderful features available to
you. As always, Pee Dee
Electric’s customer service
representatives are available
to help you get started or to
answer any questions you
may have.
PEE DEE ELECTRIC’S CUSTOMER SERVICE PORTAL, continued from page 25
Online Bill Pay
Paying your bill is easy with the customer service portal.
3.Simply choose the Make a Payment option from the Payments tab and a list of your accounts
will be displayed.
Check the box beside the account(s) you wish to
make a payment on and click continue to input
and validate your account and payment information.
My Energy Usage Online
One of the most exciting features of the Pee Dee Customer Service Portal is the ability to ‘see’
how much power you’re using every day.
4.The My Energy Usage application displays your energy use in easy to understand graphics.
You can select different views based on variables such as the weather, high and low temperatures, and the time of day. This feature allows you to pinpoint when you’re using the most
power so that you can take steps to minimize your energy use as much as possible.
Account Alerts
Another great feature of the customer service portal is the Alert system.
5.Members can set up alerts and reminders for their account based on their preferences for account billing, due dates, account profile changes, returned checks, payment confirmation and high energy use.
Customize alerts to fit your needs and preferences.
Visit our website www.pdemc.com to access the
Customer Service Portal and take control of your
power. Monitoring your power usage helps you
save money and puts the power in your hands.
Start monitoring today and start saving tomorrow.
Pee Dee Hi-Lite Carolina Country MARCH 2015 27
Do a Little, Save a Lot
Everything you do—from
flipping a switch to upgrading to CFLs or LEDs—can
add up to big savings for
you and your neighbors. So
take your pick, and save
your money.
Water Heating
Set water heater temperature no higher than
120° F.
Install water heater
wrap per manufacturer’s
instructions.
Insulate exposed hot
water lines.
Install low-flow showerheads.
Miscellaneous
Turn computers and
monitors off when not
in use.
Turn large-screen TVs
off completely when not
in use.
Ensure all new appliances are Energy Star®
approved.
Pee Dee
Kitchen
Set the refrigerator temperature to 34°–37° F
and freezer temperature
to 0°–5° F.
Only run the dishwasher when fully loaded.
Use air-dry cycle
instead of heat-dry cycle
to dry dishes.
Heating & Air
Set thermostats to 78° F
in summer and 68° F in
winter.
Run ceiling fans on
medium, blowing down
in summer and blowing
up in winter.
Change HVAC filters
monthly.
Close fireplace dampers
when not burning a fire.
Ensure windows and
doors are properly
weather-stripped.
Lighting
Replace light bulbs
with equivalent CFL or
LED light bulbs.
Turn off all unnecessary
lighting.
Use outdoor security lights that have a
motion sensor.
Laundry
Wash clothes in cold
water and only use hot
water for very dirty
loads.
Only do full laundry
loads, or adjust your
water level for smaller
loads.
Consider using an oldfashioned clothes line to
dry clothes.
Little changes can really add up to big savings. For more
easy ways to save energy and money, visit TogetherWeSave.com.
Hi-Lite
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Richard Johnson, President
Don Thompson, Vice President
Gene Russell, Secretary-Treasurer
Winnie Bennett, Craig Davis,
Marcia Lambeth, Benny Lybrand,
Ben McCallum, Richard Melton,
Craig Ratliff
www.pdemc.com
To report an outage, call 1-800-693-0190
Published by Pee Dee Electric
575 U.S. Hwy. 52 South,
Wadesboro, N.C. 28170
28 MARCH 2015 Carolina Country Pee Dee Hi-Lite
CEO/EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT
Donald H. Spivey
EDITOR
Ashley Ratliff-Haynes
Attention
Students!
Don’t forget to
apply for the trip of
a lifetime.
eWashington, D.C.
eJune 12–19, 2015
eDeadline for
applications:
MARCH 31, 2015
To learn more,
contact Anne
Edwards at
Pee Dee Electric,
(704) 694-7608.