1. business and industrial
2. energy
3. electricity

www.skrecc.com
January 2015
Make 2015 Your Most
Energy-Efficient Year
Story & Photos by
Joy Bullock
I
t’s the time of year that
people are resolving to do something, like lose weight, or stop
doing something, such as smoking. South Kentucky RECC is
resolving to help its members be
more energy efficient than they
have ever been.
South Kentucky RECC has
several energy-efficiency assistance
programs in place for members:
Energy Audits – SKRECC energy
advisors can come to your home and
perform an in-depth examination, or
energy audit, that includes investigating the home’s structure and checking
your electrical equipment. They will
talk to you about the family’s usage,
expectations, and needs, and educate
you on what might be using the most
energy in your home and how you can
South Kentucky RECC energy advisor Nora Wall measures windows
that have been replaced as part of the Button-Up program.
be more efficient.
Button-Up – Designed to help members increase their homes’ efficiency
and their comfort while cutting electric bills, Button-Up is a retrofit insulation program designed to reduce the
demand for electric energy through a
series of weatherization techniques,
such as replacing windows or doors,
that improve the thermal integrity of
houses by reducing heat loss.
To qualify for Button-Up, a member’s home must be at least two years
old and use electricity as the primary
heat source.
Members interested in Button-Up
need to call their local office for an appointment with an energy advisor. The
the accuracy of thermostats.
Heat Pump Retrofit
– If a South Kentucky
RECC member is considering changing their
heating system from
ceiling cable, baseboard, or electric furnace to either a heat
pump of a minimum
14 SEER (Seasonal
Energy Efficiency Ratio) and 8.2 HSPF
(Heating Seasonal Performance Factor) or
geothermal, through
SKRECC’s resistant
heat to heat pump program, members may
qualify for an incentive
payment.
Touchstone Energy
Home – Thinking
about building a new
home? Build one to
Touchstone
Energy
Home Standards to
receive a reduction in
your annual heating
and cooling costs, and
David Withers, South Kentucky RECC energy
you may also qualify to
advisor, conducts a blower door test on a mem- receive an incentive.
ber’s home as part of an energy audit of their
The incentive varies
depending on whether
home.
you build and install a
energy advisor will perform an energy geothermal system or a high-efficiency
audit and a heat loss calculation.
air-to-air heat pump.
After you add insulation, South South Kentucky RECC has a list
Kentucky RECC will pay you for any of Touchstone Energy Home specificaimprovements you make, up to $40 for tions, which must be met in order to
every 1,000 BTUs reduced, which de- qualify, and the co-op must be provided
creases the amount of heat your home with a floor plan so a heat loss/gain calneeds.
culation can be completed to determine
Duct Seal – The Duct Seal program is the heating and cooling equipment size.
targeted to members who have electric Before an incentive is given, a blowerheat pumps and furnaces. It is offered door test must be performed to verify
at a cost of $75 to qualifying members; that the house meets the standard.
however, results from tests of this pro- SimpleSaver – South Kentucky RECC
gram show that Duct-Seal can produce contractors will install a remote switch
a savings of $170 per year in heating to manage your central air-conditioning
and cooling costs. Exact savings will unit and/or your water heater for brief
vary depending on the home and the periods, when demand reaches peak
heating system.
levels for the SimpleSaver program.
In a typical house, nearly 20 per- During peaks, units that are in the procent of the air that is moved through gram are cycled off and on for short pethe duct system is lost due to poorly riods. The off periods are so short that
connected ducts, leaks, or even holes. you shouldn’t notice any difference in
Duct-Seal consists of air-infiltration room temperature.
testing, sealing ductwork, checking fil- When you enroll in SimpleSaver,
ters, measuring airflow, and checking South Kentucky RECC will pay you
with a bill credit up to $20 annually
for each central air conditioner you enroll ($5 for each central air conditioning unit during June, July, August and
September). Sign up your 40-gallon or
greater electric water heater and receive
an additional $10 annual bill credit.
That may not sound like a lot of
money, but consider that the program
costs you nothing; no effort, no inconvenience and no discomfort. And, for
now, new participants are given a $10
cash signing bonus to join.
For more information on any of
these programs, contact your local
South Kentucky RECC office to talk to
an energy advisor, or call us at 800-2645112.
In addition to the programs already
in place at South Kentucky RECC,
watch your monthly magazine for programs that will be added in 2015.
No matter what the weather outside, South Kentucky RECC wants to
do everything possible to make your
home as energy efficient and comfortable as possible. That’s why SKRECC
offers programs to help put more dollars
in members’ pockets.
Savings for 2015
South Kentucky RECC members
saved more than
$100,000
on prescriptions in 2014 with their
Co-op Connections Card!
Check it out today.
Visit www.skrecc.com
or
www.connections.coop
for a complete listing of
participating businesses and information
on the Healthy Savings and pharmacy
discount.
Be Prepared This Winter
Visit www.skrecc.com to pay your
bill online, to visit our outage center,
or for more information about the
Co-op Connections Program.
For energy-efficiency tips, visit
www.togetherwesave.com.
W
inter is here, and
South
Kentucky
RECC works hard to
keep power flowing.
Sometimes Mother
Nature has other plans, though, so
SKRECC wants to encourage everyone
to be safe and prepared in the event of a
power outage.
What should you do if the power goes
out?
Editor
Joy Bullock
President & CEO
Allen Anderson
Board of Directors
Rick Halloran, Chairman
Billy Gene Hurd, Vice Chairman
Lee Coffee, Secretary/Treasurer
Cathy Crew Epperson
Greg Beard
Boris Haynes
Greg Redmon
Discovering Southern Kentucky is a supplement to Kentucky Living magazine and is
published by the Kentucky Association of
Electric Cooperatives, Louisville, KY, and by
South Kentucky Rural Electric Cooperative
Corporation, P.O. Box 910, Somerset, KY 42502,
(606) 678-4121 with offices in: Albany (606)
387-6476; Monticello (606) 348-6771; Russell
Springs (270) 343-7500; Whitley City (606)
376-5997.
Discovering Southern Kentucky assumes no
responsibility for unsolicited material. Manuscripts, photographs, and artwork must be accompanied by self-addressed envelopes with
sufficient postage to be returned. Discovering
Southern Kentucky does not guarantee the
publication of any material received and reserves
the right to edit any material published.
Address all correspondence to: Discovering
Southern Kentucky, P.O. Box 910, Somerset,
Kentucky 42502.
South Kentucky RECC is an equal opportunity employer and provider.
• Keep emergency supplies handy in
case of a power outage—things like batteries, flashlights, blankets, bottled water, foods that don’t require cooking, a
hand opener for canned food, etc. You
will also want to make sure you have
access to necessary prescription medications, a first-aid kit, and other items
necessary for infant, elderly, or disabled
family members.
• Switch off lights and appliances
to prevent overloading circuits and
damaging appliances when power is
restored. Leave one light on to signal
power is restored.
• Check the fuse box to see if there
is a blown fuse or tripped circuit breakers. Sometimes the power outage will be
limited to your own home.
• If you determine that a fuse or circuit breaker needs to be replaced, turn
off all large appliances or unplug them
before replacing a fuse or breaker to
avoid damage to the electrical system.
• Check with your neighbors to see if
others are without power.
• Call to report the power outage.
You can call SKRECC’s Interactive
Voice Response (IVR) or automated
outage reporting system to leave a message. You need to only call once to keep
the line open for other members. Call
your local office number, the IVR at
(866) 9SKRECC (866-975-7322), or
call 800-264-5112. Keep these numbers
and one of your electric bills with your
member number near your phone, so
you can have them available when you
call.
• In the event of a severe emergency or disaster, electric power could be
out for several days. In such an event,
consider relocating to a shelter or to a
friend’s home where heat and power are
available.
• The only safe way to connect a
generator to your existing wiring is to
have a licensed electrical contractor install a transfer switch and have the installation inspected by a state certified
inspector. This switch isolates your circuits from SKRECC’s system and prevents dangerous backfeed. It transfers
power from the utility line to the power
coming in from the generator. The electricity from your generator then takes a
safe path directly to the circuits in your
home. Know in advance the proper way
to hook up a generator—you can call
South Kentucky RECC for advice on
how to do it properly.
• WARNING: Never use charcoal,
gas, or propane heaters indoors. Doing
so can lead to carbon monoxide poisoning. These can also increase the risk of
fire.
What should you do when you see
damaged or downed power lines in
your neighborhood?
• Don’t get near any fallen or sagging
power lines. Just because a power line is
down, does not mean it is dead!
• Call South Kentucky RECC or 911
immediately about the line, and stay observant so no one else gets near the line.
For more information on outages, energy-efficiency programs, and
to keep up with the changes and happenings of the co-op,
follow South Kentucky RECC on
&
NOTICE OF TARIFF FILING OF SOUTH KENTUCKY RECC
TO ESTABLISH AN APPLIANCE RECYCLING PROGRAM & ENERGY STAR APPLIANCE PROGRAM
BEFORE THE PUBLIC SERVICE COMMISSION OF KENTUCKY
Pursuant to the Kentucky Public Service Commission’s [Commission] regulation 807 KAR 5:011, Section 8, South Kentucky Rural Electric Cooperative Corporation gives notice that tariffs requesting approval to implement a new Appliance
Recycling Program and Energy Star Appliance Program in conjunction with East Kentucky Power Cooperative will be submitted to the Commission on January 2, 2015. If South Kentucky RECC’s requests are approved, the tariffs will be effective
February 2, 2015, at which time qualified residential end-use members of South Kentucky RECC will be able to receive a $50
incentive to recycle old, energy-inefficient refrigerators and freezers, subject to detailed eligibility requirements on the Appliance Recycling Program; qualified residential end-use South Kentucky RECC members will be able to receive incentives to
purchase and install these ENERGY STAR® certified appliances: refrigerators, freezers, dishwashers, clothes washers, heat
pump water heaters, air source heat pump upgrades, and/or central air conditioning subject to detailed eligibility requirements
on the Energy Star Appliances Program.
A person may examine these tariff filings upon request at the South Kentucky RECC office located at 925 North Main
Street, Somerset, KY 42503. A person may also examine these tariff filings at the Commission’s office located at 211 Sower
Boulevard, Frankfort, Kentucky, Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., or through the commission’s Web site at
http://psc.ky.gov. Comments regarding these tariff filings may be submitted to the Commission through its website at http://
psc.ky.gov, or by mail to Public Service Commission, Post Office Box 615, Frankfort, Kentucky 40602.
The incentives contained in these tariff filings are the incentives proposed by South Kentucky RECC, but the Commission may order incentives that differ from the proposed incentives contained in these tariff filings. A person may submit a
timely written request for intervention in these tariff filings to the Public Service Commission, Post Office Box 615, Frankfort,
Kentucky 40602, establishing the grounds for the request and including the status and interest of the person requesting intervention. If the commission does not receive a written request for intervention within thirty (30) days of this notice, the
Commission may take final action on the tariff filings.
Allen Anderson
South Kentucky RECC
President & CEO
Save the Date
Annual Meeting 2015
When: June 4, 2015
Where: South Kentucky RECC farm - W Hwy. 80
Who: Country music superstar
Rodney
Atkins
Mark your calendars now!!
Visit the South
Kentucky RECC
booth at the
Lake Cumberland
Home and
Products Show at
The Center for Rural Development,
Somerset, on
Saturday, February
21, from 9 a.m. to
7 p.m. and Sunday,
February 22, from
1 p.m. to 5 p.m.