November 07

Enlightener
Baudette, Minnesota
The Slough
grass Band
Volume 52 Number 11, November 2007
Annual meeting
from Birch
2007
dale entert
ained the c
rowd before
the annual
meeting.
16” stand fan – Angela Lodmell
Rechargeable screwdriver – Gerald Imhof
600-watt halogen work light – Dale Promersberger
1½ quart slow cooker – Evangelical Free Church, Big Falls
Multi-outlet extension cord – Joel Meade
Odor-Grabber air purifier – Rubelle Towne
Natural sunshine lamp – William Boelk
Belgian waffle baker – David Crawford
Food chopper – George Aitchison
12-cup coffee maker – Al LaValla
Dirt Devil hand vacuum – Don Stauffenecker
50-ft trouble light – Melvern Lundsten
Timer combo pack – Richard E. Brown
Heating pad – Kenneth Wichner
George Foreman grilling machine – Ed Town
8-speed blender – Ronald L. Johnson
12” table fan – Arnold Sutton
Electric knife – Jon Knutson
Electric can opener – Harvey Kelly
1/3 sheet sander – Ken Henrickson
ers
eting about 450 memb
Before the annual me
$67 dollars in gold coins – James Karsnia
s
wa
ich
wh
r,
ham dinne
enjoyed an excellent
rs.
ne
ho
ris
pa
Grand prize winner – flat panel TV – Rosemond Kucera
ran
the
Lu
fork
prepared by the Little
Prize winners
s the lucky
Kucera wa
Rosemond of the Flat Panel TV.
winner
Close to
25
members 0
re
tered at th gisis year’s
meeting.
$
in capital 664,381,
credits
were retu
rn
members ed to the
a
on their S s a credit
e
electric b ptember
ill.
In this issue:
• Winter load management
• Co-op connections program
• Members’ corner
• Energy-wise electronics?
• Phantom loads
• Office Notes
North Star Enlightener • November 2007 3
4
5
6
7
8
Enlightener Highlights from the
November 2007
The Enlightener, Vol. 52, No. 11 is published
monthly by North Star Electric Cooperative, Inc.,
441 St. Hwy 172 N.W., Baudette, MN 56623-0719.
Subscription 50¢/year for members $1/year for
non-members. Application to Mail at Periodicals
Postage Rates is pending at Baudette, MN 56623.
POSTMASTER: Send address changes to The
Enlightener, North Star Electric Cooperative,
Inc., P.O. Box 719, Baudette, MN 56623-0719.
OFFICERS AND DIRECTORS
President . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Steve Arnesen
Vice President. . . . . . . . . . . . Bruce Polkinghorne
Secretary-Treasurer . . . . . . . . . . Michael Hanson
Directors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . L.J. Anderson,
Julian Brzoznowski, Randy Bergan,
Lorraine Nygaard, Mike Trueman
General Manager . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Dan Hoskins
Editor. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Wayne Haukaas
Office hours: 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Monday through Friday
Baudette . . . . . . . . 218-634-2202 or 888-634-2202
Littlefork . . . . . . . . 218-278-6658 or 888-258-2008
Electrical after-hours emergencies
1-888-6OUTAGE (1-888-668-8243)
or 634-2603
e-mail us at nsec@wiktel.com
Visit our Web site at
www.northstarelectric.coop
North Star Electric Cooperative, Inc.
Mission Statement
To improve the lives of our
member-owners and community by responsibly providing
electric energy and other beneficial services while maintaining
the very highest standards of
performance.
Gopher State
One Call
These are the highlights from the board
of directors meetings held in September and October 2007.
The board acted upon usual, routine business. In addition, they voted
to set future annual meeting dates as
the second Friday in October, to approve the safety committee minutes, to
support the Koochiching and Lake of
the Woods Counties’ action to secure
a certain time frame for the improvements needed on State Highway 11
and to secure the required funding, to
donate $1,000 to the relief fund to aid
Tri-County Electric Cooperative following flooding in southern Minnesota, to approve the sale of mechanical
meters that were replaced with AMR
(automated meter reading) meters, to
approve a resolution recognizing the
extended period of time that employees have worked without a lost-time
accident, to direct management to form
a Grassroots Committee to include
members and an employee, and to let
management determine the committee size, and to approve the computer
conversion project.
Reports from staff included the
July and August financial reports, the
annual meeting plans, the capital credit
retirement, the annual audit, the office
job opening, the electronic processing
of checks, load control, the infrared
camera, Operation Round Up, sales of
electric fireplaces and Marathon water
heaters, building maintenance, safety
training, the high-voltage demo trailer,
new services, service upgrades, the
rebate from Federated Rural Electric
Insurance for the low work-comp
Boardroom
claims history, information from the
MREA, Square Butte, and Minnkota
board meetings, the market research
survey, the action plan resulting from
the strategic planning session, the possibility of a Member Advisory Group,
the review of the annual CFC KRTA
report of financial ratios, the progress
on a possible large load on the Ash
River Trail, the dwindling supply of
electric energy caused by the latest,
and proposed, legislative and environmental obstacles associated with building new electric generation plants, and
the current political environment that
could raise members’ electric bills by
50-100 percent. The need to encourage
members to read cooperative articles
regarding these legislative issues was
discussed.
The report from the Minnkota
board meeting included discussion
regarding the possible fate of the
planned Young 3 coal-fired power plant
at Center, North Dakota. With new environmental legislation and renewable
mandates, it is unclear if the construction of this plant would be feasible;
however, new resources of generated
electricity will be greatly needed.
Detailed minutes are available at
the Cooperative for member review.
Regular board meetings are generally held the first Wednesday of every
month. If you wish to speak with the
board, or have an item that you would
like to have placed on the agenda,
please contact Manager Dan Hoskins
at least one week in advance to be
included on the agenda.
CURRENT ELECTRICAL INSPECTORS
State law requires that every new electrical installation in any construction, remodeling, replacement or repair shall file a certificate for inspection with the State Board of
Electricity and be inspected by a Minnesota electrical inspector.
It’s the LAW
CALL BEFORE YOU DIG
Minnesota Statewide One Call
Notification Center
1-800-252-1166
North Star Enlightener • November 2007
• St. Louis and Koochiching counties:
Bob Orgon
10111 Roosevelt Rd. S.E.
Bemidji, MN 56601
Phone: (218) 556-3829
Fax: (218) 333-0451
7:00 a.m. - 8:30 a.m. (Mon. thru Fri.)
• Roseau and Lake of the Woods
counties:
Scott Stenvik
16409 State Hwy 1 N.W.
Thief River Falls, MN 56701
Phone: (218) 689-5406
7:00 a.m. - 8:30 a.m. (Mon. thru Fri.)
W
inter load management
T
Additional generation to reduce control hours
he estimated hours of load control this
heating season is down from last winter.
Despite moderate load growth on the
system, the anticipated decrease in control
hours is attributable to more generation
being available this winter than a year ago,
according to Todd Sailer, Minnkota Power
Cooperative energy supply manager.
“We are estimating that off-peak
electric heating customers of the Minnkota/Northern Municipal Power Agency
(NMPA) Joint System will experience 300
to 375 hours of control in the 2007-2008
winter season,” he said.
There are three primary reasons why
the estimate is not higher than last winter,
despite the fact that demand is increasing
and energy prices in the wholesale market
are on the rise.
“The turbine project on Young 2 will
provide us with approximately 20 megawatts (MW) of additional generation,”
Sailer explained. “A second source of
additional generation will come from the
Langdon Wind Energy Center when it
comes on line in January 2008. Minnkota
will also have access to an additional 22
megawatts of production from Young 2
when the third of four options starts being
delivered on Jan. 1, 2008.”
Down from last season
The winter 2007-08 control hours
estimate is considerably less than the 552
hours of control that were required last
heating season.
During the first 10 days in February of
2007, two forced outages at baseload generating facilities occurred at a time when
wholesale power costs were high and loads
across the region were peaking. (241-15004-02 Jerry/Sharon Krohn) The combination of those factors made exercising load
control measures the only economical
option.
The cost of wholesale electricity on the
open market, which is routinely above 5
cents per kilowatt-hour, is the primary factor in deciding when to purchase supple-
mental power or to initiate load management strategies.
The price of natural gas, which is the
fuel used by much of the region’s peaking generation facilities, has a significant
influence on the cost of wholesale power.
An escalated price of natural gas translates
into a higher wholesale cost for the electricity needed to meet system demand.
Reliable backups required
Off-peak customers who may be
concerned about the anticipated 300-375
hours of load control need to ensure they
have fully automatic, reliable backup heating systems in place and ready to operate
this winter season.
“With a good backup heating system
properly installed and maintained, offpeak customers should notice no temperature difference in their homes or businesses when their off-peak loads are being
controlled,” Sailer noted.
Off-peak customers receive a nearly
50 percent discount in their retail electric
rates for maintaining backup heating systems that operate when electric floor heat,
water heaters, furnaces and other interruptible loads are controlled.
Practicing load management allows
Minnkota to maximize the use of its
generating facilities and avoid as much
as possible the purchase of higher-priced
supplemental power from the wholesale
marketplace. As a result, the load management program benefits all 127,000 retail
customers of Minnkota/NMPA-associated
distribution systems.
“By controlling electric demand during
high-use periods,” Sailer said, “Minnkota’s
wholesale rates are kept affordable and the
construction of new baseload generation
just to cover peak demand is avoided.”
A blend of primary off-peak electric
heat with a fuel oil, propane or natural
gas backup heating system is significantly
less expensive than heating by fossil fuels
alone.
“Off-peak electric heating,” he said,
“continues to be the most economical
heating choice.”
Operation Round Up
Applications are available to non-profit or communitybased organizations that demonstrate a commitment to
enhancing the quality of life in our region. Application forms
are available at both the Baudette and Littlefork offices, from
Trust Board members or the North Star Web site:
www.northstarelectric.coop. Applications must be received by
Dec. 1 to be considered by the Community Trust Board at the January meeting.
North Star Enlightener • November 2007 Local co-op
launches new program
North Star Electric Cooperative members to reap benefits
W
ith the help of Franklin D. Roosevelt, who established the Rural
Electrification Administration in
1935, friends and neighbors banded together to create a new kind of electric utility, where the voice of every person made
a difference. Electric cooperatives brought
electric power to the countryside.
Today, America’s electric cooperatives
continue to answer that call.
With the same focus on
member needs, electric
cooperatives provide
much more than competitively priced, reliable
energy. They are committed
to improving the quality of
life in their communities and
for the members who live
there.
Electric cooperative members see the
Touchstone Energy
brand as an image of
their cooperative’s
commitment to them
and to the communities
they live in.
the Discovery Education Get Charged!
Program, the Co-op Connections Program,
Sites Across America and a variety of
others.
North Star Electric Cooperative has
been a Touchstone Energy member since
its creation in 1998 and has been involved
with many of the programs the brand
offers. In July of 2006,
North Star launched
the Co-op Connections
Program.
“What began with
only a few organizations has now grown
to participation from
more than 29 different businesses,” said Wayne
Haukaas, compliance and member services manager
at North Star.
“We plan to
pursue more
this winter.”
“This unique program not only
offers valuable discounts, it
provides members a sense of
belonging to the cooperative
and strengthens the partnership between local businesses
The power of human
and the co-op.”
connections
Co-ops, local
businesses
working
together
Local business owners Al
Touchstone Energy
– Wayne Haukaas
compliance & member services manager and Michelle
is a national alliance of
North Star Electric Cooperative Holte of Morlocal, member-owned
ris Point Lake
electric cooperatives
View Lodge have lived in the Baudette,
providing high standards of service to
Minn., area all of their lives and are
members large and small. More than 640
pleased with the results so far.
Touchstone Energy cooperatives in 46
“We’ve noticed that more locals are
states are delivering energy and energy
coming to the resort and taking advantage
solutions to more than 22 million memof the discounts they receive with the
bers every day.
card,” the couple noted. “It’s nice to see
Eight of the 11 member systems assotheir dollars kept in the community.”
ciated with Minnkota Power Cooperative
In addition to the discounts North
are members of Touchstone Energy.
Star members receive from local busiThrough the brand, the participating
nesses, the card can also be used across
distribution co-ops provide a wide range
the country. Presently in Minnesota, four
of programs to their members, including
other Touchstone Energy Cooperatives
the National Child Identification Program,
North Star Enlightener • November 2007
Three Lake of the Woods resorts are participating in the
Co-op Connections Card savings program, including (top
to bottom) Morris Point Lake View Lodge, Wigwam Resort
and Schuster’s Resort. North Star Electric members receive
discounts by showing their card to participating retailers
that display the Co-op Connections decal in their window.
are participating: Crow Wing Power in the
Brainerd area, East Central Energy in the
Braham area, Mille Lacs Energy Co-op in
the Aitkin area, and Wright-Hennepin Coop Electric Assn. in the Rockford area.
Cardholders are also able to take
advantage of discounts from a variety of
national businesses and chains outside the
co-op territory, such as rental car companies and hotels. Co-op members simply
show the card to participating businesses
anywhere in the country where the Coop Connection decal is displayed in the
retailer’s window to take advantage of the
discounts offered.
Connections get bigger and better
A partnership with New Benefits, a
nationally recognized provider of noninsured healthcare benefits, allows Co-op
Connections cardholders to save money on
prescription drugs at thousands of participating pharmacies. The benefit, while
not a substitute for health insurance, helps
make prescription drug coverage more affordable for those without insurance.
To take advantage of the benefits,
cardholders need to only present the
Co-op Connections card at participating
pharmacies. Most local pharmacies and
chain stores, such as Target, Wal-Mart,
CVS, Walgreen’s and Albertsons, belong
to the New Benefits program. To find
participating pharmacies, call 800-8007616 or use the Web site www.locateproviders.com. The North Star member
number is 142407524 and group number is
222MN04; you will need these to sign on.
The numbers are also on the backside of
your card. If your local pharmacy does not
belong, they can easily join. To check the
drug prices, go to www.rxpricequotes.
com. The new Co-op Connection Card
will be mailed out with your November
electric bill.
“The Co-op Connections card, now
in its third year, is associated with some
big numbers,” said Jim Bausell, chief
operating officer with Touchstone Energy
Cooperatives. “With 91 participating
co-ops currently enrolled in the program,
and more than six million cards and key
fobs on the street, this card has added a
significant benefit to Touchstone Energy
members.”
How it works
Members of North Star Electric
Cooperative will receive a free card from
the co-op that looks similar to a credit
card. By showing the card to a participating business, North Star members will be
given the Co-op Connections discount.
The discounts vary widely from 10
percent off lodging to saving $.04 on
every gallon of gas purchased. There is no
charge for the program.
“This unique program not only offers
valuable discounts, it provides members a
sense of belonging to the cooperative and
strengthens the partnership between local
businesses and the co-op,” said Haukaas.
“We value the cooperative membership and are pleased to share this local
and national program with our members,”
he explained. “The Co-op Connections
program is just another benefit to being a
member of a local electric cooperative.”
Area Participants
Baudette Area AmericInn of Baudette 218-634-3200
Save 10% on all lodging & suites w/free enhanced cont.
breakfast
Great Lengths Nails & Tanning 218-634-2514
Save $5 on a new set of nails or save 10% on fills
Howard’s Oil Company 218-634-2550
Save 4 cents per gallon on gas at the pump, cash only
Jeri’s Shop 218-634-1072
Save 20% on any single regular-priced item
Lake of the Woods Campground 218-634-1694
Save 10% any time except holiday weekends
Morris Point Lake View Lodge 218-634-2570
Save 10% on all menu items in the restaurant
North Star Electric Co-op 888-634-2202
$5 off electric grills/ get 3 compact fluorescent lamps for
$4.50
The Northern Light Newspaper 218-634-2700
Save $5 on any NEW in-county subscription
Schuster’s Resort 218-634-2412
Save 10% on cabin rental from season opener to Sept. 1
Silver Creek Embroidery 218-634-2451
Save $5 on any order over $50
Sjoberg’s Cable TV 218-681-3044
Purchase 1 mo. HBO or Cinemax – get 1 mo. free
(where available)
Vicki’s (MaryKay beauty products) 218-634-2812
Save 15% on any single regular priced item
Wigwam Resort 218-634-2168
Save 10% on lodging & meals
Decorate With Judith Crompton (Williams) 218-783-2207
Save 10% on any choice of new window treatments
International Falls Area Island View Bed & Breakfast 218-286-3085
Save $15 on 2 nights’ stay
Picture Perfect Framing 218-283-2638
Save 10% on reg.-priced art prints or on mats
w/custom framing
Timber Pins Bowling & Lounge 218-283-2695
Save $10 on total bill with combination of 3: bowling,
food & bar
Wherley Motors 218-283-8486
Pay $49 over invoice on new Dodge, Jeep, Chrysler or Ford
Save 10% on parts & service (excluding specialty items)
Littlefork - Big Falls Area DJ’s Big Spoon (LF) 218-278-6613
Save 10% on dinner menu items -not valid w/other specials
Gayle’s Country Cutter & Motel (LF) 218-278-6222
Save 10% on one night’s stay at motel or $1 off a haircut
Gayle’s Pizza (LF) 218-278-6222
Save $2 on any large pizza order
Home Town Café – Antiques & Gifts (LF) 218-278-4788
Save 10% on all home-cooked evening dinners
Home Town Motel & R.V. Park (LF) 218-278-4788
Stay 2 nights & get 10% off your bill
J & D Family Foods (LF) 218-278-4585
Save 5% on all regular-priced meats totaling over $50
North Star Electric Co-op. (LF) 888-258-2008
$5 off electric grills/ get 3 compact fluorescent lamps
for $4.50
Members’
corner
Starting in the December
Enlightener, we are adding a
section called the members’
corner. What we would like
is for members to send in
questions about your electric
Cooperative, and we will
answer them for you. Please
give us your name and a
phone number in case we
need to clarify the question,
and send them to North
Star Electric, PO Box 719,
Baudette, MN, 56623, Attn:
Wayne.
Pinewood Stables & Carriage Service (BF)
218-276-2340
Save 5% off all services
Red Rooster Bed & Breakfast House (BF) 218-276-2488
Free country breakfast for two w/one night’s stay
Wild River Outfitting & Gifts (BF) 218-276-2481
Save 10% on canoe/kayak rentals, 5% on giftware/clothing
over $50
Kabetogama - Ray Area Gateway General Store 218-875-2121
Save 2 cents on every gallon of gasoline
North Star Enlightener • November 2007 Do you know
how much phantom loads
cost you each day?
Answering machine
Cable box (2)
CD player (2)
Cordless phone (2)
Computer
Digital clock (5)
Dishwasher
DVD player (2)
Microwave oven
Oven
Television set (3)
Video game console
Wall battery charger (5)
Total
2 watts
30 watts
14 watts
4 watts
2 watts
10 watts
10 watts
12 watts
5 watts
20 watts
36 watts
2 watts
20 watts
167 watts
167 watts x 24 hrs/day
x 365 days/year =1,463 kWh/year
Reprinted from the September/October 2007
Minnkota Messenger
North Star Enlightener • November 2007
Phantom loads haunt retail electric bills
A
s energy prices start to rise, conservation and the wise use of electricity
is on the minds of many home and
business owners. Some electric consumers may not be aware that several appliances use electricity, even when they are
not in use.
Utilities define these phantom loads
as electrical devices that operate 24 hours
a day, 365 days a year, even if consumers
think the device is turned off. The typical
U.S. home has more than 25 phantom
loads. (130-37-019-04 Jeanne M Halabi)
It is estimated that by the year 2020, the
average home will have more than 50.
A phantom load consists of an electrical circuit that has a transformer powered
by a 120-volt source outlet. Phantom
loads drive up electricity consumption,
raising monthly bills by 2 to 8 percent.
“Most homes today have two or three
cordless phones, at least two television
sets, DVD players, digital clocks, stereos
and many other devices that get their
power through a transformer cube that
plugs into the wall,” said Lisa Pickard,
Minnkota Power Cooperative communications/member services specialist.
“As technology grows, so does phantom
load.”
Finding phantom loads
Unfortunately, many traditional
American homes constructed within the
last 50 years were built with the mindset
that electricity is nearly free. The result is
homes that use a large amount of electricity inefficiently, costing homeowners
extra money, decreasing comfort and
ultimately contributing to the need for
more electrical generation.
The first step to conserving electricity
is to locate phantom loads. Once the culprits have been found, the next step is to
reduce their frequency or eliminate them.
“One way to eliminate phantom loads
is to plug TVs, DVD players, stereos and
computer externals like printers into a
power strip that is equipped with its own
power switch. Consumers can simply
switch the power on and off when the
item is needed for use,” Pickard explained.
For appliances that have remote
controls, this method will disable the
unit’s remote until the power is turned on.
How many
phantom loads
do you have in
your home?
Alternatively, an electrician can rewire
the nearest outlet to a wall switch, making it easier to turn off electric appliances
when not in use.
Wise choices, good sense
Other options include purchasing
wind-up or battery-powered alarm clocks,
or unplugging the answering machine
when away from home. Voice messaging
is available from most telephone service
providers.
As they have in the past, member service personnel from the Minnkota-associated distribution systems are encouraging
Here are a few common ones
to look out for:
1. Computer
2. Cordless phone
3. Doorbell
4. DVD player
5. Dryer
6. Lighting dimmers
7. Microwave
8. Monitor
9. Motion detectors
10. Power strips (the type that do not have an on/off switch)
11. Printer
12. Television
13. VCR
14. Wall battery chargers (cell phone,
shavers, electronic games, etc.)
15. Washer
members to be smart electric consumers.
When it comes time to buy a new
appliance, for example, members are encouraged to study the yellow ENERGY
GUIDE label, which compares different models by price, operating costs and
energy efficiency.
“Reducing the number of phantom
loads at home or in the office, purchasing
energy efficient appliances and generally
making wise use of electricity not only
saves members money on their monthly
electric bill,” Pickard added, “it just
makes good sense.”
Some appliances use electricity,
even when turned off
Cell phone chargers, iPods, remote-controlled televisions and DVD players, even
the washing machine, gobble up energy when turned off.
According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s ENERGY STAR
program, which sets voluntary standards
for energy use, 15 percent of the average
home’s energy use goes to power home
electronics. A whopping 40 percent of the
electricity consumed by these appliances is
used when they are idle, waiting to be used.
Nationally, the amount of electricity used to power home electronics every day
in “off” mode is equal to the output of 17 large baseload generating plants.
Americans spend $1 billion a year to power TVs and DVD players while these
appliances are off. Big-screen televisions are the worst offenders, gobbling up 30
watts daily when off, and using power to maintain features like clock and channel
settings that stay connected to digital or satellite cable boxes.
Listen to what your
mother told you: If it
sounds too good to be
true, it probably isn’t
You have probably heard radio ads or
have seen ads in newspapers and magazines that claim they can cut your heating
bill by up to 50 percent by just buying their
electric space heater. With the high price
of heating in northern Minnesota, who
wouldn’t like to do that. I know I would,
but the key wording in these ads is up to.
There is a lot of difference between 50
percent and up to 50 percent. The ad that
I read explaining the way you could do this
was to turn the heat down in your house to
as low as 50 degrees and move the space
heater into the room which was occupied.
The savings are not in the heater; it is the
fact that you turned the heat in your house
down to 50 degrees. They claim the space
heater will not reduce humidity or oxygen,
which is true, but it is also true that the
electric space heater you buy at the local
hardware store doesn’t either. There are
3,413 Btus for each kilowatt-hour, and the
only way to get more is with heat pump
technology. I haven’t seen nor heard of
anything like that with portable electric
heaters. In northern Minnesota, during
the winter, one plug-in space heater is not
going to heat a 1,000-square-foot home.
My advice is that if you have a cold spot
in your house and $500 burning a hole
in your pocket, go to your local hardware
store, buy a space heater for $50, and use
the other $450 to reinsulate your home or
give it to your favorite charity.
–– Wayne Haukaas
North Star Enlightener • November 2007 Office Notes
No late fees
With members seeking warmer climates and the busy holidays coming up,
now might be a good time to think about
signing up for ACH, also known as automatic payment of your electric bill from
your checking or savings account. This
service is free, it saves you the cost and
hassle of mailing in your payment, it guarantees that you will not incur late payment
charges, and it saves your co-op money
by making the process more efficient.
Members who participate still receive a
mailed copy of their electric bill to review.
(673-24-019-02 Kirk Skallman) The form
is available on our Web site www.northstarelectric.coop or you can call to have
one sent your way. I’ve been using ACH
for years and love it….and I only have to
walk across the hall to make a payment.
Zero usage in September?
You may have noticed that the September usage listed in the history on the upper-right corner of your statement says “0”
usage. That is because we have been in
the process of advancing the billing cycle
over the warmer months. The extra days of
usage, that normally would have shown in
September, have been added to June, July,
August and October.
The AMR (automated meter reading)
system has allowed us to move to a current
billing, compared to the month-delayed
billing when members had to send in their
meter readings. We will typically read
the meters close to the 20th of the month
and send your bill just a few days later.
For this reason, you may notice that you
receive your bills a couple of days later
than in the past.
Off-peak meters
If the AMR system is unable to read
your off-peak meter(s), that usage will
estimate at zero. If this happens to you,
please call us to troubleshoot.
Rebates for Energy Star® appliances
If you are in the market for a new appliance, be sure to look for the Energy Star logo. North Star offers rebates ranging from $25 for a qualifying freezer to
$500 for a qualifying ground-source heat
pump. Find the link to the rebate form on
the “Forms” page of our Web site.
New employee
Hiring a new employee is an exciting
thing, especially when we have so many
great candidates for the job. As I write this
article on Oct. 30, we have a field of 60
applicants. We have a very talented pool of
Our offices will be closed
Thursday, Nov. 22,
– and –
Friday, Nov. 23
in observance of
Thanksgivng
North Star Enlightener • November 2007
Ann Ellis Manager of Finance
and Administration
people in our community, and I appreciate
having heard from this many of them. The
selection process will be very important as
we look to the future and plan for a succession of retirements over the next few
years.
In the same breath, our enthusiasm is
curbed with the realization that we will
not be seeing two very familiar faces on a
daily basis after the first of the year. Norma Anderson and Lynette Dostall will be
retiring. Lynette plans to continue to work
on a part-time basis, and Norma will help
out on an occasional basis. Although we
are happy for these two ladies who have
dedicated their careers to the members of
North Star Electric Cooperative, we will
miss them immensely. Our congratulations and thanks to both of them, and best
wishes in their retirement years.
And to all of you, at this time of the
Thanksgiving holiday, a sincere thank you
for your support of the business you own,
your electric Cooperative. As a memberowner, you are a critical component to
North Star’s success, and we appreciate it.
Have a wonderful holiday.