HeLL HoLe

Events
May 2014
• Sweet Grass Music Festival
05/02-05/03/14 • Patriots Point
sweetgrassmusicfestival.com
• North Charleston Arts Festival
05/02-05/10/14
Performing Arts Cntr.
www.northcharlestonartsfest.com
• Dragon Boat Charleston Festival
05/03/14 • Brittlebank Park
www.dragonboatcharleston.org
• Lowcountry Shrimp Festival &
Blessing of the Fleet
05/03/14 • McClellanville
http://lowcountryshrimpfestival.com
• TEDxCharleston - Science, Art, Biz
05/08/14 • Memminger Auditorium
tedxcharleston.org
• Confederate Memorial Day
05/09/14 • State holiday
• Greek Festival
05/09-05/11//14 • Charleston
charlestongreekfestival.com
• Mother's Day
05/11/14
• Rice Planting Festival
05/15-05/17/14 • Middleton Place
www.middletonplace.org
• Sunset Tour to Fort Sumter
05/01-5/31/14 • Every Friday night
www.fortsumtertours.com
• Charleston Sprint Triathlon Series
05/18/14 • James Isl. Cnty Park
www.ccprc.com
• Charleston Beer Garden
05/17/14 • Brittlebank Park
www.charlestonbeergarden.com
• First Flush FesTEAval
05/24/14 • Charleston Tea Plantation
www.charlestonteaplantation.com
• Piccolo Spoleto
05/23-06/08/14 • Charleston
http://piccolospoleto.com
• Spoleto Festival USA
05/23-06/08/14 • Charleston
http://spoletousa.com
• Memorial Day
05/26/14 • State & Federal holiday
Cole slaw w/ bacon
dressing
6 slices thick bacon, very lean
½ head small cabbage
2 spring onions, finely sliced or
1 small onion, finely diced
3 ½ tablespoons cider vinegar
3 ½ tablespoons water
2 tablespoon sugar, or to taste
Salt and black pepper to taste
Celery seed to taste
Recipes
Congratulations to
Pamela Pollitt
of
Johns Island
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She is our recipe winner
for April 2014
and will receive $100 for
her winning entry!
Fry the bacon until cooked
through but not brittle. Shred the cabbage, chop it fine, and add the onion. You should have 6 cups. Remove the bacon and chop. Combine the
bacon fat, vinegar, water and sugar in a small saucepan. Heat, stir, and
add salt to taste. Pour dressing over the shredded cabbage and onion
just before serving. Add the chopped bacon and toss the slaw mixture.
Add black pepper to taste, sprinkle with celery seed, and toss again.
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To ensure publication please submit
all events 2 months prior to event date
via e-mail to Circuit@bec.coop
or by mail to P.O. Box 1234,
Moncks Corner, SC 29461 ATTN: Circuit
Community Circuit
Send us your recipes & you could win $100!
Each month Berkeley Electric Cooperative will feature a winning recipe
submitted by a member. The winning recipe will be featured in the newsletter and
the winner will also receive $100!
To enter, submit your recipes by e-mailing them to Circuit@bec.coop or by
mailing them to P.O. Box 1234, Moncks Corner, SC 29461 ATTN: Circuit. The
deadline for receiving recipes is the first of each month but recipes that come in
after the deadline will be considered for the next edition of Community Circuit.
HeLL HoLe
Swamp
FestIvaL
April 26 - May 3, 2014
Jamestown, SC
For full schedule of events visit the "News & Events"
section on our website at www.bec.coop
Volume VII
www.bec.coop
April 2014
Help us keep energy affordable!
We need your help. The Environmental Protection Agency has issued new rules that could have a
significant impact on your electricity bill. The EPA is
acting under the guise of protecting the environment,
but we believe it is ignoring the dramatic impact of
the new rules on electric consumers.
We certainly respect everyone’s opinion and
understand there are many different viewpoints. We
can definitely agree with the desire for sustainable,
affordable and environmentally friendly power generation which is why we are asking you to carefully
consider the co-op’s position and then take action to
make your voice heard.
Here’s the issue. No one would disagree with
a goal of protecting our air, water and land, although
Americans have a wide range of opinions about how
the United States should accomplish that goal. Right
now there is no single answer on how to accomplish
this, but as your cooperative, we try to consider how
each option will affect our members and local businesses. That includes their ability to pay for their
energy usage, while trying to balance our environmental and future needs.
When it comes to our industry, we at Berkeley
Electric share the desire for environmentally friendly
electricity production, but we know that it also must
be sustainable and affordable.
We need a balanced approach. All three legs
are required — affordability, sustainability, and
environmental responsibility. If too many limits are
placed on the ways we produce electricity without
giving us time for transition, the cost to produce
your electricity becomes more than you can bear.
According to Central Electric Power Cooperative, Berkeley Electric’s power supplier, if coal
based power plants are eliminated in S.C. and
replaced with natural gas and nuclear-based power
plants, the average electric bill would increase by
54% - a $79 increase on your bill. As a not-forprofit utility, we have no deep pockets or wealthy
investors to foot the bill. It all comes from our
members — you.
This is a complex issue. We’ve included an
explanation of where we stand on this issue on
our website. We urge you to read it and then visit
Action.coop, and other sites as well, so you can be
fully informed. Then, sign the card included with
this newsletter and let your voice be heard!
Sign the Card! Help us keep
your energy reliable and affordable!
A postage paid card is enclosed for your convenience.
A Service of Berkeley Electric Cooperative
It's time to Take Action
I know that this month’s edition already has information about
the Action.coop initiative but I would like to add my voice to the
call for action as well. The reason that we find this issue so important is that we are a not-for-profit business that is owned by you our members. Any issue that has the chance of impacting our members negatively is something we take seriously.
So what is at stake? The Administration is proposing a switch
to an "all-but-one" energy approach which would limit Americans’
access to a plentiful and affordable resource - namely coal-fired generation of electricity. I know that many of our members are already
worried about making ends meet. In short, co-op member-owners
cannot afford the significant increases in electric bills that this
policy would trigger. If the legislation goes through as proposed,
our electric supplier estimates that the average bill in South Carolina
could increase by as much as 54%.
So why are they doing this? The policy, proposed by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), sets stringent limits on carbon
dioxide emissions from existing & future coal or natural gas plants.
Trouble is, the new standards are impossible to meet with existing
technology.
It seems hard to argue against clean air and protecting the environment and I would like to emphasize that electric cooperatives
fully support generating electricity in an environmentally responsible manner. In fact, South Carolina is one of the leaders when it
comes to using and researching "green" power.
So what is our position?
Berkeley Electric Cooperative supports a balanced approach
that takes into account affordability, sustainability, and environmental responsibility. Coal has been the staple of electricity generation
for decades and our industry is largely structured around it. As of
2009 there were almost 1500 coal-fired plants in the United States.
If too many limits are placed on the ways we produce electricity
without giving us time for transition, the cost to produce your electricity becomes more than you can bear.
Seems the Administration lets history repeat itself. We saw
this all-but-one game in 1978 when Congress banned natural gas for
power generation. Yes, natural gas—the fuel source being sold to
the nation today as a cleaner fuel option.
Back then, co-ops were in the midst of a major power plant
building cycle. With few options, they invested heavily in coalbased generating plants in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Thankfully Congress repealed its mistake, but not for nine years.
Let’s not repeat past mistakes. Stand with us as we fight to
keep electric bills affordable. Raise your voice through the Cooperative Action Network at www.action.coop. Tell the EPA we need an
all-of-the-above energy strategy.
Currents
Tips to prepare for summer heat
Adding a few items to your list of spring chores dow units, ensure that weather stripping is in place.
can help make your home more energy efficient and
Placement should be between the middle of the top
deliver electric bills that won’t make you sweat when window pane and the bottom pane.
temperatures soar.
Check out your roof.
Start with your air conditioner.
See how well your roof has weathered the
Spring and early summer are good times to
winter. Few things can shorten the life of your
make sure that your air conditioning unit is ready to
home faster than a roof leak. Even a minor one can
work when you flip the switch:
damage your attic insulation before you know it.
• Get help from a professional who can inspect A roofing professional can assess and repair things
and service your unit.
like loose or missing shingles, repair leaks, and clear
• Give your air conditioner a do-it-yourself
gutters.
cleaning. Shut the unit off, and clear away leaves
and yard debris outside. Inside the unit, clean or
Make your electric cooperative a resource.
replace filters that can restrict air flow and reduce
The Energy ExpertsTM at Berkeley Electric can
overall efficiency by making the air conditioner work help you determine the right steps for your home, inharder on hot summer days. Dust the fan blades if
cluding whether an energy audit will help find more
you can do so safely. Make sure air can flow freely
savings. You can also visit TogetherWeSave.com to
over the inside and outside coils. Vacuum registers to find out how little measures around the house can
remove any dust buildup.
add up to big energy savings as temperatures outside
• Check weather stripping. When using winclimb.
F
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Carol Caddell
Trustee, District 2
BOARD OF TRUSTEES
Joe Gibbs, Sr. - District 1
Carol A. Caddell - District 2,
Board Vice Chairman
Wayne DeWitt - District 3,
Secretary/Treasurer
William Michael Moore - District 4
George McFadden- District 5
Willis Sanders - District 6
Connie P. Shuler - District 7
Harry A. Brunson - District 8,
Board Chairman
J. Barry Hart - District 9
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PRESIDENT & CEO
Dwayne Cartwright
Total ConnectTM Remote Services
Stay in the know wherever you go!
DISTRICT OFFICES:
Awendaw
Patrice Heyward, Office Manager
7200 North Highway 17
Awendaw, SC 29426
(843) 884-7525
Access and operate your security
system remotely from anywhere with
your smartphone and other compatible wireless devices.
Goose Creek
Jack Schurlknight, Office Manager
2 Springhall Road
Goose Creek, SC 29445
(843) 553-5020
Or, take it to the next level and
control your thermostat, lighting
and appliances. You can even keep
tabs on things in real time with video
monitoring.
Johns Island
Patrice Heyward, Office Manager
3351 Maybank Highway
Johns Island, SC 29455
(843) 559-2458
Moncks Corner
Kelli Gaskins, Office Manager
551 R. C. Dennis Blvd.
Moncks Corner, SC 29461
(843) 761-8200 / 825-3383
Upgrade today for just
BERKELEY
ELECTRIC
COOPERATIVE
$150
*
Contact Pat Anderson for full details: (843) 553-5020 ext. 8326 / email: PatA@bec.coop