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Month: April 2018

SECO News, May 2018

Duncan’s Digest

 

Founded in 1938, SECO Energy is a not-for-profit electric cooperative currently serving over 200,000 homes and businesses in Central Florida with affordable, reliable power. As a member, you depend on us during extreme heat, cold, inclement weather and especially during hurricane season.

 

May 2018 SECO News Duncan's Digest

 

Our newly produced “Rugged, Reliable and Ready” video on SECO’s YouTube channel highlights our gains in reliability and system improvements in the last ten years. SECO’s commitment to reliability is a key reason members have ranked SECO Energy a three-time J.D. Power award winner.

 

SECO is Storm Ready and prepared for the 2018 Atlantic hurricane season. Storm Ready isn’t just a catchy marketing slogan. Storm Ready begins with expertly designed and well-built infrastructure that is durable and able to withstand Florida’s daily summer thunderstorms along with the tropical storms and hurricanes that head our way.

 

Another component of storm readiness is our rigorous maintenance schedule. Our Operations folks investigate outages and perform infrared inspections to identify hotspots and potential equipment failures before they occur. Annually, SECO inspects thousands of poles and replaces poles that are weak or damaged, ensuring reliability and preventing outages.

 

After lightning, trees are the second leading cause of unexpected outages on SECO lines. To combat tree-related outages, SECO spends $10 million annually on a robust vegetation management program. Since 2008, our investment in vegetation management has reduced the number of tree-related outages by 50 percent.

 

Over the last decade, SECO’s Board of Trustees has approved significant investments in storm hardening and system improvement. This pays dividends for you, our member, reducing outage duration times and the frequency of power outages. Back in 2008, average power outages lasted more than two hours and were frequent occurrences. Today, outage durations are reduced to an average of 60 minutes and outage frequency has declined dramatically.

 

Storm Ready is also communicating with you when weather turns threatening, alerting you to system improvements in your area and keeping you apprised during planned and unexpected outages. Our Call Center and Member Service Centers are staffed with friendly, local representatives dedicated to customer satisfaction. You can report outages with the click of a mouse at SECOEnergy.com and connect with us on Facebook and Twitter to play trivia, enter bill credit drawings and find outage details.

 

With Atlantic hurricane season just around the corner, now is the time to prepare and win a prize. Watch the “Rugged, Reliable and Ready” video available on SECO’s YouTube channel or the link via Facebook. “Like” our Facebook page and leave a comment on the video post to share the unique steps your family takes to be Storm Ready. The top three Storm Ready ideas will win either a $300 electric bill credit, a Honeywell Wi-Fi thermostat or a NOAA weather radio.

 

Watch the video and share your Storm Ready ideas on our Facebook page before July 15. SECO is Storm Ready – are you?

 

Sincerely,

 

Jim Duncan

Chief Executive Officer

 

 

 

May 2018 SECO News Storm Ready

 

Storm Ready

Storm Season – June 1

 

SECO is launching a brand-new Storm Center platform this summer – just in time for hurricane season. The new Storm Center will feature an easy-to-use interactive outage map. Members can report outages online via their smartphones and tablets.

 

Along with the new interactive outage map, members can subscribe to receive proactive outage notifications. Members will be able to choose to receive notices via voice, text or email, can set “do not disturb” parameters and opt-out of notifications at any time.

 

Along with the new outage map and communications capabilities, members will have access to an area light outage reporting map that will help SECO stay on top of our commitment to repair lights within 48 hours.

 

These new Storm Center products are scheduled to launch for your use the first week of June – watch for more details.

 

 

May 2018 SECO News Surge MitiGator

 

Surge MitiGator ™

 

Do you want to take the bite out of surges that can come through power lines and into your home through the meter? Take Surgeo’s advice – enroll today in our Surge MitiGator™ program.

 

For a limited-time, members who enroll in SECO’s Surge MitiGator™ program online enjoy the benefit of free installation. If you’ve been contemplating surge protection, now is a great time to take advantage of this special offer and give yourself peace of mind knowing your large appliances are protected from damaging spikes and surges.

 

Our proven, cutting-edge technology, made in the USA, is designed to protect your major appliances including your washer, dryer, stove, refrigerator, freezer, garbage disposal and air conditioner. The Surge MitiGator™ has a great warranty and a beastly reputation of superior product performance.

 

The Surge MitiGator™ is available for less than 20 cents a day at a lease rate of $5.95 per month, plus tax, conveniently added to your electric bill. Purchase prices range from $349.00 – $399.00 depending on your service size.

 

Enroll in SECO’s Surge MitiGator™ program today. FREE* installation is available exclusively to members who enroll online for a LIMITED-TIME only. Valid through June 30, 2018.

 

*Free installation, a $25.00 value, is available to members with standard (200-amp) residential service for a limited-time only with online enrollment only. For SECO members with services greater than 200-amps a reduced installation fee of $75.00 will apply. Surge MitiGator™ FAQs and warranty information are available online.

 

Read the full May SECO News online.

SECO Energy Board of Trustees Elects 2018 Officers

SECO Energy’s Board of Trustees elected its 2018 officers during the regularly scheduled Trustees’ Meeting on Monday, April 23. The Board voted District 9 Trustee Jerry Hatfield as President; District 4 Trustee Richard Dennison as Vice President; and District 8 Trustee Bill James as Secretary-Treasurer.

 

SECO Energy Board of Trustees Elects 2018 Officers

 

As a not-for-profit electric cooperative, SECO Energy is operated for and owned by the members it serves. SECO members elect their fellow members to SECO’s nine-member Board of Trustees. Collectively, the Board represents the SECO membership, meeting monthly to monitor the financial status of the cooperative while providing fiduciary oversight and participating in policy decisions that serve the best interests of the members at large.

 

Board Elected Officers 2018

 

Newly elected President Hatfield is a long-time Lake County resident, and became a SECO member in 1971. Hatfield has represented District 9 members on SECO’s Board of Trustees since first being elected in 2000. Mr. Hatfield was re-elected as District 9 Trustee in February 2018, and most recently served as Vice President.

 

District 4 Trustee Dennison elected as Vice President has been a member since 1999, and was first elected to the Board of Trustees in 2015 when a former Trustee stepped down. Dennison was re-elected as District 4 Trustee in February 2017.

 

A SECO member since 2002, Secretary-Treasurer James resides in Leesburg, and was first elected as the District 8 Trustee serving on SECO Energy’s Board in 2010. James was re-elected District 8 Trustee in February this year.

 

Hatfield stated, “I would like to thank my fellow Board members on my election as President. Serving SECO members as a Board of Trustee is a distinct honor, and I appreciate the trust my fellow members have placed in me and my peers to govern our Cooperative. I eagerly assume the duties of President and look forward to continuing my Board service.”

 

Visit our Board of Trustees page for photos and brief bios of the Trustees along with an interactive District map. “Like” SECO’s Facebook page and “follow” @SECOEnergy on Twitter for news releases and cooperative updates.

SECO Energy Donates Bucket Truck to Lake-Sumter State College

SECO Energy is a Central Florida not-for-profit cooperative that is one of the top ten employers in Sumter County, offering competitive wages, generous benefits, a defined-benefit pension and a robust paid-time-off program. As a co-op, SECO Energy is also focused on community involvement and partnerships.

 

“Over a decade ago, SECO Energy recognized a private/public partnership potential with Lake-Sumter State College to train an important part of our workforce. SECO helped finance the inception of the college’s electric utility lineworker program, from which a number of our employees graduated,” said Jim Duncan, CEO.

 

The donation effort was led by SECO’s Manager of Safety & Risk Management Steve Balius. As the Chairman for Lake-Sumter State College’s (LSSC) Engineering Technology Advisory Committee and committee member for the Electrical Distribution Technology program, Balius knew the college’s aging bucket truck wouldn’t continue to prepare students for the world-of-work much longer. When he learned SECO was retiring a bucket truck from its fleet, he went to work connecting the dots. Balius is excited for the donation opportunity and stated, “I am thankful for the generosity of SECO’s Board of Trustees in approving the donation.”

 

Duncan stated, “Today, it is our pleasure to contribute again to the Lake-Sumter State College’s program by donating this bucket truck. It will provide hands-on, real-life experience to students earning their Associates of Science in Electrical Distribution Technology. This program helps SECO too. Line techs who have been with the company for 30 plus years are starting to retire. We want to replace them with local students who want to stay in the area, work for a competitive growing company and raise their families here. For that reason, we felt that breathing new life into our partnership with Lake-Sumter State College with the truck donation was a sound investment.”

 

“We are excited to receive this bucket truck donation from SECO,” said LSSC President Dr. Stan Sidor. “SECO is a strong local partner and this partnership allows us to enhance our EDT program’s ability to train and prepare our students and ultimately support the workforce and our community.”

 

Learn more about SECO Energy and its Concern for Community on our Community page. “Like” SECO’s Facebook page and “follow” @SECOEnergy on Twitter for news releases and cooperative updates.

SECO Serves As Starting Leg of Special Olympics Run

On Wednesday morning, SECO Energy’s employees eagerly cheered for the participants of the annual Law Enforcement Torch Run for Special Olympics. Sumter County’s leg of the Torch Run started at SECO Energy’s headquarters located at SR 470 and Highway 301 for the third consecutive year.

 

For decades, more than 300 different Florida law enforcement agencies carried the “Flame of Hope” torch on a 1,500-mile relay through all 67 counties in Florida. The state’s “Final Leg” of the Torch Run opens the State of Florida’s Special Olympics Summer Games to over 44,400 athletes on Friday, May 18 at Disney’s ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in Lake Buena Vista.

 

Sumter County Sheriff’s Office Community Outreach Coordinator, Beth Hunt stated, “The Sheriff’s Office has participated in the Sumter County leg of the Special Olympics for over twenty years including Tip A Cops and Torch Runs. The support from the Sheriff’s Office and the community helps provide year-round sports training and athletic competition in a variety of Olympic-type sports for children and adults with intellectual disabilities. This gives them continuing opportunities to develop physical fitness and demonstrate courage. I would like to thank SECO for helping us make The Torch Run a success.”

 

Various branches of law enforcement officers throughout the county jumped on bicycles to trek 11 miles from SECO to SCARC Inc., a group home in Bushnell for the disabled.

 

SECO’s Vice President of Corporate Services & Human Resources Gregg Morrell stated, “Hosting the Law Enforcement Torch Run for Special Olympics this year is an honor for SECO Energy, its Board of Trustees and our employees. The Torch Run is a unique opportunity to support two organizations; our local Sumter County Sheriff’s Office and Special Olympics. Now more than ever before, communities must band together to bolster the men and women in uniform who keep us safe.”

 

Morrell added, “Special Olympics is a unique organization that offers people with intellectual disabilities the opportunity to compete in Olympic-type sporting events regardless of their personal limitations. Special Olympics brings its special athletes and their communities together through sports activities.”

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Visit SECO’s Community page to learn more about its community outreach programs. “Like” SECO’s Facebook page and “follow” @SECOEnergy on Twitter for news releases and cooperative updates.

SECO Buys FFA and 4-H Pigs at Lake County Fair

On Saturday, April 17, Jerry Hatfield, District 9 Board of Trustee and Kathy Judkins, Deputy Director for Civic, Charitable & Government Affairs, purchased four pigs on behalf of the not-for-profit electric cooperative at the Lake County Fair.

 

Hundreds of Future Farmers of America (FFA) and 4-H students throughout Lake County enthusiastically participate in the fair’s animal shows. The students’ journey to raising an animal for these shows requires budgeting decisions, dietary needs, pre-show preparation and a host of other management skills. The day of the shows, students must dress professionally and demonstrate they can manage their animal during the showing process for potential buyers. The skills earned through this tedious but rewarding process prepares these students for successful careers as adults.

 

As buyers representing SECO, Hatfield and Judkins purchased a pig from G.R.I.T.S. 4-H Club weighing in at 278-pounds. SECO also purchased from Morgan Allen who showed a 282-pound pig for the Okahumpka 4-H Club. A third pig was purchased from Makenzie Dunn of Lake County Explorers 4-H Club. Her pig weighed in at 273 pounds. Makenzie is a sixth grader at The Villages Charter Schools. The fourth pig purchase of the evening was from the Altoona Eagles 4-H Club and shown by Shelby Modisette, a fifth grader at Altoona Eagle Elementary School. This is Modisette’s first year showing a pig. Her pig, named Little Man, weighed in at 260 pounds.

 

Hatfield stated, “Attending the fair on Saturday brought back fond memories of when I was a principal with Lake County Schools. I’m so proud I can continue to support these fine students as a Trustee on the SECO Energy Board. I know first-hand the positive difference FFA and 4-H organizations make on students’ personal development, management and leadership skills. The showing event is just a glimpse of the work these students really put into the success of their animal project.”

 

CEO Jim Duncan stated, “SECO continues to be a proud supporter of the youth 4-H and FFA educational programs in the counties we serve. Remaining attentive to one of our seven cooperative principles – Concern for Community – we will continue to seek opportunities to support educational projects that prepare students to join the workforce. In addition to this year’s livestock program support, in May SECO will award twelve $3,000 scholarships to high school seniors enrolling in a Florida institute of higher learning. Academic achievement, financial need and other factors are considered by the judges, but participation in 4-H or FFA gives students added points. Although the deadline to apply for 2018 was March 30, I encourage students to visit our website and look for next year’s opportunity to apply.”

 

Visit our Community page online to learn more about SECO’s community outreach programs. “Like” SECO’s Facebook page and “follow” @SECOEnergy on Twitter for news releases and cooperative updates.

SECO Buys Citrus County Student’s Steer

Last night, Ben Brickhouse, SECO Energy’s VP of Engineering, purchased a steer on behalf of the not-for-profit electric cooperative at the Citrus County Association’s Youth Fair at the Citrus County Fairground.

 

Each year, hundreds of FFA and 4-H students are issued a comprehensive record book that involves logging the process and growth development of their animal. The record books are judged on a complete financial summary, the animal’s health record, writing prompts, letters to bidders/buyers, as well as neatness, accuracy and evidence of their work with the animal. Citrus County Ag Educational Chairman Kandi McPherson stated in a recent publication, “The Citrus County Fair believes in the value of youth exhibitor participation in all educational opportunities offered through their animal project.” By the end of the process, the students should have an understanding of the animal industry, marketing and communication skills.

 

Brickhouse stated, “I enjoy attending the youth fair because I know the preparation and sense of accomplishment builds character, develops integrity and forms work ethic which prepares students for our future workforce.” As a buyer representing SECO, Brickhouse purchased a steer from Anna Grace Budd, who showed a steer for Ease’s Rough Rider 4-H Club. The steer weighed in at 1,175 pounds.

 

Anna, an Inverness Middle School sixth grader, stated that raising her steer was more work than she ever imagined. She also said that going into the show ring for the first time made her more nervous than anything she’s ever done, but the experience was one of the most exciting she’s ever had. Anna’s father reported that this was her first year showing a steer. 

 

CEO Jim Duncan stated, “SECO continues to be a proud supporter of the youth 4-H and FFA educational programs in the counties we serve. Remaining attentive to one of our seven cooperative principles – Concern for Community – we will continue to seek opportunities to support educational projects that prepare students to join the workforce. In addition to this year’s livestock program support, in May SECO will award twelve $3,000 scholarships to high school seniors enrolling in a Florida institute of higher learning. Academic achievement, financial need and other factors are considered by the judges, but participation in 4-H or FFA gives students added points. Although the deadline to apply for 2018 was March 30, I encourage students to visit our website and look for next year’s opportunity to apply.”

 

Learn more about SECO’s community outreach programs online. “Like” SECO’s Facebook page and “follow” @SECOEnergy on Twitter for news releases and cooperative updates.

Sunshine State Stats, March 2018

March 2018 was slightly cooler on average than March 2017. The average temperature was 65°, while March of 2017 had an average temperature of 67°. Rainfall for March of 2018 was 2.03 inches compared to last March at 0.80 inches.

 

Sunshine State Stats March 2018 detail

 

There were 84 cooling degree days and 67 heating degree days for March 2018, while last year there were 135 cooling degree days with 61 heating degree days. The Degree Days are based on how much warmer or cooler the average temperature at a particular location is than 65°F. In other words, if the average temperature is 60° degrees outside on a particular day, there are 5 Heating Degree Days for that day in that location.

 

April 2018 is forecast to be somewhat the same as last year with average temperatures in the 80s and 90s. Rainfall is forecast to be heavier than normal compared to 2017. The hot and humid summers are around the corner, so keep in mind that every degree above 78 degrees will save you 6%-8% on your cooling costs.  Per ENERGY STAR, you can save up to $180 annually by using a programmable thermostat.

 

If you want to check historical usage, log into SmartHub to view past bills and charts. If your usage is high, SECO offers several energy-efficiency tools to help you identify energy wasters. Take the Home Energy Assessment to receive a detailed email tailored to your home’s features and lifestyle. The energy-saving advice will provide low-cost ways to decrease your usage – and your electric bill.

 
 
To easily calculate how much energy your appliances, lighting, electronic devices, and other energy-using items in your home consume, use the Energy Estimator. If you want a member of our Energy Services team to come to your home to perform a free energy audit, contact us today to book an appointment.