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Category: Energy Solutions

SECO Shines at Leesburg Rotary

On Wednesday, August 24, SECO Energy Key Accounts Consultant Hank Bolduc helped shine a light on solar power at the Leesburg Rotary Club meeting.

 

SECO Energy’s “Introduction to Photovoltaic Systems” presentation is an in-depth exploration of solar photovoltaic systems and how they work. Hank explained the process in which solar photovoltaic systems take available sunlight and convert it to energy, which is then used to power appliances and electronics in a home or business.

 

Before investing in a solar photovoltaic system, consider the initial investment needed for installation and the expense of maintaining and cleaning the system. Check the zoning ordinances and homeowners’ association rules – some do not allow visible solar systems on homes. Also consider the age of your roof – don’t put solar panels on a roof that will need to be replaced during the life of the panels. A photovoltaic system can only create energy when the sun is shining, before installation – remove trees or other obstructions that shade the panels.

 

Hank offered this advice to the Rotarians about solar installations, “Do your homework. As you would with any home improvement project, hire a reputable contractor – one that offers referrals from satisfied customers. Work with your contractor to determine how much you want to spend initially and how much you could potentially reduce your utility-supplied power.”

 

SECO Energy Shines at Leesburg Rotary

 

“The solar industry will continue to grow and as a not-for-profit electric cooperative, SECO is here to support members who choose to invest in a solar photovoltaic system,” Hank added.

 

In fact, The Florida Office on Economic and Demographic Research reports that SECO has the highest number of solar interconnections of any electric cooperative or municipal utility in Florida with 440 installations. For members who are considering solar, SECO’s experienced Energy Services Specialists can assist with determining a home’s conduciveness to solar using a device called a solar Pathfinder.

 

Try out our solar-estimator to determine how much a home could reduce its utility-supplied power by investing in a rooftop solar photovoltaic system. To learn more about the Leesburg Rotary Club, visit www.rotaryclubofleesburg.com. “Like” SECO Energy’s Facebook page and “follow” the company on Twitter for cooperative updates and the latest news releases.

Energy Efficiency Sparks for Sorrento Elementary

While summer school was still in session, SECO Energy Services Specialist Dustin Merritt introduced energy efficiency basics to students in Sorrento. As an energy efficiency expert, Dustin covered the simple ways kids can help their parents save energy at the home.

 

As a not-for-profit electric cooperative, SECO Energy is committed to educating the youngest members within the communities it serves about energy efficiency and renewable energy sources. SECO’s “Kids and Energy” presentation teaches elementary-age students about renewable types of energy such as solar, wind, water and biomass power. Students also learn ways they can be energy efficient at home. They test their new found knowledge with an interactive quiz at the end of the presentation and take home energy efficiency activity books, pencils and other small prizes.

 

Students as young as elementary age can increase energy efficiency in their homes by reminding parents to change older light bulbs to either the CFL or LED types and look for ENERGY STAR labels on light bulbs, electronics and appliances. Young children can be reminded to turn off lights in unused rooms, take shorter showers and keep doors and windows closed while the HVAC is running.

 

Dustin enjoys working with young students and stated, “The students I work with love this interactive presentation. Each child has their own personal “clicker” that allows them to answer the questions in the quiz. Kids this age are eager to learn and open to new ideas, this is the right age to begin teaching kids about saving energy and renewable energy. They want to be good stewards for the future. This generation will do more to be responsible with their energy consumption, to create less waste and invent new ways to become energy efficient.”

 

Are you interested in learning more about energy efficiency, renewable energy or electrical safety? SECO Energy offers a variety of speakers and presentations for groups of any age and size. Contact SECO to schedule a speaker and presentation. “Like” SECO Energy’s Facebook page and “follow” us on Twitter for cooperative updates and the latest news releases.

SECO News, April 2016

SECO News, Duncan's Digest, February 2016

 

As you opened your March billing statement, I hope you were pleasantly surprised to see that SECO Energy’s “Hot Bucks” are hotter than ever. In fact, as of March 1st, residential members are now paying $114.60 based on 1,000 kWh, which is average usage for residential members in our area.

 

Over the past 27 months, SECO Energy has lowered the cost of electricity seven times; this latest reduction equates to a 10.3% decrease over this time frame. The reduction appears as a credit on your bill under the line item “Hot Bucks.” The term refers to the Power Cost Adjustment (PCA) portion of your bill.

SECO “Hot Bucks” are Hotter than Ever

 

We work closely with our wholesale power provider, Seminole Electric, to ensure that we offer members the lowest rate possible and still eke out a small margin (required of us as a not-for-profit electric cooperative).

 

When the wholesale price goes down, usually due to reduced fuel costs, SECO Energy lowers the PCA factor and members see their bills decrease.

 

As a not-for-profit electric cooperative, when wholesale power costs are lower, SECO Energy shares the savings with members. Lowering the cost of power is a joint effort between SECO Energy’s Board of Trustees, our employees and our wholesale power provider, Seminole Electric Cooperative. Controlling costs is essential for members and the communities we serve. I know how carefully many of you track your expenditures. I want to assure you that our company’s management team and employees work diligently to keep costs down and control expenses to match your effort.

 

I think it’s safe to say that SECO Energy is one of the most affordable, reliable electric utilities in Central Florida. Hands down, we offer the best customer service. I know this because in 2015, SECO Energy was ranked by J.D. Power as highest in customer satisfaction among midsize utilities in the south. I believe our continued commitment to offer members low electric rates, outstanding reliability and strong community support are just a few of the reasons why members are satisfied with the service they receive from their cooperative.

 

To read more about our commitment to members and our communities, visit SECOEnergy.com. Next month, look for a snapshot overview of our 2016 Annual Meeting of the Membership or watch the video on our website, Facebook or YouTube channel.

 

 

Register for Smarthub and win an iPad Mini

 

Win an iPad mini!

 

Click on “My Account” to sign up for SmartHub®. All SECO Energy members who register online with SmartHub by May 15 will be entered in a drawing to win an iPad mini!

 

Using a computer, tablet or smartphone, members can access and manage their SECO account(s) via SmartHub. Seasonal members can use SmartHub to change their mailing address and also gain instant access to current and previous bills. SmartHub allows members to track their energy use and is helpful for members on a budget.

 

Access these convenient features:

 

  • Access current bills – no need to wait for USPS
  • View and pay your bill online via debit or credit card
  • Subscribe to receive text or email alerts
  • Sign up for automatic bank draft or MyWay Prepay
  • Update mailing address and phone number
  • Access billing history and view previous bills
  • Compare yearly or monthly energy usage
  • View social media news feeds
  • Plot high, low and average temperatures against energy use
  • Record energy-saving events (appliance purchases, filter changes)

 

Give SmartHub a try.

 

Contact us at (352) 793-3801 or email customerservice@secoenergy.com for help with registering or with questions. Don’t forget, register by May 15 for a chance to win! Members currently using SmartHub are automatically entered.

 

Get the app for your mobile device – search for “SmartHub” in the App Store for iOS in the Google Play™ store for Android™.

 

 

SECO News HVAC Tune-Up and Filter Change June 2019

 

Want a quick and easy way to reduce energy consumption? Change your HVAC filter regularly. Routinely changing your HVAC filter improves your home’s air quality and reduces energy costs. Also, remember to change the filter on your refrigerator. Clean refrigerator filters provide cleaner water and ice, which can reduce spending on bottled water.

 

Read additional energy-saving tips.

 

 

Car on guy wire
Vehicle accidents are scary, especially if the accident involves power lines or poles.

 

Remember these 5 steps to help you stay safe.

 

  1. Stay in your car − only exit the car if it is on fire
  2. Remain calm
  3. Call 911 immediately.  Tell the operator that a power line or pole is down
  4. Warn bystanders to stay away
  5. Warn first responders the line could be energized

 

Broken power lines can still be energized; touching these can be fatal. Please share this information with family and friends. It could save a life.

 

Read the full April 2016 SECO News here.

 

78th Annual Meeting Welcomes 3,000 Members and Guests

March 30, 2016 – SECO Energy celebrated its 78th Annual Meeting of the Membership on Saturday March 19th, with over 3,000 SECO members and guests. Among the guests were Representatives Dennis Baxley from District 23, and Daniel Webster from District 10; State Senator Charlie Dean attended as well.

 

The light rain didn’t keep away the crowd who gathered for breakfast biscuits, energy saving displays at the Energy Showcase, gifts, door prizes, an update on the business side of the cooperative and the renowned hospitality of SECO employees.

 

SECO Energy 2016 Annual Meeting

 

Members browsed energy saving displays at the revamped Energy Showcase tent and learned new ways to lower their electric bills. The Energy Showcase tent displayed a working rooftop and ground mounted solar panel system along with a touchscreen tool to estimate the amount of energy a home can produce using a rooftop solar panel system. SECO also hosted a number of vendors that brought their ideas and products to further assist members with energy savings.

 

After the meeting, CEO Jim Duncan said he was very pleased with the meeting as a whole, “As a not-for-profit electric cooperative, SECO is owned by the members, not investors or stockholders. I always encourage SECO members to attend their Annual Meeting for an update on cooperative business, and we appreciate that this year’s crowd was large. Hands down, SECO employees are the best in the business and I want to thank them for the work they do not only during the Annual Meeting, but throughout the year. SECO’s Board of Trustees, senior staff and employees are committed to providing members with low rates, reliable power and exceptional customer service.”

 

Board of Trustees President Ray Vick shared his thoughts “As a SECO member, and Board President, I look forward to attending the Annual Meeting every year. I enjoy spending this time with fellow members, and we all agree that the hospitality of SECO’s employees can’t be beat. On behalf of myself and the other Board members, I want to thank all of SECO’s hardworking employees who made our 78th Annual Meeting a success.”

 

Duncan added, “Thank you to all the SECO members, special guests and vendors who joined us on Saturday and braved the rain. The door prizes for Saturday were donated by, or purchased from, local businesses who are SECO members and I want to thank them for supporting their cooperative. Congratulations to all of Saturday’s winners.”

 

SECO Energy 2016 Annual Meeting Facebook bill credit winner Bob Warhu

 

As a new promotion for 2016, members who liked SECO’s Facebook page and engaged with SECO during the Annual Meeting by uploading a photo, liking or commenting on the Annual Meeting status update were entered into a drawing for a $300 electric bill credit. Congratulations to Robert Warhus from Leesburg, a first-time meeting attendee, who was the winner of the bill credit. Members who weren’t able to attend the meeting can like SECO’s Facebook page today for cooperative updates and look for future chances to win.

 

Another opportunity to win at the Annual Meeting on Saturday was with a pledge to The Action Committee for Rural Electrification (ACRE). This political action committee uses contributions to fund candidates who support the interests of electric cooperatives such as SECO. At this year’s meeting, SECO received 42 new pledges to ACRE and raised $1,050. SECO member John Halpin from Ocala pledged an ACRE contribution and was the winner of the Patriotic Picnic Table and accessories. Learn how you can sign up to be an energy voter at www.vote.coop.

 

SECO Energy 2016 Annual Meeting ACRE prize winner John Halpin
Saturday’s prize winners also included: Leslie Burtnett of The Villages won the refurbished 2005 Dodge Dakota; David Cragen of Leesburg won $1,500; Richard Hathaway of Groveland won $1,000; and James Francis of The Villages and Norma Simonsen of Lady Lake each won $500. In addition to the truck and cash prizes, SECO members also had the chance to win almost 100 other door prizes.

 

View the video of the Board President and CEO Reports. Please call 352-793-3801 or email communications@secoenergy.com to share your comments or thoughts about the Annual Meeting.

SECO News, March 2016

SECO News, Duncan's Digest, February 2016

 

Solar Support

 

I’ve been pretty vocal over the years in candidly explaining the merits and drawbacks of rooftop residential solar installations. The good news is that installations are more affordable as costs come down. The bad news is that a subsidy is still required to support such investments.

 

SECO has been successful in supporting members who generate their own power without resorting to rebates or credits that inadvertently create financial burden on other members.

 

We feel those who choose to invest in their own installations should bear the long term costs to receive the benefits. I realize there are some who disagree but I want to emphasize that our philosophy doesn’t seem to be discouraging members who are committed to investing in solar energy.

 

Case in point: The Florida Office on Economic and Demographic Research reports that SECO  has the highest number of solar interconnections of any electric cooperative or municipal utility in Florida with 271 installations.  Per the report, SECO also has the highest gross power rating for solar when compared with the state’s other cooperatives.

 

SECO’s interconnected members produced 1,139,363 kilowatt hours last year, resulting in payments from SECO to the members totaling nearly $95,000 in 2015.  Over the life of their systems, the company has paid nearly $281,000 to solar members for the electricity they’ve produced per the terms of our tariff and net metering policy.

 

I understand parts of our service territory have been inundated recently with door-to-door and robocall solicitation from energy efficiency and solar salesmen. My advice is to exercise caution if you are approached and to call SECO for a free second opinion on the financial outlay and payback. Our Energy Services team can walk you through identifying your home’s conduciveness to solar by examining orientation, roof pitch, usage and potential payback. Rest assured, we’re not trying to discourage you – we simply want you to know what you will get for your money.

 

Speaking of your money, Congress extended the Investment Tax Credit (IVT) –30% of the value of solar projects. The 30% credit extends through 2019. Per a recent Wall Street Journal article, these credits were key to the rapid expansion of renewable energy. Without our tax dollars, this industry would probably be floundering. But it’s booming – and who technically profits from the credit? Solar panel manufactures and sellers – they even get to pocket the tax credit if the consumer leases rather than purchases their installation. And they probably didn’t send you, the taxpayers, a thank you note or a Christmas card.

 

On the topic of large-scale solar, SECO is working with the Federal Correctional Facility in Coleman to integrate their new solar system. Through a federal expenditure – more of our tax dollars at work – the prison installed a two-megawatt solar system to offset its energy use.

 

Another project in the works will allow you to purchase small blocks of solar energy rather than spending tens of thousands of dollars on rooftop solar. This utility-scale system should be operational by year’s end – watch for enrollment details.

 

Utility-scale solar costs have decreased, but it’s important to remember that traditional generation must still stand ready to produce power when the sun doesn’t shine. Even if you invest in a solar system, SECO members still incur the cost of a $775 million electric system – the meters, lines, poles, transformers, substations and peak time power supply that serves solar members when the sun doesn’t shine… at night, on cloudy days, during hot summer afternoons during storm season and on cold winter mornings before sunrise.

 

Floridians with solar installations still expect full-time, reliable electricity to be able to run their ACs, cook dinner and power their electronic gadgets in the absence of sunlight. It’s a point often lost in discussion of future power needs.

 

Can we do more with solar? Yes, we should and from the numbers I provided, clearly we are making progress. Contact us at solar@secoenergy.com if you want to learn more.

 

 

2016 Annual Meeting , Saturday March 19, 2016

 

Attend our 2016 Annual Meeting of the membership on Saturday, March 19, at our Sumterville Compound at 293 S Highway 301. Gates open at 8:00 a.m. with parking assistance and shuttle service. Join us for entertainment, coffee, cookies, doughnuts, and the now famous big breakfast biscuit.

 

Visit the tent with displays showing ways to reduce electric use and save on your bill. The Business Meeting starts at 10:30 a.m. after which a lot of cash prizes and door prizes are awarded. The grand prize is a refurbished 2005 Dodge Dakota 4×4.

 

Like SECO Energy on Facebook today as a first step to enter in a drawing for a $300 electric bill credit that will be awarded at the meeting. All members who attend the meeting and comment on, like, or upload a photo to our 2016 Annual Meeting status update on our Facebook page will be entered in the drawing. The randomly selected member must be present to win the $300 electric bill credit.

 

Not a Facebook user? Establish a Facebook account today to get ready. Don’t understand it? The SECO Energy Facebook Help Squad will be available at the meeting to help you access the page, like, comment and upload your best “selfie” photo. It’ll be great to show your kids and grandkids you’ve mastered the selfie!

 

After the business meeting and prize drawings, we typically wrap up by noon. We certainly hope you will join us.

 

 

SECO Energy Scholarship Deadline March 25th

 

$36,000 in Scholarships – March 25th Deadline

 

SECO Energy is a not-for-profit organization guided by the cooperative principles, so support for education and community needs are high priorities.

 

The Board of Trustees approved the continuation of the SECO Energy Scholarship Program. Board President Ray Vick said, “The Board is proud to renew our commitment to the support of youth and continuing education in our community. These scholarships can be used for community college, a university or a technical/trade school, and we hope that some of these students have a career in their future at SECO Energy once they’re out of school.”

 

Applications for the 2016 program are now available on our website and graduating high school seniors are eligible to apply. Up to 12 hardworking seniors will each be selected to receive a $3,000 scholarship. To qualify, the student must live in a home served by SECO Energy, graduate from high school in 2016, and have proof of acceptance with a plan to be a full-time student in a university, accredited college or vocational/technical institute in 2016.

 

If you don’t have Internet access or a printer at home, application packets were mailed to high school guidance counselors in January. Direct your student there or pick up an application from one of our five service center locations. Completed applications must be received by SECO Energy by 5 p.m. on Friday, March 25th. If you have questions about the scholarship program, contact us via our website or call (352) 569-9561

 

 

SECO Energy Safety Corner

 

Read the full March 2016 SECO News here.

 

Supreme Court Puts Brakes on EPA “Clean Power Plan”

Yesterday, Tuesday, February 9, in a landmark 5-4 decision the United States Supreme Court halted implementation of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) so-called “Clean Power Plan” until its legality can be reviewed in federal court. This pause in implementation is referred to as a “stay.”

 

“I can’t tell you how pleased I was to find out that the Supreme Court has put the brakes on this massive overreach of the EPA’s regulatory authority,” said SECO Energy CEO Jim Duncan. “At SECO we always work to provide affordable and reliable electricity to our members. We needed the Clean Power Plan stay so that Seminole Electric Cooperative, our wholesale power provider, would not have to make premature compliance decisions that would harm the affordability and reliability of our electricity.”

 

“Seminole Electric Cooperative operates the Seminole Generating Station, a coal-fired power plant located in Palatka, Florida,” said Lisa Johnson, Seminole’s CEO and General Manager. “This power plant is responsible for more than half of the electricity that we generate and provide to members like SECO Energy. It is the most efficient coal-fired facility in the state of Florida, and has been rated by Power Magazine as one of the top coal-fired plants in the world. Seminole has also invested more than 530 million dollars in environmental control technology at the plant. Despite this, the Seminole Generating Station does not meet the emissions rate requirements of the Clean Power Plan.”

 

Lisa continued, “The Seminole Generating Station has a professionally rated useful life through 2045, and is financed through 2042. It employs more than 300 individuals in rural Putnam County, the poorest county in the state of Florida. The plant is also the largest property tax payer in the county. Had the stay not been granted, Seminole would have been forced to take immediate, costly, and irreversible steps to comply with the rule, including possibly reducing operations at the plant, or even closing it. If the plant were closed, rural Putnam county and the city of Palatka would be devastated. We would also have to pay for the plant through 2042. These costs would be borne by our members like SECO Energy.”

 

Supreme Court Puts Brakes on EPA “Clean Power Plan”

 
Last fall, SECO Energy, through Seminole Electric Cooperative and the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association, petitioned the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit to review and ultimately reject the Clean Power Plan. While the stay ruling is welcome news, it is not the end of the story. The underlying legal challenge on the rule itself continues, with a ruling from the D.C. Circuit court expected later this year, or early in 2017.