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Tag: Solar Life

Clean Energy Scam Targeting SECO Members

SECO Energy is warning members that scammers have cooked up another ploy to take money from members. SECO members report they are receiving phone calls and email solicitations that SECO Energy is no longer their energy provider.

 

One such company, Arcadia Power, currently advertises that its “Evergreen Plan” is available to SECO Energy customers. The company’s website states that “you will continue to pay your SECO Energy bill as normal, while receiving a separate Arcadia Power e-bill for your fixed clean energy charges.” Please be aware that SECO does not receive energy from Arcadia Power nor does it partner with the company in any way. The idea of paying Arcadia Power money over and above your regular monthly SECO Energy bill is nonsense. If you want to enroll in a green energy program, consider enrolling in SECO Energy’s Solar Life.

 You can live the Solar Life with SECO Energy

Living the “Solar Life” requires no upfront investment in panels, no roof holes, no insurance and no maintenance costs. No need to worry about HOA or zoning restrictions, and no need to cut trees to allow a rooftop solar system to produce at full capacity. Subscriptions in the “Solar Life” program carry no cancellation fee and no minimum term. Learn more and enroll today.

 

Other companies may claim to be “clean energy” providers that have replaced SECO. This is not the case. These companies may ask SECO members to send SECO bill payments directly to them, instead of SECO. Unfortunately, members realize there is a problem when they receive notice from SECO that their electric bill is unpaid.

 

Be aware that any company claiming to be a new electric service provider instead of SECO is a scam. These scammers may call and harass members for immediate payment over the phone and threaten them with disconnection of service. Some scammers have been even been so bold as to demand a member meet them at an off-site location and pay cash.

 

Scammers may be trying to dupe consumers from other utility companies as well. Please share this important information with friends, family and neighbors.

 

Kathryn Gloria, Vice President of Corporate Communications and Energy Services, stated, “SECO is a not-for-profit electric cooperative that has provided electricity to homes and businesses in Central Florida since 1938. SECO is a solid, fiscally responsible and well managed cooperative that is here to stay. If you receive a threatening phone call or questionable email, call SECO immediately to verify its authenticity. Be very cautious about a person or company asking you to release your financial information by phone or email.”

 

“Like” SECO’s Facebook page and “follow” @SECOEnergy on Twitter for news releases and cooperative updates.

Solar Scam Prevention

They’re at it again! The solar scammers have infiltrated SECO Energy’s service territory. They claim to be working with SECO. They state that your electric bills are averaging a certain dollar amount. They sound credible; they’re not! The dialogue is all too familiar and for this reason SECO says, “Beware.” If it sounds too good to be true, it typically is too good to be true.

 

SECO Energy knows how scammers work. Too often, the Cooperative is contacted by members who have spent their hard-earned dollars on solar panels and are disappointed that they are not saving significant money on their electric bills. Although solar technology continues to improve and the price of panels and installation has decreased, it is still a hefty investment. The initial cost for a solar photovoltaic system is sizable compared to the savings on a member’s monthly electric bill – even with the current tax incentives. Traditional electricity supplied by your utility is still the best value, but SECO is happy to help walk members through the process of a solar installation at their homes or businesses.

 

Solar Scam Prevention, Beware

 
 
When contemplating solar, there is so much to consider. What works for one person may not work for another. Your location may or may not be conducive to solar energy production. Don’t let a scammer’s one-size-fits-all approach convince you to make a hasty decision. Before engaging a contractor, contact SECO’s Energy Services Specialists. These experts are trained at the Florida Solar Energy Center, and they have tools to help determine if solar is beneficial for you. SECO also suggests that you solicit bids from a minimum of three reputable solar installers. The Florida Solar Energy Industries Association website (www.FLASEIA.org) has a complete list of recommended contractors.  

 

If you would like to live the “Solar Life” but don’t want to make a big financial investment, SECO has an option for you. The Cooperative’s “Solar Life” program requires no upfront investment in panels, no roof holes, no insurance and no maintenance costs. No need to worry about HOA or zoning restrictions. And no need to cut trees in hopes of increasing rooftop solar production. Subscriptions in the “Solar Life” program carry no cancellation fee and no minimum term. The cost is $32 a month for four panels and the kilowatt hours generated reduces the amount of utility-supplied power. Enroll in the “Solar Life” program today here..

 
 
If you would like more information, visit our Solar Power section. Contact SECO through our website’s Contact Us form. Or call (800) 732-6141 and speak with a representative today. SECO can help you separate fact from fiction and not become a victim.

Record Attendance at SECO’s 79th Annual Meeting of the Membership

Attendance boomed at SECO Energy’s 79th Annual Meeting of the Membership on Saturday, March 25. Thousands of members, guests, vendors and VIPs enjoyed hot breakfast biscuits, sweet treats, energy efficiency displays, live entertainment, gifts and a chance to win grand prizes and various door prizes. The weather was filled with trademark Florida sunshine and the springtime breeze kept everyone cool.

 

The Cooperative’s 79th Annual Meeting broke attendance records with a total of 4,539 registered members and their guests, compared to 3,100 registered members and guests in 2016. Additional parking areas were needed due to the increased attendance. The parking team was responsible for parking over 2,000 vehicles – 600 more than last year – along with 18 motorcycles and even one golf cart that came down US 301 in the wee morning hours.

 

Parking 2,000 vehicles over a three-hour period and providing shuttle service is complicated. Coordinating the exit of that many vehicles in less than an hour is no small feat either, but SECO appreciates its members’ patience with the exit traffic.

 

SECO Energy 79th Annual Meeting, Record Attendance at SECO's 79th Annual Meeting of the Membership

 

The crowd was well-fed with over 4,500 breakfast biscuits served. SECO kept the crowd lively with sweet treats and caffeine serving more than 10,500 Krispy Kreme doughnuts, 16,000 chocolate chip and oatmeal raisin cookies, along with 5,300 cups of coffee and almost 6,000 cans of soda.

 

Registered members received a copy of SECO’s 2016 Annual Report and a gift bag with two commemorative insulated steel tumblers. SECO and its wholesale power provider Seminole Electric distributed over 6,000 LED bulbs to members. Members won a total of 127 door prizes, many donated by local businesses and vendors that are also SECO members. Four cash prizes were up for grabs along with a refurbished Dodge Dakota truck and a refurbished electric golf cart.

 

Michael Niemiec from Inverness won the refurbished 2005 Dodge Dakota truck, Lake Panasoffkee’s Shannon Jessup was the winner of the refurbished electric golf cart from The Villages Golf Cars and The Villages resident Edward Maffuccio was the happy winner of the $1,500 cash prize. Other cash prize winners were Clark Smith from Webster who won $1,000 and Christine Bartow from The Villages and Edward James from Leesburg both won a $500 cash prize.

 

SECO Energy 79th Annual Meeting, Grand Prize winners

 

In the days leading up to the meeting and during, over 400 additional members “liked” SECO’s Facebook page and over 700 members interacted with the cooperative on Facebook during the meeting. These members were entered into a random drawing to win a $300 bill credit. Rosemary May of The Villages was the winner of the bill credit. Members who pledged a financial contribution to The Action Committee for Rural Electrification (ACRE) had a chance to win a patriotic picnic set. ACRE is a committee that funds candidates who support the interests of electric cooperatives such as SECO. Gloria Blackman of Tavares, one of 75 members who pledged to assist ACRE, was the winner of the patriotic picnic set.

 

Several of SECO’s vendor-partners were on hand to display their energy-saving products and services for interested members. SECO displayed its new Solar Life program – the hassel-free green choice alternative to individual rooftop solar. Six members signed up to have a portion of their utility-supplied power reduced by the output of four solar panels in Seminole Electric’s 8,000 panel solar array located in Hardee County.

 

SECO’s Solar Square array and its online production dashboard was also on display and accessible to members. The solar demo’s house replica displays a bi-directional meter for net metering, an inverter and a photovoltaic module on a simulated rooftop. Members interested in solar energy can use the Solar Estimator to help determine costs and output.

 

During his CEO Report, Jim Duncan asked members to consider enrolling in the Pennies from Heaven program that offers financial aid to local members. “SECO’s Pennies from Heaven program rounds up members bills to the nearest dollar. Currently, less than 8,000 members contribute to the program. If all 197,000 members enrolled in Pennies from Heaven, the yearly contribution would top $1.18 million. Imagine all of the good your pennies could contribute to in your communities if every SECO member enrolls in the program.”

 

Ray Vick, Board of Trustees President, stated, “I am personally asking all 197,000 members to consider contributing to Pennies from Heaven. With more members contributing, the collective pennies could fund local charitable organizations, purchase equipment for first responders, support school and youth programs, fund teacher endowments and many more worthy causes in SECO’s service area.”

 

Unfortunately, the record setting attendance created a small shortage in breakfast biscuits and Annual Report gift bags for about 100 members who arrived just before the business meeting began. SECO is in the process of identifying those members to provide an apology letter and gesture of goodwill.

 

The PowerPoint slides from Saturday’s Annual Meeting are posted online at www.secoenergy.com>YourCo-op. Video footage of the meeting will be posted on YouTube, Facebook and Twitter next week. “Like” SECO’s Facebook page and “follow” @SECOEnergy on Twitter for news releases and cooperative updates.

Trustees Attend Cooperative Solar Ribbon-Cutting

SECO Energy leaders and members of the Board of Trustees attended Seminole Electric’s ribbon-cutting event unveiling its Cooperative Solar Project. This Cooperative Solar Project is a 2.2-megawatt solar facility located in Hardee County, Florida.

 

The ceremony was presided over by Seminole Electric Cooperative’s CEO and General Manager, Lisa D. Johnson, and the President of its board of directors, Mr. William Hart. SECO Energy is a member-owner of Seminole Electric Cooperative as Seminole is SECO’s wholesale power provider.

 

During her remarks, Seminole CEO and General Manager Lisa Johnson highlighted the hard work of, and extensive collaboration between, personnel from Seminole, CoBank, Farm Credit Leasing and Radiance Solar, who together enable the construction of the renewable energy facility. Johnson noted, “Cooperative Solar, among other initiatives, has been one more way in which Seminole can secure our Members’ future while upholding cooperative values,” and continued, “we are careful about how we plan and use resources today, and we are working to embrace new resources for the future.”

 

The Trustees from SECO’s Board who attended the ribbon cutting are:

 

Robin Henion, Secretary/Treasurer District 7
Dillard Boyatt District 2
Richard Belles District 3
Richard Dennison District 4
Earl Muffett District 6
William James District 8

 

SECO Energy’s CEO, Jim Duncan stated, “Seminole’s Cooperative Solar Project is just that, a cooperative project between the nine-member owners of Seminole – one of which is SECO Energy. Cooperatives working together is a key Cooperative Principle. SECO is excited that Seminole is broadening its generation mix to include solar energy, allowing SECO to introduce its Solar Life program to members.”

 

SECO Energy is offering members exclusive access to its allocated share of the Seminole solar array – its program is called “Solar Life.” For a flat monthly fee of $32, members’ utility-supplied power cost will be offset by the monthly output of four panels of the 2.2-megawatt array.

 

With Solar Life, members can begin living a greener, hassle-free lifestyle that requires no upfront investment. Subscribe to Solar Life today.

 

“Like” SECO’s Facebook page and “follow” @SECOEnergy on Twitter for news releases and cooperative updates.