Union Power Cooperative News

How Much is Too Much? Estimate Your Home Energy Use

09/08/10

You’ve had your fridge forever. With the exception of some crumbling parts of the seal, it’s in pretty good shape and keeps your food cool. Why worry about budgeting for an upgrade?

Inefficient appliances can have an impact on your home’s monthly power bill. Replacing a refrigerator made before 1993 with a new, Energy Star-rated model could knock between $65-$100 off your electricity bill each year. To sweeten the deal, rebates funded by the federal stimulus bill provide further incentives for folks replacing old appliances with new, energy-efficient alternatives.

You can usually find the wattage of most appliances stamped on the bottom or back of the appliance, or on its nameplate. The wattage listed is the maximum power drawn by the appliance. Since some appliances have a range of settings (i.e. hair dryers), the actual amount of power consumed depends on the setting used at any one time.

Don’t want the hassle of adding up the potential savings?

Click here for a specific analysis of your home's energy use based on your actual account.
Click here to access our online energy calculators - you'll find Appliance calculators and more!
Our Home Energy Reference can also help you start saving today!
Check out 101 Ways to Save Energy.

Once you calculate how much money you spend to run aging home appliances, compare this to what it would cost to use models that are more efficient. With federal incentives bringing down the price of an Energy Star-rated refrigerator or clothes washer, the annual energy savings could be worth an up-front investment. There are other benefits too. For example, not only have clothes washers become 64 percent more energy efficient since 2000, but the tub size has also increased by 9 percent. With a new model, you can wash more clothes for less money every month!

For information on the federal Cash for Appliances program and other rebates, visit www.energysavers.gov/rebates.

Have You Checked Your Smoke Detectors Lately?

09/08/10

Taking the time to ensure that smoke detectors are working properly saves lives. Take advantage of the quiet time before the hustle and bustle of the upcoming holiday season to make sure your smoke detectors are in good working order. Whether you’re expecting a house full of company for the holidays or you're looking forward to spending quiet days with your family, now's the time to make sure your smoke detectors are working properly. Here’s how:

If your smoke detectors are more than 10 years old, replace them
Test your smoke detectors to make sure the alarms are working.
Vacuum your smoke detectors to remove cobwebs and dust. A build-up can make your detectors less sensitive.
If you haven’t replaced the detector’s batteries this year, do it now.
If you hear any “chirps” from the smoke detector, that means the batteries need to be replaced
Consider buying an electric smoke detector. You never need to replace the batteries.

Go Paperless Today with Online Bill Pay and E-bill

09/08/10

With the click of a mouse, you can take care of your electric bill from home – before dinner, during your favorite TV show, or after the kids have gone to bed. Eliminate the hassle of paperwork and help conserve natural resources by opting to receive your bill electronically and to pay your bill online.

Here are some convenient ways to pay your electric bill and manage your account:

Pay Online – Click here to view and select the option to pay using a credit card, debit card, or by electronic check on our secure site. Paying bills online requires that a member have an online account setup with a username and password. Your initial password can be found on your billing statement. You may go online to set up your account, but you must have an email address on file to complete the activation process. You can contact our customer service department to set up your email address in our online payment system. This secure site also allows you to keep track of how you use electricity by viewing your 24-month historical usage and billing history.
Automatic Draft Payment – Make paying bills worry free! This option allows members to authorize withdrawal of funds from a checking/savings account or a credit/debit card to pay the amount due by the due date of each month. Click here and sign in to our online bill system to set up Auto Pay or call and speak to one of our customer service representatives today to set up your electronic draft.
Pay by Phone - Use our FREE automated system at 704-289-3145 or 1-800-922-6840 to pay with a debit/credit card or check. We accept MasterCard, Visa, Discover, and American Express. To pay with a check over the automated system, you must first call our office to have a profile set up for you.
Opt to receive your bill electronically - All you need is an email address and a password. Call 704-289-3145 or 1-800-922-6840 and speak to one of our customer service representatives to start receiving your bill electronically.

Whether you're at work, on the go, or busy taking care of your family, we know how short 24 hours can seem. That's why Union Power is proud to offer you the conveniences of online bill pay and E-bill.

Rising Copper Prices Cause Increased Thefts to Electric Cooperatives

08/18/10

Electric cooperatives are on the lookout for copper thieves. Commodity prices for copper are reaching levels well above $3 per pound, more than double what they were two years ago. These increased prices coupled with a struggling economy have led to a surge in recent copper thefts across the nation.

Copper thieves often target electric utilities, including electric cooperatives like Union Power, because copper is widely used within the electric distribution system. As a result, North Carolina’s electric cooperatives have encountered a range of burglaries from copper being stolen from trucks to copper thefts at electrical substations – a deadly scenario. In this situation, thieves cut through substation fencing and locks, exposing themselves to high-voltage electricity to steal copper from inside substations.

The Department of Energy (DOE) estimates that copper wire thefts cost this nation almost $1 billion per year. North Carolina recently passed legislation to make it more difficult for thieves to sell stolen metals, including copper, but the trend is still growing.

Union Power Cooperative cares about the safety of our members. Here are a few things you can do to protect yourselves and others:

If you see any unusual activity in or around substations, towers, storage sites and other electric utility property, call 911 or report it to your local electric cooperative immediately.
Heed warning signs posted near electrical equipment.
Do not climb substation fences, utility poles or towers.
Stay away from substations and transformers. Such activities are hazardous and can result in severe burns and in some unfortunate cases, death.

For more information about on copper theft, click here. For more information on substation and transformer safety, click here.

Union Power Cooperative is a member-owned electric cooperative, which provides electric service to more than 65,000 members in Union, Stanly, Mecklenburg, Cabarrus, and Rowan Counties

Calling All Veterans and Active Duty Service Members!

08/13/10

Union Power wants to recognize you at our annual membership meeting in October. We would like to picture our veterans and active duty service personnel along with their military service information on our “Wall of Honor.”

If you are a member of Union Power and are currently serving or are a veteran of any branch of our armed forces, send a picture of yourself in uniform & the info below to the mailing address listed or via email to rhonda.smith@union-power.com.

Union Power Cooperative

Attn: Rhonda Smith

1525 Rocky River Road North

Monroe, NC 28110

Pictures sent via mail will not be returned. Please send copy.

Deadline for submissions: 9/27/10

NAME (please print if sending via snail mail)
No. Years Served by Union Power
County of Residence
Branch of Military
Length of Military Service Time