country living | march 2013 | 1

march 2013

Figures to date:

Applications reviewed............................511

Applications granted..............................378

Applications denied................................123

Applications tabled...................................10

Total Disbursements...........$848,238.65

Average member contribution............44¢

Operation Roundup funds support local charitable organizations, civic groups, youth programs, community services, and needy families and individuals. For more information on this voluntary bill roundup program, please visit www.ecoec.com.

East Central Electric Cooperative Country Living is published monthly by East Central Oklahoma Electric Cooperative, Inc., 2001 S. Wood Drive, Okmulgee, Oklahoma 74447. Second class postage paid at Okmulgee, Oklahoma 74447 and at additional mailing office. Subscription price: 60 cents /year.

POSTMASTER: Send address corrections to ECE Country Living, PO Box 1178, Okmulgee, OK 74447.

East Central Electric Cooperative PO Box 1178 • Hwy 75 South

Okmulgee, Oklahoma 74447-1178

(918) 756-0833www.ecoec.com

OffICE HOuRS: Monday-friday, 8 am - 4:30 pm.

POWER OuTAgE HOT lInE(918) 756-0833

BOARD Of TRuSTEES

lowell Hobbs, President

larry Harvey, Vice President

Dwight luther, Secretary Treasurer

Max Shoemake, Asst. Secretary Treasurer

Jerry Rempee Ed Kloeckler Jimmy Eller

Tim Smith, General Manager

PAyMEnT OPTIOnS

• Pay online at www.ecoec.com.

• Pay by phone using VISA, Mastercard or Discover at 866-999-4584. Available 24 hours a day. Convenience fee associated with payments.

• Pay in person using our drive through window or lobby during regular office hours, Monday through friday, 8 am to 4:30 pm.

• Pay via automatic draft of your checking or savings account.

operations roundup

update

country livingpublished for members of east central electric cooperative

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■ Meet your board.Dwight Luther makes service his mission. page 2

■ Exede is worth it.Co-op Internet service takes service up a notch. page 3

■ Test your GFCIsThey can’t save you if they aren’t working properly. page 4

East Central Electric needs your help to locate former delegates of the Rural Electric youth

Tour. “Oklahoma youth Tour alumni are planning a special 50-year reunion on July 2o in Oklahoma City, and we want to reach as many former winners as possible,”said Billie Been, youth Tour coordinator for East Central Electric.

The Rural Electric youth Tour began in 1964, when electric coops from various states sponsored teens on a free tour of Washington D.C.Over 2,600 Oklahoma students have made the trip, including many from East Central Electric.

If you know the whereabouts of any of these former delegates—or if you made the trip yourself—please contact Billie Been at 918-786-0833, or Jennifer Dempsey at 405-478-1455, or visit the Oklahoma youth Tour Reunion page on facebook.

Seeking Youth Tour alumniEast Central asks for help to locate former YT winners

2 | march 2013 | country living

co-opvaluecurrents

from fighting wildfires to busting poachers, Dwight luther finds plenty to keep him busy in Creek County.

When he isn’t working as game warden for the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife, he serves as secretary-treasurer for the board of trustees of East Central Electric Cooperative. He is a volunteer firefighter for Bristow fire Department, and serves on the board of Bristow Social Services, the Creek County Soil and Conservation Service, and the Creek-Okfuskee County farm Service Agency. He’s also a rancher.

“I run cattle; that’s my hobby,” he says.

His ranch, located five miles east of Bristow, is on rural electric lines so luther was familiar with the co-op before running against District 7 Trustee J.E.Cumbey in 2004. “for me, running for the co-op board was another way to be of service,” he said. “As we get older, it seems we look more for ways to be helpful; at least

His sight is on service

Connect with participating chiropractors near you

Dwight Luther makes serving the community his personal mission.

East Central Electric Cooperative District Map

Dwignt Luther, District 7 trustee

NRECA welcomes new CEO. The national Rural Electric Cooperative Association (nRECA) announced that Congresswoman Jo Ann Emerson will assume the role of chief executive officer, effective March 1, 2013. Emerson takes over for long-time CEO glenn English, who announced his retirement earlier this year.

“Jo Ann’s background as a member of Congress and a trade association executive – coupled with her extensive knowledge of the issues facing electric cooperatives and rural America – make her eminently qualified to lead nRECA and represent the interests of our members,” said nRECA Board President Mike guidry. “Her proven ability to bridge political and policy divides and find common ground will serve nRECA well.”

Emerson was first elected to the u.S. House of Representatives in 1996 from Missouri's Eighth Congressional District. She served on the House Appropriations Committee and chaired the Subcommittee on financial Services and general government Appropriations, with oversight of the u.S. Treasury, the Internal Revenue Service, and various independent government agencies, including the u.S. Securities & Exchange Commission, the federal Communications Commission, the general Services Administration, and the Small Business Administration. A leader in agriculture, health care, and government reform issues in the House, Emerson also won recognition for her work on energy issues, including the nRECA Distinguished Service Award.

“nRECA is committed to the electric cooperatives of this nation that work hard every day to improve the quality of life for their member-owners. I am honored to join an outstanding organization to work on their behalf,” Emerson said.

Members in District 7 will meet on June 18th. Watch for an official meeting notice in the mail.

that’s true for me.”

Over the past nine years, luther said he has been pleased to witness the co-op philosophy in action.

“We truly are a member-owned organization. We care about our members, and our members do have a voice,” he said. “I also appreciate how involved this co-op is in the community and how that is always out-front in our thinking.”

While luther admits the challenges ahead are daunting—federal regulations threaten to raise costs for all electric utilities—he knows the co-op mission stands firm. “It’s about reasonable, reliable electricity,” he said. “And that’s what we’ll keep fighting for.”

country living | march 2013 | 3

march

billing cycles For bill payment questions or details about East Central Electric’s convenient bill payment options, please visit www.ecoec.com, or call 918-756-0833.

Your prompt payment is appreciated.

Co-op service and repairs make Exede worth the price

glanceback

▲ Co-op employee Bill Perkins fills up the tank on a co-op truck. (Notice the REA insignia on the door of the vehicle: For years, people commonly referred to their electric co-op as the “REA.” REA stands for the Rural Electrification Administration, which was created as part of Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal programs in 1935. The REA provided low cost loans to build transmission and generation facilities, and was the driving force to electrify rural America. At the time, only 11 percent of the country’s rural homes and farms had electricity; by 1950, over ninety percent enjoyed service.

Mailed DueCycle 1 March 8 March 30

Cycle 2 March 16 April 7

Cycle 3 March 26 April 15

Cycle 4 March 30 April 22

superservices

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If you live or work in a rural area and demand the fastest Internet service, there’s little debate about which service is the best. After being introduced to an

eager public over a year ago, Exede offers rural homeowners download speeds up to 12 MBps, ranking it faster than dial up, and many DSl and competing satellite services.

“It’s the fastest by far, no question about it,” said Billy Moore, director of member services for East Central Electric Cooperative. Who you purchase your service from, however, can make a difference in your longterm satisfaction.

East Central Electric offers Exede packages starting at 58.90/month, plus a one-time, up-front fee of 49.00. The service is available to the public.

“you do not have to be a co-op member to subscribe, but we treat every customer as if they were a member,” said Moore.

“Included in our pricing is a maintenance program that includes tech assistance and service calls for as long as you subscribe,” he elaborated.

It also includes 24-hour, uS-based tech support hotline, plus local customer service assistance through East Central Electric.

“We give subscribers peace of mind that their problems will be solved quickly and professionally,” Moore pointed out.

People who order the service from a different Exede retailer may save a buck, but they often find their savings evaporating after the first service call.

for more information on Exede Internet pricing, packages or ordering, please contact East Central Electric at 918-756-0833, or visit www.ecoec.com.

10 GB data/month 15 GB data/month 25 GB data/month.

$58.90 /month $88.90 /month $149.90/month

Perfect for occasional video downloads, photo sharing, music streaming, social networking and email.

Great for those who spend more time on the Internet, use more data, and watch online video more frequently.

Gives you the most of all things you love to do. This is the plan for those who depend on the Internet for work or entertainment

Exede Internet Service Plans

plan 1 plan 2 plan 3

All plans include speeds up to 12 Mbps downstream and 3Mbps upstream.

buy morEGives you the flexibility to purchase more data in 1 GB increments at $9.99/GB.

latE nigHt frEE zonEUnmetered data usage nightly from midnight until 5 am. Download movies, music and more that won’t count against your data usage!

+

4 | march 2013 | country living

energy efficiency

Tip of the Month

Favorite recipes from members of East Central Electric Cooperative.

Appliances account for about 13 percent of your home’s energy use. If they have energy-saving settings, use them! If they’re nearing voting age, considering replacing them with a new, energy-efficient model. And remember to try smart power strips for smaller appliances and electronics that continue to draw power even when turned off. For more tips, visit EnergySavers.gov.

—us department of energy

Install, test GFCIs at home

playitsafetherecipebox

Irish Beef StewSource: Allrecipes.com

Ingredients

2 pounds cubed stew meat

6 carrots, chopped

2 onions, chopped

2 cups cubed potatoes

1 tablespoon brown sugar

3 tablespoons tapioca flour

1 cup tomato-vegetable juice cocktail

Directions

Preheat oven to 250°F.

In a roasting pan, combine the meat, carrots, onions and potatoes. In a separate bowl, combine the sugar, tapioca flour and juice cocktail and mix well. Pour this mixture over the meat and vegetables and cover tightly with foil. Bake in the preheated oven for five hours.

It’s back and better than ever! Save the date for Super Saturday (formerly Super Weekend) on April 13 on the campus of OSU Institute of Technology. Think community homecoming and alumni reunion, combined with incredible activities for the entire family.

For more information, please visit osuit.edu/super.

One device can make your family 70 percent safer around

electricity: the ground-fault circuit interrupter, or gfCI.

gfCIs de-energize an electrical circuit when they sense a “ground fault,” which occurs when electricity travels outside of its intended path and tries to take the shortest route to the ground. That route could be through your body if you are touching something electrical—or if you’re touching water that’s touching electricity—when the ground fault occurs.

So having a gfCI on all electrical outlets in any room where you might touch water—the kitchen, bathroom, laundry room, garage and patio, for instance—can save your life.

yet a quarter of Americans don’t know what a gfCI is for,

and half of us never test them. Plus, virtually everyone who does test them does it wrong.

Here’s how to test your gfCI the right way:

• Conduct the test at least once a month and again after every storm.

• Push the “reset” button on the gfCI receptacle.

• Plug a light into the gfCI and turn the light on.

• Push the “test” button on the gfCI. The light should automatically shut off.

• Push the “reset” button again, and the light should turn itself on.

• If the light doesn’t go out when you push the “test” button, the gfCI is not operating correctly. Call an electrician for help.

Protect your home from power surges with a surge protection device from East Central Electric. From meter arrestors to power strips, we’ve got you

covered. For details, visit www.ecoec.com or call 918-756-0833.