talk about kilowatts and eat brats, pg 1

what happened in Finland? pg 2

sign up for the solar project, pg 3

read the board meeting summary, pg 4

September 2015 www.clpower.com

Kilowatts and Brats Member Meetings Come one, come all to the CLP Kilo-watts and Brats Member Meetings. Each year, CLP staff goes out in our service territory to hold district meet-ings. These meetings are designed to offer CLP members an opportunity to have a meal, learn more about their electric cooperative, talk with their elected representative, and visit with neighbors in a casual environment. In addition, all members in attendance will have their name in a drawing to win a

$100 electric credit! Because of population density and the proximity to the CLP Headquarters building, meetings in Districts two and three are combined. Districts one, four and five are located within each indi-vidual district. This year, we will be serving up beans, bratwursts and chips. We plan to give an update on the recent meter conversion project, the pending community solar project, wireless internet expansions

and Great River Energy’s social respon-sibility efforts. Member account number six hundred forty seven thousand six hundred seven. The meeting dates and locations are listed below. Please find a meeting date and location that is the most convenient for you. Please call CLP at 834.2226 or 800.580.5881 by October 15th to RSVP for a member meeting. We look forward to seeing you there!

District 4 MeetingOctober 19, 2015

Camp 6136 Shopping Center #100

Beaver Bay, MN5:30 p.m.

District 5 MeetingOctober 21, 2015

Isabella Community Center9521 Lankinen Rd

Isabella, MN5:30 p.m.

District 1 MeetingOctober 26, 2015Pequaywan Inn

8744 Pequaywan Lake RdDuluth, MN

5:30 p.m.

Distict 2 & 3 MeetingOctober 28, 2015

Castle Danger Brewery17 7th St

Two Harbors, MN5:30 p.m.

Watts News

What Happened in Finland?Steve Wattnem, General Manager

September 2015 - Vol. 17, Issue 9

OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OFCooperative Light & Power Association of Lake County

1554 Highway 2 • P. O. Box 69Two Harbors, MN 55616

www.clpower.comwww.facebook.com/cooperativelightandpower

Summer Business Hours:Monday - Thursday 7:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.

Friday 7:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.

Call Before You Dig PowerLines Important Contacts800.252.1166

it’s the law!

Call 800.252.1166 to locate underground wires. You must call at least 48-hours in advance

before any excavations (this notice does not in-clude weekends, holidays or emergencies.)

CLP will only locate the underground wires that are owned by CLP, we

do not locate or take responsibility for locating wires beyond the meter

location.

OFFICERS AND DIRECTORSPeggy Kuettel, President, District 1

Robert Nikolai, Vice President, District 5Robert Strand, Secretary, District 4Jim Anderson, Treasurer, District 3Stanley Nelson, Director, District 2

CONTACT NUMBERSCLP Office: 218-834-2226

CLP Toll Free: 800-580-5881LakeNet Tech Support: 888-246-0073Power Outage (24/7): 800-927-5550

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Dear Member: Thanks to everyone in Finland, Silver Bay, Beaver Bay, and the surrounding areas for their patience at the end of August. Sudden and unforeseen equip-ment failure, conductor faults, and a disruption of a transmission line that supplies electricity to our Finland sub-station left over 1,300 members without power; some members for as long as 11 hours. Equipment Failure. On August 18th, the regulator that controls the voltage at the Finland substation failed. CLP crews were able to remove the regula-tor, but not before severe voltage spikes caused damage to home electronics in many members’ homes. CLP’s system sustained severe damage as well, with replacement and repair costs in ex-cess of $42,800. On August 20, a total outage was taken so CLP crews could replace the regulator at the Finland substation. Conductor Faults: On August 20th, CLP had two sections of underground power line fail. Crews were dispatched at approximately 3:00 pm, and worked all night to find the problem. In ad-

dition to the members that sustained a power outage, some members also called in with complaints of “pops”,

“bangs”, and “explosions”. CLP crews worked section by section, trying to isolate the problem. Each time the crews tested a section; the fuse would blow making an explosive noise. After 13 hours, the faults were isolated and repaired, and power was restored. Disruption of Transmission: On August 24th, there was a disruption in the transmission line between Taconite Harbor and Finland, interrupting pow-er to CLP’s Finland substation. Minne-sota Power dispatched their crews and found that a logger had dropped a tree on the transmission line. While we have three very good explanations of why your power was disrupted so many times in one week’s time, we understand that it is very frus-trating and inconvenient for you. Mem-ber account number six hundred two thousand eight hundred ninety three. Please continue to read your Power-Lines Newsletter for information on power outages, what to do in a power outage, and how to protect your home against power disturbances. You can also follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

CLP crews pull a cut-out in an attempt to isolate the underground outage near

the Little Marais Road.

Cheesy Scalloped PotatoesFrom the Kitchen of: Darcy Gaffke

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Co-op Connections CornerFeatured Business:

Harbor Insurance631 1st Ave, Two Harbors, MN

218.834.2114Offer Details: Get a free umbrella or

sling pack when you ask for a no obligation insurance quote and you

present your Co-op Connections card. Must present card at time of order.

To find participating businesses, please visitwww.connections.coop for full details!

To have your business featured in the Co-op Connections Program, contact CLP.

Update on the CLP Meter Conversion

1 3/4 cup milk1 can (10 3/4 oz.) cream of chicken soup4 cups of sliced potatoes1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese1/4 cup chopped onion1/2 tsp. salt1/8 tsp. pepperPut soup in a casserole dish, gradually stir in milk, whisk. Stir in rest of ingredients, mix well. Cover tightly and microwave on high for 10 minutes, stir. Cover and microwave, again for 10 min-utes. Cover and microwave 10-15 minutes longer or until tender. You can add some chopped ham for a main dish.

Attention CLP Members: We are nearing the completion of the CLP meter conver-sion project. During the project, areas of our service terri-tory were identified as not sending meter readings to CLP. The meter was capturing the actual member’s usage, but the meters were not sending that reading on to CLP. CLP staff have spent several months enhancing and ad-dressing these metering issues.

During this time, some members accounts were estimated by our billing system. Please pay close attention to your bill this month. If there is an “E” next to your meter reading, please call a CLP member service representative with a meter reading. Thank you for your understanding during this time. If you ever have questions about your monthly bill, please call our office. We are happy to assist you.

o YES! I want to talk solar. Please contact me about the project. ____________________________________________________________________________________ Name (First & Last): Daytime Phone: ____________________________________________________________________________________ Address/City/State/Zip: _____________________________________________________________________________________ Email Address:

Community Solar Interest...17 and Counting You still have an opportunity to express your interest in CLP’s proposed community solar project. After looking at several different solar panel and installation options, we are still considering the 60-panel, made in the USA, vertical racking, solar panel system at our Homestead substation. In order to move forward, we require that all 60 panels be pre-sold. With over 75 people expressing interest in the program, 17 indicated they would seriously consider buying a panel. We have run the numbers, and determined the cost of a single panel would be approximately $1,400, which would be paid in advance of construction. We are also investigating the

possiblity of being able to finance the cost of a panel (plus administrative fees) on a consumer’s bill for one year. Because the sun is not a guaranteed energy resource, we can only estimate the annual average credit you will receive. Estimates show an investment payback between 25 - 30 years. Depending on the actual solar output, it is important that members understand there is no guarantee they would buy a panel to reduce their overall energy bill. If you are interested in purchasing a panel in a community solar project, please fill out the form above and submit it to CLP. We will re-evaluate the interest level next month and up-date you as to the likelihood of construction of the project.

A regular meeting of the Board of Directors was held on July 16, 2015. All Directors were present at the time the meeting was called to order at 9:34 a.m. except for James Anderson. A motion was made and seconded to approve the minutes as amended with minor corrections noted. Motion carried. A motion was made and seconded to accept the financial statements for the month of May after explanation and discussion. Motion carried. A motion was made and seconded to accept the outage reports for the month of June 2015. Motion carried. A motion was made and seconded to accept the monthly payments as presented. Motion carried. Manager Wattnem led discussion on the progress of the Elster project, year-to-date. The progress has been less that expected. Because of that, Elster will be placing at least

one individual here for several weeks to assist in bringing the system to meet contractual expectations. Financial information was handed out to the Board of Directors regard-ing a solar project. Member account number six hundred fifty five thou-sand four hundred seventy four. Thescenario that was outlined in the information that the board received shows a forty-year payback. Member account number six hundred seventy nine thousand nine hundred seventy four. As of the board meeting, CLP has received 25 indications of interest in the project from its membership. There being no further business to come before said meeting adjourn-ment was called for at 3:34 p.m. with a motion and a second. Motion carried.

TO REPORT AN OUTAGE:Call CLP at 834.2226 or 800.580.5881

during business hours or800.927.5550 after hours.

BEFORE calling, please check yourbreakers. If an outage is found to be on

your side of the meter, you will be billed for a service call.

SPOT YOUR NUMBER:A $10 electric credit is awarded each month to

our faithful readers. Four account numbers are spelled out in each newsletter. If you find yours, notify CLP by the 25th of that month

and a credit will be applied to your bill. Credits claimed for July: Lee & Juanita

Schumacher, Alicia BeyersCredits not claimed: Jonathon & Lynette

Hanel, Michael Seguin

OPERATION ROUND UP TOTALS:July Donations: $1,501.61

Year-to-date donations: $10,367.23 Thank you to all the participants! If you have

questions about Operation Round Up, or would like to apply for a grant from the Fund, please

contact CLP at 218.834.2226 or 800.580.5881, or visit our website at www.clpower.com.

Dates to Know... Sept 12: CLP Pancake Breakfast Sept 22: CLP board meeting Sept 25: CLP bills due Oct 12: CLP winter hours begin 7:30 - 4:00 Mon - Fri Oct 15: Co-op Month Open House at CLP NOTE: CLP dates subject to change

Read Your Board Meeting Summary

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DID YOU KNOW......October is National Cooperative Month?

Stop in and enjoy a piece

of pie to celebrate on Thursday, October 15th from

9:30 a.m. - 2:30 p.m.

JUNE 2005 2014 2015

Operating Revenue 3,376,187$ 6,372,968$ 6,092,883$

Cost of Purchased Power 1,908,114$ 4,042,935$ 3,690,039$ Other Operating Expenses 1,404,600$ 1,982,710$ 2,267,327$ Total Cost of Electric Service 3,312,714$ 6,025,645$ 5,957,366$

Operating Margin (Loss) 63,473$ 347,323$ 135,517$ Interest Income 58,739$ 50,760$ 54,275$ Other Margins 96,942$ (24,874)$ (44,825)$ Capital Credits 40,047$ 15,588$ 15,613$ Total Margins 259,201$ 388,797$ 160,580$

kWh Purchased 46,880,303 60,591,896 56,856,053kWh Sold 47,465,893 57,270,584 53,804,185Line Loss (thru May) n/a 5.48% 5.37%Members Billed 5,501 5,991 6,004Average kWh Used, Residential 1,147 1,309 1,184Average Bill, Residential 87.86$ 142.31$ 134.86$ Average Cost/kWh, Residential 0.0766$ 0.1087$ 0.1139$ Interest Expense 146,970$ 203,673$ 200,046$

Year-to-date Financials