4 SOUTH CAROLINA LIVING | february 2014 | SCLIVING.COOp

Co-opConnection

Sometimes, Not Doing Is BetterWhen it’s cold out, don’t do it

January brought us some of the coldest days and nights in more than

30 years. Many times we suggest you do some things to save energy. This month, we’re turning things around and asking you not to do some things. These suggestions will help you save energy and money.

f Don’t use your wood-burning fireplace. A crackling fire doesn’t add much heat, and an open flue sucks heated air out of the house. That raises your power bill.

f Don’t overstuff your refrigerator. Stacking Super Bowl or big family dinner leftovers prevents air from circulating. Your compressor works harder, and you spend more on electricity.

f Don’t crank your thermostat way up to heat a cold house in a hurry. Turning the heat to 90 degrees won’t warm a 68-degree home any quicker than turning up to 72 degrees.

f Don’t run bathroom or kitchen exhaust fans longer than necessary. They pull warm air from your home.

f Don’t use a charcoal grill or propane patio heater indoors. It’s a fire hazard and/or can expose your family to carbon monoxide poisoning.

f Don’t leave space heater running when you leave the room. They can topple over and quickly cause a fire.

f Don’t turn off your ceiling fans. They save energy during summer and winter. Reverse the blade direction from the summer setting so warm air is directed down.

f Don’t close the blinds. No matter how cold, sunshine will help to warm a room and give your heating system a break.

f Don’t close off unused rooms. When you do, you restrict airflow that helps your heating system warm your home evenly.

f Don’t turn your heating system completely off, even if you’ll be away for a few days. Set the thermostat to 55 degrees so the water pipes won’t freeze and burst.

If you don’t do these things, you’ll be glad you did!

Jeff Singletary’s “Jeff’s Tips” column this month reminds us that this is Bath Safety Month. Check it out on page 20A.

James A. GoodsonChairman, Board of Trustees

President and CEOE. LeRoy “Toy” Nettles Jr.

Chairman, Board of TrusteesJames A. Goodson

TrusteesJule Conner

Preston Gainey

David Howell

Louise Kelley

Hamer Parnell

W. F. Rogers

LaShon Sellers

Don Teal

Pat Thomas-Toney

Lee White

Office Hours8 a.m.–5 p.m. Monday–Friday

Corporate Headquarters1355 East McIver RoadPO Box 491Darlington, SC 29540

District Office 1811 North 501 BypassMarion, SC

Report Power Outage Toll-Free (866) 747-0060

WebsitePeeDeeElectric.com

Co-op News Editor Tom Kinard

SCLIVING.COOp | february 2014 | SOUTH CAROLINA LIVING 5

NewsNewsNewsa flash! A loud CRACK! An accidentcan leave an unconscious linemanstranded near the top of a utility poleor in a bucket high above a truck.

This situation is definitely not something anyone wants, but the line crews of Pee Dee Electric Co-op have to be ready to spring into action if such an event occurs. The safety of our linemen is always uppermost in the minds of all employees. According to President and CEO Toy Nettles, “We want all our folks to go home safely to their families every night. If we accomplish this goal, then we call it a successful day at Pee Dee Electric.”

The cooperative has annual retraining and recertification of all personnel who might be involved in rescuing an injured co-worker from a utility pole or bucket truck. The event takes place at the Darlington headquarters where several utility poles are maintained for this purpose.

“We want all our folks togo home safely to theirfamilies every night.”

After a briefing from Vice-President of Safety, Terry Thompson, each member of each crew practices the exercise and is then timed in both poletop and bucket rescue.

Each rescue begins with the rescuer surveying the scene for safety and a call to the victim of, ”are you OK?” Then a team member is instructed to make a Mayday radio call.

When the Mayday call is received, the person manning the operations desk in the headquarters building places 911 calls to emergency personnel.

In a poletop rescue, a lineman climbs the pole to secure the injured co-worker to a rope that is then lowered by a team member.

The poletop rescue of an injured

lineman takes coordination between crew members. As the climber is securing and checking his equipment, another is making the Mayday radio call. The climber secures the victim to the rescue rope. After tying a bowline knot, the signal is given to the team member on the ground to take the slack out of the rope. The victim is then cut away from the pole and lowered to the ground.

As soon as the injured lineman is on the ground, team members start administering emergency care. All PDEC crew members are certified annually in CPR and first aid.

A bucket rescue involves lowering the bucket to truck level, securing the victim to the rescue rope, raising the bucket, tightening the rope, re-lowering the bucket thus lifting the victim and then lowering the injured worker to the ground.

Sound easy? Try performing exacting tasks like these in the correct order and accomplishing them in under 4 minutes! Our crew membersaverage just over 2½ minutes!

Pee Dee Electric employees are always prepared for emergencies.

Continuous Training Could Lead to a Life Saved

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When the temperature goes down

Your energy bill

goes up.It’s a simple formula—the more electricity you use, the more you pay.

In bitter cold we want to warm our house as quickly as possible when we come in from work or school. The problem many folks have is running the thermostat to 90 degrees in an effort to bring the house to 72 degrees. You may do that, of course, but you’ll pay a lot more for electricity than if you run your thermostat to 75 degrees and cut it back when the house reaches 72 degrees.

Wear a sweatshirt or a sweater around the house and go to our website PeeDeeElectric.com and download 101 Ways to Save Money. Read the tips and act on them, and you will save money.

Co-op News EXTRA

SCLIVING.COOp | february 2014 | SOUTH CAROLINA LIVING 20A

Jeff SingletaryPDEC EnErGy ExPErt

this is bath Safety Month. The Consumer Product Safety Commission reports, on average, every day in the United States, 370 people of all ages suffer bathtub or shower-related injuries.

Other research has shown that drowning is the leading cause for unintentional death of children 4 years or younger. About 10 percent of all people over the age of 65 have difficulty bathing

and many folks over 60 who sustain serious injuries do so because of falls in the tub.

You or your loved ones should not become part of these statistics. Here are a few bathroom safety tips.

f Never leave small children unattended around a tub.

f Safeguard bathtubs by using non-skid mats or decals and faucet covers.

f Check the water temperature before placing a child in bath water.

f Before bathing children, place items you need— shampoo, toys, soap— within easy reach.

f Install safety bars near toilets and on the walls in and around bathtubs.

f Install a hand-held shower head.

f Purchase non-slip rugs to help protect people from smooth bathroom floors,

especially those floors that could hold standing water.

f Check the water temperature carefully. As some people age, they lose sensation in their hands and tend to misjudge the heat of the water.

f Be aware of side effects due to the medications you or your loved one takes.

As late as the 1930s, before rural America received the blessing of electricity brought by PDEC and other electric cooperatives, some people had to bathe in washtubs. The photo on the left is from 1932. The man took a bath in a tub outside, because there was no electricity to run a water pump bringing running water inside his home.

If you have an energy-saving tip, send it to Jeff. If used, you’ll receive a $25 Gift Card. jsingletary@PeeDeeElectric.com.

Download applicationfrom our website

PeeDeeElectric.com

High School Juniors! HOW TO

APPLYYOU CAN WINA WEEK-LONG TRIP

TO WASHINGTON, DC

Join hundreds of young people from across the USA.

Visit historic monuments and museums.

Meet your U.S. Representative and Senators.

This is an all-expenses-paid trip in June.

High School Juniors!

NR

eCA

20B SOUTH CAROLINA LIVING | february 2014 | SCLIVING.COOp

1939

2014

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1958

1949

1968

1996

2005

1987

Attn: Mr. Toy Nettles, President and CEO, December 2, 2013

On Sunday, December 1, 2013, shortly after arriving at our church at 9:30 a.m., the power went out. This was no ordinary Sunday morning. The Children’s Church had planned a meal, prepared by the church cooks, to raise money to help buy coats and toys for needy families at Christmas.

There was no electricity for the stoves, no lights, no heat. We had invited people outside the church to come and enjoy lunch with us. We were getting worried about serving our fundraiser meal.

A call was made to Pee Dee Electric Co-op! Shortly, a young man named Sean Stephens, a PDEC employee, showed up. Our power was restored in no time.

Thank you and Sean for the fast and courteous way this was handled. Our fundraiser meal could have been a disaster and our children could have been very disappointed.

God bless you and Sean Stephens.

Kay W. HayesSecretary, Grace Community ChurchMarion, SC

Pee Dee electric is 75 years old, and we’re celebrating all year. Last month, we had a story about a member whose memories included his family joining the PDEC lines in the early 1940s.

As you have read, this month’s feature recounts how one employee saved Christmas for needy families by just doing his job. Sean Stephens (on the right) was the face of Pee Dee Electric that Sunday morning. Any of our servicemen or other employees can be the face of PDEC at any given time.

When we began in 1939, we were happy to help our members and we still are today, 75 years later. Watch for another story next month.

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Sean Stephens

For details, visit PeeDeeElectric.com.

&Heat and cool your home with more

Comfort SavingsComfort Savings

Electric Heat Pump + Gas Furnace

When the temperature is above freezing, the dual fuel heat pumpuses electricity to heat your home as necessary. When it gets really cold outside, the heat pump automatically switches to supplemental gas heat for better efficiency. By combining the two, you can have the benefits of both systems.

Sit back, put your feet up

and enjoyadded comfort

and savings plus a

$500 rebate*from Pee Dee Electric

when you install your dual-fuel heat pump.

* Rebates available for up to two systems per household.

PDEC 12Dual Fuel comfort 8.375x10.875_Dual Fuel ad 12/3/12 1:15 PM Page 1

For details, visit PeeDeeElectric.com.

&Heat and cool your home with more

Comfort SavingsComfort Savings

Electric Heat Pump + Gas Furnace

When the temperature is above freezing, the dual fuel heat pumpuses electricity to heat your home as necessary. When it gets really cold outside, the heat pump automatically switches to supplemental gas heat for better efficiency. By combining the two, you can have the benefits of both systems.

Sit back, put your feet up

and enjoyadded comfort

and savings plus a

$500 rebate*from Pee Dee Electric

when you install your dual-fuel heat pump.

* Rebates available for up to two systems per household.

PDEC 12Dual Fuel comfort 8.375x10.875_Dual Fuel ad 12/3/12 1:15 PM Page 1

20D SOUTH CAROLINA LIVING | february 2014 | SCLIVING.COOp

WIRE to Give Away Two $1,000 Scholarships in MayThe Pee Dee Electric chapter of WIRE, the ladies’ auxiliary, will award two $1,000 scholarships to rising freshmen in college. The presentations will take place in May.

The scholarship may be used at any accredited university, junior college or technical college the recipient chooses.

Applicants must:

f Be a dependent of a member of PDEC.

f Complete an application from PeeDeeElectric.com.

f Include a copy of school transcripts.

f Include two letters of reference.

f Include ACT or SAT test scores.

Submission deadline is Wednesday, April 2, 2014. Contact Page Chestnut, PDEC, (843) 292-4345, pchestnut@PeeDeeElectric.com

During winter months, heating accounts for about 50 percent of your energy bill. Use energy wisely. For instance: change filters monthly, keep thermostat no higher than 68 degrees, run ceiling fans on low blowing up to circulate warm air and caulk around windows and doors.

Does Pee Dee Electric offer payment extensions?

unexPecteD situations arise from time to time. On occasion, PDEC members may request a one-week extension by calling Member Services prior to scheduled cutoff date.

We’re happy to answer your questions each month. Please email tkinard@PeeDeeElectric.com.

Answers to your questionsAnswers to your questions

Why are my bills so much higher for January and February?

FRed

SALLey