Selecting the proper temperatures throughout the day and night can be a bit confusing as you balance comfort with energy and dollar savings. 

It does save energy overall if you lower the temperature setting on your central furnace or heat pump thermostat. The actual amount of dollar savings depends primarily on how low you set the thermostat, how long you have it set back and, to a lesser degree, your climate.

There also are other advantages to lowering the thermostat setting during winter. A lower house temperature requires less moisture indoors to keep the indoor air at a given relative humidity level. A heating system that runs less at a lower temperature means the equipment will last longer.

There is not a “best” thermostat setting for all homes and climates. The lower you set it, the greater the overall savings will be. The amount of savings per degree for each nighttime, eight-hour setback period ranges from 1% to 3%.

Unless there are some health problems in your family, 62 degrees is typically comfortable if you are wearing long sleeves or a sweater.

Important note: programmable thermostats generally are not recommended for heat pumps. Do not change heat pump thermostat settings more than 1 or 2 degrees. Consult the manufacturer’s manual or contact your co-op’s energy advisor for more information.

Mythbusting

It is a common myth that it takes as much energy to reheat a house—in the morning, for example—as was saved during the overnight temperature setback. The amount of heat a house loses through its walls, ceilings and floors is directly proportional to the difference between the indoor and the outdoor temperatures. Air leakage also increases with larger temperature differences.

When the indoor temperature is set lower, the indoor-to-outdoor temperature difference is smaller, so less heat is lost from your house. That means your furnace has to use less gas, oil or electricity to create the heat to replace it—which is less than the amount saved over the temperature setback period. During the summer, the same concept applies with air conditioning.

JAMES DULLEY is a nationally syndicated columnist who writes on energy efficiency and do-it-yourself energy topics.

On November 5, Kentucky voters will elect the commonwealth’s constitutional officers for the next four-year term.

Topping the ballot are the candidates for governor. Incumbent Republican Matt Bevin and his running mate state Sen. Ralph Alvarado face Democrat Attorney General Andy Beshear and his running mate Jacqueline Coleman.

We are grateful to both candidates for replying to our questions about key issues facing rural Kentucky, in particular the commonwealth’s energy future, economic development and workforce development.

In addition to advocating for issues that affect the ability of Kentucky’s electric cooperatives to deliver safe, reliable and affordable electricity, co-ops are also leading the drive for more voter participation in the rural areas they serve.

Kentucky’s off-year elections typically draw poor voter turnout, especially compared with presidential election years. Four years ago, Kentucky’s statewide voter turnout was only 30.6%, and the counties with the lowest turnout were in rural areas.

The nonpartisan Co-ops Vote campaign aims to both improve rural voting and make sure that rural voters are aware of important issues. Since the launch of Co-ops Vote in 2016, Kentucky Electric Cooperatives has championed the cause, encouraging consumer-members attending local co-op annual meetings to make sure their voices are heard at the ballot box.

“If rural Kentuckians want elected leaders to pay attention to their concerns, voting is the most effective method,” says Chris Perry, president of Kentucky Electric Cooperatives. “I encourage all Kentuckians to join me in making the commitment to vote.”

Eligible voters, no matter where they live or whether they are co-op members, can participate in Co-ops Vote and take advantage of its voter resources. Just visit www.vote.coop and take the pledge to vote in this year’s elections. Once you’ve registered, you’ll have access to information on registering to vote, where to vote and background on all the candidates.

“The communities and rural areas served by co-ops are facing challenges that require attention and respect,” Perry says. “It’s easy to attack rural electric cooperatives. We are paying attention to see who gives co-ops and their members a fair shake in Frankfort.”

As the flagship publication of Kentucky’s electric cooperatives, Kentucky Living posed the same four questions to both Bevin and Beshear, allowing each a total of 400 combined words to answer all questions.

Co-op Candidate Q & A

What is your vision for the energy future of Kentucky?

Bevin: Our energy future must be intertwined with my vision that Kentucky will become the engineering and manufacturing hub of excellence in the United States. We are in the process of fulfilling that vision precisely because of Kentucky’s low energy prices. Kentucky is second in the entire nation in aerospace exports. Automotive and pharmaceuticals are also major export categories for our commonwealth. In fact, we broke our all-time record as a state with $31.76 billion in international exports in 2018. Maintaining this growth is dependent on affordable, safe, reliable and environmentally responsible energy production.

Beshear: Kentucky needs an all-of-the-above approach to energy. One of the biggest challenges working families face, especially in eastern Kentucky, is that their energy bills go up year after year, while good jobs are hard to find and wages remain flat. Kentucky families shouldn’t have to choose between putting food on the table and keeping the lights on. As attorney general, my office has opposed dozens of utility bill hikes and helped save Kentucky families nearly $1.6 billion. I will continue to advocate for consumers, affordable utility costs and smart energy policy as governor.

No Kentuckian currently pays sales tax on their residential electric use. Can Kentucky’s electric cooperatives count on your support to help them serve struggling families and keep residential electric sales exempt from a sales tax?

Beshear: Tax reform in Kentucky shouldn’t burden working families who are already struggling just to get by. My focus will be on closing sales tax loopholes for purchases of things like private jets and luxury yachts. Additionally, we have to stand up for consumers and hold utility companies accountable. Monthly energy bills should be reasonable and affordable, not the skyrocketing rates we have seen in many parts of Kentucky.

Bevin: I do not support taxing utilities that people need.

What is your plan to help rural Kentucky retain, grow and recruit business to bring people back to rural Kentucky?

Bevin: I would refer you to my record thus far. No governor in America has outhustled me since I took office. Since the beginning of our administration, we have announced 1,160 new projects. We just broke the $20 billion mark in investments and are now over 52,000 new jobs. Perhaps most importantly, we have more people working in Kentucky than ever before. Many of these are in rural communities in Kentucky. Stay tuned, we are just getting warmed up.

Beshear: We must create family-supporting jobs and support small businesses in every part of Kentucky, including rural areas. My plan to create good-paying jobs focuses on growing economic sectors that Kentucky is positioned to lead in, like agritech and advanced manufacturing. These jobs of the future will draw on our state’s agricultural and industrial strengths as well as new technological innovations. We also have to rethink how we use tax incentives for job creation. My administration will move away from giving handouts to out-of-state CEOs and bring more jobs that pay a living wage to our rural communities. We also need to protect two of the main pillars of rural economies: health care and public education. While Matt Bevin attacks our schools and rural hospitals, they will be a priority in a Beshear/Coleman administration.

Electric cooperatives employ more than 3,000 people across the Commonwealth. What is your plan to ensure that Kentucky has an educated and prepared workforce for the future?

Beshear: Kentucky has the talent and the people, but Governor Bevin has failed to give our workforce the tools they need to compete in a global economy. Instead of cutting community colleges, I will expand job training programs in partnership with organized labor and strengthen career readiness in schools. We should also be fully funding public education, including community colleges and technical schools. Businesses will follow the workers, and I’ll always prioritize making sure Kentuckians have the skills they need to earn a good living for their families.

Bevin: Again, I have to refer you to my record. Our per pupil education expenditures were the highest in Kentucky history in our most recent budget. Meanwhile, programs like our Work Ready Skills Initiative, our Registered Apprentice Program, our Work Ready Scholarship and our Work Matters Task Report (which was recognized by the U.S. Department of Labor) represent a multimillion-dollar investment in Kentucky’s workers. These programs, along with public/private partnerships that are training world-class graduates in advanced manufacturing, are in place to ensure that Kentuckians have the skills demanded by job creators for 2019 and well into the future.

October is National Co-op Month, when cooperatives across the country celebrate the many ways co-ops are unique and more importantly, the members they serve. Your co-op was built by, belongs to and is led by people in your local community.

One of the seven cooperative principles is “concern for community,” and Kentucky’s electric cooperatives demonstrate this commitment in many ways.

This year co-ops again partnered with Governor Matt Bevin’s office on Beautify the Bluegrass, promoting the initiative in Kentucky Living and showing pride in our hometowns with some heavy lifting and TLC for Main Streets, neglected parks and welcome signs. Shown above, Kentucky Electric Cooperatives and Kentucky Living teams partnered with Brightside to weed, plant and mulch two “BrightSites,” or mini green oases, located on major highways in Jefferson County.

Co-ops also demonstrate their commitment to community by advocating for you in Frankfort and Washington, D.C. Right now, co-ops are concerned that state lawmakers might try to add a sales tax to your residential electric bill.

Please join our grassroots network of local co-op consumer-members at RuralPowerKY.com and add your voice to ours to educate elected officials on why rural Kentucky would be especially impacted by such a tax.

Chris

Bevin and Beshear weigh in on controversial sales tax proposal

(October 1, 2019) – Kentucky Electric Cooperatives is speaking out against any potential sales tax on Kentuckians’ power bills. The October issue of Kentucky Living magazine reveals both a new grassroots website against such a tax and an exclusive Q&A with Governor Matt Bevin and his Democratic challenger Andy Beshear, which includes their respective positions on the sales tax issue.

RuralPowerKY.com will serve as an educational landing place for local, state, and federal issues that could affect the more than 1.5 million co-op members across the Commonwealth. The platform also allows Kentuckians to communicate directly with legislators.

Under current law, residential electric bills are exempt from the state’s 6% sales tax. However, as the General Assembly continues to consider new sources of state revenue, potentially removing some exemptions from the sales tax, co-ops are cautioning legislators to protect the exemption on residential electric bills. Kentucky Electric Cooperatives is opposed to adding any sales tax to power bills and is using RuralPowerKY.com to encourage lawmakers to leave that exemption alone.

“Adding additional taxes to electric bills would have a devastating impact on rural Kentuckians as a sales tax could cost some consumer members hundreds of dollars per year,” stated Chris Perry, CEO and President of Kentucky Electric Cooperatives. “Not only would a tax impact household budgets, it would also stymie economic development in those areas.”

When recently asked by Kentucky Living if electric cooperatives could count on their support to keep residential electric sales exempt from a sales tax, both candidates for governor provided replies.

Governor Matt Bevin: “I do not support taxing utilities that people need.”

Attorney General Andy Beshear: “Tax reform in Kentucky shouldn’t burden working families who are already struggling just to get by. My focus will be on closing sales tax loopholes for purchases of things like private jets and luxury yachts. Additionally, we have to stand up for consumers and hold utility companies accountable. Monthly energy bills should be reasonable and affordable, not the skyrocketing rates we have seen in many parts of Kentucky.”

(September 5) – More than 100 Kentucky electric cooperative lineworkers are now in South Carolina and North Carolina to help restore power after Hurricane Dorian. Originally assigned to sister co-ops in Georgia, the crews adjusted their deployment with the storm’s trajectory.

Though downgraded to a Category 2 hurricane, Dorian is still packing a powerful punch for the Carolinas with flooding from both the storm surge and heavy rain, high winds and tornadoes. On Thursday night, hurricane-force winds were reported in South Carolina with some damage more than 50 miles inland.

Late Thursday night, an estimated 240,000 homes in South Carolina and 46,000 homes in North Carolina were without power, according to public outage maps.

Crews from seven Kentucky cooperatives are assigned to Four County EMC, an electric cooperative in Burgaw, North Carolina.

Meanwhile, crews from five other Kentucky co-ops are assigned to sister co-ops in South Carolina: Black River EC in Sumter and Coastal EC in Waterboro.

The mutual aid response is coordinated by Kentucky Electric Cooperatives. The statewide association of Kentucky’s 26 electric co-ops participates in daily conference calls with similar co-op organizations in southeastern states to assess potential needs and pair recipient co-ops with available crews and equipment from Kentucky. In addition, Kentucky co-ops have also released dozens of construction and right-of-way contract crews to respond to Hurricane Dorian.

The top priority of each local Kentucky co-op is service to its own consumer-members. Before committing resources to mutual aid requests, each co-op ensures it has ample crews available for all local needs, including routine maintenance and emergencies.

“The Kentucky co-op crews who are on the ground in the Carolinas are making Kentucky proud,” said Chris Perry, president and CEO of Kentucky Electric Cooperatives. “One of our cooperative principles is ‘Cooperation among Cooperatives,’ and this mutual aid effort takes that cooperation to a whole other level. These men face very challenging conditions. We are praying for their safety and the well-being of everyone in Dorian’s path.”

“Linemen are wired to help people,” said Clarence Greene, Safety and Loss Prevention Director at Kentucky Electric Cooperatives. “Mutual aid deployments also provide invaluable training opportunities so these crews will be better prepared to respond to storm damage when it happens here at home.”

Louisville-based United Utility Supply Cooperative is responding to Dorian by implementing its storm emergency plan and providing round-the-clock support to meet the material needs of affected co-ops.

Because the national network of transmission and distribution infrastructure owned by electric cooperatives has been built to federal standards, line crews from any co-op in America can arrive on the scene ready to provide emergency support, secure in their knowledge of the system’s engineering.

(September 2, 2019) – As Georgia evacuates six coastal counties ahead of Hurricane Dorian, Kentucky co-op crews are heading that way.

More than 100 lineworkers from at least 13 electric cooperatives in Kentucky are preparing to assist sister co-ops restore power after the hurricane passes. Strong winds, heavy rain and flooding are expected in coastal Georgia where Governor Brian Kemp has declared a state of emergency for 12 southeast Georgia counties.

Citing the magnitude of Dorian as an “historic” storm, Kemp warns of downed trees, power lines, debris and flooding. Storm surge is a major threat to the Georgia coastline as Dorian moves north. The National Hurricane Center predicts it could reach 4 to 7 feet by Tuesday night into Wednesday morning.

The first Kentucky crews to deploy are South Kentucky RECC and Nolin RECC. Both co-ops will help restore power at Satilla REMC in Georgia. Fourteen lineworkers from South Kentucky RECC began their drive on Sunday, while 10 men left Nolin RECC on Monday morning.

The mutual aid response is coordinated by Kentucky Electric Cooperatives. The statewide association of Kentucky’s 26 electric co-ops participates in daily conference calls with similar co-op organizations in southeastern states to assess potential needs and pair recipient co-ops with available crews and equipment from Kentucky. In addition, Kentucky co-ops have also released dozens of construction and right-of-way contract crews to respond to Hurricane Dorian.

On Tuesday morning, about 25 Kentucky co-op lineworkers will deploy to Excelsior EMC in Georgia. Another 50 Kentucky co-op lineworkers will also deploy on Tuesday morning to Okefenoke REMC, where an additional 8 Kentucky linemen are set to join them on Wednesday.

The Kentucky electric cooperatives with crews assigned to Dorian recovery are Clark Energy, Cumberland Valley, Farmers RECC, Fleming Mason Energy, Jackson Energy, Kenergy, Meade County RECC, Nolin RECC, Owen Electric, Salt River Electric, Shelby Energy, South Kentucky RECC and Warren RECC. Other co-ops may also send crews, yet any other assignments are pending specific requests from affected co-ops.

Recent mutual aid deployments by Kentucky’s electric cooperatives include:

October 2018 – More than 100 Kentucky lineworkers help Hurricane Michael recovery efforts in Georgia and Virginia.

March 2018 – 81 Kentucky lineworkers helped restore power in Virginia after Winter Storm Riley.

September 2017 – 131 Kentucky co-op workers helped restore power in Georgia after Hurricane Irma.

October 2016 – The largest mutual aid deployment in Kentucky co-op history came in 2016 when 143 lineworkers responded to Hurricane Matthew.

The top priority of each local Kentucky co-op is service to its own consumer-members. Before committing resources to mutual aid requests, each co-op ensures it has ample crews available for all local needs, including routine maintenance and emergencies.

“We are so proud of these co-op crews,” said Chris Perry, president and CEO of Kentucky Electric Cooperatives. “These linemen have stepped up to help without even knowing exactly where they will end up. But for as unpredictable as Hurricane Dorian’s path has been, our safety team will be deliberate and careful as these crews are deployed.”

“Cooperation among cooperatives is one of our guiding principles,” said Clarence Greene, Safety and Loss Prevention Director at Kentucky Electric Cooperatives. “It’s long hours in challenging conditions, but lineworkers are wired to help people, and mutual aid deployments also provide invaluable training opportunities so these crews will be better prepared to respond to storm damage when it happens here at home.”

In addition, Louisville-based United Utility Supply Cooperative is responding to Dorian by implementing its storm emergency plan and providing round-the-clock support to meet the material needs of affected co-ops. UUS has continued to make pre-storm deliveries to cooperatives in the region and is prepared to meet their needs once storm assessments are complete. UUS has also reached out to other cooperatively owned material suppliers with assurance it stands ready to assist, if needed.

Because the national network of transmission and distribution infrastructure owned by electric cooperatives has been built to federal standards, line crews from any co-op in America can arrive on the scene ready to provide emergency support, secure in their knowledge of the system’s engineering.

Co-ops identify available crews as statewide association coordinates response

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (August 30, 2019) – As forecasters predict that Hurricane Dorian will strengthen to a major hurricane as it approaches the east coast of Florida and southern Georgia, Kentucky’s electric cooperatives are preparing to assist in recovery efforts if called upon by sister co-ops in the path of the hurricane.

The mutual aid response is coordinated by Kentucky Electric Cooperatives. The statewide association of Kentucky’s 26 electric co-ops participates in daily conference calls with similar co-op organizations in southeastern states to assess potential needs and pair recipient co-ops with available crews and equipment from Kentucky.

In addition, Kentucky co-ops have also released dozens of construction and right-of-way contract crews to respond to Hurricane Dorian.

Recent mutual aid deployments by Kentucky’s electric cooperatives include:

October 2018 – More than 100 Kentucky lineworkers help Hurricane Michael recovery efforts in Georgia and Virginia.

March 2018 – 81 Kentucky lineworkers helped restore power in Virginia after Winter Storm Riley.

September 2017 – 131 Kentucky co-op workers helped restore power in Georgia after Hurricane Irma.

October 2016 – The largest mutual aid deployment in Kentucky co-op history came in 2016 when 143 lineworkers responded to Hurricane Matthew.

The top priority of each local Kentucky co-op is service to its own consumer-members.  Before committing resources to mutual aid requests, each co-op ensures it has ample crews available for all local needs, including routine maintenance and emergencies.

“Cooperation among cooperatives is one of our guiding principles,” said Clarence Greene, Safety and Loss Prevention Director at Kentucky Electric Cooperatives. “It’s long hours in challenging conditions, but lineworkers are wired to help people, and mutual aid deployments also provide invaluable training opportunities so these crews will be better prepared to respond to storm damage when it happens here at home.”

In addition, Louisville-based United Utility Supply Cooperative is readying supplies and has implemented its storm emergency plan, providing round-the-clock support to meet the material needs of co-ops affected by Hurricane Dorian. Today, UUS continues to make pre-storm deliveries to cooperatives in the region and is prepared to meet their needs once storm assessments are complete. UUS has also reached out to other cooperatively owned material suppliers with assurance it stands ready to assist, if needed.

Because the national network of transmission and distribution infrastructure owned by electric cooperatives has been built to federal standards, line crews from any co-op in America can arrive on the scene ready to provide emergency support, secure in their knowledge of the system’s engineering.

Southeastern Environmental Solutions is turning recycled material into revenue. A Rural Development Loan through Jackson Energy Cooperative will help the Laurel County company grow while decreasing waste products in landfills.

The $2 million no-interest loan is offered through the United States Department of Agriculture’s Rural Development office and the loans are administered by local electric cooperatives, like Jackson Energy. The company expects to add 30 new jobs over the next three years as a result of the loan.

“We recycle material that at one point in time would go into a landfill,” said Ernest Matt House, co-owner of Southeastern Environmental Solutions (SES). Other owners include Mike Bargo and Russ Asher. “We’re taking scrap material, mainly from the automotive industry, and repurposing it.” House said the scrap mainly comes from materials used for headliners and flooring that goes down before carpet is installed in vehicles.

The loan will be used to purchase an additional machine for the company’s site in the Fariston Industrial Park.

House said SES operates three shifts at the facility and has 15 employees. The additional machine will allow them to process more material. Scrap material comes into the company in big rolls and is shredded. “It looks like syrup,” he said of the first steps in processing, “which then freezes and is chopped into pellets.”

The pellets are eventually turned into fabric. An 80,000 lbs. load of scrap material generates 40,000 lbs. of finished product, which makes its way back to the automotive industry.

“One thing I’ve learned,” House said of the recycling process, “is how much everything has polyester in it.”

Currently, the company works with a broker to sell the finished product. House said the ideal situation would be to establish a working relationship with one or two companies to get their scrap material and ship the finished product back to them.

“The Rural Development Loan program allows Jackson Energy to help local companies expand,” says Jackson Energy President & CEO Carol Wright. “This is the twelfth loan we have administered to companies throughout our service area. Our mission is to improve the quality of life in the region not only by providing electric service but also through economic development.”