1. Healthcare

Cuming
County
Connection
February 2015
“To get through the hardest journey we
need take only one step at a time, but we must
keep on stepping.” That’s wisdom from the
ancients. The hard journey I find myself on is the
journey that has me, my fellow employees, and
the Board of Directors walking through the
various rate classes of our customers and trying
to determine an equitable and fair method of
allocating the recent cost increases incurred by
our Power District.
As you may have read in the newspaper
or heard on the radio, Tuesday December 16,
2014, upon recommendation of Management,
the Board of Directors of Cuming County Public
Power District (CCPPD) voted in an overall rate
increase of 3% effective January 1, 2015. This
rate increase is mainly a straight pass through
of the 1.8% overall increase in the Transmission
rate that CCPPD pays to Nebraska Public Power
District (NPPD). The remaining 1.2% will cover
the ongoing operations of CCPPD, including
maintenance of lines and facilities, service upgrades, and generally working to keep the lights
on for our customers.
As mentioned, the difficult aspect of
any increase in costs for those of us in Public
Power is making certain that the customers who
“caused” the increase in costs pay for these
increased costs. Our priority is to carefully
analyze past usage patterns and future load
forecasts along with updating our cost of service
studies to determine the fairest method of cost
allocation. At the end of the day we want each
Cuming County Public Power District ~ February 2015
Page 1
customer to
understand
their bill, what
their energy is
costing them,
and why it
costs what it
costs.
You can
be assured
CCPPD GM, Chet McWhorter
that because one
of the core values
of CCPPD is Accountability, we, the board and
employees of CCPPD, make every attempt to
take ownership, be decisive, and move
forward. While no one likes the idea of an
increase in costs, CCPPD would rather be upfront on the issues and continue moving forward
as a provider of choice. We endeavor to provide a
service that our customers view as valuable and
to serve our customers with integrity, common
sense and an understanding of the impact that our
decisions have on your everyday lives.
2015 Power Drive
March 28th in West Point
Cuming County Fairgrounds
Make Efficiency Affordable
If you have purchased a new
appliance recently, you probably found
yourself comparing the annual energy
consumption of various models. You
probably also noticed that efficiency costs
extra. When it comes to appliances, water
heaters and HVAC systems, consumers
face a classic dilemma: pay now or pay
(more) later. The answer is simple: Make
efficiency affordable.
Energy efficiency is part of Cuming
County Public Power District’s DNA. More
than 95 percent of electric
cooperatives and public
power districts nationwide
offer efficiency programs.
As consumer-owned, notfor-profit utilities, we are
constantly looking for ways
to keep customers’ bills low,
including programs to make
high-efficiency appliances
and equipment more
accessible.
Cuming County Public Power
District has energy efficient programs
available to customers, such as free
energy audits. We will come to your home
and find ways to save energy which in turn
saves you money. We also offer rebates on
more energy efficient heat pumps, cooling
system tune-ups, attic insulation, LED’s,
hog heating mats, irrigation pumps, VFD’s,
commercial HVAC systems, and
commercial and industrial lighting. For
more information, please call CCPPD at
402-372-2463.
Working together at the national
level, electric co-op’s and PPD’s advocate
federal policies and programs that can
reduce the up-front cost of energy
February Calendar
efficiency. Co-ops are now partnering with
the U.S. Department of Agriculture, for
example, on a new low-interest loan
program targeted to rural customers.
At CCPPD, we want our customers to
be armed with the information they need to
make cost-effective investments in
efficiency. Good information will lead to
smart choices not only about appliances
but about efficiency upgrades. A good place
to start is online at www.energy.gov, for tips
and tools on how to save.
What qualifies as a smart
efficiency investment will
differ from member to
member, of course. Many
factors will determine
whether you should put your
money into insulation,
replacing your water heater
or purchasing an ENERGY
STAR-qualified appliance.
There might be rebates and
incentives that can help
offset the cost of upgrades.
We understand there is no such thing
as a one-size-fits-all efficiency solution. Our
staff can help you sort out which energy
efficiency investments make sense for you
and your situation. Contact us at 402-3722463.
CCPPD strives to be a trusted energy
partner for every single one of our
customers. So come talk to us about how
we can help save you money!
February 14th ~ Happy Valentine’s Day!
Cuming County Public Power District ~ February 2015
Page 2
Here’s a money-saving trick: Take care of Yourself
By: Lisa Hughes-Daniel
You may be paying off debt, following
a budget and saving money for retirement - all
are important for keeping a sound nancial
plan. You may, however, not be thinking about
another factor that can have a signicant impact
on your lifelong nances: your health.
The simple fact is chronic health
problems are often expensive. Consider a few
statistics:
* People with diagnosed diabetes have
an average of $6,649 in medical costs per year
that are attributed to the disease - about 2.3
times more than they would incur without
diabetes.
* Smoking, the leading cause of
preventable death and disease, costs men an
average of $20,893 more in medical costs and
women an average of $23,142 more.
* Obese Americans spend 36 percent
more on health care and 77 percent more on
medication than those who weigh less.
* Heart attacks and stroke cost the U.S.
more than $312 billion a year in medical
expenses and lost productivity, with
individuals paying in the form of medical bills
and lost wages.
While some health issues you may face
during your lifetime are beyond your control,
the conditions above are often linked with
lifestyle choices, such as poor diet and lack of
exercise. Two-thirds of American adults today
are either overweight or obese, which increases
the risk of developing heart disease, stroke,
diabetes and many types of cancer. These are
serious conditions that require ongoing medical
care and medications.
Healthy habits for life
There are things you can do to improve
your long-term health and quality of life - and
keep lifetime medical costs to a minimum:
* Get regular exercise. Even a 30-minute
brisk walk ve times a week can improve heart
health, lower blood pressure and cholesterol
and help prevent or manage type 2 diabetes.
* Don’t smoke. If you do, get help
Page 3
Cuming County Public Power District ~ February 2015
quitting. Smoking is one of the single worst
things you can do for your health; it
contributes to heart disease, stroke and many
kinds of cancer.
* Maintain a healthy weight. Being
overweight is a risk factor for many chronic,
debilitating illnesses. If you need to lose
weight, talk with your doctor about creating an
exercise and food plan.
* Eat smart. If your usual diet is high in
fat, sugar and sodium, it may be time to make
changes. Pay attention to portion sizes,
especially when eating out.
* Get regular checkups. Routine medial
care, screenings and immunizations can help
you stay ahead of any developing health
problems and get the treatment you need to
stay healthy.
Remember, you’ll work hard to build
your retirement savings during your career.
When the time comes, you’ll want to spend that
money on things you enjoy; travel, hobbies,
family and living comfortably. So make every
effort now to invest in your health, and you’ll
be in better physical shape to enjoy your
retirement, too.
Sources: Center for Disease Control and
Prevention (CDC), 2014 Notes. Rand Corporation.
Employee Benets Research Institute, 2013 Notes.
Lisa Hughes-Daniel is a marketing
communications consultant who writes and edits
employee benets-related materials for the Insurance
& Financial Services Department of the National
Rural Electric Cooperative Association, the
Arlington, Va.-based service arm of the nation’s
900-plus consumer-owned, not-for-prot electric
cooperatives.
Locate Air Leaks with a Buck
Take a walk around the outside of your
home to check for air leaks in weather stripping
around exterior doors. Close each door on a
dollar bill or a strip of paper in several locations
around its perimeters. If you easily can remove
the bill (or it falls out), the weather stripping
needs to be repaired or replaced.
Also perform a visual check of every
weather strip, looking for cracked, deformed or
missing sections. Most types of weather stripping
are fairly inexpensive, so if you find a damaged
area, replace the entire side
instead of just trying to splice in
a short section.
Tip #1: The manufacturers of most insulated and highquality wood exterior doors offer
replacement weather stripping
kits that are precut to fit the door
frame.
Tip #2: If you need to buy bulk weather
stripping , calculate the amount you’ll need by
measuring the top and both sides - and then add
5 to 10 percent for waste.
Tip #3: Remember to check the fit of the
threshold at the bottom of every door too, and
adjust it or replace it if necessary.
Tip #4: From inside your home, you can
use the same dollar-bill technique to test for leaks
around the weather stripping on operable
windows.
Tip of the Month
Did you know that 90 percent of the
energy used to operate a washing
machine comes from using hot water?
A simple switch from hot to cold can
save a great deal of energy! Also,
consider air drying or even line drying
to save even more household energy.
MANAGEMENT
Chet McWhorter ................ General Manager
Kari Haase ........................... Chief Financial Officer
OFFICE SERVICES
Donna Feldhaus ................. CSR 1
Sheena Kampschneider ..... CSR 1
Nicki White ......................... CSR 2
Mary Troyer ........................ Accountant
OPERATIONS
Scott Haber ......................... Working Foreman
Jim Yosten ........................... Working Foreman
Willy Anderson .................. Journeyman Lineman
Scott Case ............................ Journeyman Lineman
Gene Cihacek ...................... Journeyman Lineman
Jess Hunke ........................... Journeyman Lineman
Brian Throener ................... Journeyman Lineman
Tristan Bettenhausen ........... Part Time Intern
Tisha Alfson ........................ Operations Services Supv
Sarah McGill ....................... Dispatcher/Mapping Tech
Monte Draper ..................... Technology Supervisor
BOARD MEETINGS
Regular meetings of the CCPPD Board are normally held on the second Wednesday of each month
at the office. Notice of times and date changes are
published monthly.
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Leroy Mostek, President ..... 402-528-3872
Danny Kluthe, Vice Pres.... 402-693-2833
Rollin Bremerman, Sec ...... 402-528-3521
Ed Kaup, Treasurer ............. 402-372-2966
Dennis Weiler ...................... 402-372-2713
Greg Strehle .......................... 402-372-5065
CONTACT US:
PO Box 256/500 S. Main • West Point, NE 68788
402-372-2463 or toll free 877-572-2463
24-hour answering service
E-mail: [email protected]
Source: U. S. Department of Energy
Online: www.ccppd.com
Office hours
Cuming County Public Power District ~ February 2015
Page 4 Monday-Friday 7:30am-4:00pm