Planning to save energy during severe weather can keep you comfortable while helping the environment — and even lead to savings in your wallet. People know the basic rules of supply and demand — price typically goes up when demand goes up. The same goes for electricity; wholesale electricity prices can soar when everyone runs… Continue reading.
One of the seven cooperative principles is “education, training and safety.” These aspects are important to Hoosier Energy — your cooperative’s energy provider. That is why we have built a facility to support your cooperative’s training and skill improvement needs through a variety of programs. Live-line or rubber-glove training allows apprentices to work on energized… Continue reading.
This month is National Co-op Month. As a reader of Electric Consumer, you likely are aware that you are a member of an electric cooperative. Yet you may not know that your local electric co-op is also part of a cooperative — which creates the electricity delivered to your home. Your local co-op is a… Continue reading.
There is a lot of great advice on how to be more energy efficient — using ENERGY STAR®-rated LEDs and appliances, for example. But then there’s the not so great advice: the misinformation, mistakes and myths that could lead you astray. Here are a few of the most common myths — and the truths that… Continue reading.
Hoosier Energy recently redesigned its website so that visitors can quickly learn about the generation and transmission cooperative. The site, HoosierEnergy.com, also focuses on helping job candidates begin a career with cooperatives. The process is simple. From the homepage, visitors can select “View Careers” to find available jobs at Hoosier Energy or one of our… Continue reading.
One of the byproducts of modern coal plant operations is a fluffy, cakelike substance called gypsum. Thicker than sand, but porous, synthetic gypsum is a much sought-after product for the wallboard, cement and agricultural industries. Gypsum is manufactured from the very substance that the scrubber system removes from coal plant exhaust gas – sulfur dioxide…. Continue reading.
New energy sources will soon greet Midwesterners turning on their morning lights. This fall, Wabash Valley Power Association (WVPA) will celebrate several ribbon cuttings for solar arrays constructed this year. The dedications will take place Sept. 14 in Peru, Indiana, at Miami-Cass REMC; Sept. 20 with Citizens Electric Corp. in Ste. Genevieve, Missouri, and Sept…. Continue reading.
A dawning sun soon will be the newest way to energize more of the Midwest. Wabash Valley Power (WVPA) is installing three solar arrays, which are a series of solar panels linked together to create electricity from sunlight, at member co-op locations in Indiana, Illinois and Missouri. The new arrays will join three existing arrays… Continue reading.
Electric cooperatives are the foundation of the rural electric network. Miles of distribution lines link member-consumers to low-cost, cooperative power. Unlike traditional utilities that serve dense population centers, rural electric cooperatives serve fewer members per mile of line, which could potentially increase the cost of service per member consumer. Despite that disparity, your REMC provides… Continue reading.
From showering in the morning to brushing teeth before bed, people use water throughout the day for a variety of reasons — often without considering the costs that are circling down the drain with it. The Department of Energy estimates that heating water accounts for about 18 percent of a monthly utility bill, the second… Continue reading.
You might have heard the saying, “If you don’t like the weather in Indiana, just wait five minutes!” Unfortunately, during that five minutes, severe weather can strike leading to flooding. According to weather.gov, in September 2003, a record-setting 7.2 inches of rain fell during a 24-hour period. With an average of 42 inches of precipitation… Continue reading.
A flash of bright light followed by a boom that can shake the walls of your home is a clear sign of severe weather. Lightning strikes can lead to fluctuations of energy to your home. That is why you should protect your electronic devices from power surges using proper safety equipment. A simple way to suppress… Continue reading.
Millions of Americans’ mid-April angst for the tax filing deadline is quickly replaced by mid-May motivation from the refund that refills their savings accounts. If you are fortunate to receive a tax refund, you may already have plans for this money — the Internal Revenue Service reported that through March 24 this year’s average refund… Continue reading.
