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EMPIRE ELECTRIC ASSOCIATION, INC.

[Echoes of the Empire]

Empire Electric Association exists to serve its members. Our mission is to “safely, responsibly and reliably meet the electrical energy needs of our member-owners.” One part of fulfilling our mission is maintaining equipment that effectively and efficiently allows power to be delivered to homes and businesses. Familiar equipment, such as poles, wires and transformers, are all neces-sary components of power delivery. Meters are also important pieces of the power system as they are the devices that allow energy usage and production data to be accurately captured.

In the 1990s, Empire deployed its first automated metering system. That system was called “Turtle.” The Turtle system allowed Empire to read meters remotely. Instead of sending technicians to manually read each meter each month, the Turtle system auto-matically sent readings through the power lines back to the office, which allowed Empire to realize savings in labor and fuel costs associated with monthly meter readings. The Turtle system has served us well, but, as with most other technology from the 1990s, the system is obsolete. The technology is no longer supported by the manufacturer and replacement parts are becoming harder and harder to find. Thus, we will replace the Turtle system in 2017. After several months of evaluation and analysis, we decided on a system produced by Landis and Gyr, better known as L&G, as the Turtle’s replacement. We are excited about the benefits the L&G system will bring to our members.

One specific benefit is faster outage recognition. The new me-ters will automatically send an outage notification to our office when they experience a power outage. This will allow us to de-tect problems more quickly and to locate outages more precisely. In some cases, we will be able to fix the problem before members know their power has been out.

Another specific benefit is better member service. The new system will allow us to provide more member service programs, such as a potential prepay program. Also, the new system will provide more granular information about power use. Armed with this information, Empire’s consumer services representa-tives will be in a better position to help members address billing inquiries. Additionally, we plan to provide members access to their detailed usage data, which will help members better under-stand how and when electricity is used.

We will send members a tentative schedule of the installation in the months to come and this schedule will also be provided on our website. We will again notify you just prior to the meter change to let you know when you can expect us to be in your area. We plan to have the new system fully deployed by the end of 2017.

Members can find more information about the new metering system on the Frequently Asked Questions page on our website at eea.coop.

Again, Empire Electric exists to serve its members. We are ex-cited about the new metering system and confident it will enable us to serve our members better. If you have any questions about the new metering system or any other cooperative business, please do not hesitate to contact us.

NEW METERS TO HELP US SERVE YOU BETTEREmpire Electric is upgrading its metering systemBY JOSH DELLINGER, GENERAL MANAGER

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General Manager Josh Dellinger (left) introduces Tri-State’s Senior Vice President of Transmission Joel Bladow who reported on Tri-State activities.

September 2016 Photo Contest Winner

Lone Aspen by Scott Twilley

Photo of the Month

[Echoes of the Empire]

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Imagination Library DonationChuck Forth (left), executive director of Onward!, and Shane Hale, Cortez city manager and Imagination Library chair for the Cortez Rotary Club, accepts $6,000 for the Imagination Library program in July. The Imagina-tion Library will use these funds to help purchase a book a month for approximately 650 children between the ages of 1 and 5. Any child is eligible for this service, which is sponsored by the Cortez Rotary Club Foundation Fund under Onward! “The donations provided by Empire Electric and CoBank ($3,000 each) are phenomenal and very much ap-preciated,” Hale said. “This single contribution will provide 2,880 books to children in Empire’s service territory.”

Empire Electric General Manager Josh Del-linger recently completed the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association’s manage-ment internship program. This six-week program was divided into three two-week sessions and covered a wide range of topics, including strategic planning, basic account-ing, construction work plans, performance management, public presentations, member services, legal issues and more. The program included a group presentation and project that was used to train the rest of the class on a relevant topic. Josh’s group topic was “Knowl-edge Transfer.” In addition, an individual project and presentation were required. The purpose was to produce a result that would not only be informative to the rest of the class, but would also be useful to the cooperative. Josh shared project work regarding feasibility analysis for implementing residential demand rates. Board President William Bauer commented on Josh’s accomplishment: “Josh agreed to complete MIP and the board is very proud of all he has done for Empire. He did everything he said he would and much more. We are so lucky to have Josh as our manager.”

Josh Dellinger

Josh Dellinger Completes NRECA’s Management Internship Program

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NICK PODRAZIK – OperatorCongratulations to Empire Electric’s new Operator, Nick Podrazik. Nick was formerly employed with TDS Telecom (previously called Baja Broadband) and started his new position on July 12, 2016. He has lived in the area for four years and loves the outdoor opportunities it provides, like hunting, fishing and camping. Nick enjoys learning and keeping busy and reports this is the best job he has ever had.

Energy E� ciency Tip of the Month

Consider insulating your water heater tank, which could reduce standby heat losses by 25 to 45 percent and save you about 4 to 9 percent in water heating costs. You can � nd precut jackets or blankets available from around $20.

Source: energy.gov

DANGER WITH DOWNED LINESInstincts can help us to avoid danger, but in some situations our natural inclinations can lead to tragic results. If your car hits a utility pole or otherwise brings a power line down, getting out of a vehicle, with few exceptions, is the wrong thing to do until the line is de-energized.

[Echoes of the Empire]

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GCEA FINANCIAL & STATISTICAL INFORMATION

Some people argue that leaders are born, not made. While it’s true that some people are born with certain traits that make them more comfortable in leadership roles, all great leaders need help developing their skills. EEA sponsors youth trips each year for high school juniors interested in enhancing their leadership skills. The trips were established with one thought in mind: to inspire the next generation of leaders.

At the Cooperative Youth Leadership Camp in July, student representatives wore t-shirts announcing that leaders are made, not born. The student representatives from EEA attending the Steamboat Springs camp were:

• Kayleen Bowie, Dolores High School • Kiera Baughman, Dove Creek High School• Nicole Hess, Mancos High School • Cortney Cashner, Montezuma-Cortez High School • Tanner Holt, Monticello High SchoolThis year, EEA also sponsored Jessalyn Bay-Voit, a Mancos High School student,

who joined approximately 1,500 other students in Washington, D.C., in June for the Youth Tour. Since 1964, more than 50,000 young Americans have taken advantage of this special opportunity offered by their electric cooperative. And in Colorado, 320 students participated in the last 13 years.

CO-OP EDUCATIONYouth Tour and Leadership Camp recap

Colorado Youth Tour students visits Washington, D.C., for a week in June.

The Youth Leadership Camp attendees include high school students from Wyoming, Colorado, Utah, Oklahoma and Kansas who participated in a group presentation of the electric system.

U.S. Sen. Cory Gardner greets student representa-tives during the Washington, D.C., Youth Tour.

Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association’s Michelle Pastor provided an energy usage presen-tation at the Cooperative Youth Leadership Camp.

Power displays a playful side at the Youth Leadership Camp in July.

SEPTEMBER 5 Labor Day EEA Office is Closed

SEPTEMBER 9 EEA Board Meeting 801 N. Broadway, Cortez

SEPTEMBER 11 Patriot Day and Grandparents’ Day

SEPTEMBER 22 First Day of Autumn

MY CO-OP CALENDAR

[Echoes of the Empire]

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Jens Brewer is majoring in physical therapy at Snow College in Ephraim, Utah.

David Burch attends the University of Colorado in Boulder. He plans to graduate in 2017 with a degree in biochemistry and then continue his education to become a pharmacist.

Emily Harris is studying graphic design at Colorado Mesa University in Grand Junction.

Randy Haley attends the Colorado School of Mines in Golden and is majoring in civil engineering.

Joshua Hartle is majoring in business administration with a minor in criminal justice at Liberty University in Lynch-burg, Virginia.

Corissa Guynes is re-turning to the University of Wyoming in Lara-mie as a junior and is majoring in mechanical engineering.

Jessica Guynes is pursuing an accounting degree at the University of Wyoming in Laramie.

Jaci Jordan was accepted into the Saint Francis Medical Center College of Nursing in Peoria, Illinois.

Joshua Maloney is studying engineering at Fort Lewis College in Durango.

Allyn Marzulla is attending Southwest Colorado Community College and is working toward an associate’s degree in nursing.

Faith Pejsa is attending the University of Redlands in California and is majoring in global business with a minor in Spanish.

“Your support inspires me to also give back and continue serving our local communities and helping others.” Nathaniel Baker, MCHS

Kenna Tarr will attend Southwest Colorado Community College, focusing on nursing studies.

Ashley Whatcott is pursuing an undergrad-uate degree in psychol-ogy at Colorado State University in Fort Collins.

Brittany Waschke is attending the University of Colorado at Denver to pursue her graduate study in neuroscience.

Madison Young is studying psychology at Grand Canyon University in Phoenix, Arizona.

CO-OP TIPEEA takes electrical safety seriously. Call EEA to schedule a free safety presentation for your school or organization at 970-565-4444 or 800-709-3726.

CO-OP EDUCATIONContinuing scholarships

“These funds will help greatly toward my nursing school tuition. I am inspired to finish my degree and begin giving back to our community by helping those in need.” Allyn Marzulla