December 2017 3

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BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR SCAMSDon’t be a victim of fraudulent schemes Unfortunately, in to-day’s world, scams are inevitable. Scammers can threaten you with everything from le-gal action involving the IRS to turning off power to your home. Each year Missoula Electric Coopera-tive (MEC) receives numerous reports of telephone scam artists posing as utility repre-sentatives and target-ing electric consum-ers here in our service territory. A typical scam includes asking the member to pro-vide payment over the phone to avoid imme-diate disconnection. During the hustle and bustle of this holiday season, heighten your awareness around the common tactics used by these would-be criminals.

Utility scams often involve an individual or group posing as an employee of your electric cooperative. The scammer may use threatening lan-guage in order to frighten you into of-fering your credit card or bank account in-

formation. Don’t fall victim to these types of scams. Understand the threats posed and your best course of ac-tion: • If someone calls

your home or cell phone demanding you pay your elec-tric bill immediate-ly, gather as much information as you can from that indi-vidual, hang-up the phone and contact the local authorities. Scammers often use threats and urgency to pressure you into giving them your bank account num-ber or loading a pre-paid credit or debit card. Missoula Elec-tric Cooperative (MEC) will never ask you to offer up personal finance in-formation over the phone. If you have any doubts about your utility bill, contact our member services department directly, either in person, or over the phone at MEC.

• If someone comes to your home claiming to be an employee

of MEC that needs to collect money or inspect parts of your property, call us to verify they are, in fact, an employee. If they are not, call local authorities for assistance and do not let the individ-ual into your home.

There are other types of scams consumers should watch out for:

• Government agen-cies like the IRS will never call to inform you that you have unpaid taxes or other liens against you. You will always receive this type of information in the mail. If someone calls claiming to be the IRS, hang-up immediately.

• If you receive an e-mail from an un-known sender; an e-mail riddled with spelling errors and typos; or an e-mail threatening action unless a sum of money is paid, do not click any links provided within the e-mail, and do not respond to the

e-mail. Simply de-lete the e-mail, or send it to your spam folder.

• If someone calls your home claiming to have discovered a virus on your com-puter, hang-up. This caller’s intent is to access personal in-formation you may be keeping on your computer.

MEC wants to make sure you avoid any and all types of scams that could put you or your financial infor-mation in jeopardy. If you have any ques-tions or would like more information about how you can protect yourself from scammers, call us at 406-541-4433, or visit our website at www.missoulaelectric.com.

Source: NRECA

Manager’s articleMark Hayden

Happy Holidays!

See Page 5 for Holiday

Hours.

Mec trustees

PresidentTom Alsaker

District #2, Big Flat406-880-8801

Vice PresidentSusan Thraen

District #3, Florence406-240-6210

Secretary-TreasurerRay Cebulski

District #5, Seeley Lake

406-677-2280

Terry HokeDistrict #1, El-Mar

406-728-6221

Chuck DrinvilleDistrict #4, Clinton

406-825-4101

Dena HookerDistrict #6, Ovando

406-793-5632

Peter SimonichDistrict #7, Evaro

406-740-1033

Missoula electric cooperative, inc.

1700 W. BroadwayMissoula, MT 59808

406-541-44331-800-352-5200

Office Hours:Monday-Friday8 a. m. -5 p. m.

Pay Online:missoulaelectric. com

Pay By Phone:1-888-477-7340

Questions:info@meccoop. com

General ManagerMark Hayden

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MEC SCHOLARSHIP APPLICATIONS NOW AVAILABLEDecember marks the start of the application period for MEC’s scholarship program. This year, MEC will once again offer area students the opportunity to compete for one of fourteen $1,000 scholarships. Scholarships will be distrib-uted through MEC’s service territory with two scholarships awarded for each district. All members of Missoula Elec-tric Cooperative with an active account, or their qualified dependents, may apply for scholarship awards. Applicants must include their account number when submitting their application.

Applicants who are not selected for one of the initial fourteen scholarships will be invited to attend MEC’s annual meeting where their names will be entered in a random drawing for one additional $1,000 scholarship (must be present to win)Scholarship applications may be downloaded from our web-site at www.missoulaelectric.com where you will find a link on the home page. Make sure to complete all sections of the application. Be sure to attach official school transcripts to your application (a minimum cumulative grade point aver-age (CGPA) of 3.0 is required). Don’t forget to sign and date your application. Incomplete applications, or applications containing errors will not be reviewed.

Completed scholarship applications must be received by 5:00pm on Monday, January 29, 2018. If you have questions, please contact Vickie at 541-4433.

One of the missions of MEC is to support and promote education. As a cooperative, we operate on a nonprofit basis. This means each year, after all the bills are paid, we allocate all remaining margins back to the members in the form of capital credits. Capital Credits are retired (paid out) periodically with board approval after review of the Cooperative’s financial status. Sometimes, the intended recipient cannot be located and the capital credits go unclaimed. After a period of time, unclaimed capital credits are turned over to MEC’s education trust fund. The scholarships awarded by the Cooperative are funded by these unclaimed capital credits.

BOARD OF TRUSTEESELECTION INFORMATIONAs a member-owned cooperative, Missoula Electric is gov-erned by a democratically elected Board of Trustees. In 2018, Trustees for Districts #1 and #3 will be elected. Eli-gible members residing within these districts’ boundaries are welcome to run for a Trustee position. If you are inter-ested in running, please contact Missoula Electric Coopera-tive at 541-4433 to determine your eligibility. Board election packets will be available to pick up at the Missoula office beginning Tuesday, January 2, 2018. Completed packets will be accepted in the Missoula office until close of business Wednesday, January 31, 2018.

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December 2017 5

TOP 10 HOLIDAY SAFETY TIPS1. Inspect electrical decorations for damage before use.

Cracked or damaged sockets, loose or bare wires, and loose connections may cause a serious shock or start a fire.

2. Do not overload electrical outlets. Overloaded elec-trical outlets and faulty wires are a common cause of holiday fires. Avoid overloading outlets and plug only one high-wattage appliance into each outlet at a time.

3. Never connect more than three strings of incandes-cent lights. More than three strands may not only blow a fuse, but can also cause a fire.

4. Keep tree fresh by watering daily. Dry trees are a seri-ous fire hazard.

5. Use battery-operated candles. Candles start almost half of home decoration fires (NFPA).

6. Keep combustibles at least three feet from heat sourc-es. A heat source that was too close to the decora-tion was a factor in half of home fires that began with decorations. (NFPA).

7. Protect cords from damage. To avoid shock or fire hazards, cords should never be pinched by furniture, forced into small spaces such as doors or windows, placed under rugs, located near heat sources, or at-tached by nails or staples.

8. Check decorations for certification label. Decora-tions not bearing a label from an Independent testing laboratory such as Underwriters Laboratories (UL), Canadian Standards Association (CSA) or Intertek (ETL) have not been tested for safety and could be hazardous.

9. Stay in the kitchen when something is cooking. Un-attended cooking equipment is the leading cause of home cooking fires (NFPA).

10. Turn off, unplug, and extinguish all deco-rations when going to sleep or leaving the house. Unattended candles are the cause of one in five home candle fires. Half of home fire deaths occur between the hours of 11:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. (NFPA). MEC will be

closed Monday, December 25, 2017

& Monday January 1, 2018 in observance of the

Christmas and New Year’s Holidays.

Source: esfi.org

SERVICE AWARDSMissoula Electric Co-op would like to

recognize the following employees for their years of dedicated service.

Vickie Harkins 15 YearsNick Labbe 20 Years

It is because of the dedication of our employees, that MEC has been going

strong for over 80 years. Thank you!

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ENERGY PARTNERSPropane Fun Fact:Propane has many uses, here is a graphic showing where and how propane is most used.

When you support Energy Partners, you support MEC.

ENERGY EFFICIENCY REBATES Effective 10/1/2017

Appliances (New)ENERGY STAR Clothes Washers up to $50.00ENERGY STAR Clothes Dryers $50.00Thermostatic Shut-off Valves $14.00-$23.00

Pipe Insulation $5.00-$25.00HVAC Measures*Ductless Heat Pumps 1 $800.00-$1,000.00Air-Source Heat Pump Upgrade 1 $500.00-$700.00Air-Source Heat Pump Conversions 1 $1,400.00-$1,600.00Geothermal Heat Pump Systems (new)1 $3,000.00Qualifying Smart Thermostat call for DEtails

New Construction*New ENERGY STAR Manufactured Homes $1,200.00Montana House (v 2. 0) 2 $1,500.00WeatherizationInsulation 3 VariesENERGY STAR Exterior Door 3 $40.00Prime Window Replacement 3 $2.00-$8.00/Sq. Ft. 1. Installations require use of a PTCS qualified installer or a BPA approved

ductless heat pump installer. Heat pumps must meet minimum efficiency requirements. For a list of qualified contractors, call MEC.

2. MEC approval required prior to start of construction. 3. Insulation, Door and Window replacement require MEC approval prior

to ordering/installing any materials. Rebates only apply to electrically heated homes.

ENERGY EFFICIENCY TIP OF THE MONTH

Purchasing electronic gifts this holiday season? Remember to purchase ENERGY STAR®-certified electronics and give the gift of energy efficiency. Visit www.energystar.gov/productfinder for a full list of efficient products.

source: energystar.gov

Energy SenseTM

Together we can...Together we will

Missoula Electric Cooperative is an equal opportunity provider and employer. 6 rural montana

PAYMENT SCHEDULING Did you know you can schedule your MEC pay-ment to come out of your bank account at a later date? With our SmartHub account management site, you pay now or pay later. Say you are head-ed on vacation and don’t get paid for a couple weeks. Instead of taking time away from your relaxation to pay your power bill, schedule it be-fore you leave and have a worry free trip.