4 SOUTH CAROLINA LIVING | MARCH 2016 | SCLIVING.COOP

Co-opConnection

Avoid a Bad Decision Save money and help the environment—PDEC can help

President and CEOBrian Kelley

Chairman, Board of TrusteesJames A. Goodson

TrusteesJule Conner

Preston Gainey, Vice-Chairman

David Howell

Louise Kelley, Secretary/Treasurer

Hamer Parnell

W. F. Rogers

LaShon Sellers

Don Teal

Pat Thomas-Toney, Chaplain

Lee C. White

Office Hours8 a.m.–5 p.m. Monday–Friday

Corporate Headquarters1355 East McIver RoadPO Box 491Darlington, SC 29540

District Office 1811 North 501 BypassMarion, SC

Report Power Outage (843) 665-4070 Toll-Free (866) 747-0060

WebsitePeeDeeElectric.com

Co-op News Editor Tom Kinard

Pee Dee Electric Cooperative is an equal opportunity provider and employer.

IF YOU WANT TO SAVE money on your energy bills and reduce greenhouse gasses to help the environment, a

good step would be to have a replacement plan for your water heater when it fails.

The increased use of electric appliances would improve energy efficiency at home and for the nation. Electric water heaters are a

much better choice than natural gas—both for environmental impact, as well as home energy savings. And that’s important. Water heating accounts for 12 to 15 percent of your home’s energy use.

The problem with replacing a water heater is often a panic decision—water

heaters seem to break at the worst time, and you’re more likely to be thinking about the guests coming to visit the next day than the best energy- efficient decision.

PDEC offers a great rebate program called the H2O Advantage where you can get either a $200 or a $250 credit to your energy bill when you purchase a new, electric water heater. It must meet qualifying installation requirements. Get complete details at PeeDeeElectric.com.

The bottom line: Before purchasing a new water heater for your home, talk to the energy experts at Pee Dee Electric Cooperative. Contact Thomas Freeman, (843) 665-4070 or toll-free 1-(866) 747-0060.

Brian KelleyPresident and CEO

PDEC’s new 24-Hour Drive-up Payment Station is open for business! If you’ve come by and wondered what the new road and strange building was all about—it’s a new benefit for members of Pee Dee Electric Cooperative. Now, you can pay your energy bill any time, any day. Simply enter your account number and whether you’re using cash or credit card. For questions, please call Member Services 1-(843) 665-4070 or toll-free (866) 747-0060. The regular drive-up window and walk-in service is still available during normal hours.

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SCLIVING.COOP | MARCH 2016 | SOUTH CAROLINA LIVING 5

NewsA Super Duper Installation in MarionA SUPER DUPER, heavy-duty, three-phase, 3,000-amp cabinet weighing 17,887 lbs., containing 643 gallons of cooling oil, was recently installed at Super Duper Glass in Marion. The company prepares architectual glass for buildings around the world. To put this behemoth in perspective, the average home comes equipped with 200 amps of electricity.

The project began with engineering plans leading to laying underground pipe, building a solid concrete base with rebar, pulling electrical lines from inside the production building, the addition of special buried lines to keep the area safe for PDEC linemen working on the cabinet in the future and the actual installation using a heavy crane.

A six-man group, fully versed in each part of the project with safety uppermost in everybody’s mind, worked as a practiced, well-oiled machine to get the job done.

Just another day on the job for PDEC Crew Leader Tyler Alban, Ben Roberts, Dexter Godwin, Tommy Rogers, Tyler Davison and Buddy Windham.

It’s not just a matter of pulling a few wires to hook up a 3,000-amp cabinet. Multiple, multi-colored wires are placed in a certain order so the electrons move smoothly on their path.

PDEC bucket trucks can easily lift an 880-lb. utility pole as it is lowered in the ground, but when the weight is 17,887 lbs., like the 3-phase, 3,000-amp cabinet above, a heavy-duty crane is necessary.

PDEC crew members jog the huge cabinet and nudge it to the required location before giving the signal to lower away. By the way, an average home can use up to 200 amps of electricity.

Once the cabinet is in place, the work continues as special wiring is buried to protect workers, should they need to open the doors for repair work.

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Thomas FreemanPDEC ENERGY EXPERT

Co-op News EXTRA

SCLIVING.COOP | MARCH 2016 | SOUTH CAROLINA LIVING 20A

HOME ENERGY USE

8%8%

9%

9%

43%

12%11%

REFRIGERATIONCleaning the coils and

replacing worn door sealscan reduce refrigeration

costs

OTHERFind what other energy use habits or devices you have that may fit into this category

APPLIANCESAppliance costs can be reduced with ENERGY STAR products

ELECTRONICSEntertainment systems and devices can use energy even while off or in stand-by

LIGHTINGLED lighting options can slash costs by 75 percent. Now that’s saving

WATER HEATINGA water heater can be one of

the largest energy users

HEATING & COOLINGConditioning the air in your home

consumes the most energy

THERE’S A HOME Energy Use pie chart below this column. We put it in this edition of South Carolina Living to show you where your money goes and maybe give you some ideas on how to put more money in your pocket.

The chart refers to lighting your home runs an average of 11 percent of your monthly bill. Most homes have about 50 light bulbs. For example, count the bulbs in your kitchen. Don’t forget the fridge and the oven! We don’t normally think about the bulbs,

but they can add up in a hurry.

Light-emitting diode, or LED, is solid-state lighting using a semiconductor to convert electricity into light. They cut energy use by

80 percent.Just a few years ago, these

bulbs cost $35 or more for a 60-watt equivalent LED bulb. Now, they’re $3 or $4 each. They can have a useful life of 25,000+ hours. That’s more than three years burning 24/7.

Unlike incandescent

bulbs which release 90 percent of their energy as heat, LEDs use energy more efficiently with little wasted heat.

Four years ago, 49 million LEDs were installed in the

U.S. That’s $675 million in

energy savings each year. Switching entirely to LEDs over the next

two decades will save $250 billion,

reduce electricity for lighting by 50 percent and

avoid 1,800 million metric tons of carbon emissions. Get LEDs!

20B SOUTH CAROLINA LIVING | MARCH 2016 | SCLIVING.COOP

IT ALL STARTED as a hobby and a wholesome pastime for their young son.

Now, Daniel and Dawn Boykin of Boykin Farms, 872 Mechanicsville Hwy., Darlington, can’t make their popular goats’ milk soap and lotions fast enough.

“We have tons of return customers,” says Daniel. “We’ve had customers from Oklahoma, Illinois, mainly from word of mouth, or people buy it here and send it as gifts—and then people come back wanting more.”

The Boykins built their home and hobby

Denton Boykin, 11, helps with his family’s Nigerian dwarf goats and enjoys time with other farm animals, including (from left): Br’er, a flop-eared rabbit; Puddin’, a cat who hangs around with the goats; Mittens, who lives at the chicken pen, keeping an eye on the Speckled Sussex roosters and hens; and Jackson, a miniature Australian shepherd, who herds everything.

milk soap and lotions from Boykin Farms

The Boykins (clockwise from upper left), Daniel, Dawn and Denton, with some of their goat milk soaps and lotions.

GET YOUR GOAT

He has help managing his mega-menagerie

SCLIVING.COOP | MARCH 2016 | SOUTH CAROLINA LIVING 20C

WA

LTER ALLR

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milk soap and lotions from Boykin Farms

Daniel Boykin feeds billy goats. Across the fence, on their very own picnic table, nannies and babies chow down on grain. “The picnic table was their Valentine's present,” Daniel says. “They love to climb on it!”

farm, both served by Pee Dee Electric Cooperative, in 2002. “We started with our little farm operations mainly with some chickens, because I always grew up with things like that. My little boy [Denton] was born in ’04 so we started tinkering, getting more stuff—mainly things to keep him out of the house and occupied. We’ve gone through chickens, ducks, turkeys, guineas and pigs.”

Around 2013, the Boykins bought some Nigerian dwarf goats. “So we started milking and the milk started building up,” Daniel says. “I was like, ‘We've got to do something with it!’”

A neighbor helped them learn to make soap. Dawn soon added lotions. A trial offering of Boykin Farms products on Facebook sold out in two hours.

The Boykins, who offer their products at local markets, now feature 30 different fragrances as well as fragrance-free soaps and lotions. They’re regulars at the Market on Darlington Square, which returns for a new season Saturday, May 7.

So, what keeps Boykin Farms’ customers coming back?

“They say it makes their skins really smooth, that it’s helped with eczema and acne,” Dawn says. “With the soap, they love that it doesn’t make them feel sticky when they get out of the

shower. There’s no residue. They love the thickness of the lotion. Plus, goat milk has a lot of vitamins in it. That’s what it’s known for.

“Everybody we’ve talked to, they love it,” Dawn says. “They come back for more, as fast as we can make it.”

The “we” currently includes 13 goats. Tending to them, along with a menagerie of pets and other farm critters (see below), means the Boykins have to hustle: They both work full time. Daniel is a business analyst for Assurant; Dawn works at a local hospital.

Denton, now 11, helps with the animals. Pee Dee Electric also helps, in its way, by powering an electric fence.

“Goats are notorious for jumping fences,” Daniel notes.

Boykin Farms also sells farm- fresh eggs, hatching eggs and heritage poultry—and goats. Daniel notes, “All of our products are Certified South Carolina products and our entire herd of goats are all double-registered bloodlines through the American Goat Society and American Dairy Goat Association.”

Check out Boykin Farms at Facebook.com/boykin farms, email boykinfarms1@gmail.com or call (843) 618-8711 or (843) 393-8823.

20D SOUTH CAROLINA LIVING | MARCH 2016 | SCLIVING.COOP

Steps BEFORE Installing SolarIF YOU’RE THINKING about installing solar at your home, PDEC has a list of steps below to help aid your process. As prices decline and technology improves, installing a residential solar system—also called a photovoltaic or PV system—makes sense for some members. However, even with these recent improvements in PV, it’s important to find out the facts before committing to purchase. Take these steps before signing a contract.

1. Make your home more energy efficient before buying a solar system.

2. Research, research and more research before investing in a solar system.

E.g., is my roof strong enough to support the necessary number of solar panels?

3. Understand how your solar system will interconnect with Pee Dee Electric’s distribution system.

4. Contact PDEC to review your current energy use and determine what size PV system to install.

5. Make sure you’re aware of all costs incurred installing a solar system.

6. Search for incentives, rebates, and tax credits from state and federal governments.

7. Be sure you know and understand what your responsibilities are if you purchase a

PV system, including all costs connecting to the Pee Dee Electric grid, maintenance and system repairs.

8. Follow all safety precautions including notifying PDEC at least 5 business days before testing.

9. Contact Pee Dee Electric for a renewable energy application and interconnection agreement. There is a $100 application fee.

10. Choose a reputable contractor/installer.

11. Maintain good records.

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ECA

HERE AT PDEC, we encourage you to get the latest information about renewable-energy options in our area. Please review the steps above and use them as a starting point. Find details about each step at MySCSolar.com and Energy.sc.gov. Also, contact Thomas Freeman (843) 665-4070 or toll-free (866) 747-0060 for assistance in determining if solar is a good option for you.