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May is National Electrical Safety Month, and Horry Electric Cooperative is joining with the Electrical Safety Foundation International (ESFI) to raise awareness about potential home electrical hazards and the importance of electrical safety.

This year’s campaign features the launch of the second edition of its National Electrical Safety Month publication, Electrical Safety Illustrated. The issue is titled “That Old House, This New Update” and informs readers about the common hazards posed by America’s aging housing stock and the variety of updates that can improve any home’s functionality, efficiency and safety.

The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) estimates 47,700 home structure fires reported to U.S. fire departments each year involve some type of electrical failure or malfunction as a factor contributing to ignition. These fires result in 418 civilian deaths, 1,570 civilian injuries, and $1.4 billion in direct property damage.  Awareness and education are critical to reduce the incidence of electrical fires, and ESFI sponsors National Electrical Safety Month each May to educate the public in order to reduce the number of electrically related fires, fatalities, injuries and property loss.

“Nearly half of our nation’s housing stock was built before 1970 at a time when we put significantly less stress on our electrical systems,” said Brian Chestnut, safety coordinator for Horry Electric.  “This year’s campaign encourages consumers to make sure their homes can adequately handle the demand they are putting on their electrical system to help minimize potential hazards.”

Featured content in Electrical Safety Illustrated includes a fact sheet on the evolution of the American home, illustrated guides that address the levels of protection provided by multiple types of outlets and circuit breakers, a detailed account of the dangers provided by aluminum wiring, infographics featuring safe and efficient lighting options, a guide to safely maintaining the outdoor components of your home and a fact sheet on heating and cooling safety.

ESFI encourages the sharing of its campaign resources, and developed The National Electrical Safety Month 2015 Electrical Safety Advocate Guide to provide the resources necessary to raise awareness of electrically safe practices.  Whether you want to educate a loved one or raise awareness in your community, school, or workplace, this guide provides step-by-step instructions on how to be an Electrical Safety Advocate and help champion ESFI’s cause of minimizing electrically-related deaths and injuries.

Electrical safety awareness and education among consumers, families, employees, and communities will prevent electrical fires, injuries, and fatalities. For ESFI’s complete collection of National Electrical Safety Month resources, and for more information on spring safety, visit www.esfi.org.  

About ESFI: The Electrical Safety Foundation International (ESFI) sponsors National Electrical Safety Month each May to increase public awareness of the electrical hazards around us at home, work, school, and play. ESFI is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated exclusively to promoting electrical safety. For more information about ESFI and electrical safety, visit www.esfi.org.

Spring has Sprung and So Have Power Scams

By Victoria A. Rocha | ECT Staff Writer Published: April 28th, 2015

When members open their billing statement from Horry Electric this month, they’re going to find the Spring 2015 edition of Current Word, which is published periodically by the Cooperative as a supplement to other communication outlets.

Our Annual Meeting is featured in this edition of Current Word.

Members will also find information about:

• Mobile Apps
• MyEnergy Online
• Convenient payment options
• Local Pay Stations

With help from co-op chapters across the state, SC WIRE has supplied 50 bags of supplies for displaced nursing residents to the S.C. Council on Aging.

Members of Women Involved in Rural Electrification chapters converged at the Cayce offices of the state co-op association on Thursday, March 12 to prepare bags with blankets, clothes, toiletries, pillows, towels, Depends and knitted items.

The knitted items were handmade by a group from Horry Electric’s service area dubbed the Knit Wits. Beverley Grainger, an HEC member, and others in the group knitted hats, lap blankets and scarves and crocheted slippers. “She would bring them to the co-op for us,” says Susan Brown of HEC’s WIRE chapter. 

Peggy Dantzler of ECSC, who coördinated the event, said WIRE chapters around the state raised funds locally for the bags, spending $6,444.30, or about $128 per bag, to aid senior citizens. The Council on Aging will distribute the bags to residents of nursing homes that are closed suddenly due to safety regulations or DHEC compliance issues. Dantzler notes that a few co-ops as well as local co-op members and people donated funds for the third annual Co-op Closet.

Horry Electric urges members to conserve energy in homes

 Record low temperatures across South Carolina tonight will put heavy demand on the electricity grid as consumers use more energy to keep warm.

For the state’s electric cooperatives, electricity demand Thursday morning during the peak use hours of 6-9 a.m. approached all-time records. Energy consumption Friday morning is predicted to increase, possibly creating historic demands for power.

“The demands on our power systems overnight could be unprecedented,” said James Lamb, senior vice president of planning and power supply at Central Electric Power Cooperative, which provides wholesale electricity to all 20 of the South Carolina’s member-owned cooperatives.

Persistent low temperatures throughout today combined with bitter cold tomorrow morning create conditions for record use of power.

Governor Nikki Haley asked residents to use as little electricity possible to lessen strains and stress on the state’s power supply systems. “Our state will experience the coldest weather of the season with wind chills near zero degrees, and we encourage everyone to manage through this challenge together,” Gov. Haley said Wednesday.

The Arctic air mass that invaded South Carolina Wednesday evening did not create disruptions in the delivery of electricity by electric cooperatives. Power planners hope consumers can proactively conserve power over the next 24 hours to maintain service reliability.

“If all of us follow a few simple steps to conserve energy, the benefits are substantial,” said Mike Couick, president and CEO of The Electric Cooperatives of South Carolina. “Lowering the thermostat overnight or taking a quick morning shower are two simple ways consumers can help decrease the high demand that’s forecast.”

South Carolina’s electric cooperatives suggest consumers follow these steps to use less electricity:

•  Turn off non-essential internal and external lights
• Unplug non-essential appliances and devices
• Set thermostats on 68 degrees or lower
• Take shorter showers or baths than normal. Electric water heaters use significant amounts of power.
• Ensure heating vents are open and unobstructed
• Limit use of major power-consuming equipment such as dishwashers, clothes washers, and dryers from 6-9 a.m

Want to learn more?  Visit TogetherWeSave.com .  If you’re an Horry Electric member and you want to look at your individual energy use history, visit MyEnergy Online.  You can even analyze your bill.  If you access the information through MyEnergy Online, an account number is not needed.  If you go to the site, without going through MyEnergy Online, you’ll need to enter your account number.

Members are advised to always be careful when adjusting thermostat settings during cold weather.  “It’s easy to accidentally activate the ’emergency heat’ setting,” says Garrett Gasque, one of the energy advisors at Horry Electric.

That ‘E’ is for ‘expensive’, says Gasque. Selecting ’emergency heat’ actually turns off your heat pump and turns on strip heating, which uses a lot of power, especially when it’s left on for a long time.

Horry Electric recommends making sure you carefully select the ‘heat’ setting and that you keep your thermostat as close to 68 degrees as possible to maximize energy savings and comfort. “If you’re chilly, put on a sweater or an extra layer of clothing,” suggests Gasque. “Anything to keep the system from struggling and running for a long time.”

A system running longer means more electricity is used.

Here’s how it works.  The amount of energy used, called consumption, by furnaces, heat pumps or baseboard heaters is directly related to how long they run. Because they are connected to a thermostat, they run when the temperature drops a few degrees below the thermostat set point in your home. When the outside temperature is colder than normal, more heat is lost through the ceiling, walls, floors, and openings such as windows and doors. The thermostat senses this extra heat loss and operates the furnace more often to keep up with the heat loss. The longer the unit operates, the higher the energy consumption, which results in a higher electric bill.

“A spike of higher energy consumption  due to colder weather can have a significant impact on your total bill, especially if extreme temperatures continue for several days” says Gasque.

So members won’t be totally surprised when the bill comes after a cold snap, Horry Electric has been and is continuing to proactively encourage everyone to get access to their account to view their personal energy use through MyEnergy Online. “Just go to our home page and click on theMyEnergy Online graphic,” says Gasque. “Once you get started, you’ll be on your way to taking control of your energy use.”

“It’s a powerful tool,” says Gasque. “The immediate feedback of seeing how much energy you use each day gives you a chance to alter your behavior and make changes before daily energy use adds up to a big electric bill.”

There isn’t much anyone can do about the weather, but we can each take control of our energy use.  Visit horryelectric.com to learn more about the powerful tools available to members of Horry Electric.