High school students: Win an all-expenses-paid trip to Washington, D.C. – and make your own history!

F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 7

Apply now for 2017 Guthrie County REC scholarships. See Page 12 for details

Visit our website at www.guthrie-rec.coop

Office1406 State Street • P.O. Box 7Guthrie Center, IA 50115-0007

Office HoursMonday through Friday, 8 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.

Telephone Number641-747-2206 or 888-747-2206Calls answered 24 hours a day, 7 days a week

Websitewww.guthrie-rec.coop

This institution is an equal opportunity provider.

4 LIVING WITH ENERGY IN IOWA February 2017

H O W Y O U R C O - O P W O R K S

Guthrie County REC Annual Meeting held Jan. 7Guthrie County REC held its

79th Annual Meeting last month at Lake Panorama Conference Center. Board president Don Schwartz called the meeting to order at 12:30 p.m., following a free member luncheon. Don’s wife, Carolyn Schwartz, gave the invocation. The meeting was attended by 171 members and guests, which was a significant increase in attendance compared to last year.

President Schwartz took a moment to recognize and introduce his fellow Guthrie County REC Board members, as well as former director Dave McCool, former general manager Frank Mains, and special guests Darrell Jensen from the Iowa Association of Electric Cooperatives and attorney John Ward. This year, three cooperative employees received special recognition for employment milestones:

Curt Knapp Journeyman lineman, 25 years Jalen Spack

Journeyman lineman, 15 years Brian Marso

Journeyman lineman, 10 yearsCozy Nelsen, CEO, addressed the

meeting attendees to discuss the importance of using cooperative

resources wisely.“We work tirelessly to ensure the

cooperative resources are used in the most cost-effective manner, while still providing safe, reliable and affordable electricity to our members,” she said. “In 2016, we succeeded by utilizing efficient staffing measures, ensuring maintenance and upgrades were completed on time and within budget and working diligently to maintain competitive electric rates for our members.”

Guthrie County REC Board

attorney John Ward, Sullivan & Ward, P.C., presented the following results of the board election:

Bob Batschelet, District 4 (incumbent)

Don Schwartz, District 5 (incumbent)

Steve Bireline, District 6 (incumbent)

Jeanne McDermott won the grand prize drawing – a MECO electric cart grill. A number of other door prizes also were awarded during the meeting.

Cozy Nelsen, CEO of Guthrie County REC, spoke at the annual meeting.

Members of the Board of Directors at the Annual Meeting included (front row, from left) Joni Rees, Cozy Nelsen and Julie Kiley; (back row, from left) Steve Bireline, Keith Peterson, Bob Batschelet, Marcel Fett and Don Schwartz.

(From left) Brian Marso, Jalen Spack and Curt Knapp received service awards at the meeting.

Marlene Chalfant (left) from GCREC presented the grand prize, a MECO electric grill, to Jeanne McDermott.

February 2017 LIVING WITH ENERGY IN IOWA 5

You could get your power bill paid next month!

E D I T O R ’ S C H O I C E C O N T E S T

It’s a good time to consider energy efficiency for every season

Take the initiative now to increase the efficiency of your home for year-round energy and money savings! You can trim your

electric bill by taking a few simple seasonal steps.

“Saving money and finding energy efficiencies in the home is important to our members,” said Cozy Nelsen, CEO. “That’s why GCREC maintains a robust energy efficiency program to support and educate our members.”

Here are a few recommendations: In the winter, lower your thermostat to 65-68 degrees. A programmable thermostat makes it easy to keep your home the right temperature. Also open curtains, window shades and blinds to let in the heat from sunlight.

During the spring, stop air from escaping your home by sealing

leaks. Air leaks in your home add up, and caulking cracks and openings to the outside could save more than $200 a year.

In the summer, changing the filters for your heating and cooling system is especially important, because the system flows the most air when the air conditioner is running. (But check the filters every month during the year.) In addition, set the thermostat to 78-80 degrees.

During fall, check the insulation in your attic – and add more, as necessary, before it turns cold. And for those mild fall days, a fan is a much more energy-efficient choice than cranking up the air-conditioning. But fans cool people, not rooms, so turn them off when you leave the room. 

Guthrie County REC is dedicated to being an energy efficiency resource for our members. To learn more about how you can save money through energy efficiency practices, visit our website at www.guthrie-rec.coop.

S A V I N G E N E R G Y L E G I S L A T I V E A C T I O N

Annual Welcome Back Legislative Reception held

More than 150 directors, managers and staff members from Iowa’s electric cooperatives met with state legislators on Jan. 10, during the annual Welcome Back Legislative Reception in Des Moines. Other guests of honor included: Lt. Gov. Kim Reynolds, Secretary of Agriculture Bill Northey and Secretary of State Paul Pate.

The Iowa General Assembly is now addressing a multitude of issues, including energy-related items central to Iowa’s rural economy. Co-op directors, managers and staff will be important advocates for a balanced approach in addressing energy issues that allow for Iowa’s member-owned electric cooperatives to continue providing affordable, reliable, safe and environmentally responsible power to more than 650,000 Iowans.

Important issues for the electric cooperatives this session include:

Line personnel safety; State programs that complement federal rural economic development programs;

Duane Arnold Energy Center (nuclear power plant) machinery and equipment tax exemption;

Geothermal property tax exemption; and

Review and revision of energy programs.

The Iowa Association of Electric Cooperatives (of which Guthrie County REC is a member) is celebrating its 75th anniversary, and it wants to make this a memorable event for one lucky electric co-op member-owner. So, the association is going to pay the March 2017 power bill (up to $150) for the random winner of this month’s contest!

Please visit the all-new Living with Energy in Iowa website at www.livingwithenergyiniowa.com to review the rules and enter no later than Feb. 28, 2017.

“This annual event is an important part of our legislative agenda,” said Guthrie County REC board director Julie Kiley (third from left). “It provides a unique opportunity to network and discuss issues with our legislators.”

F A C T O R M Y T H ?

Downed lines!When live wires fall, they make sparks.

Myth. Power lines will spark if they fall to the ground and don’t make firm contact with the ground or another conductive material. But wires that fall to the ground and do make contact will often make no noise or sparks. Instead, they’ll look like dead wires or ones that have been safely de-energized. Don’t chance it – stay away from downed power lines until Guthrie County REC makes the repairs and gives the “all clear.”

12 LIVING WITH ENERGY IN IOWA February 2017

Y E A R I N R E V I E W

As part of our continued commitment to providing safe and reliable electricity, GCREC installed a dual-wound 5,000-kVa transformer in the Yale substation, which allowed for conversion to 69 kVa. This conversion adds power to increase the reliability and modernization of an aged system.

The cooperative also built a new 4.5-mile transmission line from Anita north to the Exira substation and built 12.7 miles of single-phase line out of the Bear Grove substation in Hamlin and Greeley townships. Additionally, 5.1 miles of 3-phase line was built in Audubon Township to the Exira substation. Finally, 8 miles of single-phase was constructed out of the Seeley substation in Seeley and Highland townships.

It’s important to maintain and grow our infrastructure capabilities to ensure new members receive the same exemplary service as others. Guthrie County REC worked to update the Audubon, Bear Grove and Exira substations from 34 kVa to 69 kVa.

Our promise as a cooperative is to give back to the communities we serve. In 2016, Guthrie County REC awarded $3,000 in college scholarships to three deserving students in the Audubon and Panorama school districts whose parents are cooperative members. It’s important to maintain vitality throughout our service area, and to that end, GCREC donated $5,000 to the Audubon Rose Theater with the help of the CoBank Sharing Success Program.

Our linemen take great pride in educating the community’s youth. Guthrie County REC linemen participated in Farm Safety Day, Guthrie County Clover Kids and Adair-Casey High School Career Day. These teaching opportunities allow our linemen to demonstrate the lineman’s job, talk about schooling and training, teach electrical safety practices and educate students about

2016 was a busy year for Guthrie County REC

the electric cooperative. Supporting the economic growth

of our members is important to the cooperative. One way to achieve this is through energy efficiency incentive programs. As Rose Acre Farms, one of Guthrie County REC’s largest commercial accounts, continues to grow, it’s working to become more energy efficient. Rose Acre has replaced 104 light fixtures, which totaled $10,246 in rebates from the cooperative.

The Guthrie County REC Board of Directors and staff take their fiscal responsibilities very seriously. Their decisions affect all members across the board. In 2016, the board allocated $1,000,000 in patronage from 2015 margins. Additionally, the Board of Directors approved a payout of dividends totaling $850,000 to members who received electric service in 2000, 2002, 2003 and 2015.

As always, the Guthrie County REC board of directors and staff work diligently throughout the year to provide our members with safe, reliable and cost-effective electricity through exceptional customer service.

S T U D E N T L E A D E R S

High school seniors: Apply now for 2017 Guthrie County REC scholarships

High school seniors who are interested in continuing their education in any field of study – or a power line program – are invited to apply for a 2017 scholarship. Guthrie County REC will award three $1,000 scholarships to individuals enrolled full-time at an accredited college, university or vocational/technical school for the 2017-2018 school year. Applicants must be U.S. citizens or legal immigrants in a power line program – or members of Guthrie County REC.

Applications must be postmarked on or before April 7, 2017. Winners will be posted at Guthrie County REC offices by May 5, 2017. Due to the volume of applications, only students awarded a scholarship will be notified.

Visit www.guthrie-rec.coop for more information and to download the application.

1406 State Street, Guthrie Center • 641-747-2206 888-747-2206 • www.guthrie-rec.coop

Guthrie County REC applauds members like Gregg Erickson for showing their “commitment to community”:Woodward-Granger Foundation, Inc. Volunteer Community Services of Granger, Inc. (VCSG)Granger Ecumenical CouncilMadrid Alumni AssociationAssumption Church Social Justice Committee