INCENTIVES! ENERGY EFFICIENCY. Cash in on 2019 POWERING THE AMERICAN SPIRIT ENERGY EFFICIENCY INCENTIVES, HOME & GARDEN SHOW IN THIS ISSUE.

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1 ENERGY EFFICIENCY INCENTIVES, HOME & GARDEN SHOW IN THIS ISSUE Since 1940 February 2019 Cash in on 2019 ENERGY EFFICIENCY INCENTIVES! POWERING THE AMERICAN SPIRIT

2 Your Touchstone Energy Partner PO Box 367 Fall Creek, WI

3 PLUGGED IN Your Touchstone Energy Partner One Member, One Vote This is your chance to take part in the democratic process of your cooperative. One advantage of being a member of Eau Claire Energy Cooperative is that each member has one vote in the annual Board of Directors election. Directors are placed on the ballot according to district boundaries, but each member votes for all district positions. The opportunity for you to vote for your board members comes up again on Tuesday, March 19, 2019, at the 82nd Annual Meeting at The Florian Gardens in Eau Claire. Watch your March issue of the WEC News magazine for complete details on the meeting as well as the candidate biographies and photographs. In December 2018 the Nominating Committee met at the Eau Claire Energy Cooperative headquarters and selected the slate of candidates for three of the districts that represent the Board of Directors. District No. 3: Ludington and Seymour, East of County Road UN, Ea Claire County; Sigel, including the Village of Cadott, Goetz, and Edson, Chippewa County; and the Town of Butler, Clark County. Michael Schummer, incumbent District No. 7: Washington, East of South Lowes Creek Road, North of Walnut Road, and North of an Easterly extension of Walnut Road to Mathwig Road, and North of Mathwig Road, Eau Claire County, except land in District 2. Andrew Bourget, incumbent District No. 9: Wilson, Bridge Creek and Fairchild, Eau Claire County; Garfield, Cleveland and Northfield, Jackson County. Clarence Boettcher, incumbent A joint membership may cast only one collective vote on each issue or for each elective position. Absentee ballots available after February 8, 2019 If you are unable to attend the ECEC Annual Meeting, you may request an absentee ballot from the cooperative and vote for director candidates. Choose one of three ways to request your absentee ballot. We MUST receive your request in our office by 12:00 noon on February 28, Fill in and mail this request form to the address below Submit a request online at Or, call Eau Claire Energy Cooperative Attn: Chief Administrative Officer P.O. Box 368 Fall Creek, WI Eau Claire Energy Cooperative Absentee Ballot Request (please print) Name Address City/State/Zip Phone # MY CO-OP February

4 This is a continuing series of articles following Kyle and Kelly Rasmussen as they journey through their home building process. You can read all articles on our website at Click on MY CO-OP and then WEC News. FEEL THE SPACE, ENJOY THE SPACE! By the time you read this article the Kyle and Kelly Rasmussen family will have enjoyed over a month in their new home, adding final touches to the inside. The little girls will have had time to place their favorite stuffed animals and toys in their rooms, while Mom and Dad have been getting kitchen and garage items in order. They have come a long way from last summer when their dream home was in the starter stage. They had been planning for a number of months before that, getting a lot, looking at house layout options, and choosing a builder, but the building process finally got started. And, just before Christmas they were able to move in that was their goal. Home & Garden Show offers many options for next steps Well, the house is completed, but they still have plans for landscaping and outdoor living opportunities. They have some ideas about what they want to accomplish, but will be taking in the Chippewa Valley Home Builders Association Home & Garden Show in February to get more ideas. Taking place February at the Eau Claire Indoor Sports Center, the Home & Garden Show will give Kyle and Kelly the opportunity to ask a lot of questions about best options for their family. With well over 130 vendors, including landscaping and outdoor living vendors, it s a popular place to be for people wanting to get ideas for remodeling, building, decorating, flooring, window coverings, outdoor living, and much more. (Check out the back page for more details.) 16 Wisconsin Energy Cooperative News

5 PLUGGED IN Left: Youth Ambassador Kaden took time to ring the Salvation Army bell at Festival Foods on the south side of Eau Claire one evening in December. Center: Conner, Shaylee, and Iris worked as a team to ring bells for the Salvation Army at the Birch Street Festival Foods. Right: Nick and Tim followed in their older brother Matt s footsteps to raise money for the Salvation Army at Festival Foods on Birch Street. YOUTH AMBASSADORS GIVE TIME FOR SALVATION ARMY Our Youth Ambassadors were very busy in December, touring Habitat for Humanity, preparing and serving food at The Community Table, and making fleece tie blankets for their patrons (see the January issue of the WEC News magazine at They also gave of their personal time to help raise money for the local Salvation Army. It s easy to do since the Salvation Army has already set up schedules with local stores, including the Festival Foods stores in Eau Claire. Sign up for a shift and show up to ring the bells it s as easy as that! The kettle and sign are already at the store. Six of our Youth Ambassadors took advantage of the opportunity to raise money and awareness for the Salvation Army. MY CO-OP FAMILY DAY AT HOME & GARDEN SHOW! Saturday, February 23 It s Family Day at the Chippewa Valley Home Builders Home & Garden Show Saturday, February 23. Bring the entire family to this one-day event sponsored by Eau Claire Energy Cooperative. Special prizes and activities geared to your children will greet you. It s part of the 41st CVHBA Home & Garden Show. For three days you will have access to over 130 Home Show vendors who can help you with home energy efficiency incentives, home design ideas, building plans, remodeling strategies, landscaping, and much more! The three-day Friday through Sunday show takes place February at the Eau Claire Indoor Sports Center at 3456 Craig Road. For more information and tickets, see the back cover of this magazine or go to February

6 CONCERN FOR COMMUNITY AWARD NOMINATIONS SOUGHT Deadline February 15, 2019 Do you know an Eau Claire Energy Cooperative member who has gone above and beyond to help others? Do you know a member who has made a difference in the community through local service projects or non-profit organizations and local events? Now is the time to nominate your friends or neighbors for the annual Concern for Community Awards. Nominate an ECEC member at This year s recipient will be honored at our 82nd Annual Meeting at the Florian Gardens on March 19, NEXT YOUTH AMBASSADORS MEETING February 20, 2019 At Eau Claire Energy Cooperative Noon 1:30 p.m. Mark your calendars! 82nd Annual Meeting MARCH 19, 2019 Doors open at 5 p.m. Meeting at 6 p.m. Dinner to follow (No reservations needed) At The Florian Gardens, Eau Claire Youth Leadership Conference Holiday Inn South 4751 Owen Ayres Ct., Eau Claire, Wis. More Co-op Value: High school students wanted! Add more value to your cooperative membership and mark your calendars for the Co-ops Yes! Youth Leadership Conference, March 4 5, 2019, at the Holiday Inn South, Eau Claire, Wisconsin! This event brings together high school sophomores, juniors, and seniors from across Minnesota and Wisconsin to collaborate and connect while learning about the cooperative business model. Registration for up to eight lucky high school students from Eau Claire Energy Cooperative member families will be paid by ECEC. But you must register by February 4, Registration deadline: February 4, 2019 Call Wisconsin Energy Cooperative News Your Touchstone Energy Partner Lynn E. Thompson, President/CEO Mary Kay Brevig, Editor, Manager of Communications & Public Relations 8214 Hwy 12, P.O. Box 368, Fall Creek, WI Office Hours: 7:30 a.m. 4 p.m. Mon Fri Non-emergencies: Emergencies & outages: Toll FREE hours a day, 7 days a week Diggers Hotline: 811 or Call 3 working days before you dig.

7 SMARTHUB An easy way to manage your energy bill SmartHub means you have options when it comes to managing your energy bill at Eau Claire Energy Cooperative. Have you ever wondered when your highest electric usage takes place? Have you wondered why your energy bill is what it is? SmartHub helps you determine those answers. If you have not signed up, you re missing out on a lot of smart benefits including: Pay your energy bill online Set up your energy bill for automatic payments View your billing history View and manage your electric usage Identify ways to lower your energy bill Sign up for SmartHub online. It s ECEC s FREE and mobile online payment system that allows you to monitor your daily energy usage. Click on the signup link and follow the prompts to create your user name and password. Questions? Call, click or visit us at or MEMBERS RECYCLE OVER 300 POUNDS OF LIGHTS! Thank you to members for keeping over 300 pounds of old holiday string lights out of the landfill this year. Since November they have been bringing in the dud string lights into Eau Claire Energy Cooperative for recycling. We thank our members for participating in this program which we have offered for many years.

8 41st Annual HOME&GARDENSHOW Feb. 22 nd, 23 rd & 24 th YMCA Indoor Sports Center $6 through Feb 21 st / $8 at the Door Children 12 & under are free Pre-Sale Tickets Available at Festival Foods! Join Eau Claire Energy Cooperative on SATURDAY Feb. 23 rd for FAMILY DAY 9am - 4pm Featuring kid-friendly activities & fun! FRIDAY 1pm - 5pm SENIOR DAY Educational Seminars & $1 off ticket prices for 55+. Sponsored By FRIDAY EVENING 5pm - 8pm NIGHT OUT Featuring live music & drinks avilable for purchase. Sponsored By SUNDAY 10am - 4pm DIY DAY DIY Take Home Projects will be available! Sponsored By More Info: or