Home Performance Evaluation can save you money! Page 16. MEMBERS GIVE CO-OP HIGH GRADES! PAGE 16c. Since April 2017

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1 MEMBERS GIVE CO-OP HIGH GRADES! PAGE 16c Since 1940 April 2017 Home Performance Evaluation can save you money! Page 16 Your Touchstone Energy Partner

2 When it comes to severe weather... hope for the best, but prepare for the worst. Home, Car, or Cottage You can begin your preparation by assembling an emergency preparedness kit, which includes items to help keep your family safe and comfortable during a power outage. Your kit should include items such as water, non-perishable food, flashlight, batteries, blankets, and a first aid kit. Drinking water & food Blankets, pillows, & clothing Basic first-aid supplies Medications Basic toiletries Flashlights Battery-operated radio Extra supply of batteries Cell phone with chargers Cash and credit cards Basic tools (duct tape, wrench, etc.) Important documents & numbers Toys, books, & games Baby supplies Pet supplies

3 PLUGGED IN Your Touchstone Energy Partner SUPPORT RENEWABLE ENERGY THROUGH EVERGREEN! For as little as $1 per month! New LOWER price effective May 1! EVERGREEN PRICE LOWERED FROM $1.50 TO $1 EFFECTIVE MAY 1! Any ECEC member can support local, clean, renewable energy at a lower price per month. Evergreen pricing has been lowered from $1.50 to $1 per block on a monthly basis. It s easy! If you are already an Evergreen subscriber at the old price of $1.50 per block, the new price of $1 per block will first be reflected on your May 1 31 energy bill. This gives you an opportunity to purchase even more blocks for your money! To buy more blocks or if you are new to purchasing Evergreen, just use the form at right or sign up online at What is Evergreen? Evergreen is a voluntary renewable energy green power program available through Eau Claire Energy Cooperative. In addition to your normal electric bill, you volunteer to pay a small additional charge each month to offset the additional cost of renewable energy generation. Please sign me up for Evergreen so I can support renewable energy! o 1 block ($1 per month) o 2 blocks ($2 per month) o 3 blocks ($3 per month) o 4 blocks ($4 per month) o 5 blocks ($5 per month) o blocks at $1 per block per month * One block = 100 killowatt-hours I understand that this amount is in addition to my monthly energy bill and that I may cancel my purchase at any time. Name: Address: City: State: Phone: Account No.: Zip: Complete and return to Eau Claire Energy Cooperative Hwy 12, P.O. Box 368, Fall Creek, WI MY CO-OP April

4 Is your home leaking air and money? Dave Geissler of On-Site Performance Testing shows ECEC members and homeowners Lloyd and Elaine Peters just how the infrared camera identifies areas of low energy efficiency in their home. As you look around your home, do you have a concern that you are paying more for your heating and cooling due to inferior windows or poor air sealing and insulation. Or, is there something else that pushes your heating bill up? What do you do and where do you start? 16 Some people start replacing things around the home without really knowing what will make the biggest difference. Wouldn t you want to know what to specifically change in order to put your money where it will do the most to make your home more energy efficient? If you don t you are throwing money away. Home Performance Evaluation can identify the problems Many people have opted to have a professional come into the home to do a full home performance evaluation. This helps identify the problem areas in a home where you could be losing heat in the winter and unknowingly increasing your heating bills. The same can happen in the summer, robbing your pocketbook. Wisconsin Energy Cooperative News That s just what Lloyd and Elaine Peters did. They had talked about having an evaluation done on their 20-year-old home. They thought they knew what might be causing some uncomfortable drafts, but they just didn t know for sure. After winning the Home Performance Evaluation at ECEC s booth at the Chippewa Valley Home Builders Association Home and Garden Show in February, they invited professional Dave Geissler of On-Site Performance Testing to conduct the test on their home. Step one is the blower door test First, Dave sets up what is called a blower door test at their front door. This is a diagnostic tool to measure the tightness of the house and to help locate specific air leakage sites, which can be a major cause of poor heating and cooling, affecting the comfort inside the home.

5 PLUGGED IN Next, the infrared camera Dave uses can identify poorly insulated areas around windows, wall corners, fireplaces, windows, and more. As he explained to the Peters during their home evaluation, the problem might not be with the windows themselves. In some homes, the camera shows air was leaking around the windows, indicating poor installation and poor insulation. That can save homeowners thousands of dollars if they thought their windows needed replacing. The resulting fix could be something as simple as replacing some caulking around the windows. Every room can benefit A home performance evaluation can benefit every room in your home, especially if you are experiencing Drafty rooms Fluctuating temperatures Moisture or mold issues Ice dams Aging home Inefficient heating and cooling system The next step Now that Lloyd and Elaine Peters have had the Home Performance Evaluation done, they will be evaluating the recommendations made by professional Dave Geissler. If they decide to make recommended changes, they can qualify for incentives directly through Eau Claire Energy Cooperative and also through Focus on Energy, through our participation in that program. The best part? They will know for sure they are making the correct changes to make their home more comfortable and to lower their energy bills. Take the first step To get started, go to and click on ENERGY EFFICIENCY. Four easy steps to a more comfortable home 1. Find a consultant Have a qualified consultant evaluate your home. It only costs $300 to have the qualified evaluation. 2. Apply for incentives Submit an incentive application and documentation according to instructions. You can find it on our website at the address below. 3. Receive $100 back from Eau Claire Energy Cooperative simply for having the evaluation done. Then receive up to $500 directly from ECEC after you make suggested improvements. 4. Check with your consultant for Cash Back Rewards from Focus on Energy upon implementing recommendations. You could receive even more incentives. MY CO-OP Left: Dave Geissler sets up a blower door test at the front door of Lloyd and Elaine Peters. This test measure the tightness of the home. Right: Dave uses an infrared camera to identify the home s poorly insulated areas. April a

6 THE ICE DAMS ARE GONE NOT EVEN A DROP! Green business connection creates more energy efficient home Who would think a business connection would make a member s home more energy efficient? According to Bob McCoy, president and CEO at the Eau Claire Chamber, he was listening to one of their Green Business Initiative speakers discuss the importance of having a home energy audit, and how people can benefit through cash incentives. With the Chamber offering the Green Business Initiative for the past seven years, he often thought about having an audit done, but that was as far as he went. When the seminar speaker, Dave Geissler of On-site Home Performance, urged him to have it done, even though his home was only 16 years old, Bob made the appointment. Incentives came from three organizations Bob examined the incentives available, and thought, It s a no-brainer. I have a professional come in for the audit, make some positive changes and apply for the cash incentives. In fact, after Dave reviewed the changes Bob made, he qualified for cash incentives directly from Eau Claire Energy Cooperative and also from the Focus on Energy program. Because he receives natural gas from Xcel Energy, he qualified for incentives there, too. The incentives paid for almost all of the $4,800 he had invested. It just took a little planning to make the cash flow work, he said. There wasn t even a drop! One of the first things Bob noticed this winter was that the ice dams coming off his roof were gone. There wasn t even a drip! Items identified around Bob s home as being key to making his family home more energy efficient included better insulation and air sealing to eliminate air leakage and heat loss, adding vapor barriers where none were originally installed, and identifying a mold issue. After finding out that there was the start of a mold problem he believes it could have turned into a serious health issue if the problem had not been resolved. Bob credits both Dave Geissler of On-site Home Performance and the people at Eau Claire Insulation for the professionalism they exhibited while helping to make his home more energy efficient. For more information about incentives with Home Performance Evaluation, go to or call us at b Wisconsin Energy Cooperative News

7 PLUGGED IN Members give ECEC high grades! consumer evaluations of the top utilities in the country. The ACSI ranking is a weighted average of three questions on a scale regarding overall consumer satisfaction, meeting consumers expectations and comparing one s own utility to an ideal utility. Taking place in February of this year, our co-op members were randomly surveyed over the phone and for the first time, offered an online survey. If you were able to answer the survey questions, we thank you for your time! Like our youth in school, your cooperative is graded on the service and products we provide, receiving a report card in the form of Member Satisfaction Survey grades. The board of directors asks the National Rural Electric Cooperative Administration s Research Department to professionally survey our members to grade our cooperative. The results of the survey are used to help the board make plans for the future regarding products, services, and other methods by which we can serve you better. Members continue to rank our cooperative very high in overall satisfaction. In this year s survey you ranked us at an 86 ASCI score in our member survey. That s a ranking to be proud of and is a reflection of the top-quality personalized service our employees give our members. The American Customer Satisfaction Index, ASCI, is designed to provide a continuous update of residential MY CO-OP Spring means the lambs are coming! Watch for the lambs coming again to ECEC s MemberSolar field. Thanks to co-op members, the Klindworths, Lambalot Acres will again be bringing in spring lambs to graze the grasses under and around the solar panels. They are the official vegetation management team! If your adult or youth group would like a tour of the MemberSolar field, call ECEC at April c

8 YOUTH AMBASSADORS STAR IN VIDEO ABOUT THEMSELVES 1 The Youth Ambassadors learned it s not as easy making a video as they make us think they do in the movies or on television. At their February YA meeting, area high school students starred in their very own video about their very own group the Youth Ambassador Program. With expert direction from Chris Herzog and Jake Hrudka from Stokes & Herzog Studio, the students learned what goes into a professional video production, plus they got to do the acting. By the end of the day, they also learned that it can be very tiring, and that each camera shot is not automatically done in one take. Each camera shot that day took anywhere from 4 to 15 takes. That means memorizing the lines, and saying them right on cue while going through their gestures How many takes does it take to get everyone acting on the same cue? Answer: As long as it takes. 2. Olivia, Ellie and Dylan take a break between takes. 3. Tim and Ellie take a minute for instructions from director Christ Herzog (off camera). 4. You will have to watch the video to find out what the Youth Ambassadors were doing during this take. Watch our website and Facebook page for the new stars at Eau Claire Energy Cooperative, and learn more about our Youth Ambassador Program. 16d Wisconsin Energy Cooperative News

9 PLUGGED IN DAIRYLAND POWER TO SURVEY ECEC MEMBERS 2017 incentives are here! Dairyland Power Cooperative, our wholesaler provider, will be surveying about 100 Eau Claire Energy Cooperative residential members with a written survey to be mailed in April. This survey will play an important role in the load forecasting process and is also useful for conservation planning and other efforts. Your participation is a critical part of this project s success. If you receive a survey it is important that you participate. All member information will be held in the strictest confidence and no specific individual customer responses will be published in any reports or provided to third parties. The mail survey will go to a randomly selected sample of our residential members, asking information about your home, appliances, energy efficiency, and opinions regarding a handful of energy topics. The survey will include the name and logo of our power supplier, Dairyland Power Cooperative. If you receive a copy of this printed survey, we request that you take 10 minutes to complete it and return it to our survey processor in the postage-paid envelope that will be provided. We thank you in advance for your participation. Making your home or business more energy efficient can help you in two big ways you save on your energy bill every single month and, you can receive incentive dollars from Eau Claire Energy Cooperative and/or Focus On Energy. Now is the time to act. Schedule a Home Performance Evaluation and work with Eau Claire Energy Cooperative or Focus on Energy representatives to choose the best ways to move forward. The list below will get you started. Incentives available directly through Eau Claire Energy Cooperative: Energy Star Appliances Appliance Recycling Geothermal Heat Pumps Air-Source Heat Pumps and Central Air Conditioners Smart Thermostats Lighting Home Performance (Existing Homes) Touchstone Energy Home Program (New Homes) Water Heaters Commercial & Industrial Agricultural And more 2017 Incentives are here! For more information go to or call MY CO-OP YOUTH AMBASSADOR MEETING Get involved in our group by and for high school students. April 19, 2017 Noon 1:30 p.m. Place to be announced Join us for a fun and learning experience with some community service projects tossed in. For high school grades 9-12, sign up at Click on the COMMUNITY tab. Through our partnership with the Focus on Energy Program you also have access to many of the incentives they offer! Home Performance (Existing Homes) New Homes Residential Rewards Program Lighting Program For more information go to or call them at There is also a link to the FOCUS website at Don t forget to check out Federal Tax Credits that may be available. More information can be found at Renewable Energy Solar Electric Geothermal Heat Pumps Commercial & Industrial And more April

10 MemberSolar Tours May 13, a.m. 1 p.m. At Eau Claire Energy Cooperative 8214 Highway 12 Fall Creek, WI (Between Eau Claire and Fall Creek) Here s your chance to get a up-close look at the 2,816 solar panels in the MemberSolar array. Join us for tours and your opportunity to sign up for MemberSolar subscriptions. It s a sunny way for you to lock in your electric rate through December Building a New Home? Take full advantage of a $500 incentive through the Touchstone Energy Home Program. Call Eau Claire Energy Cooperative for more information Hwy 12, P.O. Box 368, Fall Creek, WI Wisconsin Energy Cooperative News Your Touchstone Energy Partner Lynn E. Thompson, President/CEO Mary Kay Brevig, Editor, Manager of Communications & Public Relations 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.

11 ALWAYS CALL DIG BEFORE YOU One free, easy call gets your utility lines marked AND helps protect you from injury and expense. Safe Digging Is No Accident: Always Call 811 Before You Dig Know what s below. Always call 811 before you dig. Visit call811.com for more information.

12 Eau Claire Energy Cooperative members have access to Focus on Energy incentives through our participation in the program. USE ENERGY SMARTER Take control of your energy costs. Focus on Energy can assist your agribusiness on its next energy saving project by: Offering unbiased information and technical assistance. Providing financial incentives for energy saving projects. Let us help YOU save energy and money today! Get to know the Focus on Energy Agriculture, Schools and Government Program The Focus on Energy Agriculture, Schools and Government (AgSG) Program, in partnership with Eau Claire Energy Cooperative, wants to help your business save money and use energy more efficiently! Focus on Energy provides cash incentives for installing energy efficient equipment. Expert Energy Advisors are available throughout the state to help guide you through potential energy saving projects and provide an unbiased third party source of information to improve the energy efficiency of your farm operation OFFERINGS INCLUDE: NEW Agriculture Multiple Equipment Bonus Dairy Refrigeration Tune-Up High-Volume Low-Speed Fans Low & Zero Energy Livestock Waterer Milk Pre-Cooler Scroll Compressor Replacement Variable Speed Control for Vacuum Pump & Milk Pump Ventilation & Circulation Fans And much more! For a complete list of offerings and incentive amounts, visit focusonenergy.com/agribusiness. HOW TO APPLY: STEP 1 STEP 2 STEP 3 Work with your Energy Advisor or Trade Ally to determine which upgrades are best for your facility. Work with your Energy Advisor to determine project eligibility and obtain any necessary pre-approvals. Complete your energy efficient upgrade. STEP 4 STEP 5 Submit your completed paperwork within 60 days. For additional incentives directly through ECEC, go to or SAVING ENERGY AND MONEY FOR WISCONSIN FARMS For more information or to speak with an AgSG Rep. directly, call or visit focusonenergy.com. Al Bohl 1 al.bohl@focusonenergy.com David Voss 2 david.voss@focusonenergy.com Focus on Energy, Wisconsin utilities statewide program for energy efficiency and renewable energy, helps eligible residents and businesses save energy and money while protecting the environment. Focus on Energy information, resources and financial incentives help to implement energy efficiency and renewable energy projects that otherwise would not be completed Wisconsin Focus on Energy