Clay Center:
524 Dexter, P.O. Box 513
Clay Center, KS 67432
785-632-3111
Wamego:
614 E Hwy-24, P.O. Box 5
Wamego, KS 66547
785-456-2212
www.bluestemelectric.com
Bluestem NEWS
FROM THE GENERAL MANAGER
Bluestem 2017 Teller
Committee Selected New Rates Effective January 1
Each year, the Board of Trustees of the
Bluestem Electric shall appoint a teller
committee. The teller committee’s function is to count and verify the ballots for
the election of trustees.
The Bluestem Board of Trustees
met on Dec. 19, 2016, and appointed the
following members to serve on the teller
committee:
2017 Teller Committee
 Mr. Bill Bryant – Washington
 Mr. Gene Henderson – Palmer
 Mr. Royce Ohlde – Palmer
 Mr. Alan Heigle – Longford
 Mr. Dean Nelson – Leonardville
 Mr. Mike Ebert – St. George
 Mr. Dwight Burgess – Wamego
 Mr. Doug Ebert – St. George
 Mr. Larry Matzke – Wheaton
 Mr. Harlan Sump – Olsburg
 Mr. Mike Schmitt – Alma
 Mrs. Becky Lind – Manhattan
The teller committee will meet on
Jan. 4, 2017, at the Riley County High
School at 7 p.m. to tabulate and certify
the election results. The results of the
election of trustees will be printed in
the February edition of the Bluestem
NEWS located in Kansas Country Living
magazine.
After six months of studying the rates for
electric service, Bluestem Electric’s Board
of Trustees approved the rates published
in the November issue of Kansas Country
Living. A special board meeting was held
Nov. 28 to discuss and vote upon the
proposed rates.
The costs of providing safe and reliable electric service have increased since
rates were last adjusted five years ago, and
it was no longer possible to maintain the
financial ratios required by our lenders. Increasing rates is not the only way we fight
rising costs. We continually look for ways
to operate more efficiently. For example,
we continue to automate processes where
feasible. We have taken steps to minimize
and reduce the amount of property taxes
paid by the co-op and staffing has been
reduced in the last five years. Several
measures that required an initial investment will also begin to pay off in reduced
costs. Our new advanced metering allows
for remote disconnection, connection and
reading of meters. This technology reduces
the cost for staff who no longer have to
travel to those meters to make changes or
obtain readings.
As outlined in the November notice,
the study showed that revenues should be
increased $820,564 or 5.45 percent. This
amount was apportioned to the various
classes of service using the results of the
cost-of-service study as a guide.
A cost-of-service study shows the
average investment made to serve each
class of customer, as
well as the revenues
and expenses attributed to each
class. Furthermore,
it provides the
board with a relative
comparison of each
class’s rate of return.
Ken Maginley
The study indicated
that the the monthly customer and demand charges, were less than the actual
costs incurred by the co-op and should
be increased. Increasing these charges
resulted in minimizing the increase to
the energy rates. The new rates went
into effect on Jan. 1.
You can rest assured your co-op has
not entered into this matter lightly. It took
diligence on the part of your memberelected board of trustees and the employees of Bluestem Electric to minimize the
rate adjustment. This effort was done with
the members’ best interest at heart.
We live by the co-op difference - as
a co-op, we are not driven by profits in
order to provide a return for shareholders.
Rather, we are service-driven and operate
at cost. Our focus is on keeping the co-op
financially strong on behalf of all members,
in order to continue to provide safe, reliable service at the lowest practical cost.
If you have questions or concerns
about this issue or any of the co-op’s
programs, please contact either of the
co-op offices.
JANUARY 2017
KANSAS COUNTRY LIVING
16-A
B L U E S T E M N E W S F R O M B L U E S T E M E L E C T R I C C O O P E R AT I V E
Try These Energy Savings Tips for Every Season
While saving money through greater
energy efficiency may be a year-round
objective for many consumers, the
way to achieve this goal varies by
season. There are a number of factors
that impact energy efficiency, including weather, the age and condition of
the home and desired comfort levels.
During the fall and winter months,
when the outdoor temperature is
chilly, consumers desire a warm home
and seek to keep the cold air out.
Conversely, in the spring and summer,
the focus is on keeping the hot air
from infiltrating cool abodes.
Fall and winter: keeping heat in
To maintain a warm indoor environment in chillier weather, you can take
simple steps to increase energy efficiency. Fall is a great time to examine
seals on doors and windows to check
for air leaks. Caulk and weatherstrip
as needed to seal in warm air and
increase energy savings. Similarly, examine outlets for air leaks, and where
necessary, install gaskets around the
outlet to prevent drafts. During the
day, open curtains or drapes on southfacing windows to enable sunlight to
heat your home naturally. Close curtains or drapes at night for an added
layer of window insulation.
As the temperature drops with
the onset of winter, schedule a service
appointment for your heating system
to ensure it is operating at an optimal
level. Low-cost or no-cost steps for
energy savings include taping or affixing heavy, clear plastic to the inside of
your window frames to create an additional barrier against cold air. Ensure
that the plastic is tightly sealed to the
frame to help reduce infiltration. Use
a programmable thermostat to set the
temperature as low as is comfortable
when you are home (ideally around
68 degrees). When you are asleep or
away, turn the temperature down 10-15
degrees for eight hours. According to
the Department of Energy, this small
adjustment can help you save approximately 10 percent a year on heating
and cooling costs.
Spring and summer: keeping your cool
During warmer months, energy savings
and efficiency will require different
measures, many of which are inexpensive. If you live in a climate that is cool,
open your windows in the evening
and turn off your cooling system while
sleeping. In the morning, shut the widows and blinds to hold in the cool air.
Where practical, plant trees and shrubs
that provide shade in warm months
and sunlight in winter. In addition to
the aesthetic value, well placed trees
can take heat gain from the sun and
provide needed shade by creating a
canopy for the house.
In extremely hot weather, your
cooling system works harder to close
the gap between the high outdoor
temperature and the cool indoor
thermostat setting. To lessen the
difference between the two—and to
lower cooling costs—set the thermostat as high as you can while maintaining your comfort level. Moreover,
using a ceiling fan in conjunction with
your air conditioning can allow you
to increase the thermostat setting
approximately four degrees with no
reduction in comfort levels.
During the hottest months, it’s
all the more critical to replace any
remaining incandescent bulbs with
LEDs. The wasted heat from the old
bulbs impacts energy use and creates
unwanted heat. For additional energy
savings and efficiency, employ a programmable thermostat to adjust the
settings a few degrees higher when
no one is home or when your family
is sleeping.
Be Wary of Electric Space Heaters that Claim to Save Money
Many electric space heaters advertise that they can slash your utility
bill, but what they don’t advertise is that they can also cause that bill
to increase significantly.
Whether it’s a standard electric space heater you see at the store
or a “ruby quartz” or “infrared” model advertised in a newspaper flyer,
the thing you need to be concerned about is how much power the
unit consumes. This is most commonly given in watts. If you can’t find
this information on the package or heater itself, be sure to ask the
retailer before making a purchase.
Many electric space heaters are rated at 1,500 watts. This rating is
how much power the space heater uses. You are billed for each kilowatt
hour (kWh) of electricity you consume. A thousand watts is equal to one
kilowatt, so 1,500 watts is equal to 1.5 kilowatt hours. This means for each
hour the space heater is running it consumes 1.5 kilowatt hours of electricity, which costs about 14 cents. Doesn’t sound like much, does it? But
running that heater nonstop is a surefire way to increase your electric bill.
If you ran one 1,500 watt space heater for 24 hours a day for a
single month it would cost about $151. That’s on top of your normal bill.
16-B
KANSAS COUNTRY LIVING JANUARY 2017
So where are the savings that are often touted on such items?
An electric space heater can save money, but only if you reduce
the running time of your furnace or other primary heating system.
A space heater could reduce your electric bill, for instance, if
you lowered the thermostat on your electric furnace from 72 degrees
Fahrenheit to 66 degrees Fahrenheit and used the space heater to heat
a single occupied room up to a comfortable temperature.
If, however, you’re using the space heater to heat an area of your
home normally not heated, such as an enclosed deck, then the space
heater is simply an additional cost.
Also, keep in mind that if you’re using an electric space heater to
supplement a propane furnace, then you may see a drop in the amount
of propane you use, but your electric bill will still increase.
Electric space heaters can provide an effective and simple means
of heating that cold, unconditioned tool shed, bedroom or other relatively small space, but they should never be allowed to run 24 hours a
day and you should always keep in mind the cost of operating such a
piece of equipment.
Maginley Celebrates 35 Years at Bluestem Statement of
Nondiscrimination
Ken Maginley (second from left) celebrated 35 years of service to the cooperative in
2016. His family was present at a recent board meeting to help him celebrate.
Bluestem Electric Cooperative
recognized General Manager KEN
MAGINLEY along with his wife, Pat,
and sons, Curtis and Corey, for his 35
years of service to the cooperative
at the November Board of Trustees'
meeting.
Maginley began working for
PR&W Rural Electric Cooperative, Inc.
on Oct. 1, 1981, which consolidated
with C&W Rural Electric Cooperative Association in 1999 to become
Bluestem Electric Cooperative, Inc.
The cooperative thanks Ken
for his leadership and guidance as
Bluestem Electric's General Manager.
ATTENTION: Need a Ride on March 6?
Free Transportation to the Annual Meeting
Do you need a ride to your Annual
Meeting this year? Bluestem Electric
Cooperative will be offering rides to
the Bluestem Electric Annual Meeting, which will be held at the Saint
Bernard’s Catholic Church in Wamego
on March 6, 2017.
If you live in Bluestem Electric
Districts 1 or 2 and would like a ride to
your Annual Meeting, please fill out
the information clipping below and
return to our office by March 3, 2017.
The vehicles will leave at approximately 5:30 p.m. from the Bluestem
Electric office in Clay Center located
at 524 Dexter and return shortly
after the completion of the Annual
Meeting.
Please complete and return by March 3, 2017
Bluestem Electric Cooperative, Inc., Attention: Annual Meeting Planning Committee
P.O. Box 5, Wamego, KS, 66547 or P.O. Box 513, Clay Center, KS, 67432
YES, I would like a ride to the Bluestem Annual Meeting! Number of seats needed: ______.
Name: ____________________________________________________________________
Address:____________________________________________________________________
Phone: ___________________________________________________________________
In accordance with Federal civil rights law
and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)
civil rights regulations and policies, the
USDA, its Agencies, offices, and employees,
and institutions participating in or administering USDA programs are prohibited from
discriminating based on race, color, national
origin, religion, sex, gender identity (including gender expression), sexual orientation,
disability, age, marital status, family/parental
status, income derived from a public assistance program, political beliefs, or reprisal
or retaliation for prior civil rights activity,
in any program or activity conducted or
funded by USDA (not all bases apply to all
programs). Remedies and complaint filing
deadlines vary by program or incident.
Persons with disabilities who require
alternative means of communication for
program information (e.g., Braille, large print,
audiotape, American Sign Language, etc.)
should contact the responsible Agency or
USDA’s TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600
(voice and TTY) or contact USDA through the
Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339. Additionally, program information may be made
available in languages other than English.
To file a program discrimination
complaint, complete the USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form, AD-3027, found
online at http://www.ascr.usda.gov/complaint_filing_cust.html and at any USDA office
or write a letter addressed to USDA and
provide in the letter all of the information requested in the form. To request a copy of the
complaint form, call (866) 632-9992. Submit
your completed form or letter to USDA by:
(1) mail: U.S. Department of Agriculture Office
of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights
1400 Independence Avenue, SW Washington,
D.C. 20250-9410; (2) fax: (202) 690-7442; or (3)
email: [email protected].
2017 Holiday Office Closings
January 2…….....……….........……New Year’s Day
May 29…………………........…..….Memorial Day
July 3 & 4…...……….....…………Independence Day
September 4….……….......…………….Labor Day
November 23 & 24.......…..….Thanksgiving
December 25……...........……...Christmas
JANUARY 2017 KANSAS COUNTRY LIVING
16-C
COOPERATIVE
Energy Explorers
2017 Energy Efficiency Calendar
Start the new year off by being more energy efficient! Each month, try changing your energy use habits by using the tips
below. Keep this calendar on your refrigerator to remind family members to be energy efficient throughout the year.
JANUARY
Turn off lights when
you leave a room.
MARCH
Remind family
members to use
cold water when
washing clothes.
Turn off water
while brushing
your teeth.
APRIL
MAY
JUNE
Ask an adult to help
you plant a tree to
help shade your home
in the summer.
Clean or replace
your air filter. You
may need to ask an
adult to help.
Keep the thermostat at
78 degrees Fahrenheit
during summer months.
JULY
AUGUST
Close curtains and
blinds during the day
to block the sun.
16-D
FEBRUARY
Keep all doors and
windows closed
while the AC is
running.
OCTOBER
NOVEMBER
DECEMBER
Only open the
refrigerator door for
short amounts of time
when necessary.
Take short showers
instead of a bath.
Decorate your home
for the holidays with
energy-saving LED
bulbs.
KANSAS COUNTRY LIVING
JANUARY 2017
SEPTEMBER
Dry clothes outdoors
on a clothesline
instead of using the
dryer.