Regular office hours at Farmers’ Electric Cooperative are 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday.

201 West Old Highway 36, P.O. Box 680
Chillicothe, Missouri 64601
Phone: 660-646-4281
Fax: 660-646-3569
Toll Free: 1-800-279-0496

REPORTING POWER OUTAGES

Should you lose power at your residence or business please use the following guidelines:

1) Check your breakers or fuses;

2) Check, if possible, to see if your neighbors have power;

3) Then, call 24-hour, toll-free number: 1-800-927-5334.

The FEC crew in your area will be contacted and dispatched immediately to restore your service as quickly as possible.

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Members of Farmers’ Electric Cooperative may now purchase “Green Power”. Green Power is electricity that is generated from renewable sources, such as wind turbines. Electricity from renewable sources is more expensive to generate than power from coal-fired power plants. FEC members who choose to buy blocks of renewable energy will pay an additional 2.59 cents per kilowatt hour per block of 100 kWh’s per month. The renewable energy is sold in blocks of 100 kilowatt hours and must be purchased on an annual basis. If you are interested in purchasing Green Power, fill out the coupon in the December, 2007, Rural Missouri, and return it to our office, or call us at 660-646-4281.

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FEC’s 2008 REBATE PROGRAM
EFFECTIVE DATE: July 1, 2008

This program will be in effect until modified or terminated. Rebates will be paid to those persons whose equipment meets the following qualifications and who make application for the rebate within 90 days after the installation. Only member/owners of Farmers’ Electric Cooperative are eligible for the rebate. Member/owners applying for the rebate must agree to include the appliance in the Cooperative’s load management program, as well as approve a five-year electric service agreement with the cooperative. All rebated appliances must be installed in permanent facilities served directly by FEC. Mobile homes must have hitch and axles removed. Installations are subject to inspection by a representative of the Cooperative. If you have any questions please contact FEC’s Member Services Department at (660) 646-4281 or 1-800-279-0496.

ELECTRIC WATER HEATERS
FEC will sell all members an American-made energy efficient 40-gallon or 50-gallon electric water heater to replace an existing electric water heater at the cooperative’s cost ($280.26) plus tax. For members converting from gas to electric or for a new electric water heater installation FEC will provide the water heater for $150. Each water heater must have its own electric power source and must not be coupled to any other water heater, whether it is a fossil fuel powered or electrically powered water heater. FEC will also install the water heater for member/owners at a flat fee of $100, plus materials. Member/owners are not required to use the cooperative’s installation service. Members purchasing an electric water heater from another business and applying for the rebate must purchase and install a unit 40 gallons in size or larger. FEC will reimburse the member/owner 50 percent of the cost of the unit up to $200 for a gas-to-electric conversion or a new installation if the electric water heater is purchased at another business. Tankless water heaters and stock tank heaters do not qualify for a rebate. FEC will deliver water heaters to member/owners who plan to install the unit themselves or have another company install the unit for a $30 fee. Members who wish to purchase an 80-gallon electric water heater in an electric-to-electric replacement will pay $300.59 plus tax. Members wishing to purchase an 80-gallon water heater in a gas-to-electric conversion or new installation will pay $246.91 plus tax.

After January 1, 2007, FEC will provide service to repair malfunctioning water heaters for a flat fee of $40, which includes the cost of parts, on water heaters purchased through the cooperative after the January 1 date. Water heaters that were obtained by the member prior to the January 1, 2007 date will still be under the free maintenance agreement until that unit is deemed irreparable.

ADD-ON HEAT PUMPS (DUAL FUEL SYSTEMS)
Electric heat pumps added to a fossil fuel (propane or natural gas) system to provide cooling and partial heating. Must have a set point of 25 degrees. Rebate for the Add-On Heat Pump system will be a flat $400 per unit. FEC will control only the cooling side of the heat pump during the summer load management program.

GEOTHERMAL (GROUND SOURCE) HEAT PUMPS
Unit must meet federal guidelines for energy efficiency. Specific installation guidelines apply to receive the rebate. Installation must be sized to the heating load of the structure. Loop length, whether vertical or horizontal, will be 600 feet per ton, with the exception of the use of a slinky loop, which will be sized at 700 feet per ton. Rebate schedule is $150 per ton and is not brand specific.

2008 REBATE PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS
FEC’S 2008 REBATE PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS

Rebate program changes July 1, 2008 for FEC members...

For over 20 years, Farmers’ Electric Cooperative has had a rebate program that assists its members in purchasing energy efficient appliances. The new rebate program, effective July1, is as follows:

Energy Star dishwasher $50

Energy Star clothes washer $100

Ground Source Heat Pump $750 p/ton

Dual Fuel System $250 p/ton

Electric Water Heater: For members converting from gas to electric or for new construction, the cost of the water heater is $150. For electric to electric replacement, the member pays FEC’s purchase cost.

Specific guidelines do apply. Contact Member Services with questions!

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GROUND SOURCE HEAT PUMPS

Ground Source Heat Pumps (GSHP) are the ultimate in heating and cooling your residence or business. The geothermal system capitalizes on the Earth’s constant 55-60 degree temperature to provide inexpensive heating and cooling. The system uses three main components: the heat pump unit, which is installed indoors, the pipe loop buried in the Earth, and the pump to circulate fluid through the loop.

Ground Source Heat Pumps are:

• Safe: No fumes or combustible gas.
• Efficient: Over 350% efficient!
• Ecological: Works with Mother Nature, conserving natural resources.
• Low Maintenance: Installed indoors and protected from summer and winter temperatures. Piping is warranted for 50 years.
• Long Lifespan: The average lifespan of a GSHP is 27 years.

Here is a list of ground source heat pump installers.

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DUAL-FUEL SYSTEMS

If the constantly changing price of propane has you ready for a change, it’s time you installed a dual-fuel heating and cooling system.

During an average winter, with a dual-fuel system you only have to purchase one tank of propane, so you can fill your tank when propane is at its lowest price—avoiding the wild price swings that are so common and so expensive with propane. At Farmers’ Electric Cooperative, we don’t raise our electric rates when you need us the most. Our goal remains the same: to provide our member-owners with rate stability as well as safe, reliable electric service.

AOHP & Dual Fuel Installers:

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SURGE PROTECTION

Protect your investment with our surge program.

Farmers' Electric can provide a system of surge protectors and arrestors that will protect your valuable appliances from voltage "spikes" and lightning strikes. Contact FEC's offices to have your surge protection package installed or complete the attached Lease agreement and send it along with a $30 refundable deposit to the cooperative. We will install the main unit at the meter within a few working days and will deliver the remaining devices at that time. Please read the lease carefully. The charge for the service is $4.95 per month, and it is included in your monthly bill the same way a security light is billed.

If you have questions about the program, contact Joe Hardie at the cooperative.

Click here to view and/or print our Lease Agreement! (pdf file)

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LOAD MANAGEMENT PROGRAM

Farmers’ Electric’s Load Management Program allows the member/owner to take an active role in helping to keep electric rates as low as possible. The Load Management Program is operated through your cooperative’s SCADA (Supervisory Control And Data Acquisition) system.

Through the use of the SCADA system, FEC can rotate water heaters, as well as air conditioners and the cooling side of heat pumps, off and on. This “controlling” or management of the cooperative’s system load lowers the electrical demand the Farmers’ distribution system places on its power supplier, Associated Electric Cooperative. By lowering its system demand, FEC reduces its power bill, which directly impacts your electric rate.

Load Management through The Switch Team
One of the most effective means for reducing peaks and lowering systemwide demand is through energy management. Feasibility studies have shown that energy management can save your cooperative millions of dollars over the next decade, but this depends upon the cooperative efforts of everyone. By participating in your cooperative’s Switch Team Program you can make a difference in the future of your electric rates for years to come.

Residential homes are considered the greatest source of potential reductions in peak energy demand. They are the largest contributors, as a whole, to the daily peak late in each day when water heating, air conditioning and electric heating demands are the greatest. These units place the greatest demands for electricity during peak periods, yet they are the most easily managed. By allowing your cooperative to control your electric water heater and your air conditioner or the cooling side of a heat pump, you are taking an active role in helping to maintain your current electric rate for as long as possible.

How does The Switch Team work?

A radio signal is sent from our main office to Communication Carrier Units (CCU’s) in each of our substations. The CCU interprets the signal and sends the signal through the power lines from the substation to your home. The Switch receives the signal from the power line and is activated. A typical peak alert averages three hours in length. FEC averages about three peak alerts a month over a 12-month period.

Water heaters are usually controlled in a rotation scenario. For example: Group A and B may be turned off for one hour before being turned back on while Group C and D are rotated off for a period of time.

Air conditioners and heat pumps are controlled differently. The compressor is controlled 7 ½ minutes in each 30-minute period. The Switch is attached to the unit’s thermostat wire, which allows the fan to blow the cool air that is already in the house until the 7 ½-minuted time period has elapsed.

FEC does not control the heating side of heat pumps, furnaces or any other appliance in a member’s residence or business.

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APPLIANCE ENERGY USE

How To Figure Appliance Energy Usage

The first step in determining the energy your appliance uses is to examine the serial plat located on the bottom or the back of the appliance. Let’s say the serial plate lists the power use at 200 watts and you used the appliance eight hours last month. Just multiply the number of watts times the number of hours you used the appliance.

In this case, you would multiply 200 times eight hours (1,600) This gives you the number of watt-hours for that appliance. Divide the number of watt-hours by 1,000, which gives you a kilowatt hour measurement (Remember, one kilowatt equals 1,000 watt-hours). Then multiply your answer times the costs of each kWh.

Here’s how it should look:

200 watts X 8 hours = 1,600 watt-hours
1,600 watt-hours = 1.6kWh
1,000
1.6 kWh X .08 (cents) = .13 cents

At times, the wattage won’t appear on the serials plate. Instead, the serial plate will have the number of amps the appliance uses. In this case you need to convert amps to watts to calculate the kilowatt hours. This is easily accomplished with the following formula:

Give the office a call today and ask for the “Home Appliance Energy Usage” brochure.

HOME ENERGY AUDIT

The Department of Energy's web site lets you perform your own home energy audits: http://hes.lbl.gov/

This site will allows you to determine energy costs and any changes that could be made to improve your home's efficiency.

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SECURITY LIGHTS

Security lighting for your peace of mind...

Dusk-to-Dawn lights are available for installation on FEC poles.

Farmers' will install and maintain a 175 watt Mercury Vapor (MV) light on a meter pole or transformer pole at your location. The installation is free. The light is installed in front of the meter and does not contribute to the member's electric bill. The member pays $7.50 per month to have the light. The cooperative is responsible for any repairs that may become necessary, including bulb replacement and photocell replacement.

Key Benefits

• Have security lighting around your home from "dusk-to-dawn".
• Pay a flat rate for the lighting service.
• No initial cost or maintenance costs that would be associated with self-owned lighting.

Contact us for more information!

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