Vol74-7 July 2024
Member newsletter for Southern Maryland Electric Cooperative
SMECO’s newest groundmen started early
Two of SMECO’s newest distribution groundmen trainees got started on their careers before they graduated high school. During their senior year, Josh Morris and Stephen Stiegman spent their mornings serving on Southern Region crews and learning the basics of a lineworker’s job.
Reminder: keep utility poles clear
Posting signs or attaching items to utility poles without SMECO’s permission is against the law and poses a safety hazard for SMECO linemen who climb the poles for maintenance or repairs.
Summer safety tips
Overhead power lines carry high voltages and maintain only a coating of insulation to protect them from weathering. If your body or anything you are touching comes in contact with the power line, the results could be fatal. Electricity will course through your equipment and you, and that current can heat up and burn the tissue inside the body. If you become the easiest path to ground, the results could be deadly.
Stay safe while sailing
When sailing, beware of overhead power lines.
Make sure that your sailboat has proper clearance from any power lines that may cross over waterways or launching ramps.
The boat’s mast must never make contact with overhead lines.
Standard Offer Service rate tracker
Total residential Standard Offer Service (SOS) rate for June: $0.086008 per kilowatt-hour (kWh).
Summer Residential Energy Charge: $0.0874 per kWh
June Residential Power Cost Adjustment (PCA): ($0.001392) per kWh
SMECO’s PCA for June was -1.62 percent of the current average annual base energy.
Energy efficiency tip
Summer is a prime opportunity to enjoy the great outdoors. To reduce home energy use, avoid using your oven and use a grill instead. Not only will cooking outdoors eliminate the electricity used to power the stove, but it will also avoid raising the temperature inside your home, reducing the need for air conditioning or cooling. You can also avoid using the oven with tasty no-bake recipes. Get creative in the kitchen (or the backyard) and find new ways to save energy.
Source: energy.gov
Community Calendar
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