Features
Blazing hot days in August, bone-chilling cold days in February — what do those weather extremes have to do with the cost of electricity? More than the bottom line on your electric bill.
Explaining the connection is a big part of the workday for Kara Snyder, marketing and key accounts manager at Butler Rural Electric Cooperative in Oxford, about 40 miles north of Cincinnati.
At the center of Snyder’s conversations are little boxes containing radio-controlled switches that can be installed on certain kinds of water heaters and many air-conditioning systems.
War must be waged against these formidable enemies — the sooner, the better, considering that one mating female can potentially produce about 20,000 more fleas in just sixty days. These tiny tormentors can attack your pampered pet just as readily as a rescue at a crowded shelter. Fleas can’t be ignored, because they won’t go away on their own and, left uncontrolled, can seriously jeopardize your pet’s well-being.
As an Ohio resident, you know from experience that the Midwest region of the United States undergoes a wide variety of severe storms year-round. What is less commonly known is how much havoc this weather wrecks on the region — more than $3 billion on average is lost each year to storms in the Midwest with over $2.4 billion of that in property damages, according to the Illinois State Water Survey Report.
It’s during these storms, especially when power outages occur, that electric cooperatives must unite to keep members safe.
While Holmes County historians have ascertained that the hamlet of Charm began in the 1840s when a blacksmith shop opened along an old Indian trail near Doughty Creek, no one knows for sure how Charm got its unusual name. Other businesses gradually joined the blacksmith shop, and by the 1860s, a community had evolved that locals called Stevenson, apparently because Stephen Yoder and his son farmed the land there. When Stevenson’s citizens applied for a post office in the 1880s, the postal department asked them to choose an official name. They picked Charm. Why?
Destination known or unknown, there’s an inherent feeling of freedom driving off into the big blue yonder. No long-term parking fees, airport security checks, or missed connecting flights. It’s all about you and your destination.
All too often, though, there’s a bump in the road, whether it’s your safety, comfort, or lack of organization. This year, plan wisely, keep your cool, and conquer the open road. These gadgets just might be a key element to a triumphant road trip.
Keeping Ohio’s elected officials up-to-date on the concerns of electric co-op members is a year-round job for Marc Armstrong and Spencer Waugh. As director and manager, respectively, of the government affairs department of Ohio’s Electric Cooperatives, they’re at the center of today’s biggest issues. They play a vital role in helping elected officials and regulators understand the impacts of proposed legislation and regulations on families and businesses in all parts of the state.
