You call us heroes. But our members are ours! The ice storm was daunting, in every single way. At WCEC, we never want one meter to be out of power. Of course, that’s not realistic. So, when it happens, we work hard to quickly restore.
This ice storm was a struggle, as ice built, and trees and limbs crashed. There was no let up. The sheer numbers of outages, coupled with sub-freezing temperatures, icy rain, and soggy ground, were extreme challenges. Our linemen, right-of-way crews, contractors, and linemen from neighboring Co-ops, faced this work head on. That’s because they know how necessary electricity is to YOU.
In times like these, it’s realistic for members to become frustrated. But not our members. They overwhelmingly gave us grace, kindness, encouragement and support. That says something about you!
All of us here are exceedingly proud to work for what we believe is the best little Co-op in Texas – because we have the very best Co-op members. You have our thanks and our continued promise to always work hard for you.
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$18K in College/VOTEC Scholarships Available |
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WCEC is currently accepting applications from area students for advanced education scholarships. This year there will be 13 scholarships. Ten $1,500 scholarships will be awarded to college attendees and three $1,000 scholarships will be awarded to those pursuing vocational or technical trade certificates.
To be eligible to apply, applicants must be a graduating high school senior and a dependent of an active WCEC member. They must also live in a household on WCEC's distribution system. Applicants will write a 500-word essay describing themselves, their current interests, goals for the future (educational, professional, personal) and describe why they have chosen their field of study.
In addition to the essay, a completed WCEC application, two letters of reference, and a school certification of academic standing should accompany submissions. The judging panel will give weight to the essay, academic achievements, civic participation, and extracurricular participation. All funds will be paid directly to the college or VOTEC school, once the student is enrolled.
These programs do not come out of WCEC's operating budget, and are funded entirely by unclaimed capital credit payments returned to WCEC by the state of Texas. All entries must be received at WCEC headquarters by March 24, 2023. Late entries will not be considered.
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WCEC PROPERTY ACCESS
We rely on your gate combinations and codes to ensure safety and reliability.
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We count on each member to help us provide reliable service to all. In this, it’s essential that Wood County Electric Cooperative personnel have unrestricted access to WCEC’s equipment and distribution system.
Stated in our governing documents, (Sect. 2.07 of our Bylaws; Right of Entry and Grant of Property Rights), this is required of all members for these important safety and operations reasons:
Emergency Operations: In the event of a fire our crews must be able to quickly access our system and cut power before firefighters can begin their work. Every second counts during such a critical event. If we can’t access equipment, it causes delays that can have terrible consequences.
Outages: Inaccessible equipment causes setbacks in power restoration efforts, making power outages longer for all involved.
Routine Maintenance: In a proactive manner to prevent outages, WCEC routinely checks and performs maintenance on our poles, lines, and other equipment. If we arrive on a job site and can’t make access, crews must return later. This is extremely inefficient and costly to the cooperative and raises all members’ costs.
How You Can Help. We respect your right to secure property, but we ask that you provide WCEC with a code or combination for any locked gates that would impede crews from accessing our equipment and distribution system. Also, if you have a change, please keep that information updated with us. Or, if needed to give us access, WCEC can provide members with a lock to interlock with their own. Call us at 903-763-2203 for details.
Confidentiality. Codes and combinations are restricted internally to employees and crew members that require them. We will safeguard your information.
Cost for Impediment. If our crews are denied access in an emergency, regrettably we will cut your lock, and replace it with one of our own. In a non-emergency situation, any extra trip that is necessary due to lack of access will incur a trip charge to the member causing the impediment.
Our Workers. We and our contractors will make a reasonable effort to notify you if we are accessing your property, but this is not always possible. All WCEC employees travel in vehicles with a company logo, and they wear WCEC identifying apparel. Our contractors carry letters of authorization from us, and they also have magnetic signs on their vehicles identifying them as contractors from WCEC. If for any reason, you’d like to verify personnel on your property, simply call us at 903-763-2203.
Asking for Payment or Inside Access. We do not perform bill collections by visiting your property. Additionally, WCEC’s responsibility stops at the meter, and we will never show up unannounced and ask to inspect inside your residence. If anyone is asking for inside access, or payment in any form, or threatening to cut off service, do not pay them and call the police. Then call us to let us know.
Working Together. Emergencies and power outages don’t always happen at convenient times, or when a member is on hand to give crews access. Your cooperation in this could very well save your own family or your neighbors from property damage or lengthy outages. That’s the beauty of a cooperative – working together, we are better.
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Safety Tip of the Month
Generator Safety
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Portable generators are a godsend during a prolonged electrical outage—just be sure to use extreme caution and proper procedures while operating them.
Never try to power the house by plugging the generator into a wall outlet. This dangerous practice, can reverse the electricity flow and send it out of your house onto power lines. This endangers electric workers as they try to restore power, as well as your neighbors. Instead:
- Plug appliances directly into the generator. If you must use an extension cord make sure it is rated (in watts or amps) to be at least equal to the sum of the connected appliance loads. Also, check that the entire cord is free of damage and that the plug has all its prongs.
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Never use a generator indoors, near open doors or windows, or in a garage where carbon monoxide can build up and seep inside your dwelling. The fumes can be deadly.
- While operating, keep the generator dry. There are canopies built just for this where you can keep your generator safely outside, but protected.
Lastly, a safe and convenient option over plugging appliances into the generator, is to have an electrician install a generator transfer switch. This switch allows you to operate parts of your home safely. Depending on the size of your generator, you’ll also be able to selectively use your homes overhead lights, refrigerator and other appliances, without tripping over extension cords.
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Energy Efficiency Tip of the Month |
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Do you have a home office? Set equipment like printers and scanners to automatically switch to sleep or energy-saver mode when not in use. In addition to saving energy, the equipment will stay cooler, which will help extend its life.
Another way to save in the home office is to use energy efficient lamps for task lighting. Small lamps use less energy than whole-room lighting.
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Wood County Electric Cooperative | 903-763-2203 | www.wcec.org |
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