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NEW ADVANTAGES COME ABOUT WITH METER REPLACEMENT PROGRAM
Wood County Electric Cooperative will be replacing all meters during a 17 month project. This is necessary because our meters, which use 20-year-old technology, are obsolete. In the next few years we will not be able to service or maintain them. We've chosen a proven system that will offer many advantages, including remote disconnect/reconnect, better outage detection, "blink" troubleshooting, meter tampering detection, and eventually the ability for members to remotely view their own usage details. Main features of the system will be:
- Reduce operating expenses, helping to keep rates low.
- Reduce the number of cooperative vehicles on the road, saving fuel and time.
- Detect and pinpoint electricity theft.
- Produce valuable data to help member services work with individual members to lower kWh consumption.
- Remove guesswork from designing electrical facilities.
- Ensure efficient and effective investments in new power lines, substations, etc.
- Reduce line loss.
- Better data will help WCEC proactively prevent outages.
- Ability for queries will speed restoration.
- Member location transfers and connects/disconnects can be processed in real time.
These digital meters will be integrated with customer service, billing, engineering, and outage computer systems. They are secure and provide greater privacy by eliminating most on-premises visits.
Prior to launch of the program, WCEC performed a successful pilot study involving about 300 meters. In the next few weeks we will be launching full replacement. With over 30,000 meters to replace, the process will take about 17 months. As members are scheduled, each will personally receive a notifying postcard. Once the meter is replaced, if no one was at the location, we'll leave a notification.
More details of the program are available at WCEC.org under the Member Services tab. And, as always, we invite you to call us with any questions at 903-763-2203 weekdays from 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., or email us at [email protected].
We are confident the new meters will offer benefits for both the members and the cooperative and we thank you for allowing us to better serve you. It's always our number one goal!
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Safety Tips
Urgent Electrical Safety Warning for Pokémon Go Players
WCEC warns players of the popular reality game Pokémon Go to stay away from substations, power lines, transformers, and all electrical equipment while playing the game.
Online threads have reported that the "electric" type Pokémon can be found near electrical substations and transformers, as well as during thunderstorms. While WCEC cannot control when and where the Pokémon may appear, remember that it is unsafe and illegal to trespass in electrical substations. And know that if a player sees a Pokémon, they do NOT have to climb any fences or get up close to a transformer or power line to catch it. If the Pokémon is seen in your game, you can click it to catch it without compromising safety. It goes without saying, where there's thunder, there's lightning, so in that case it's wise to stay indoors where it's safe. And parents if your children are Pokémon Go players, be sure to share these tips with them also.
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Energy Efficiency Tips
Maintenance Tip When was the last time your refrigerator was moved away from the wall? Last month? Last year? When the deliveryman put it there? We suggest pulling the unit away from the wall once a year and spending a few minutes cleaning the coils. When the coils are clean, the refrigerator cycles on and off less, saving you money.
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| We have added Twitter to our mix! 
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