SCPPD office will be closed December 24th & 25th for the Christmas Holiday.

All of us at Stanton County Public Power District would like to wish each and every one of you a very Merry Christmas and a prosperous New Year!

 

 

Be Ready When Mother Nature Strikes: Use these tips and lists to help keep you and your family safe

Hundreds of Americans are injured or killed in the winter months due to car accidents on slippery roads and in home fires caused by improper use of heaters. In addition, winter storms create a higher risk of hypothermia, frostbite, carbon monoxide poisoning, and heart attacks due to overexertion.

Because wintertime brings its own set of challenges to staying safe, Safe Electricity reminds you prepare for extreme weather and to stay home during storms and their aftermath whenever possible.

Be Ready

Do all you can to prepare ahead of time for massive snowfall, blizzards or ice storms that could last for days at a time. Tune in to local radio or TV stations for the latest winter storm updates. In addition, use your cell phone to keep you informed by signing up for weather alerts. Make sure you have a portable charger and extra batteries on hand. You might also want to have a battery-operated radio available (with extra batteries) as yet another way to listen for updates or instructions.

In preparing for a storm, be sure to:

• Consider special needs or medical issues in your household; have an ample supply of all medications.
• Have a supply of non-perishable food, as well as plenty of drinking water and a first-aid kit.
• Prepare for weather events year round by keeping a checklist of items to have on hand. Have as many of these essentials at the ready and in one place in case a storm event happens without much warning.
• As the winter months approach, prepare your home with proper insulation, caulking and weather stripping. Learn how to keep pipes from freezing. Install smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors with battery backups and test them to make sure they work.

Stay Inside

Stay home during snow and ice storms and wait until roads are passable. This may sound obvious but some people think whatever they had planned is too important to miss. Whatever the commitment, it’s not worth getting into an accident or finding yourself stranded.

If you do travel and drive into extreme conditions, do not leave your car to look for help. Your car should also be equipped with several items during colder months, such as a first-aid kit, portable car charger and batteries, blankets, water, snack food, a windshield scraper, extra hats, coats and mittens or gloves; tire chains; canned and compressed air with sealant for emergency tire repair; booster cables; emergency flares; and road salt and sand for traction.

If you’re at home and the power goes out, please know we will restore power as efficiently as possible without compromising safety. Do not turn on the stove for heat; it is not safe. Instead, use blankets, sleeping bags and warm winter coats. You can also use an up-to-code fireplace or portable heaters when used correctly.

When it comes to portable heaters, follow all instructions for use and do not:

• Place any clothing on or near a portable heater
• Put a portable heater up on the counter or other surface
• Leave it unattended
• Place on rugs or near papers or anything else that could ignite; make sure there is 3 feet of unobstructed area

When using a portable generator for power, never use it indoors and make sure it is not close to any windows, doorways or air-intake vents. Do not use it in an attached garage, even with the doors up. Never touch it with wet hands or use in areas with rain, snow, or standing water.

For additional safety tips, go to SafeElectricity.org.

 

Safe Electricity link: https://safeelectricity.org/

Customers who are interested in the 2019 Budget billing Program: Applications will be taken until December 31, 2018

1. The budget billing period will follow the customer billings from January 1 to December 31 of each year for residential accounts only
2. The December billing will reflect the “settle-up” amount either due to or owed by the District and will thus close out the budget year with the customer. Any amount owed to the District will need to be paid in full by the customer in order to remain on the budget billing program. Any amount owed by the District will appear as a “credit balance” and will not be refunded, but remain on the account and factored as an adjustment for the next budget year cycle. The new budget will then be calculated and shown on the January 1 billing
3. Budget amounts may be subject to adjustment as deemed necessary by the District throughout the year. If the account balance should become excessively positive or negative the District may either: adjust the budget billing amount – or, discontinue the budget billing process. The District will contact the customer to inform them of such a billing adjustment.
4. Non-payment of the budget amount will be subject to the same policies for penalties and disconnection as all other accounts.
5. Should there occur a late payment of the budget amount more than once in any budget billing year – the District may remove the customer from the budget billing program and return to the process of billing actual amounts.
6. In addition to the terms stated under paragraph 5 above – customers must have an established credit history that reflects no penalties for the previous 12-months before they are eligible for the budget program.
7. The budget billing plan for any customer is subject to the approval by the District and may be cancelled at any time by the customer or the District.
8. In order for a customer to qualify for participating in the budget billing program – they must have established a history of no less than 12-months usage at the service location for the budget billing account address. The initial budget amount will then be determined by said previous 12-months of actual usage at the rate schedule in place for the budget billing period.
9. Budget billing amounts will be established and calculated using the previous 12-month history and then dividing this amount by 11. This will leave the 12th month of the budget billing year as the “settle-up” month as previously described under paragraph 2.
10. Customers interested in participating in this program must execute and maintain a current Budget Billing Agreement. New customers to the program may only apply during the month of December, for the next budget billing year.

Established: November 6, 2014

Budget Billing Agreement form

 

Diesel Irrigation Rebate program available from Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality

The Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality’s 2018 Clean Diesel Rebate Program is now accepting applications for replacement of eligible diesel irrigation engines with all-electric equipment. Applications must be submitted to NDEQ by December 15, 2018 to be considered.

Diesel irrigation engines may be replaced with an electric motor to power a surface pump or by connecting an existing submersible pump directly to the electric grid. The replaced diesel engine must be scrapped. Replacement projects must be completed by August 30, 2019.

NDEQ will reimburse 60% of the cost of the electrical equipment, installation, and required electric line extension up to a maximum of $20,000.

For more information, contact the SCPPD office or go to http://deq.ne.gov/publica.nsf/pages/17-016 to find an application