Getting the half-price off-peak rate is the reward for agreeing to not use electric heat during load control periods—it’s basically passing on the wholesale power demand savings to the members who are making the lower wholesale bill possible.  Plugging in electric space heaters  wipes out wholesale power demand savings, so please don’t do this during critical peaks, generally from 5:00 – 9:00 pm on very cold days.  Call us to help you find the right solution for your situation.

Having an adequate, non-electric back up heating system is critical to ensuring your home is comfortable ALL winter long.

Are you purchasing new LED Christmas lights this year?  If so, you can be eligible for a $3 per string incentive (with a 5 string limit), which would be applied as a credit to your electric bill.  Complete the LED Christmas Lights Incentive Form and return it to one of our offices to receive your credit!

North Star recently donated unclaimed capital credits to the Kabetogama EMT’s to help with their efforts to purchase a new ambulance.  In addition, we were able to participate with CoBank, one of our lenders, to double our donation through a special matching funds program called “Sharing Success.”  One organization with our co-op can apply per year for this special program, with matching funds available up to $5,000.  With CoBank’s matching funds, a total of $8,430 was contributed to the Kabetogama EMT’s ambulance fund.  This is a great example of the cooperative difference!

Pictured left to right: Rusty Lehto, Niles Wilkens, Cole Hraban, Kari and Kali Hraban, Gail Nevalainen, Larry Warrington, Ellen Hart, Paul Kiner, and North Star Director Julian Brzoznowski.

 

Please become engaged in the www.action.coop  grassroots effort coordinated by our national organization, NRECA.

We are asking the EPA to stick to its “all-of-the-above” promise, which includes coal as a source of future electricity.  Co-op members have invested billions of dollars on innovative, clean and efficient technologies, but the EPA’s proposal to regulate greenhouse gas emissions at new power plants now seems to be an “all-BUT-one” approach.

Rural electric co-ops across the nation band together and, during the recent Our Energy/Our Future campaign, sent 206,000 emails.  Another 400,000 postcards and letters were sent.  North Star had over 100 members engage, and we need even more participation this time around to STOP ELECTRICITY FROM BECOMING UNAFFORDABLE.  We must comment before mid-December.

Take two minutes and go to www.action.coop to TAKE ACTION.

Many American communities depend on coal-based generation for affordable electric power. Using the Clean Air Act to reduce carbon dioxide emissions from power plants could disproportionately burden these communities.  Jo Ann Emerson, NRECA’s CEO, shares a message on how affordable electricity powers the American spirit.

 

While the price of everything continues to go up dramatically on everyday items such as bread, coffee, and gasoline, the cost of electricity is still a great value.

http://vimeo.com/65666357

 

Your electric co-op belongs to the members it serves. That means you have a say in how the co-op is run. And with members in charge, you can feel confident that the decisions made are in your best interest and the best interest of your community. Doesn’t that sound good?

http://vimeo.com/65666359

 

If you are wondering what the MP (Minnesota Power)/Great Northern Transmission Line meetings are about (scheduled for April 18^th in Baudette and April 19^th in Littlefork), they have nothing to do with North Star Electric Cooperative.  These companies are simply visiting communities that may be impacted by a transmission line they are proposing.

As long as we have your attention, consider marking your calendar to attend one of North Star Electric Cooperative’s Member Appreciation Days, to be held on May 9^th at our Littlefork service center and on May 10^th at the Baudette office.  We will be serving brats and good conversation from 11 am to 2 pm.

 

Some very expensive legislation is on the table in St. Paul at the Capitol.

We already have a surplus of electricity that we must sell at a loss, yet solar advocates are pushing for legislation that would require utilities to add to that surplus by being required to purchase more solar generated electricity AND add a new tax to your electric bill to fund solar subsidies.

These proposals will significantly increase members’ electric bills.

Legislators and the governor need to know how important this is to you.

Electric rates have already skyrocketed because of mandates and the existing renewable legislation. They need to hear how even higher electric bills will affect you, personally, or your business. The proposed legislation will create a solar mandate requiring that 4% of energy sold in Minnesota will have to be generated by the sun, and the rate North Star Electric Cooperative pays to solar generators will be significantly higher…anywhere from double the price of wind generated electricity to even five times as much, based on a legislatively proposed ‘Value of Solar’ rate to be calculated by the State, not by your locally elected Board of Directors.

Currently, Minnesotans are purchasing .02% from solar, so the cross subsidizing has not had much of an impact.  The proposed legislation, increasing that by over 16,000%, WILL have a significant impact on members’ electric bills.

As a winter peaking utility, solar doesn’t help us when we need it most…during peak times…when it is dark.

Help keep the legislation reasonable. Please pick up the phone or send a personal note, and be SURE to include the governor. His staff tells him that Minnesotans want more solar.  He needs to know how you really feel.

Supportive Legislators

In addition to providing our local legislators with the above information to help them convince their counterparts in the metro areas to change the proposed laws, we must also thank our local legislators for their support.

Although our rural lawmakers are outnumbered, they work hard for you when they understand your needs.

Grassroots Support

Are you interested in receiving updates when critical legislative activity is occurring?  If yes, please email us at nsec@wiktel.com, send us a note, or call 888-634-2202 to be added to our Grassroots list.