Sam Houston Electric Cooperative

Surveys were conducted via email and phone for 250 members of each of the 42 cooperatives. The survey process took approximately 10 minutes and included questions related to cooperative performance, energy conservation, renewable energy, the price of electricity, load management, member education and communication.

The survey also included American Customer Service Index (ACSI) questions, on which Sam Houston EC scored 85, a full four points higher than the “all cooperatives” aggregate score of 81.

The No. 7 ranking is an outstanding accomplishment, and is reflective of the hard work of each and every Cooperative employee.

Thank you to all of our Sam Houston EC members who took time to participate in the recent survey. Your feedback helps us serve you better.

My VIP Savings allows Sam Houston EC members to take advantage of special savings at more than 1,000 online stores including Walmart, Best Buy and Target. Best of all, participants will receive cash back on every qualifying purchase.

It’s easy to start saving. All you have to do is visit www.connections.coop/samhoustonec, and click on the “My VIP Savings” link. After registering, users will automatically earn cash back rewards and get access to special money-saving deals.

Sam Houston EC and Touchstone Energy are also proud to introduce a supplemental program to the already widely successful prescription discount program available through the Co-op Connections Card.

Healthy Savings Discounts is one more way Sam Houston EC and Touchstone Energy are helping members save more and live healthier every day. The new program offers significant savings on lab and imaging services, chiropractic, dental, vision and hearing care.

The Healthy Savings Discounts program is not insurance, nor is it intended to replace insurance. The plan simply provides discounts at certain healthcare providers for medical services.

The new Healthy Savings package is available at no cost to members. Visit www.healthysavings.coop, print out your Healthy Savings membership card and show it at participating providers along with your Co-op Connections Card.

To locate providers that participate in the Healthy Savings program, call 1-800-800-7616 with your card handy or visit www.healthysavings.coop.

Sam Houston EC is part of the Touchstone Energy Cooperatives brand, a nationwide alliance of more than 725 consumer-owned electric cooperatives.

The unwelcome drought in recent years has resulted in thousands of dead trees that threaten to fall on electric power lines. In 2011, Sam Houston EC added more crews to cut dead and danger trees across its 10-county service territory. Additional crews have helped reduce the risk of power outages and fires along the utility’s right-of-ways.

“Landowners will continue to see a steady flow of tree crews in the coming months,” said Bill Townley, Sam Houston Electric Cooperative construction manager. “Crews will be cutting dead and danger trees along the Cooperative’s right-of-ways, as well as trees that are just outside the right-of-way and in danger of striking electric power lines.”

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This year, judges are looking for a 30- to 60-second commercial about your cooperative, Sam Houston Electric Cooperative. You can explore any related topic—the history of your Co-op, your Co-op’s community involvement, the seven cooperative principles, energy efficiency, or any other message you can dream up.

Texas Co-op Power will award up to $4,000 in prizes:
• $1,500 to the first-place winner
• $500 to the second-place winner
• $250 to each of four runners-up
• $1,000 to the school sponsoring the first-place winner

The 2012 Co-op Teens Power Texas contest opens Jan. 31, 2012, and ends April 1, 2012. Students in grades 6–12 whose parents or legal guardians are current members of an electric cooperative in Texas can participate. Visit TexasCoopPower.com to download the full contest rules and entry forms.

12.14.11 - Sam Houston Electric Cooperative has been notified by the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts, Susan Combs, that House Bill 268 was passed during the 82nd Legislature.

The bill requires that on Jan. 1, 2012, a person claiming an exemption from sales tax on certain items used in the production of agricultural and timber products, including electricity, must provide a registration number issued by the Comptroller of Public Accounts on the exemption certificate issued to the seller.

Producers of agricultural products for sale must provide a completed Texas Agricultural Sales and Use Tax Exemption Certification form to the Co-op when claiming an exemption from sales and use tax on the purchase of qualifying agricultural items.

Similarly, timber producers must provide the Co-op with a completed Texas Timber Operations Sales and Use Tax Exemption Certification to claim the exemption on the purchase of electricity used in the production of timber for sale.

Sam Houston EC has notified all members claiming this type of exemption, and as of Dec. 31, 2011, their tax exemption status will be invalid until they provide their registration number. The exemption certification forms can be found on the Comptroller’s website.

12.14.11 -The Looney Tunes came to town this past Saturday, and helped Sam Houston Electric Cooperative share Christmas joy with the Livingston community.Sam Houston EC’s Looney Tunes Gang brought home second place at the Livingston Hometown Christmas parade.

10.17.11 - Look for your official Sam Houston Electric Cooperative election ballot in the mail mid-October. Be sure to vote and take part in the election of your Board of Directors. Remember, your vote is important.

Also, mark your calendar for the Sam Houston EC Annual Meeting of Members, Tuesday, Nov. 15, 2011, at 2:30 p.m. The meeting will be held at the Alabama-Coushatta Tribe Multipurpose Facility, located at 571 State Park Road 56, off Hwy 190 about halfway between Livingston and Woodville.

For more information, contact the Co-op at 1-800-458-0381 or click here.

10.05.11 Two hurricanes and a severe drought over the last six years have resulted in thousands of dead trees that threaten to fall on electric power lines. To supplement Sam Houston Electric Cooperative’s established maintenance program, the Cooperative has added more crews to cut dead and danger trees and reduce the risk of power outages and fires along the utility’s right-of-ways.

Beginning in early October, additional tree cutting crews will patrol Sam Houston EC’s 10-county service area and will take down dead and danger trees that threaten power lines.

In a typical year, Sam Houston EC must take down 17,000 dead trees along its 6,000 miles of electric distribution lines. This year, that number is expected to double.

According to Bill Townley, Sam Houston Electric Cooperative construction manager, “Dead trees are the number one cause of power outages in our heavily wooded part of Texas. Our normal right-of-way maintenance program keeps the number of dead tree outages down, but due to the extreme conditions of the last six years, we are using additional resources to address the large number of dead trees that have the potential to cause power outages for our members.”

Only the trees that are alongside the Cooperative’s right-of-way will be taken down. The fallen trees will not be removed, but crews will clear trees so that they do not block roads, driveways or ditches.

“We are hopeful rains will come soon and provide some relief to the already stressed trees,” Townley said. “In the meantime, crews will continue taking down dead trees, to reduce the likelihood of power outages and other potentially dangerous situations.”

09.09.11 The Sam Houston Electric Cooperative Board of Directors recently voted to approve the payment of $3 million to Cooperative member-owners. Retired as capital credits, these funds will be issued as a credit on members’ September electric bills. The average capital credit will be more than $50.

Capital credits are allocated from revenues collected in excess of operating expenses during the previous year. Once the determination has been made that the financial condition of the Cooperative is stable and adequate to meet operating costs, debt covenants and emergency expenses, the Board may elect to return excess capital by retiring capital credits to the Co-op members. Capital credits are proportionate to individual electric use.

“Unlike investor-owned utilities that pay out dividends to shareholders, electric cooperatives can return unused capital, or monies collected in excess of operating costs, to our member-owners in the form of capital credits,” says Kyle J. Kuntz, Sam Houston Electric Cooperative CEO. “We are pleased that the Cooperative’s financial condition allows us to credit $3 million to our members’ bills during the hot weather month of September.”

Since 1971, Sam Houston EC members have received more than $37 million in capital credit refunds.

Members with questions regarding capital credits are encouraged to contact a Sam Houston EC member service representative at 1-800-458-0381.

At the 2011 competition, the Cooperative’s journeyman team brought home first place in the pole-top rescue. Team members included Jason Citrano, Glen McDaniel and Jeff Johnston, all of Woodville. Citrano brought home first place for the best overall time in the same category, as well as second place in the pole climb.

In the apprentice division, Matt Puckett, also of Woodville, took first place in the pole climb and third place in the individual pole-top rescue.

Also there to support the teams was Sam Houston EC’s barbecue team, the Shade Tree Smokers. Team members included John Williams, Heidi Williams, Larry Horn and Shirla Horn, all of Livingston.

The barbecue team also brought home honors from Seguin, winning first place with their barbecue beans and fourth place for their brisket.
Held July 14-16 at Nolte Island Park, the event, now it its 15th year, began as an opportunity for line technicians to showcase their unique skills to friends and family.

[PHOTO] From left to right: Jason Citrano, Mike Garess, Matt Puckett, Danny Brown, Glen McDaniel, Jeff Johnston, John Williams, Heidi Williams, David Vines, Jr., Shirla Horn, Larry Horn and Jeremy Perry.

Sam Houston EC line technicians Terry Lowe, Brady Tyson and John Williams helped raise trusses on a Habitat family home being built in Coldspring.

On June 2, the hottest day of the year thus far, Lowe, Tyson and Williams joined the Habitat volunteers, and with the help of one of the Cooperative’s trucks, the trusses were raised and installed on the three bedroom home.

Once complete, the selected family will purchase the home from Habitat for Humanity. However, the project is currently underfunded and a call to the public for donations has been made.

Charles Strouse, Habitat executive director, was quoted saying, “Sam Houston Electric is a much appreciated community business partner, who donated their truck and operators. Without such business partners all over the United States, our Habitat volunteers’ work would be much harder and [would] make construction goals difficult to meet.”

And in a letter to Sam Houston EC, Strouse also said the Cooperative employees “were a bright light among us old retirees, as we began to fade in the heat.”

[PHOTO] Sam Houston Electric Cooperative’s Terry Lowe helps install trusses on the Habitat for Humanity of San Jacinto County home in Coldspring. Sam Houston EC donated trucks and employee labor June 2.
| Photo Source: Charles Strouse

Sam Houston EC is distributing a survey to collect information about our residential members’ lifestyles and the energy-related appliances being used in the area. The survey allows the Co-op to collect the information we need to determine electricity requirements and plan for the future.

All members who complete the survey and return it will be entered into a random drawing for $100 bill credits and other prizes.

06.17.11 To improve efficiencies and reduce operating costs, Sam Houston Electric Cooperative recently converted from four billing cycles each month to eight. Additionally, the Cooperative installed new billing and financial software from Applied Technology Solutions (ATS).

In the past, the Cooperative billed 68,000 accounts spread over four cycles each month. This created extremely heavy transaction traffic on certain days each month.

“By going to eight billing cycles, transactions are more evenly spread throughout the month, which allows us to serve our members more efficiently and helps keep our rates among the lowest around,” said Sam Houston Electric Cooperative chief communications officer Keith Stapleton.

Another factor contributing to high traffic days was the fact that nearly eight percent of the Cooperative’s accounts were not billed until two or three weeks after the meters were read, due to preferred due dates or special bill cycles. These accounts will now be billed with the other accounts in their normal cycle, and their bill may arrive earlier in the month.

Rather than a set due date, such as the 15th or 25th, bills will be due 16 days after bill issuance according to Public Utility Commission of Texas guidelines.

Unfortunately, 100 degree temperatures arrived early this summer, which causes electric bills to be higher during the June transition month.

“We understand the challenges of balancing a family budget, and we are working with consumers to make the transition easier for them,” said Stapleton. “For those who are coming off a preferred due date or special bill cycle, we will make payment arrangements to spread their June bill over several months.”

The Cooperative also offers the convenience of automatic credit card drafts, so the payment can be automatically drafted on the member’s credit card.

The Cooperative’s new ATS software replaced an older program, which had been in place for more than 20 years. According to Stapleton, the company that provided the original software is no longer in business.

“We are excited about the functionality the new ATS software provides,” said Stapleton. “We now have an enhanced online bill view and payment application, as well as group billing. And we are well-positioned to implement other convenient services for our members over the coming months.”

“We appreciate members’ patience, and we will continue to work with them to ease the transition.”

A longtime favorite among Sam Houston EC members, the Calendar serves as not only a handy reference tool communicating important Co-op information, including member rights and rate information, but also as an interest piece. This year’s theme, “Deep in the Heart of Texas,” brings a beloved Texas song to life through captivating imagery.

The Calendar and Member Handbook received honors in two categories.

The Crystal Awards is American Marketing Association Houston’s premier event, honoring Houston’s best marketing work. The program focuses on measurable successes of products, not the “cosmetic” features.

The girls were full of questions, but had one in particular: “How does electricity get to our house?”

Tommy Williford, Sam Houston EC Woodville operations supervisor; Kirby Shepherd, Woodville line technician; and Mary Kate Scott, communications specialist, helped answer just that as well as give the troop a tour of the office and demonstrate some of the tools on board a bucket truck.

[PHOTO] Tommy Williford, Sam Houston Electric Cooperative Woodville operations supervisor, shows the girl scout troop line technician gloves.

During this time, members are asked to use the Cooperative’s east entrance, located past the traffic signal. Signs will be posted to direct traffic.

Construction of the Cooperative’s new headquarters building in Livingston is continuing to progress as scheduled. The entrance closing will accommodate construction of Sam Houston EC’s new drivethrough lanes.

Sam Houston EC engineers and line technicians were immediately dispatched after the 5 a.m. outage to begin replacing copper wiring and making repairs to damaged equipment.

“Keeping our electrical distribution system in top working order is a daily focus,” said Larry Horn, Sam Houston Electric Cooperative Livingston operations supervisor. “Copper theft is dangerous, costly and continues to be a growing problem.”

Unfortunately, perpetrators do not realize how extremely dangerous this crime is. Even if copper thieves succeed, they cause a great disservice to the public. Not only is copper theft costly to Cooperative members, but also those who depend on electricity to power health care equipment are placed at risk by the carelessness of copper thieves.

When outages such as this occur, Sam Houston EC’s goal is to restore power as quickly and safely as possible.

The evening prior to Friday’s outages, thieves also hit the Cooperative’s Long John substation. Fortunately, no outages occurred as a result of this particular theft. Sam Houston EC will work with local law enforcement to identify and arrest those responsible for both incidents.

[PHOTO] Sam Houston Electric Cooperative crews work to restore power to 3,500 consumers after an incident of copper theft at the Co-op’s Tarkington substation early Friday morning.

01.19.11 Sam Houston Electric Cooperative, in conjunction with “Texas Co-op Power” magazine, announces the launch of the 2011 Co-op Teens Power Texas video contest starting Monday, Jan. 31, 2011.

“Texas Co-op Power” magazine, distributed to 1.2 million electric cooperative members in Texas, is offering a total of $4,000 in cash prizes for eligible candidates.

The competition is open to high school students residing with a parent or legal guardian who belong to an electric cooperative in Texas.

Participating students, either working alone or in a group, will create a one- to three-minute video about electricity.

The grand prize winner will receive $1,500. If the grand prize winner’s school sponsors the project, the school will receive $1,000. The second-place winner will receive $500.

Four runners-up will each receive $250 for exemplary achievement in one of the four judging categories: creativity, educational value, youth appeal and technical quality.

Deadline for entries is Friday, April 1. Winners will be announced Friday, April 22, 2011.

In last year’s contest, Landon Parker, son of Sam Houston EC members Arlen and Kari Parker of Livingston, was selected as a runner-up in the Co-op Teens Power Texas Contest and received $250 for his winning video entry in the educational value category.

For rules, entry forms and information on how to submit a video, go to
www.TexasCoopPower.com and click the “Contests” link, and then the Co-op Teens Power Texas link.

To see the 2010 winning video submitted by Bryan Texas Utilities member Timothy Jones, go to “Texas Co-op Power” magazine’s YouTube page: http://www.youtube.com/user/TXCOOPOWER.

For ongoing updates about the contest, become a fan of “Texas Co-op Power” magazine on Facebook.

Members can now report outages by calling 888-444-1207, where they will hear a simplified menu that offers them the options of (a) using our automated system, or (b) speaking directly to a representative.

The new number is active now. Over the next few months, members will be informed of the outage reporting number through “Texas Co-op Power” magazine, press releases, newspaper ads and bill inserts.

Eventually, the option to report an outage will be removed from our main toll-free business number (800-458-0381), which Sam Houston EC members will continue using for all non-outage related business.

Other than the new number, outage calls will still be processed as they are now. Outage overflow calls during high volume times and after hours will continue to be routed to ProCore Solutions.

The dedicated outage number will be simpler and faster for members to use, and it will provide greater flexibility for quickly rerouting calls when there are phone circuit problems.

The Sam Houston EC crews stopped at the scene. Due to the crash, one vehicle caught on fire. Using the fire extinguishers and water stored on their trucks, Fassler, Lowe, Garrett and McShan worked to suppress the flames, but the cab of the vehicle continued to fill with smoke.

Local law enforcement made the decision to free the passenger from the vehicle, and the Cooperative line technicians aided this effort by using a sledge hammer from their truck to break through a window.

After freeing the passenger, attention turned to the other vehicle that was now in danger of being engulfed by the flames as well. Once again, the Sam Houston EC crews used tools from their trucks to help free the second passenger.

“We’re proud of their [line technicians] response and their desire to help others in a serious time of need,” said Kyle J. Kuntz, Sam Houston Electric Cooperative General Manager and CEO. “It shows a true commitment to the communities we serve.”

[PHOTO] Sam Houston Electric Cooperative’s Terry Lowe [left] and Mike Fassler, of Coldspring.