August 2019 | Volume 81 | Issue 8
Community Blood Drive Scheduled
Platte-Clay will hold its annual Blood Drive in coordination with the Community Blood Center on Wednesday, October 16. It will be held at the Kearney office from 1:00 PM to 6:00 PM and at the Platte City office from 12:00 PM to 4:00 PM.
All donors will receive a free gift from PCEC and coop members will get an additional $10 credit toward their electric account. Donors are encouraged to make an appointment at savealifenow.org/group using the group code EF2R for Kearney or EF2B for Platte City. Walk-ins will also be accepted.
As a community led and community focused organization, PCEC is proud to host one of the largest blood drives in its service territory every year.
Back To School For PCEC
Dave Deihl, General Manager
From the General Manager
It’s a new school year and kids of all ages are getting ready for a fresh year of learning. With two school-aged kids and a wife who teaches, that means it’s busy season at my household.
From kindergarten through college, students attend school to gain knowledge about a broad variety of subjects and learn new skills that will prepare them for the future.
Along those lines, Platte-Clay Electric Cooperative is continually learning in order to advance technology that improves electric service, reliability, safety and in turn, enhances quality of life for the members we serve in our local communities.
PCEC keeps up to speed with industry trends because of the fact that the energy sector is rapidly changing. Innovations in technology and energy types are fueling demand for more options. On the consumer front, people are looking for more ways to manage their energy use with smart technologies.
Consumer-members expect more convenient payment methods – whether through automatic bill pay, online or in person. That’s why we offer a wide variety of ways for members to complete their transactions and are always learning about the latest and greatest options.
We are also constantly examining new energy technologies to figure out how they fit into the picture of our cooperative. One recent example of this was our adaption of electric vehicle technology with the launch of the PCECEV program to support their use across the Northland. From electric vehicles to diversified energy sources to new member programs, we keep up to speed with new technologies in order to find those that could benefit our membership.
Additionally, our employees attend training sessions to get the latest information about safe work practices as well as new equipment and improved procedures. These training sessions, much like “school” for coop employees, ensure we’re delivering the best service we can for our members. At the end of the day, it all goes back to achieving our mission of empowering communities and energizing life with safe and reliable energy.
Whether it’s examining new ways to make our services more convenient for members or getting retrained on our core operations, for PCEC, our “school year” is never over. We will continue to learn from our members about their expectations and study ways we can meet and exceed those standards.
Pole Inspections Beginning Soon
One major part of ensuring the safety and reliability of Platte-Clay’s electric grid is identifying structural issues with poles that have the potential to cause hazards or service disruptions.
Every year, Platte-Clay works with Lee Inspection to examine thousands of poles and identify ones that need equipment maintenance or total replacement. The co-op follows up on findings in order to make repairs.
This year, crews will begin inspection procedures in September. Lee Inspection will be examining poles around the Smithville, Lathrop and Plattsburg areas. Inspection trucks will be identified with Lee Inspection and Platte-Clay logos. Consumer-members who spot potential issues with power poles may report them throughout the year by calling PCEC at 816-628-3121.
Pole inspections are part of the co-op’s goal of further strengthening its service reliability so consumer members can focus more on doing what they love. Last year, Platte-Clay launched a reliability improvement plan that includes increased brush control efforts and more frequent underground inspections.
Everyone Likes Getting a Good Report Card
Your electric cooperative employs hard-working and dedicated staff who work together for the benefit of you, our consumer-member. Thank you for proving that “hard work pays off” by providing your feedback in our 2018 member satisfaction survey that includes American Consumer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) metrics. Your opinion landed us at the top of the utility industry average scores* and above several other service industry average scores.*
Platte-Clay Moments
PCEC employees stand with Gerry Kinney, a former lineman who presented about the importance of staying alert on the job and putting safety first in daily operations.
Left: PCEC employees stand with Gerry Kinney, a former lineman who presented about the importance of staying alert on the job and putting safety first in daily operations. Right: Platte-Clay crews perform an upgrade to a section of the grid that will allow for greater flexibility to deliver power through outages.
Thermostat Rebate
Platte-Clay members are eligible for a rebate on the purchase of a smart thermostat up to 50% of the cost or $50. Call our office at 816-628-3121 or visit www.PCEC.coop to learn more about this exciting new rebate program.
The Northland Connection is published monthly by Platte-Clay Electric Cooperative, Inc., 1000 W. 92 Highway, Kearney, MO 64060. Postmaster: Please send address changes to: Northland Connection, PO Box 100, Kearney, MO 64060 or mail@pcec.coop.
Platte-Clay is an equal opportunity employer.