Papagan Family Wins Appliance Package From Flint Energies
November 22, 2011
Harry and Sonia Papagan of Fort Valley just won a house full of new appliances as winners of the Flint Energies Smart Select Load Management sweepstakes. The Papagan’s received a package of appliances from the Flint Appliance Center.
"We are so happy to reward members who volunteer for the Smart Select Load Management Program,” said Senior Vice President Jimmy Autry. “This year, nearly 600 new volunteers earned $36 when their switch was installed and more than 14,000 members received a $25 bill credit in October.” “The Papagan’s have been Smart Select participants since 2006.” Their name was drawn on October 11.
The grand prize was a home appliance package consisting of a GE GeoSpring heat pump water heater, a French-door refrigerator, a dishwasher, a washer and a dryer. The verifiable retail value of the prize is $5065.
The Smart Select Load Management Program is designed to reduce peak electricity demand. “While the program is generally operated only in the summer, this is a great time to sign up and reduce your Flint Energies electric bill by $25,” said Autry. With Smart Select, Flint members volunteer to have their air conditioners, heat pumps, pool pumps and water heaters cycled off for short periods during hot summer afternoons. Members report noticing little to no difference inside their homes because the fan continues to run and circulate cooled air.
Nearly one out of every four Flint Energies members have already volunteered to cut back during hot summer afternoons to save money for themselves and their cooperative, according to Autry. “Electricity is a great value, but everyone is coping with rising costs,” he said.
Autry said members can sign up now for Smart Select load management. Each participant will receive $36 after they meet the installer and have successfully completed the installation process.
Autry said that members get several benefits from participating in the Smart Select Load Management Program: 1) There is the sign up credit paid as a $36 bill credit when the member meets Flint and successfully completes the installation process, 2) There will likely be annual bill credits each fall, 3) There is no installation cost to the member, 4) There is no maintenance cost, 5) Flint offers a 100% satisfaction guarantee with no long-term obligation, and 6) the sign up is free and easy.
“If you are like most members,” said Autry. “You’ll never even notice the switch or its operation. It’s a great way to save, doing something good for yourself and for your cooperative.”
By reducing peak demand, Smart Select members are helping the environment by reducing the consumption of gas, coal and oil fuels used to generate electricity. This, in turn, reduces the need to build new power plants. In addition, Smart Select Load Management Program participants are ensuring system reliability by reducing the chance of blackouts, according to Autry.
Flint Energies, a distribution cooperative, does not generate electricity. The cooperative purchases electricity from generation utilities and distributes that power to homes and businesses in the communities Flint serves. As a not-for-profit electric cooperative, Flint passes along power costs to all of its member-owners based on each member’s usage. Nearly 70 cents out of every dollar goes to pay for wholesale power.
Flint’s power costs are largely determined by the amount of electricity it purchases during peak demand times. The amount of power purchased in the summer determines the cost of the electricity the cooperative purchases in future years. The less power purchased results in a lower price for next year’s electricity. That’s why the Smart Select Load Management Program is so important, according to Autry.
About Flint Energies
Incorporated in 1937, Flint Energies www.flintenergies.com is a not-for-profit member-owned electric cooperative that provides energy services to residential, commercial, industrial and agricultural members in parts of 17 central Georgia counties. The Flint Appliance Center on South Houston Lake Road in Warner Robins carries a complete line of major home appliances, featuring GE Energy Star products. Flint has 240 employees and serves more than 83,300 meters. Flint's physical plant consists of more than 6,340 miles of distribution line and 50 substations located within Bibb, Chattahoochee, Crawford, Dooly, Harris, Houston, Macon, Marion, Monroe, Muscogee, Peach, Schley, Sumter, Taylor, Talbot, Twiggs and Upson Counties. The system also includes the Museum of Aviation at Robins Air Force Base and the Fort Benning military post. Flint is the eighth largest of Georgia's 42 EMCs and the 38th largest of the nation's nearly 1,000 rural electric cooperatives.
Flint Energies is also a Touchstone Energy Cooperative, part of a nationwide family of electric cooperatives exhibiting the core values of integrity, accountability, innovation and commitment to community. Flint’s members give their cooperative an American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) score of 82, which rates higher than most investor-owned utilities in the country.
The American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) is a uniform and independent measure of household consumption experience. As an economic indicator, the ACSI tracks trends in customer satisfaction and provides benchmarking insights of the consumer economy for companies, industry trade associations and government agencies.” The ACSI is produced by the Stephen M. Ross Business School at the University of Michigan, in partnership with the American Society for Quality (ASQ) and the international consulting firm, CFI Group.
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Flint Energies online at www.flintenergies.com