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Southport’s Paul Fisher Awarded for a Lifetime of Outstanding Service

Each year at the ElectriCities Annual Conference, we recognize individuals for their outstanding contributions to public power.

At the 2023 conference:

  • Paul Fisher received the Lifetime Achievement Award.
  • Ethan Poppe received the Rising Star Award.
  • Rich Worsinger received the Distinguished Service Award.

The Public Power Lifetime Achievement Award recognizes sustained long-term outstanding leadership, public power service, innovation, and creativity.

2023 Public Power Lifetime Achievement Award winner Paul Fisher (center) with family members

Let’s meet the 2023 Public Power Lifetime Achievement Award recipient, Paul Fisher.

Paul is from the North Carolina public power city of Southport. He’s a shining example of what it means to be an outstanding leader and dedicated public servant.

Before he began serving the public power community, Paul served his country. He was a Full-Bird Colonel in the U.S. Army and served two tours in Vietnam.

Paul has been a committed and tireless advocate for the development and growth of public power for many years. He has served on the North Carolina Eastern Municipal Power Agency (NCEMPA) Board of Commissioners for more than 30 years. He chaired the Board in 2009, and he was on the Board when the $1.25 billion sale of the Agency’s assets to Duke was completed.

He also served on the NCEMPA Rate Committee for 20 years.

Along with his decades of providing insight and leadership on the Board, Paul has a long history of service in Southport, where he was on the Board of Aldermen for 16 years. He has served on various Southport committees and in community organizations, including the Southport Fire Station Committee, the Southport Cemetery Committee, the Southport Lions Club, and Downtown Southport, Inc.

Paul’s decades of service, dedication, and leadership have certainly made an impact on his community. That was clear at a surprise luncheon held to announce that he would receive this award. Southport officials, City staff, and Paul’s family all came to honor him at the event.

Congratulations, Paul! And thank you for your dedicated service.

Next, meet the 2023 Rising Star Award recipient, Ethan Poppe, and the 2023 Distinguished Service Award winner, Rich Worsinger.

NCMPA1 & Central Electric Power Cooperative, Inc. Purchase Power Agreement Frequently Asked Questions

Q. What is the agreement being considered between North Carolina Municipal Power Agency Number 1 and Central Electric Power Cooperative, Inc.?
A. North Carolina Municipal Power Agency Number 1 (NCMPA1) and Central Electric Power Cooperative, Inc. reached a Purchase Power Agreement enabling Central to purchase nuclear capacity and energy associated with a portion of NCMPA1’s ownership interest in the Catawba Nuclear Station.

Q. Who owns the Catawba Nuclear Station? What portion of Catawba Nuclear Station does NCMPA1 own?
A. The Catawba Nuclear Station, which consists of two identical units, is jointly owned by NCMPA1, Duke Energy Carolinas, Piedmont Municipal Power Agency, and the North Carolina Electric Membership Corporation. NCMPA1 owns 75% of Catawba Unit 2.

Q. What is the North Carolina Municipal Power Agency Number 1 (NCMPA1)?
A. NCMPA1 consists of 19 cities and towns in piedmont and western North Carolina and provides wholesale power to its 19 participants. NCMPA1 is governed by a Board of Commissioners (BOC). Each participant appoints a Commissioner and an Alternate Commissioner to the BOC. The BOC monitors operations of the Power Agency, accepts/rejects wholesale rates, approves the annual budget, and elects their representatives to the ElectriCities Board of Directors. The BOC meets quarterly.

Q. What North Carolina communities make up NCMPA1?
A. Albemarle, Bostic, Cherryville, Cornelius, Drexel, Gastonia, Granite Falls, High Point, Huntersville, Landis, Lexington, Lincolnton, Maiden, Monroe, Morganton, Newton, Pineville, Shelby, Statesville.

Q. What percentage of NCMPA1’s Catawba ownership is Central purchasing? What is the total MW?
A. Under the terms of the Purchase Power Agreement, Central will receive 18% of NCMPA1’s project output, totaling 150 MW.

Q. What are the agreement’s benefits to NCMPA1?
A. If completed, the agreement would diversify NCMPA1’s energy resource portfolio and provide wholesale electric rate savings to NCMPA1’s 19 member communities. Our analysis shows 5% savings in wholesale power supply costs over the term of the contract for approximately $254 million in net present value total savings to those communities.

Q. What are the agreement’s benefits to Central?
A. The agreement would provide Central, a not-for-profit generation and transmission cooperative, with additional nuclear capacity to serve South Carolina’s 20 distribution cooperatives.

Q. What conditions need to be met for the agreement to take effect?
A. Completion of the agreement is subject to several conditions including unanimous consent of all 19 of the NCMPA1 participant city and town councils. As of Aug. 30, all 19 participant councils voted unanimously to approve the agreement. The ElectriCities Board of Directors and NCMPA1 Board of Commissioners approved the deal earlier this year.

Q. Are any state or federal regulatory agencies required to sign off on the agreement?
A. No.

Q. When does the agreement take effect?
A. Should all conditions be met, the sale would be effective January 1, 2024.

Q. What is the term of the deal?
A. The term of the deal is the life of the Catawba Nuclear Station which is currently licensed through 2043.

Q. What is ElectriCities of North Carolina, Inc.?
A. ElectriCities of North Carolina, Inc. is the membership organization that provides power supply and related critical services to over 90 community-owned electric systems in North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia—collectively known as public power. ElectriCities manages the power supply for two power agencies in North Carolina and provides technical services to assist members in operating their electric distribution systems. ElectriCities also helps these locally owned and operated public power providers thrive today and in the future by delivering innovative services, including legislative, technical, communications, and economic development expertise.

Q. What is Central Electric Power Cooperative, Inc.?
A. Central Electric Power Cooperative, Inc. is a not-for-profit generation and transmission cooperative headquartered in Columbia, South Carolina. Together, Central and its 20 member cooperatives serve more than 1.6 million South Carolinians and cover more than 70% of the state’s land mass. South Carolina’s independent, member-owned electric cooperatives formed Central in 1948 in order to pool their resources to purchase wholesale power more efficiently and effectively. As explained in its mission statement, Central “exists solely for the benefit of its members” and one of Central’s most important jobs is to plan for the future power supply needs of its member cooperatives.

Wilson’s Rich Worsinger Recognized for Distinguished Service

Each year at the ElectriCities Annual Conference, we recognize individuals for their outstanding contributions to public power.

At the 2023 Annual Conference:

  • Rich Worsinger received the Distinguished Service Award.
  • Ethan Poppe received the Rising Star Award.
  • Paul Fisher received the Lifetime Achievement Award.

Let’s meet and celebrate the 2023 Public Power Distinguished Service Award recipient, Rich Worsinger.

Rich Worsinger, 2023 Public Power Distinguished Service Award recipient

The Distinguished Service Award recognizes leaders with 10 or more years of experience who have demonstrated exceptional leadership and dedication to public power, brought their organization to a new level of excellence, led by example, and inspired their employees and staff to improve processes, services, and operations.

Rich is undeniably one of those leaders.

He has been part of our North Carolina public power family since 2001, when he began serving as Director of Energy Resources at Rocky Mount Public Utilities. Since 2019 and until his retirement last month, Rich served as Director of Wilson Energy.

For nearly 22 years, Rich served on the North Carolina Eastern Municipal Power Agency Board of Commissioners, including when the $1.25 billion sale of the Agency’s assets to Duke was completed.

He served on NCEMPA’s Rate Committee for nearly 13 years and on the Utility Directors Advisory Committee for nearly eight years. He chaired that committee from 2018 to 2019.

Wilson City Manager Grant Goings said that during Rich’s time in Wilson, he continued and even improved upon Wilson Energy’s sterling reputation, despite the challenges of the pandemic and severe weather.

Under Rich’s leadership, the City received Public Power Awards of Excellence in all five categories for 2019, 2020, and 2021. And Wilson recently received awards in four categories for 2022.

The American Public Power Association designated Wilson Energy a Diamond-level Reliable Public Power Provider (or RP3) for 2020 through 2022, and just recently for 2023 through 2025. Diamond is the highest-level RP3 achievable.

The City of Rocky Mount received multiple Diamond-level RP3 designations under Rich’s leadership as well.

With Rich at the helm, Wilson Energy ranks among the most reliable public power providers nationwide. On average Wilson Energy customers experienced less than an hour’s outage each year under Rich’s leadership. That earned Wilson Energy Certificates of Excellence for Reliable Performance from APPA each of those years.

Rich’s service goes far beyond awards. That was obvious at his recent retirement party in Wilson. It was packed with public power leaders from communities large and small, from around the state and the country.

Rich has always welcomed opportunities to provide guidance and expertise outside of the communities he’s led. And many people have benefited from his ability to explain complex technical issues to non-technical people.

Many people have also benefitted and continue to benefit from Rich’s strategic, future-focused outlook and his willingness to make tough decisions that might not have been what people wanted to hear in the moment but were good for everyone in the long run.

Now that he’s retired, we see a lot of boating and family time in Rich’s future. That’s already started with he and his wife, Nancy, kicking off his retirement by cruising through Europe. From now on, we hope his tough decisions are limited to where to travel next.

Congratulations, Rich! And thank you for your many years of distinguished service.

Next, let’s meet the 2023 Rising Star Award recipient, Ethan Poppe, and the 2023 Lifetime Achievement Award recipient, Paul Fisher.

Clayton’s Ethan Poppe Named a Public Power Rising Star

Each year at the ElectriCities Annual Conference, we recognize individuals for their outstanding contributions to public power.

At the 2023 Annual Conference:

  • Ethan Poppe received the Rising Star Award.
  • Rich Worsinger received the Distinguished Service Award.
  • Paul Fisher received the Lifetime Achievement Award.

Let’s meet and celebrate the 2023 Public Power Rising Star Award recipient, Ethan Poppe.

2023 Public Power Rising Star Award recipient Ethan Poppe (center), with fellow Town of Clayton staff (left to right): Allen Turnage (Electric Director), Penny Adams (Program Support Specialist), Ann Game (Utilities & Billing Director), and Rich Cappola (Town Manager)

The Rising Star Award recognizes up-and-coming leaders who have less than 10 years of experience and who, in that relatively short time, have made significant and sustained contributions to the electric utility industry and to public power.

That perfectly describes Ethan.

Ethan joined the Town of Clayton in 2020 as an Energy Service Technician in the Electric Department. Even though he had no prior experience working in an electric department, his initiative and ability to learn new skills immediately made him a valuable member of the team.

Through staffing changes in the Electric Department, including a period without a dedicated Electric Department Director, Ethan stepped up and took on responsibilities above and beyond his job role. He worked with engineering, operations, and contracts & procurement staff, as well as outside consultants to increase his knowledge of electrical and project management principles.

Clayton’s Engineering Director, Joshua Baird, said Ethan’s professional growth, willingness to take on additional duties, and process improvements make him an asset to the department and the community and enable the Town to continue to provide exceptional service.

Joshua isn’t the only one singing Ethan’s praises. Ann Game, the Town’s Utilities & Billing Director, said she’s amazed at what Ethan has been able to do. From bidding, contracting, and load management analysis, to helping the Town receive APPA’s Gold-level RP3 designation, helping launch the Town’s new outage management program, and performing an EV study, Ann says Ethan accepts all challenges that come his way and is just an incredible all-around employee.

Clayton’s Electric Director, Allen Turnage, said, “We see a long future for Ethan at the Town of Clayton, and we appreciate his dedication to our community.”

And so do we. Congratulations, Ethan!

Next, let’s meet the 2023 Distinguished Service Award recipient, Rich Worsinger, and the 2023 Lifetime Achievement Award recipient, Paul Fisher.

4 NC Public Power Communities Receive Downtown Revitalization Grants

ElectriCities has awarded Downtown Revitalization Grants to four North Carolina public power communities: Albemarle, Statesville, Wake Forest, and Wilson. Each community will receive $10,000 to help achieve its downtown revitalization goals and spur downtown economic development.

The City of Albemarle’s grant proceeds will help fund its Downtown Catalyst Grant Program. Launched in 2022 to spur economic vitality in the downtown district, the program is a public/private partnership that assists businesses in the downtown municipal service district by offering grants to fund facade and/or building stabilization improvements, as well as internal improvements, including furniture, fixtures, and equipment.

The City of Statesville will use its funds to cover more than 20 large electric boxes downtown with local community art from the school system, established artists, and local flavor art wraps. The enhanced boxes will improve the aesthetic of Statesville’s downtown that’s rich with historical architecture and beautiful city-scaped sidewalks with trees and flowers.

The Town of Wake Forest will put its funds toward retaining Firebox Theatre, a performing arts venue in Downtown Wake Forest. Along with supporting theatrical productions and cultural experiences, the theatre serves local youth through educational programs, including introductory improvisation and dramatic performance.

The City of Wilson will put its funds toward adding a mural and improving 12 intersections with crosswalk murals in Historic Downtown Wilson. Part of its Wilson Street Works initiative, the project will support activity for local businesses, make the city more attractive, engage citizens and community groups, improve the quality of life and place, and promote bicycle and pedestrian safety.

ElectriCities awards the competitive Downtown Revitalization Grants twice a year—each spring and fall—to its members in the North Carolina Eastern Municipal Power Agency (NCEMPA) and in North Carolina Municipal Power Agency Number 1 (NCMPA1). Grant proceeds must be used for projects that advance the community’s downtown revitalization goals and are approved by the city or town manager or chief executive.

Congratulations to these latest grant recipients! The next cycle for ElectriCities Downtown Revitalization Grants opens in September 2023.

Are You Billing All Your Customers?

Having unbilled accounts is more common than you may think, says ElectriCities’ Senior Utility Systems Analyst, Sherri Callery.

Consider this scenario:

A diligent billing clerk in a small public power community has a large customer’s complex account open in the billing system to perform account maintenance. As lunchtime approaches, several customers line up at once to pay or ask questions about their utility bills. The billing clerk leaves her desk to serve the Town’s customers.

When she returns to her desk, the billing system has logged her out. After taking care of several customer requests, she has forgotten about the account she was working on earlier.

Before the customers came in, she’d been changing the account’s rate assignment and route schedule. When the system logged her out, the account status was saved as “inactive.”

Without a rate schedule or route assignment saved in the legacy billing system, the account wasn’t billed.

In the real-life version of this story, the problem came to light during a Retail Billing Assessment a year later. That one account was underbilled over $100,000 that year, representing 3% of the Town’s total electric department revenues!

With staff turnover during that time, no one had noticed the unbilled account as the source of lower revenues. And the Town’s legacy billing system didn’t flag the unbilled account like a modern billing system might have.

This is just one example of how a utility can inadvertently fail to bill all its customers. And it’s one of the common issues a Retail Billing Assessment uncovers.

A Retail Billing Assessment is a thorough analysis and process review of a utility’s electric retail billing system. It identifies unbilled revenue sources and opportunities to improve accuracy and efficiency.

Sherri conducts Retail Billing Assessments for ElectriCities members and recommends having one every two to five years, before major system conversions, and immediately following any significant rate, technology, or staff changes. They’re free for Power Agency members.

Learn more about the power of ElectriCities’ Retail Billing Assessments and other lost revenue Sherri has discovered here.

And be sure to catch Sherri’s breakout session, “Retail Electric Billing: Revenue Lost & Found,” at the 2023 ElectriCities Annual Conference in August. She’ll highlight common sources of billing errors that can have huge impacts on your utility and your revenue.

To determine whether a Retail Billing Assessment should be on your utility’s to-do list, contact Sherri Callery.

Summer Load Management and How You Can Save Money

If you haven’t already prepared for the summer heat, it’s time. Your local electric provider may offer a Load Management program. A Load Management program is intended to reduce your power costs by decreasing the electricity demand when your usage is highest.

Residential Load Management

Participating in a residential load management program involves having a remotely controlled switch attached to your appliances that impact peak demand most.

“Now is a good time to participate in your local load management program, learn how it works and the value of it—especially with the extreme temperatures we’ve experienced so far this season,” says ElectriCities Field Operations Manager Jason Thigpen.

Customers already participating in residential load management need to prepare for summer.

  1. Different appliances are affected. Water heaters are typically controlled year-round, but air conditioners replace heat strips in summer.
  2. Load management time frames. In winter, peak demand is usually 6-8 a.m. Summer peak periods are more prolonged and typically in the afternoon—about 2-7 p.m., most occurring between 3-6 p.m.

“Almost every local public power member in North Carolina participates in load management in some form, which collectively saves customers millions of dollars each year,” says Thigpen.

“Taking steps now to manage the summer demand peaks ensures you don’t miss out on those savings.”

Information about load management is available for customers through your hometown public power utility that is working to help you reduce energy and save money.

Contact your local electric provider for more information about load management or transitioning to summer load management.

Transitioning to Summer Load Management

Whether your community’s load management programs use switches, generators, or both, if you haven’t already prepared for the summer heat, it’s time. Details may differ for each community, but the goal is the same: Reduce your wholesale power costs by decreasing the demand on your electric system when demand for electricity is highest.

Residential Load Management

Participating in a residential load management program involves having a remotely controlled switch attached to customers’ appliances that have the most impact on peak demand.

“Now is a good time to inform those customers who aren’t participating in load management about how your program works and the value of it—especially with the extreme heat North Carolina summers can bring,” says ElectriCities Field Operations Manager, Jason Thigpen.

NCEMPA Members can use our Load Management Switch Program bill insert to educate customers. These and other bill inserts are free for ElectriCities members.

Customers already participating in residential load management need a different message. Transitioning from winter to summer means:

  1. Different appliances are affected. Water heaters are typically controlled year-round, but air conditioners replace heat strips in the summer months.
  2. Load management time of day changes. In winter, peak demand is usually 6-8 a.m. Summer peak periods are longer and typically in the afternoon—about 2-7 p.m., with most occurring 3-6 p.m.

Utility, Commercial, and Industrial Load Management

Much of non-residential load management involves generators on both sides of the meter. Whether your program involves generators the city or town owns or the customer owns, take time now to get them ready for summer.

Jack Yox, Lead Generator Specialist at ElectriCities, advises:

  1. Walk around the generator to check for leaks, puddles, or other issues that need attention.
  2. Top off the radiator coolant.
  3. Inspect fan belts for condition and proper tension.
  4. Inspect fluid hoses for leaks and possible defects.
  5. Ensure battery chargers are working properly and batteries are fully charged.
  6. Ensure enclosure louvers operate correctly.
  7. Top off storage fuel tanks to prevent condensation.
  8. Treat fuel with anti-gel/antimicrobial additives.
  9. Polish stored fuels to extract contaminants, including microbials, particulates, and water, that can cause significant engine problems.

No matter the season, Yox recommends these ongoing practices to ensure generators are in top shape and ready when you need them—whether for load management or emergency operation:

  1. Change oil regularly and replace fuel, oil, and air filters.
  2. Perform periodic switchgear maintenance.
  3. Regularly lubricate breakers.
  4. Calibrate DOC equipment annually and ensure it works.
  5. Complete monthly above-ground fuel tank inspections in accordance with the SP001 AST Inspection Standard.

“Almost every member in North Carolina participates in load management in some form, which collectively saves members millions of dollars each year,” says Jason. “Taking steps now to prepare to manage the summer demand peaks ensures your utility and your customers don’t miss out on those savings.”

Sharing information about load management is another way to show your customers that their hometown public power utility is working to help them reduce energy use and save money.
For more information about load management or transitioning to summer load management, contact Jason Thigpen.

49 ElectriCities Members Recognized for Excellent Safety Records in 2022

Congratulations to the 49 ElectriCities member utilities that had no lost workday cases due to accidents or injuries in 2022.

North Carolina members that received 2022 ElectriCities Municipal Electric Safety Awards are:

Albemarle
Belhaven
Dallas
Edenton
Farmville
Granite Falls
High Point
Kings Mountain
Lincolnton
New River Light & Power
Pineville
Scotland Neck
Wake Forest
Waynesville		 Apex
Benson
Drexel
Elizabeth City
Fountain
Hamilton
Hobgood
Landis
Maiden
Newton
Red Springs
Shelby
Walstonburg
Western Carolina University		 Ayden
Cherryville
East Carolina University
Enfield
Fremont
Hertford
Hookerton
Laurinburg
New Bern
N.C. State University
Rocky Mount
Smithfield
Washington
Wilson

South Carolina members that received 2022 ElectriCities Municipal Electric Safety Awards are

Easley
McCormick Public Works		 Greer Public Works
Newberry		 Laurens
Seneca Light & Power

ElectriCities Senior Safety & Training Specialist Mark Todd, CUSP, recognized each member for their perfect records and safe operating practices at the NCAMES conference on May 17.

Though reporting on-the-job accidents and injuries is required by OSHA, Mark says it’s not just for record-keeping and awards. The reports provide an opportunity for utility employees to revisit safe work practices, often with the help of the ElectriCities Safety & Training team.

The team uses the information to tweak training classes or to ensure they emphasize certain safety practices. “If, for example, we’re seeing a lot of lineworkers with hand lacerations, that tells us we need to review the importance of wearing proper personal protective equipment,” he said.

“Creating a culture of safety requires everyone’s buy-in, and even with that, an accident or injury can still occur,” Mark said. “Thank you to each member utility employee who is committed to safety and who completed 2022 with no accidents or injuries—whether or not your city or town received an award.”

For more information about the ElectriCities Municipal Electric Safety Awards, contact Mark Todd. And you can find out about upcoming ElectriCities safety training classes here.

Warm Weather Resources

It’s summertime, and the heat is on!

This time of year, it’s normal to want to turn the air conditioning down. We all want to be cool! However, no one wants a high electric bill.

To see how the summer heat affects your energy use—and your monthly energy bill, use TempTracker 365™. It records daily high and low temperatures in ElectriCities member communities. You can use it to find out which days, weeks, or months were extremely hot, causing your cooling system to run longer. You can also see which days had milder temperatures and didn’t result in as much energy use.

Whatever the temperature extremes are in your community, these simple, no-cost and low-cost tips from the U.S. Department of Energy can help you save money and keep cool this summer.

Use your windows to keep out heat

  • Install window coverings to prevent heat from coming through your windows during the day.

Operate your thermostat efficiently 

  • Set your thermostat at a temperature that you find comfortable and that provides humidity control, if needed.
  • When you’re away, set your thermostat a few degrees higher than normal. Lower the thermostat setting when you return home and need cooling.
  • Avoid setting your thermostat at a colder setting than normal when you first turn on your air conditioner.

Use fans and ventilation strategies to cool your home

  • Turn off ceiling fans when you leave the room. Remember that fans cool people, not rooms, by creating a windchill effect.
  • When you shower or take a bath, use the bathroom fan to remove heat and humidity from your home.

Keep your cooling system running efficiently

  • Schedule regular maintenance for your cooling equipment.
  • Avoid placing lamps or TV sets near your thermostat. The thermostat senses heat from these appliances, which can cause the air conditioner to run longer than necessary.
  • Vacuum your air intake vents regularly to remove any dust buildup. Ensure that furniture and other objects aren’t blocking the airflow through your registers.
  • Change the filter for your HVAC system monthly.

Consider a range of appliances and lighting options

  • Consider lighting options that operate at cooler temperatures.
  • If convenient, take advantage of daylight instead of artificial lighting, but avoid direct sunlight.
    • Learn more about strategies for efficient daylighting.
  • Wash full loads of dishes and clothes for better efficiency.

Keep hot air from leaking into your home

  • Seal cracks and openings to prevent warm air from leaking into your home.
  • Add caulk or weatherstripping to seal air leaks around doors and windows.

Lowe your water heating costs

Water heating accounts for about 18% of the energy consumed in your home.

  • The Consumer Product Safety Commission recommends setting your water heater at no more than 120˚F to prevent scalding. The lower setting will also conserve energy and save money.

For more ways to save money and keep cool this summer, check out https://www.energy.gov/energysaver/spring-and-summer-energy-saving-tips.