By Trent Marlett -- I have answered a lot of questions since the Cotton Electric 2012 Heat Pump Rebate Program went into effect. Most of the questions have been about air source heat pump ratings and, unfortunately, a lot of the answers have disappointed the callers.
Several members have recently installed air source heat pumps, and I have been the bearer of bad news, having to explain why the unit does not qualify for the rebates.
SEER, EER and HSPF are rating numbers that pertain to an air source heat pump (ASHP) system. Each number represents a different type of efficiency rating and is an important part of the 2012 rebate program.

May is National Electrical Safety Month. While Cotton Electric promotes electrical safety year round, this is a good time to raise awareness about potential home electrical hazards and the importance of electrical safety. This year, members are challenged to evaluate the electrical safety of their own homes.
According to the Consumer Electronics Association, the average home today has three televisions, two DVD players, at least one digital camera, one desktop computer, and two cell phones.
“Modern homes run on electricity, but if you don’t properly maintain your electrical products they can create hazards,” warns Trent Marlett, energy efficiency coordinator for CEC.
“The good news is that eliminating electrical hazards from your home doesn’t have to be difficult or expensive.”

Come on in the front door, folks!

Two days shy of one year after a flood closed the north side of Cotton Electric’s headquarters building, the front lobby has been reopened for business.

A deluge the evening of April 22, 2011 caused a portion of the roof to collapse. An estimated 70,000 gallons of water were dumped into the building and flooded the entire north end of the facility. Offices had to be abandoned, workers were displaced and members having business with the co-op had to enter through a smaller, less inviting door to the north.

On April 20, 2012, member services representatives moved into their new desks and the doors to the front lobby were unlocked.

When was the last time you had your home’s HVAC system tuned up? If it has been a few years, this is a good time to have an HVAC contractor inspect, service and clean it.

Typically, tune-ups on cooling systems that have been neglected for a few years can provide as much as 15 percent energy savings. Just as a tune-up for your car can improve gas mileage, a yearly tune-up of your cooling system can improve efficiency and comfort. Plus, an annual tune-up can increase the life of the system.

In conjunction with our Beat the Peak program, Cotton Electric is offering a rebate of up to $75 per home (50 percent of the cost of your tune-up, excluding repairs, up to $75) for members who get a tune-up for their HVAC system. In order to qualify, the following guidelines must be met:

Forgot your Co-op Connections card? There’s an app for that. Co-op members on the go can keep up with all the local and national discounts offered by downloading the Co-op Connections Card phone app at connections.coop.

This virtual Co-op Connections Card shows the front and back images necessary to take advantage of prescription and other Healthy Savings discounts.

The app also uses a phone’s GPS feature to find businesses that accept the card, if any are nearby.
Users can identify favorite discount deals and save them in a My Deals feature within the app, which is available for Blackberry and Droid phones as well as iPod Touch, iPhone and iPad.

You can also print a copy of the card at http://www.nbdrugcard.com/GetCard.aspx

     Cotton Electric has announced new standards for the 2012 Rebate Program for the purchase and installation of energy-efficient ground source or air source heat pumps.
A total of $200,000 in rebate funds is available on a first-come, first-served basis. Once rebate funds have been exhausted, the program will end for the year.
Members should note that the minimum standards for ground source heat pumps (GSHP) are divided into two tiers for 2012. The amount of rebate is determined by the size of each unit, its Energy Efficiency Rating (EER) and Coefficient of Performance (COP).