Summer Traditions
Summer tends to make and hold memories of friendly, outdoor gatherings: a family reunion, a picnic, a special 4th of July.
Electric co-ops in Kentucky have their own summer tradition that says a lot about who they are.
During the warm, summer vacation months, electric co-ops across the state hold their annual meetings. These are well-publicized events that show off the local flavor. Some are small, while others are so big they�re almost like a county fair.
The centerpiece of each is the legally required business meeting. As a user-owned corporation, co-op annual meetings are unusual in that the shareholders are not rich, far-flung investors, but anyone and everyone from the local community.
There is also education, and fun. Many of the meetings feature safety and energy-efficiency demonstrations, to keep people alive, healthy, and making the best possible use of their electricity. And there is usually music that matches local tastes.
The meetings tend to be relaxed, casual affairs that bring neighbors together for business and fun. Be sure to put your local electric co-op annual meeting on your calendar for next summer.
Improvements to ENERGY STAR
In this issue you�ll find another update on improvements to the ENERGY STAR program.
The May issue of Kentucky Living reported on questions about the government program that provides energy-efficiency labels for a variety of products.
The questions caused concern with Kentucky Living and electric co-ops because they have strongly recommended using ENERGY STAR labels as a way to save energy and money.
The criticism of the program was that it relied too heavily on whatever the manufacturers told ENERGY STAR about their products, without checking those claims.
ENERGY STAR took the criticism seriously, and promised to make the program better. This month�s story describes how test results will now be required to get the ENERGY STAR rating. The story also tells about new and much-needed energy-efficiency information for TVs.
ENERGY STAR has been an extremely useful and important way to help people shop for the best in energy savings and efficiency. It�s an excellent sign that they are toughening up their standards, and have issued new labels for televisions.
