Loup Generator — Winter 2022

More documents

Info

BOARD OF DIRECTORS Ross Knott Chairman Alan Drozd First Vice Chairman Steve Heesacker Second Vice Chairman Robert Cerv Secretary Dick Tooley Treasurer Rich Aerni Jim Donoghue Mike Fleming Chris Langemeier Larry Zach HOW DO WE SET ELECTRICITY RATES? Loup Power District identifies electricity rates based on cost of service while keeping our customers and our communities front and center. As a not-for-profit company, Loup does not answer to remote shareholders and is not driven by a profit motive. Revenues are invested right back into the company and communities. EXECUTIVE STAFF Neal Suess President/CEO Walt Williams Vice President, Accounting & Finance/CFO Todd Duren Vice President, Corporate Services Korey Hobza Vice President, Engineering Dan Hellbusch Vice President, Operations The Loup Generator is published quarterly as a service for Loup employees, families, friends, and associates. For feedback, story ideas and submissions, contact: Stacy Wemhoff Communications Coordinator 402-562-5711 swemhoff@loup.com ADD UP ALL THE COSTS. Loup conducts a cost-of-service study to determine the revenue requirement — how much revenue is required to maintain financial stability. The costs are separated into three areas: power supply and transmission, distribution, and customers. DIVIDE REVENUE REQUIREMENTS by customer class — commercial, industrial, residential. The cost-of-service study identifies how and when each class uses energy, and how the utility incurs costs from each class. The study identifies the amount to recover through customer, demand, and energy charges for each customer class, and how costs vary by time of day or season. This amount is then compared with the rates for each class. FACTOR a rate adjustment strategy into a financial plan. The plan takes input from management and the Board of Directors and lays out a strategy for how rates should be implemented in the future. The plan ensures adequate revenues are recovered for each class of customer and explains how each rate component (customer, energy, demand) should vary over time. BALANCE the recommended rates with the governing body’s input and community objectives. Loup’s managers present the rate study to the Board of Directors. The Board decides whether the proposed rate structure meets the needs of the community and the utility’s revenue requirements. FINAL RATE. The newly set rates go into effect on customers’ monthly bills. Loup’s residential rates have not changed since 2018. 2 | GENERATOR COVER PHOTO: Musk thistles. Photo by Nebraskaland Magazine/Nebraska Game and Parks Commission.
president’s message Loup working to bring broadband to rural areas Over the past several months, many of you have possibly read the articles linking Loup Power District to studies associated with rural broadband. After thinking about this for a while, you might ask yourself, “Why is Loup doing this, and what is the benefit?” To start, there is a substantial amount of money available from various government resources to bring high speed broadband access to rural areas of the country. That funding prompted us to consider how we could assist with this effort. So, Loup, Nebraska Public Power District (NPPD), Platte County, and Cornhusker Public Power District worked together to enlist the services of the National Rural Telecommunications Cooperative. The NRTC — which serves more than 1,500 utilities in 48 states — is conducting a study on bringing high speed broadband service to Loup’s fourcounty area. Loup and NPPD have been discussing how access to high speed broadband can help with economic development in the rural areas of Loup’s service area. NPPD has been looking at numerous precision agricultural developments, and this type of service could enhance that activity, as well as other economic development services. Additionally, high speed broadband might entice some young adults to stay in our smaller towns rather than migrating to larger cities in the Midwest. As you can see, the benefit is real and tangible — especially if this can be done in the right manner. One impediment to this, however, is a State of Nebraska law that prohibits Loup from providing broadband service to end-use customers. State law does not, however, prohibit Loup from developing a backbone for service that can be leased to a company that provides the service. Loup has a vast amount of infrastructure (such as power poles) already in place that can be used to string fiber optic cable that can be used for high speed broadband service. This process draws similarities to the electrification of rural Nebraska in the 1930s and ’40s. The foresight for stringing wire to rural America along with federal programs helped bring electricity to area homes. This enhanced the quality of life for everyone in the rural areas of the United States. Broadband can have the same effect on rural residents today. With the Covid-19 pandemic of the past 18 months, it has become even more important to bring high speed broadband access to the rural areas of Nebraska. It is imperative that schools and students have this access in the event that they need to conduct remote learning. All these factors persuaded Loup Power District’s Board of Directors and management that this project was worth pursuing. It is definitely not a done deal, but at least the process has started, allowing the District to better determine the project’s feasibility and economics. As we move forward, you can keep up to date by following Loup on social media, looking at our website, and watching the news. We look forward to it. NEAL SUESS President/CEO WINTER 2022 | 3
Page 1: GENERA OR a publication of Loup Pow
Page 5 and 6: High Efficiency Heat Pumps Option 1
Page 7 and 8: A new aquatic invasive — creeping
Page 9 and 10: PURPLE LOOSESTRIFE Lythrum salicari
Page 11 and 12: BENEFTS OF A MINI-SPLIT HEAT PUMP
Page 13 and 14: WINTER 2022 | 13
Page 15 and 16: DAN STRONG Maintenance Technician D

Loup Generator — Winter 2022

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

Delete template?

Save as template?