Manager’s Messageby Rick Stevens, General Manager

The July 4th storm that hit North Central Montana not only changed the harvest outlook for many of our members, it also created several outages across the Hill County Electric (HCE) grid. A total of 61 poles were lost in multiple substation service areas shown below:

• Big Sandy - 4 • Goldstone - 2 • Havre-south - 9 • Havre-north - 18• Hopp - 2 • Kremlin - 1 • Rudyard - 5 • Sprinkle - 6 • West Joplin - 14

Not all lost poles caused an outage to members’ homes. Several of the poles were able to be replaced in the days after the storm as they were on lines connected to such things as grain bins or pumps that were not needed immediately. For most of our members, power was restored by late evening on July 5th. Our thanks for the patience of those affected and for those that helped our line personnel as they worked to restore power as quickly as was possible.

The importance of setting off fireworks safely was highlighted by a fire at the Montana Electric Cooperatives’ Association (MECA)

building in Great Falls on the night of July 4th. The fire was believed to have been caused by fireworks that went astray. It resulted in a total loss of the building’s cedar-shake roof. Thankfully, the damage to the building’s interior was minimal. Firefighters confirmed that the fire was likely caused by burning debris from fireworks landing on the roof. It was noted that perhaps a hundred or so people were setting off fireworks in various places surrounding the MECA building that evening. The fire was reported anonymously at around 11:30 p.m. that evening and firefighters were on the scene within a few minutes.

The building, jointly owned by MECA and Central Montana Electric Power Cooperative, which buys power on behalf of HCE and seven other electric cooperatives, is insured by Federated Rural Electric Insurance Exchange. MECA is now working to obtain bids from roofing contractors for replacement of the roof. The roof will likely be replaced with a metal, asphalt-coated material. Repair to the building’s interior, which sustained some slight water damage, will proceed as soon as the roof is repaired. A restoration crew has placed temporary covers on the roof to protect the interior against the rain and spent almost an entire week removing all of the blown-in insulation from the building’s attic. In addition, a crew from VisionNet, which provides Internet services to the building, had

1.877.394.7804 • hillcountyelectric.coop

HILL COUNTY ELECTRIC COOPERATIVE

NEWS & VIEWS

2121 US Hwy 2 NW • PO Box 2330 • Havre, MT 59501

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Insulating & WeatherizingLooking for an easy efficiency upgrade? Additional insulation can make a difference! The Department of Energy estimates you can reduce heating and cooling needs up to 30 percent by properly insulating and weatherizing your home.

Source: energy.gov

• Big Sandy- 4 • Goldstone- 2 • Havre-South- 9• Havre-North- 18• Hopp- 2

• Kremlin- 1 • Rudyard- 5 • Sprinkle- 6 • West Joplin- 14

TODAY’S MEMBERS PROGRAM

October 6th-8th Great Falls, MT

For more information or to sign up go towww.hillcountyelectric.coop

FREE TRIP!

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Smart, savvy and efficient electronics for the homeBy Tom Tate

Gadgets, gadgets everywhere! With the current tech explosion, “techies” find themselves in a veritable paradise. Let’s take a look at some really cool and, at the same time, useful gadgets on the market today.

Security for the home and family is a top concern. How about a door lock that you can control from a smart phone? August, Lockitron, Goji, Kevo Lock from Kwikset and others offer such locks. Installation varies by model, but they provide such nifty features as remote monitoring of lock status, temporary guest/contractor access, multiple users and more. Wifi and Bluetooth are the two networks used.

Smart thermostats like Nest and Lyric get all the press, but practically anything you can imagine in your home can be controlled from that “super computer” nestled in your pocket or purse. A popular website, www.Smarthome.com, offers a variety of products. A search on “smart phone home automation” produced 4,695 results – how’s that for control?

Here is one example. The WeMo line by Belkin allows you to control individual lights and appliances through the use of their little plugs. Insert the WeMo plug in an outlet,

connect the light or appliance and then, via your existing wifi network and the WeMo app, you can create schedules and exercise control over your home.

Phillips makes an individually controllable LED bulb called Hue. Using their app, you can control the light level, on/off schedule and color. They even developed a custom scenario for a recent SyFy series to recreate the mood of the series itself. A bit much perhaps, but pretty cool nonetheless. Yes – you can achieve energy savings and create a party mood all at once.

In addition to controlling various aspects of your home’s operation, and thereby increasing both security and savings, you can monitor it from afar to be sure all is well. When you’re away from home, Smarthome’s Elertus ELRT-107 wifi Smart Sensor comes in handy. This single sensor can monitor temperature and the presence of water (say, from flooding or frozen pipes), among other things. While pricey, it could more than pay for itself in peace of mind and damage avoidance. Couple this with a smart water shutoff and, if you get a leak

alert, you’ll be able to turn off the water to avoid damage—all via the comfort of your smart phone.

If you envied Mr. Spock’s tricorder, check out Lapka. This sleek and elegant set of sensors allows you to measure electromagnetic fields (EMF), radiation, temperature/humidity and even the level of nitrates in foods to be sure they are truly organic. With Lapka, you can be sure your personal space is clean and healthy. All the results show up on the Lapka smart phone app.

How about something for you tinkerers out there? Look no further than www.littlebits.com. littleBits are just that, little bits of technology you snap together to make your own controls. How about a remote garage door sensor? Or a bark monitor? Or controlling a window AC unit via the Internet? All possible with littleBits’ Smart Home Kit. Or, you can build your own smart door lock with an Arduino and some other parts.

From energy savings to security to convenience to fun, the market is full of products and apps that put you firmly in control of your home and how it operates. It’s a gadget-lover’s paradise indeed.

Tom Tate writes on cooperative issues for the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association, the Arlington, Va.-based service arm of the nation’s 900-plus consumer-owned, not-for-profit electric cooperatives.

to install new communications cable throughout the building as much of the cable in the attic melted from the intense heat of the fire. Due to safety concerns, the restoration company working on repairing damages

to the building’s interior cannot conduct interior repairs, including replacement of attic insulation, until the roof is replaced. May the rest of the year not be quite as exciting as this past fourth of July.

I hope your harvest was completed safely. Remember to always keep safety in mind when you are moving farm equipment or doing any work around your farm or ranch. ALWAYS check for power lines!

Check out the Home Experience Center located in our Havre office.

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BLAST FROM THE PAST This article appeared in the HCE Newsletter February 1974.

HILL COUNTY ELECTRIC COOPERATIVE

1.877.394.7804 • hillcountyelectric.coop

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SWAP & SHOP

SWAP & SHOP is a classified advertising section of the Hill County Electric and Triangle Communications websites and newsletters. It is maintained as a service to customers and communities wanting to buy, sell and announce non-commercial items. To include an ad, go to itstriangle.com/swap-and-shop and complete the online form. Administrators will review the information within two business days and if approved, the ad will appear on the website. It will stay online for 60 days unless you notify us to remove or change it. It will also appear in any of the HCE & Triangle newsletters printed during that 60 day window. HCE and Triangle reserve the right to abbreviate ads and if the section is full, we will display ads on a first come, first-served basis.

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.September • 2015

During June, Hill County Electric had approximately 19,711 account hours affected by outages. Of these hours:

Primary UG Faults: 279WPA/NWE: 13,436Equipment Or Material Failure: 189

Planned Maintenance & High Profile Load: 97Weather Related: 5,543Miscellaneous, Public, Wildlife or Unknown: 167

This compares to 6,592 hours one year ago. HCE crews worked on locates, work orders and maintenance across the service area. Outback has completed the pole change out south of the PN Bridge.

HCE HAPPENINGS

COMMUNITY EVENTS Utica Rod & Gun Club Roast Beef Dinner Sept.12th from 6-7 pm at Utica Community Hall. Raffle & auction to follow dinner.

Utica Day Fair- September 13th Breakfast 7-10 am at the Masonic Temple in Hobson. Utica Day Fair 10 am- 4 pm at Utica Women’s Club House. Crafts, food & raffle.Events include the Montana Bale Trail- What the Hay Contest between Hobson & Windham. Museums open in Hobson & Utica. Call Kathy at 406.423.5428 or 406.423.5321.

FOR SALE Rabbit Hutches One wood and wire rabbit hutch $35. Two wire hutches with removable trays & feeder troughs $20 each. Water bottles & feeder bins included. Call 406.355.4123, all messages returned.

Moving - Must Sell!!!Pellet stove $125, Oak roll top desk $150Horse waterer $75, Ping pong table $30Daybed frame $25.00. Contact: Chris or Faith,

Day: 406.861.0253 or Evenings: 406.669.3379.

Jayflight 2008 19’ Travel TrailerSleeps 7, interior in excellent condition, some hail dents. $4,500 OBO. Contact: Chris or Faith, Day: 406.861.0253 or Evenings: 406.669.3379.

TO GIVE AWAYBasketball HoopBasketball hoop mounted on a long pipe. Free for the taking. Call 406.265.2712.

IN SEARCH OFOne Level Ranch Style HouseIn search of a one level ranch style house in good/fair condition that can be moved. Call Joe Brummer at: 406.357.4236 or 406.945.4149

Employee(s) Needed The Big Sandy Meat Shop is looking for a full time/year round employee. The job covers all aspects of our plant. Wages are based on experience. Please contact Jim at 406.390.6859 or the plant at 406.378.2119.