Since 1990 your Cooperative’s net utility plant value has increased by almost thirty million dollars, reflecting our efforts to provide you with reliable service.  However, no power company can guarantee an uninterrupted supply of electric energy and the inevitability of major summer storms and winter ice storms make the next power outage on our system a matter of "when" and not "if".

Consequently our members should always be prepared for the possibility of an outage.  We suggest each member put together an outage kit that includes a flashlight, food that does not have to be heated and a manual can opener.

Consumers with livestock confinement facilities, life support systems or who operate a business dependent on computers should have a plan to deal with a loss of power.  That plan could include backup generation, uninterruptible power supply devices and alarm systems which notify someone when power is lost.

Sensitive electronic equipment such as televisions, personal computers, VCR’s and microwaves should be unplugged to prevent any possible damage from surges.  At least one light should be left on to signal when power has been restored.  In most cases food left in refrigerators and freezers will last many hours if door opening is kept to a minimum.

Our employees do an extraordinary job of restoring service, but in the event of major storms "an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure".
 
 

Many people are under the impression that the 120/240 volt energy found inside the typical meter socket will do little more than sting a little if contacted; however nothing could be further from the truth.

The human body can sense current as low as one-thousandth of one amp and less than one amp of electric current can cause a human heart to go into cardiac arrest.

Even if direct skin contact is not made, the 5000 amps of fault current available in a typical home meter socket can create an arc capable of shattering eyeglasses and even exploding a glass meter cover.  Such arcs can ignite natural fiber clothing and melt synthetic fibers, bonding them to human flesh.

Be safe, give us a call.
 

Our way of life has been revolutionized by the development of the computer chip and subsequent electronic devices, and manufacturers continue to flood the market with sophisticated and expensive equipment which is very sensitive to over-voltage conditions caused by lightning or other sources.

Due to their ever increasing complexity and diminutive size, the current generation of electronic gadgets are usually not repairable and must be replaced when damaged. 

Several manufacturers are now offering "surge protection" equipment, ranging in price from a couple of bucks to several hundred dollars.  Many also offer warranties against damage caused by surges.

Some of the products being offered are of very low quality and offer little or no protection against damages.  In addition we have heard of numerous situations where warranties have not been honored.

In order to offer high quality equipment at affordable prices, SouthEastern will lease its members a meter socket device (installed by the Cooperative) and a basic packet which includes several point-of-use surge protection devices.

The entire surge protection package, including appliance warranty, leases for $6.00 per month.  If you are interested, please contact our Purchasing Manager "Low Dollar" Don Allen for more information at 1-800-833-2611-Extension 160 or email him at DonAllen@seiec.com.