“Row the Boat is not about focusing on yourself. It’s about rowing through life to be great for others and to help others be their best.”
Happy Holidays to you and your family. I pray that you have a safe and joyful Christmas. We should remember the reason for the season and pray for those who need God’s touch.
With the holidays, the winter season may bring an equally cold reality: higher heat bills. I encourage you to keep your costs and energy use as low as possible by acting now to avoid bill shock. Two big ideas: 1) Start with a heating system checkup. Keep your heating system clean and in tip-top working order. 2) Use a programmable thermostat to set your temperature lower when you’re away to prevent energy waste from heating an empty house. This can help you save about $180 each year. Take time now so you can save money later.
SEMO Electric Cooperative will keep its residential cost per kWh (unit of energy) at $0.087 (8.7 cents) for 2022. The last time we increased the residential kWh rate was January 1, 2013. Our fixed daily charge will increase by 10 cents to $1.10. The daily fixed charge helps you and us budget better because it reduces fluctuation when the temperature goes from hot to cold or cold to hot.
For high school seniors wishing for a scholarship to attend a college or a technical school in the fall of 2022, the application period is open until January 8, 2022. Applications are available at your high school or by Email. Scholarships are for high school seniors whose parent(s) or legal guardian(s) is a member-owner of SEMO Electric Cooperative. In May 2021, 84 students were each awarded an $880 scholarship – a total of $73,920 due to Operation Round-Up. It’s a simple program that rounds up a member’s bill to the nearest dollar. Since beginning the scholarship program in 2008, $937,870 has been awarded to help area youth succeed in life.
As mentioned previously in the October column, we are eliminating GoSEMO Fiber’s bundle discount this month for those member subscribers with two or three services. GoSEMO’s prices for internet, TV, and phone have been the same since we started offering broadband services in February 2018. We need to raise rates. It doesn’t make sense to give discounts and raise rates. We don’t like bad news, but I believe transparency is vital. For 2023, I expect an increase for GoSEMO’s TV services, but we plan to leave GoSEMO’s internet and telephone prices the same.
Book of the Month: “Row the Boat is not about focusing on yourself. It’s about rowing through life to be great for others and to help others be their best. No one rows through life alone, so the boat represents a group of people all rowing together. When the group is rowing with a common focus, intention, mission, and purpose, the group becomes a team and the team becomes unstoppable. The more you serve others, the bigger your boat gets.” Row the Boat by Jon Gordon and P. J. Fleck Book
Be smart. Act safe. #keeppushingforward
Sean is the general manager and chief executive officer of SEMO Electric Cooperative. Sean hopes Santa visits your home this year instead of seeing you via Zoom.