CECF announces golf tournament

Golfers have a great opportunity to spend a day on an 18-hole championship course while helping to raise funds to help organizations and individuals throughout southwest Oklahoma.
The First Annual Cotton Electric Charitable Foundation (CECF) Summer Classic will be Sept. 14 at The Territory Golf Course in Duncan. The tournament is being held to raise awareness of CECF and to generate funds for Operation Round Up (ORU).
ORU is primarily funded by Cotton Electric Cooperative members, who “round up” their monthly bill to the nearest dollar. The funds are administered by CECF, which meets quarterly to consider grant applications. Since its inception in 2004, CECF has awarded over $360,000 to volunteer fire departments, youth, senior citizen and public safety organizations, schools, communities and individuals throughout the Cotton Electric service area.
Registration for the four-person scramble will begin at 8 a.m. with a shotgun start at 9 a.m. The registration fee of $600 per team will include range balls, cart, and a meal following the round.
Individual, team and door prizes will be awarded.
To enter, players’ names and handicap or average scores can be faxed to 580-875-3101. For information, call Melvin Jones at 580-255-5065 or e-mail mjones@cottonelectric.com.
Deadline for entries is Sept. 7.

Utility poles need no attachments

No, nothing, nada.
No wireless internet or satellite receiver, no basketball goal, no barbed-wire fencing, no garage sale sign. Nothing should be attached to a utility pole except the power equipment placed there by trained personnel.
It is a matter of access. It is a matter of safety. It is a matter of law.
A Cotton Electric utility pole belongs to the cooperative. The co-op retains rights of access to the pole in order to provide quality service to the members.
In order to gain access to a pole, attached items such as signs and fences will be removed by Cotton Electric employees.
Posters or other objects (birdhouses, balloons, flags, and even basketball nets) can create dangerous obstacles.. Also, the nails and tacks left behind from signs can snag utility workers’ boots or puncture safety clothing, making lineworkers vulnerable to slipping or even electrocution.
Items higher up on the pole will be removed if they present a safety hazard. The closer an item is to the line and any other equipment, the bigger the hazard.
An extreme example was discovered recently by Robert Martinez, a construction crew leader for CEC. “I just happened to look up,” he said, “and was surprised by what I saw.”
A wireless internet receiver had been mounted high up on a pole, so close to a transformer that some of the line brushed against the back of the device.
Martinez said, “I wondered how someone might have done that without getting killed.”
He said the receiver was within three feet of a 7200-volt primary line. Quoting safety policies followed by CEC employees, he said, “We can’t get closer than 4 feet, 2 inches to something like that without wearing insulated gloves.
“It was too close for comfort.” Martinez said it was the worst safety hazard of this type he’d seen in his 29 years with Cotton Electric. He took immediate steps to de-energize the transformer and have the device removed.
A situation like that is prohibited by Oklahoma state statute. Under Title 63, addressing public health and safety, section 981 states, “Activity within six feet of high voltage overhead line or conductor (is) prohibited.” Section 984 outlines consequences, saying a conviction can result in a $500 fine or six months imprisonment or both.
The poles seem like ideal mounts for receivers in areas with lots of trees. Those being used to bring power to the area are not an option, but members do have another alternative.
Cotton Electric will sell and install a pole for a member. A crew will determine a safe location, dig and place the pole for about $300.
The pole then becomes the property of the member to use as they please.

Create a wind chill with circulating fans

Temperatures outdoors are creeping back up into the high 90s and low 100s and home air conditioners are working harder. Turning on a circulating fan can help lighten the load and lower energy use.
Circulating fans include ceiling fans, table fans, floor fans, and fans mounted to poles or walls. These fans create a wind chill effect that will make you more comfortable in your home, even if it's also cooled by natural ventilation or air conditioning. Ceiling fans are considered the most effective of these types of fans, since they effectively circulate the air in a room to create a draft throughout the room.
If you use air conditioning, a ceiling fan will allow you to raise the thermostat setting about 4°F with no reduction in comfort. In temperate climates, or during moderately hot weather, ceiling fans may allow you to avoid using your air conditioner altogether. Install a fan in each room that needs to be cooled during hot weather.
Ceiling fans are only appropriate in rooms with ceilings at least eight feet high. Fans work best when the blades are 7–9 feet above the floor and 10–12 inches below the ceiling. Fans should be installed so their blades are no closer than 8 inches from the ceiling and 18 inches from the walls.
Larger ceiling fans can move more air than smaller fans. A 36- or 44-inch diameter fan will cool rooms up to 225 square feet, while fans that are 52 inches or more should be used in larger rooms. Multiple fans work best in rooms longer than 18 feet. Small- and medium-sized fans will provide efficient cooling in a 4- to 6-foot diameter area, while larger fans are effective up to 10 feet.
A larger blade will also provide comparable cooling at a lower velocity than a smaller blade. This may be important in areas where loose papers or other objects will be disturbed by a strong breeze. The fan should also be fitted to the aesthetics of the room—a large fan may appear overpowering in a small room.
A more expensive fan that operates quietly and smoothly will probably offer more trouble-free service than cheaper units. Check the noise ratings, and, if possible, listen to your fan in operation before you buy it.When buying window fans, look for the ENERGY STAR® label. Fans that earn the label move air 20 percent more efficiently, on average, than standard models.