Board of TrusteesMichael SpringerPresident

Tom AyersVice President

David EngelmanSecretary-Treasurer

Larry FeltsTrustee

Nick FrankenberyTrustee

Sandy SmithTrustee

Carol WehmeyerTrustee

Staff Leah M. TindleAdministrative Manager

Dennis DuftOperations Manager

Cash BakerEd BambickApril EngstromCindy HolinsworthRyan HuserLarry McVeyAllen MillerJe� ReedBecky SchwatkenGlen SeilerBenny StephensBrian SumnerTracy Tindle

Contact Us9346 Jewell Rd, P.O. Box 390Fredonia, KS 66736620-378-2161www.radiantec.coop

Offi ce HoursMonday–Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Radiant Electric Co-op, Inc.

HI-LITES

P.O. Box 390, Fredonia, KS 66736 620-378-2161

www.radiantec.coop

R A D I A N TE L E C T R I C CO - O P

Co-ops Educate Safety Demos at the State FairCorn dogs, concerts and cooperatives—the Kansas State Fair brings entertain-ment and education for all ages. As part of the fair’s activities, Radiant Electric and our fellow Kansas electric cooperatives and Touchstone Energy cooperatives of Kansas co-sponsored a high-voltage line safety demonstration from Sept. 11 to 15.

Radiant Electric Co-operative linemen ALLEN MILLER and JEFF REED, along with volunteers from Midwest Energy, Sedgwick County and Victory electric cooperatives lead the interactive demonstration using real electric equip-ment and their “volunteer” stick man to highlight common electrical dangers and the importance of public safety around power lines. The presentation also demonstrated just how easy it is for an accident to occur when working with electricity and the safety precautions line crews take to prevent these dangerous, and sometimes deadly, mishaps.

The Kansas electric cooperatives and Touchstone Energy Cooperatives of Kansas have been sponsoring the high-voltage safety demonstration

since 2007. At Radiant Electric, we know that the more people we have in our communities who are knowl-edgeable about electrical safety, the safer we all will be. That is why we strive every day to raise awareness of and encourage development in electrical safety.

Contact Jeff Reed, Radiant Elec-tric’s safety coordinator, at 620-378-2161 to learn more about the safety programs we provide for local schools and organizations.

Radiant linemen Allen Miller (left) and Jeff Reed teach the Kansas State Fair audience about common electrical dangers and how to avoid them.

OCTOBER 2017 KANSAS COUNTRY LIVING 16-A

CHANUTEOCT 6 Chanute Entertainment Series. Grand Magic with Duane and Mary Laflin at 7 p.m. at the Memorial Auditorium.OCT 14 City-Wide Garage SaleOCT 14 Energize Chanute Kick Off. 8:30 a.m. to noon at the Lakeview Recreation Area.OCT 14 Oktoberfest. 4 to 10 p.m., downtown.OCT 15 Martin and Osa Johnson Safari Museum High Tea. Noon to 2 p.m. Reservations required.OCT 30 Trick or Treat on Main StreetOCT 30 Kiwanis Spook Parade

COFFEYVILLEOCT 5-9 125th Anniversary Dalton Defenders Days. Craft booths, food vendors,

entertainment and activities to commemorate the lives lost defending the town against the Daltons at the historic downtown Coffeyville.OCT 14 Vive Le Ville. Color run, art and craft show, concert and more to honor historic Old Coffeyville and the commercial and residential revival.OCT 18 Peter Fletcher performance. Classical guitarist free concert at 6 p.m. at the Public Library.OCT 21 Brown Mansion Spook Trail. Spooky adventure through the wooded grounds and down to the haunted basement from 8 to 11 p.m. Visit brownmansion.com for more information.OCT 23 Spooktacular. Trick-or-treating, bounce houses and face painting from 4 to 5:30 p.m., downtown.

FREDONIAOCT 7 OktoberFest & Comedy Show. Fredonia Regional Healthcare fundraiser at 6 p.m., including dinner, VFW, comedian James Johann. Tickets available for pre-purchase.OCT 10 Power Wheels Race and Wonder Woman Movie Night. 6 p.m. at the downtown square.

OCT 12 70th Annual Fredonia Business Women’s Homecoming Queen Pageant. 7 p.m. at the Bateman Gym.OCT 14 94th Annual Homecoming Fall Festival. Parade at 11 a.m. Activities all day, including Tri-Valley Street Rod Assocation Car Show, superhero photos and BMX demonstration. Ottaway Amusements Friday and Saturday.OCT 31 Trunk or Treat. 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at the downtown square.

INDEPENDENCEOCT 6-8 Fall Production “Night of the Living Dead.” Friday and Saturday at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m. at the William Inge Theater.OCT 14 Zoolloween. 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the Ralph Mitchell Zoo.OCT 20-28 Neewollah. Activities all day downtown. Schedule of events at neewollah.com.OCT 27-28 Annual Halloween Campout. Friday from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. and Saturday from 7 a.m to 9 p.m. at the Elk City State Park.

Local Event CALENDAR

Engaging Co-op Members is Essential to SuccessOctober is Cooperative Month, and as a member-owned, member-governed co-op, Radiant Electric has reason to celebrate! When Radiant Electric was incorporated in 1941, members of the community knew the co-op was a locally-owned business, likely because they or someone they knew played a part in helping establish the cooperative. Over time as the novelty of receiving electricity waned, the founders passed, and new people moved into the community viewing the electric co-op like any other energy provider.

But electric co-ops are different, and the key to that difference is you, the member-owner of our co-op. Without your support and commitment, we would not exist. For many years, people had no choice in the company that pro-vided them with the electricity they so greatly depended upon, but today, the electric utility industry is changing.

Research proves that when people own something they treat it differently, which is why we encourage Radiant Elec-tric members to act as owners rather than customers. As an owner, you play a critical role in our success. Each year, if our revenue exceeds our expenses (which is always our goal), a certain percentage is allocated to you in the form of capital credits—because you are a member of the co-op.

With that ownership comes certain rights like the op-portunity to seek election to serve on the board of direc-tors. If that seems like too big a commitment, we still want and need you to participate in the annual elections.

Radiant continually looks for innovative ways to save members’ money and make membership more conve-nient, such as online bill pay, our SmartHub app for mobile devices, budget billing, appliance rebates, and more. We

welcome your input as member-owners on how we can better serve you.

As a local business, we have a real stake in the com-munity, just as you do. While electric power is the com-modity that the co-op sells, the real power is that togeth-er, we empower this local community. When people feel empowered, they accomplish great things.

True, the world is different today than it was in 1941 when Radiant Electric was incorporated, but our mission of serving you and our community is constant. Working together with your active, inspired engagement, we can continue to accomplish great things.

Radiant Electric linemen work with TCI Fabrication to place the new City of Fredonia sign at the City’s entrance. Concern for Com-munity is one of the seven cooperative principles, and Radiant strongly supports the communities in our service territory.

KANSAS COUNTRY LIVING OCTOBER 201716-B

H I - L I T E S F RO M R A D I A N T E L E C T R I C CO - O P

Daylight Saving is a perfect time to check fi re, smoke and carbon monoxide alarms, and to change out batter-ies. Make sure smoke detectors work properly by using the alarm test option. Use a vacuum to make sure there are no cobwebs, spi-ders or other little insects taking up residence which could hinder the eff ects of the smoke alarm.

Detectors play a larger role in survival than one might think. A recent study showed that inop-erable smoke alarms caused two-thirds of fi re-related deaths due to damage, defects and missing batteries. Write the date on the new battery to ensure there will be no questions about when it was last replaced.

Daylight Saving time is also a great opportunity to review home safety with family members including escape routes and checking all electrical outlets. Practice a home safety review and test procedures on evacuating safely in an emergency situation. Look through the house for any hazards, such as over-loaded or improperly placed extension cords. It is recommended to make sure areas around the furnace, water heater and stove are clear of debris that can cause fi re.

Remember to set your clocks back one hour before 2 a.m. on Sunday, Nov. 5.

Daylight Saving Time Ends Nov. 5

Daylight Saving is a perfect time to check fi re, smoke and carbon monoxide alarms, and to change out batter-ies. Make sure smoke detectors work properly by using the alarm test option. Use a vacuum to make sure there are no cobwebs, spi-ders or other little insects taking up residence which

the eff ects of the

Detectors play a

Time Ends Nov. 5

Radiant Electric Cooperative wishes you a safe and happy Halloween on Tuesday, Oct. 31.

Happy Halloween

Join us for Radiant Electric’s

Friday, Oct. 6, 2017at 9346 Jewell Rd., Fredonia

from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.Stop by and celebrate National Cooperative Month

with refreshments and coff ee.

Co-op Month Open House

Co-op Celebrates Career MilestonesThis fall brought two milestone anni-versaries for Radiant Electric employ-ees. On Oct. 3, Operations Manager DENNIS DUFT celebrated 40 years of service at Radiant Electric.

Over the years, Duft has served the cooperative in many diff erent capacities. He currently oversees daily and long-term operations and represents Radiant as a trustee on our power provider’s (KEPCo) board of directors. During his years with Radiant, Duft has had the privilege of working with three generations of Kansas cooperative employees: the pioneers who paved the way for the initial Kansas co-ops and fi rst brought electricity to the rural people in our area; the innovative generation who improved safety procedures and implemented more effi cient equip-ment and processes; and the new generation who has made incredible technological advances in both the fi eld and at the offi ce.

“Watching things progress over the years and being able to be a part of it all, that’s really been something to see; you have the pioneers who were hanging services by hand, then came a bucket truck, and now we have GPS staking—it is really interest-ing to think how far we’ve come in

the relatively short time since Kansas electric cooperatives started.”

Journeyman Lineman BENNY STEPHENS celebrated 25 years of service on Sept. 14. When a member reports an outage or service concern, the chances are about 50/50 that he is the lineman dispatched to check your service. Stephens is a regular on the maintenance crew but often assists the construction crew when needed. He is a familiar face to our members and is always willing to lend a helping hand.

His favorite part about working at Radiant Electric is “keeping the lights on for our members and making sure we’re taking care of people,” said Stephens.

Congratulations to Dennis and Benny for reaching new milestones in their careers at Radiant Electric. We are thankful for your dedicated ser-vice to our co-op and our members!

Dennis Duft Benny Stephens

OCTOBER 2017 KANSAS COUNTRY LIVING 16-C

ZONE 2

ZONE 1

$ Install awningsInstall awnings over windows to keep sunlight from overheating your home during the summer.

E�cient roof colorChoose a light-colored roof if you live in the southern part of the U.S. and a dark- colored roof if you live in the northern U.S.

$$ Add insulationIf you have a home that was manufactured before 1976, you could add insulation to your home’s underbelly to reduce any heat loss.

$$ Install a mini-split systemEliminate unnecessary heating and cooling by installing a single zone strategy throughout your manufactured home. A zone system allows you to save energy by only heating or cooling rooms that are occupied

$ Install ceiling fansInstall ceiling fans throughout your manufactured home. Ceiling fans are energy e­cient and can be used to keep warm or cool air moving throughout your home. Be sure to turn them o� when you’re away. Remember, ceiling fans cool people, not rooms. $$

Source: U.S. Dept. of Energy

If you own a manufactured home, take measures to ensure you have an e­cient heating and cooling system. You can also make simple improvements that save energy and make your home more comfortable.

Heating and Cooling Tips for Manufactured Homes

$$ Option for flexible budgets $ Option for smaller budgets

KANSAS COUNTRY LIVING OCTOBER 201716-D