PARK SPARKSFEBRUARY 2018 PARK ELECTRIC COOPERATIVE, INC.

Space Heaters 101Trying to decide on the right space heater for your needs? Here is a

quick guide of things to keep in mind when choosing. There are many different types of space heaters. The two most common classifications are convection and radiant. Convection heaters circulate air currents across a heating element to create overall warmth in your space. A popular type of convection heater is a ceramic space heater. They are usually cool to the touch, which may make them safer around kids and pets. Convection heaters are generally good for larger spaces because of the circulation of air.

When choosing a space heater, here are some things to consider:Safety - Will this heater be in an area with pets or small children? Many new heaters are cool to the touch and have automatic shut off features if the unit tips over.Thermostat - A thermostat is a good way to help control energy costs. It will help to ensure that the heater does not run all the time.Noise - Will it be used in a bedroom or other small space where noise is an issue?Power - Energy usage is a big factor when deciding on which heater to purchase. Be sure to check the wattage.Keep in mind, central heating systems are typically more cost effective than space heating.

Radiant heaters are best for spot heating because they deliver focused warmth to areas directly in front of the heater. Radiant heat provides nearly instant warmth to a specific area, so they are best used in offices, bedrooms and other small rooms. They are also generally very quiet. Infrared heaters are considered radiant heaters.

Size Equation: As a rule of thumb, you’ll need roughly 10 watts of heating power for every square foot of floor area in the room. This means that a 1,500-watt heater could be the primary heat source for up to 150 square feet of space. However if it’s used as a supplemental heating source, it could help heat a much larger area. How much will it cost? Recall last month we showed you how to calculate energy usage. A 1,500 watt space heater used on average 8 hours a day would cost around $30/month.

Convection Heater Examples

Radiant Heater Examples

PARK SPARKS FEBRUARY 2018

Manager’s Comments by Tim Stephens

While we do our best to keep the lights on, sometimes we need to plan an outage to work on the system.

If you or someone in your care depends on electricity for their health, please call the office at 222-7778 so we can put them on our medical call list. We make every effort to contact all of our members in advance, but we would like to take special care of those in need.

The Park Electric office will be closed Monday, February 19th in observance of President’s Day.

New Operations Superintendent

Park Electric would like to

congratulate Matt Grose

on his new position as

Operations Superintendent.

Matt began working for

Park Electric in 2007 as the

Staking Coordinator and most

recently was our Assistant Operations Superintendent.

In those previous positions Matt enjoyed working

and helping members with new services and service

upgrades.

With his new responsiblilites Matt looks forward

to continuing and building relationships with the

membership. Thank you for your hard work, Matt!

As I have mentioned in the past, we belong to the Montana Elec-tric Cooperatives’ Association or MECA. MECA is a statewide or-ganization consisting of 25 electric distribution cooperatives and three generation and transmission cooperatives providing power to Montana residents as well as a few people across state lines. MECA provides its members with the leadership and coordination necessary for a strong, unified voice in legislative and regulatory relations at the state and federal level. It is also an avenue for all of the electric cooperatives in the state to join together and produce excellent safety, employee and board of director training.

Each electric co-op in Montana operates under the same business model as Park Electric. We are all owned by the members we serve. We are all not-for-profit. Most importantly, we each have a board of directors elected by the members of the cooperative. At Park Electric, those directors must be members of Park Electric and live full-time on our system. This assures that you are governed by people who truly have a stake in the cooperative and are looking out for your best interests.

Electric cooperatives serve in all 56 Montana counties, providing power to over 400,000 Montanans and numerous others outside our borders. Together we operate over 56,000 miles of distribution lines. As of December 31, Park Electric provides power to 6,013 electric services spread across portions of Gallatin, Park, Meagher and Sweet Grass Counties. We operate 1,602 miles of power line and ten substations that are all owned and maintained by the employees of your co-op.

As members of MECA, Montana co-ops have signed a Mutual Aid Agreement, which provides us with the ability to respond very quickly when any co-op needs additional help with outage restoration. In any type of disaster that impacts Park Electric or a fellow electric cooperative, help is only a phone call away and frequently arrives within a matter of hours, not days.

The Montana Electric Cooperatives’ Association has played a very vital role in making electric co-ops in the state safe, well-educated and cohesive. More than once I have looked over the group of people from across Montana that gather on behalf of the electric co-ops they represent and I marvel at the dedication these people have, this includes the directors and employees of Park Electric. Electric co-ops in Montana and across the country should be proud of their accomplishments, made in the spirit of cooperation among cooperatives.

We have Wood chips! Give us a call to Get

some.222-3100