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KIUC's Energy Wise Guys - Kauai Island Utility Cooperative

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April 2010<br />

KIUC’s<br />

<strong>Energy</strong> <strong>Wise</strong> <strong>Guys</strong>


Aloha <strong>Island</strong> Properties<br />

EXCEEDING YOUR EXPECTATIONS<br />

(808) 246-0334<br />

Sun Village<br />

Meticulously maintained 2 Bed, 1 Bath ground<br />

floor; very private with tranquil garden views.<br />

Must see to appreciate the gorgeous upgrades.<br />

REDUCED to $175,000(lh). MUST SEE!<br />

Also available is a 1 Bedroom, 1 bath with low<br />

maintenance laminate flooring, freshly painted<br />

interior and upgraded bath with granite<br />

countertops and tile floors. ONLY $102,500(lh).<br />

Short sale. One resident must be 55 years of age<br />

or older. Call: Karen Agudong® 652-0677 or Judy<br />

Piano(RA) 651-9230.<br />

<strong>Island</strong>er on the Beach #142 and #143<br />

Hawai‘ian-Style OCEANFRONT property located along<br />

the beautiful Coconut Coast of Kapaa/Kaua‘i. This<br />

ground floor unit is located directly across from the<br />

swimming pool and ONLY steps from a quiet and<br />

beautiful sandy beach. Sold COMPLETELY furnished,<br />

it includes attractive Travertine stone flooring, undercabinet<br />

lighting at the kitchenette area, a small<br />

refrigerator, microwave and small sink. The entire<br />

unit is decorated in Hawai‘ian-style decor. Your<br />

“calm-meter” will start soaring the moment you walk<br />

in the door. $128,000(fs) Call: Kay Leonard(RA) 634-<br />

8697 or Karen Agudong(R) 652-0677.<br />

$8,000 Tax Credit<br />

for FIRST TIME<br />

HOMEBUYERS<br />

ends April 30, 2010<br />

4930 Hauaala Road, Kapaa -<br />

TWO HOMES for the PRICE of ONE!<br />

- REDUCED PRICE<br />

2 homes, 2 water meters, 2 electric meters and 2<br />

cesspools. Perfect for an extended family or live in<br />

one and rent the other. This could also be a great<br />

investment for someone looking for potential cash<br />

flow! $475,000(fs). Call: Karen Agudong(R) 652-0677<br />

or 246-0334.<br />

4130 Mano Street, Puhi (Lihue)<br />

Exceptional Rim Location with Beautiful Mountain and<br />

Valley Views. Located at the end of the cul-de-sac for<br />

enhanced privacy. Extra large lot (9,000 sf +) with<br />

additional room between neighbors. The interior has<br />

had beautiful upgrades in the kitchen; newer exterior<br />

siding and a finished 2 car garage. Excellent<br />

opportunity if you are looking for one of the best<br />

locations in Hokulei Estates! Call: Judy Piano(RA)<br />

651-9230 or Crystel Chong Tim(RA) 635-3484.<br />

Kaua‘i Beach Resort<br />

DIRECT OCEAN AND POOL VIEW unit at the Beautiful<br />

Kaua‘i Beach Resort. Excellent Third Floor Location.<br />

NOT a Short sale. Sold Furnished. Interior has<br />

beautiful upgrades of Travertine Flooring and Granite<br />

Counters. Kaua‘i Beach Resort is an oceanfront resort<br />

on 12 beautiful lushly landscaped acres, including<br />

Tranquil Waterfalls and 3 Swimming Pools, one of<br />

which is a Sand Bottom Swimming Pool with a<br />

Fantastic Water Slide. Just STEPS away from a<br />

Beautiful White Sand Beach! $99,000(fs) Call: Sharon<br />

Gibson(RA) 635-1530 or Bonnie Stowe(RA) 652-5611.<br />

Pikake Subdivision - Golf<br />

Course and Mountain Views<br />

Largest lot for Sale in the Pikake Subdivision with<br />

approximately 15,066 s.f. of land! The Unique<br />

positioning of this lot provides a special privacy. Flag lot<br />

Driveway opens up to a large parcel that extends beyond<br />

several other lots. Gorgeous and Up Close Mountain<br />

Views. Guest House possible. Seller Financing may be<br />

Available. $399,000(fs). Also available is a large 11,307<br />

sf lot at the end of the cul-de-sac. Flag lot, slightly<br />

elevated above its neighboring property, enhancing the<br />

Gorgeous Golf Course and Haupu Mountain Views.<br />

$349,000(fs). This dynamic Golf Course Subdivision in<br />

Lihue is exceptionally located for in town conveniences.<br />

Call: Karen Agudong(R) 652-0677 or Charlotte<br />

Barefoot(R) 651-4627.<br />

5093 Kahana Street, Kapaa<br />

Immaculately maintained home with almost 180<br />

degrees of Ocean, Mountain and pastoral views!<br />

Excellent Curb appeal with even more than meets the<br />

eye. This beautiful home is much larger than it seems<br />

with almost 1500 s.f of Lanai. Beautifully maintained<br />

interior featuring cathedral ceilings and hardwood<br />

floors. Additional Screened in Lanai off of the Dining<br />

Area adds to the spaciousness. Upper Lanai of<br />

approximately 320 s.f. with gorgeous views and a<br />

private setting. There is a separate lower level of<br />

approximately 1164 s.f, featuring a fabulous and<br />

unanticipated covered lanai addition, perfect for<br />

entertaining or just relaxing. This home is a definite<br />

“Must See”. You will be impressed the moment you<br />

walk through the door. Call: Karen Agudong(R)<br />

652-0677 or Kay Leonard(RA) 634-8697.<br />

Aloha <strong>Island</strong> Properties 3-3359 Kuhio Highway, Lihue, HI 96766<br />

808-246-0334 fax: 808-246-0771 www.alohaisland.com email: karen@alohaisland.com


April 2010<br />

Volume 7, Number 2<br />

Table of Contents<br />

Resurgence in Heat Pump Water<br />

Heating Technology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4<br />

Residential <strong>Energy</strong> <strong>Wise</strong> Practices Checklist. . . . . . . 6<br />

A Picture’s Worth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8<br />

QMARP. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9<br />

Renewable Outlook. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10<br />

Light Up a Life . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11<br />

Load Shedding. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12<br />

Official Results of 2010 KIUC<br />

Board of Directors Election . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14<br />

A Message From the Chairman . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15<br />

2010 KIUC Board of Directors Committees . . . . . . 15<br />

Tacbian Honored by Filipino Chamber . . . . . . . . . . 16<br />

AlohaVote & Merriman River Group. . . . . . . . . . . . 17<br />

2010 Census ­ Stand Up and Be Counted. . . . . . . . 18<br />

KIUC Keiki . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20<br />

KIUC in the Community . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23<br />

KIUC Seabird Update . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27<br />

Co­op Connections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28<br />

Outage: What Happens & What You Can Do . . . . . 30<br />

KIUC & PETRA Solar Join Forces . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32<br />

KIUC Completes & Energizes Photovoltaic<br />

Project at Port Allen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32<br />

KIUC’s Recent Outages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33<br />

Pack Up <strong>Energy</strong> Savings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34<br />

Ono Pupu. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36<br />

Statement of Operations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38<br />

Simple Pleasures. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39<br />

Parting Shot. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39<br />

Powerlines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40<br />

KIUC is an equal opportunity provider and employer.<br />

On the cover: Claurino Bueno, Ray Mierta and<br />

Paul Daniels make up the “<strong>Energy</strong><strong>Wise</strong>” team.<br />

Photo by Shelley Paik.<br />

4463 Pahe‘e Street, Suite 1, Līhu‘e, Hawai‘i 96766­2000<br />

808.246.4300 ◼ www.kiuc.coop ◼ currents@kiuc.coop<br />

KIUC BOARD MEMBERS<br />

Teofilo “Phil” Tacbian,<br />

Chairman<br />

Peter Yukimura, Vice Chair<br />

David Iha, Secretary<br />

Allan A. Smith, Treasurer<br />

Carol Bain<br />

Stu Burley<br />

Steve Rapozo<br />

Jan TenBruggencate<br />

Ben Sullivan<br />

PRESIDENT & CEO<br />

Randall J. Hee<br />

EDITOR<br />

Anne Barnes<br />

Marketing,<br />

Communications<br />

& Public Affairs<br />

ASSISTANT EDITORS<br />

Maile Moriguchi<br />

Shelley Paik<br />

Marketing,<br />

Communications<br />

& Public Affairs<br />

Pam Blair<br />

Ruralite Services<br />

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS<br />

Anne Barnes<br />

Claurino Bueno<br />

Paul Daniels<br />

Matthew Fitch<br />

Randall J. Hee<br />

Carey Koide<br />

Maile Moriguchi<br />

Barbara Nagamine<br />

Shelley Paik<br />

Steve Rymsha<br />

Teofilo “Phil” Tacbian<br />

Only active KIUC members will be mailed KIUC Currents. KIUC Currents can be found online at www.kiuc.coop under Member<br />

Information and Currents on the website.


ENERGY WISE<br />

Resurgence in Heat Pump Water<br />

Heating Technology<br />

KIUC announces availability of rebate for heat pump water heating<br />

4 KIUC CURRENTS<br />

By Ray Mierta<br />

We all know how good a long hot shower can feel<br />

after a tough day at work or a long day at the beach.<br />

The modern “automatic water heater” makes<br />

hot water available and a hot shower possible at<br />

all times of the day or night with just a turn of the<br />

wrist. The first water heater dates to 1870 in<br />

England. It wasn’t efficient and could be<br />

dangerous, since there were no temperature<br />

controls and it was unpressurized, but it beat<br />

trekking down to the nearest hot springs, if one<br />

was available, or burning wood or some other<br />

combustible material to heat water for a bath.<br />

Not much is known about that invention, but the<br />

first storage water heater dates to 1889. A<br />

Norwegian immigrant invented the first<br />

commercially available water heater in Pennsylvania.<br />

Edwin Rudd designed the first of what would later<br />

become the modern storage water heater.<br />

While there still may be a few wood heaters<br />

around that were common on the plantations, and<br />

at one time there were diesel­fueled heaters on<br />

Kaua‘i, most of the water on the island is heated<br />

with electricity and solar. About one third of the<br />

homes on Kaua‘i have solar water heating. The<br />

average all­electric home on Kaua‘i spends up to<br />

half of its monthly electric use on heating water.<br />

An alternative is a hybrid design—a heat pump<br />

water heater—that uses a combination of<br />

electricity and warm air (energy) removed from<br />

the environment to heat water. On the mainland,<br />

heat pump technology is used within a single unit<br />

to provide both heating and cooling to a home.<br />

On Kaua‘i, heat pumps are best used for heating<br />

water. There are an undetermined number of heat<br />

pump water heaters on Kaua‘i. The technology<br />

here suffered from poor product design, resulting<br />

in questionable reliability, and a lack of<br />

understanding about how the units operated.<br />

Although they are installed by a plumber and the<br />

installation is similar to a conventional electric<br />

water heater, maintenance, troubleshooting and<br />

repair service were non­existent.<br />

That is changing. <strong>Energy</strong> prices are remaining<br />

high and for longer periods of time, bringing a<br />

renewed interest to heat pump water heating<br />

technology. The heat pump industry use to consist<br />

of small regional manufacturers without the<br />

ability to widely distribute product or provide<br />

service and repairs.


Recently, large corporations such as Rheem and<br />

General Electric have taken an interest in this<br />

water heating technology and want to expand<br />

availability and provide support services. <strong>Energy</strong><br />

Star has created efficiency standards for heat<br />

pump water heaters. Only Rheem and General<br />

Electric have received <strong>Energy</strong> Star certification.<br />

Both manufacturers supply a 10­year parts<br />

warranty for their product.<br />

How It Works<br />

Generally, it is easier to move something than it<br />

is to create it. In basic terms, a heat pump water<br />

heater works like a standard refrigeration unit—an<br />

air conditioner or refrigerator—but in reverse,<br />

heating water up to 140 degrees.<br />

As long as the average ambient air temperature<br />

stays above 50 degrees—not a problem on Kaua‘i—<br />

it is less expensive to heat water with a heat pump<br />

water heater than a standard electric water heater.<br />

Estimated Savings<br />

A standard electric water heater can use about<br />

4,200 kilowatt­hours (kWh) or about $1,386 a year<br />

in hot water. Based on heat pump technology and<br />

manufacturers’ estimates, the same amount of<br />

water heated with a heat pump water heater will<br />

save about $859. That is a 62­percent reduction.<br />

The cost of a heat pump water heater is only<br />

slightly higher than a standard 50­gallon electric<br />

water heater.<br />

Incentives<br />

The federal government is offering a 30 percent<br />

tax credit on the total cost of a heat pump water<br />

heater through the end of 2010. In addition, KIUC<br />

is offering a $300 rebate incentive for the<br />

purchase of any <strong>Energy</strong> Star­rated heat pump<br />

water heater. Only <strong>Energy</strong> Star­rated models<br />

qualify for the KIUC rebate. Pay­back on the<br />

purchase price and installation cost, with the tax<br />

credits and KIUC rebate, is about 14 months.<br />

Heat Pump or Solar?<br />

Nothing beats solar. Solar water heating can<br />

cut water heating costs by up to 90 percent. A<br />

heat pump water heater cannot do that, but the<br />

price is much lower than solar water heating,<br />

making it a viable alternative when considering<br />

your budget or when solar is not technically<br />

feasible. The ideal location for a heat pump<br />

water heater is a room 10x10x7, or any open<br />

area such as a carport or a garage.<br />

If your existing electric water heater is in a small<br />

closet, you may need to add venting to the closet<br />

area so the cool air that is rejected by the heat<br />

pump water heater can dissipate. Your installing<br />

plumber can help with location requirements.<br />

Where to Buy<br />

<strong>Energy</strong> Star­rated heat pump water heaters are<br />

available on Kaua‘i from local distributers and<br />

retail outlets. Local manufacturers’ reps can install<br />

and service your heat pump water heater for you.<br />

Visit www.kiuc.coop for more information<br />

regarding availability and for a Heat Pump Water<br />

Heater Rebate Application.<br />

APRIL 2010 5


By Claurino Bueno<br />

Residential <strong>Energy</strong> <strong>Wise</strong><br />

Practices Checklist<br />

Residential<br />

<strong>Energy</strong> <strong>Wise</strong><br />

Practices<br />

Checklist<br />

6 KIUC CURRENTS<br />

<strong>Energy</strong> <strong>Wise</strong> Programs<br />

Phone: 808.246.8284<br />

808.246.8280<br />

Fax: 808.246.8268<br />

Water Heating<br />

■ Install solar water heating.<br />

■ Set water heater temperature to 120 F.<br />

■ Insulate the water heater. Note: Electric<br />

water heaters installed after 1992 do not<br />

require additional insulation.<br />

■ Flush sediments annually to prevent<br />

premature corrosion and to allow designed<br />

storage volume.<br />

■ Repair hot water leaks.<br />

Cooling<br />

■ Consider using fans in lieu of air conditioning.<br />

■ Open windows and utilize trade winds.<br />

■ Consider ceiling and wall insulation.<br />

■ Seal windows and doors.<br />

■ Properly sized air conditioning<br />

units use less energy. Size units<br />

40 to 50 BTUs per square foot of<br />

living space.<br />

Refrigerators<br />

■ Maintain temperature between 37 F and 40 F.<br />

■ Maintain 0 F to 5 F in the freezer<br />

compartment.<br />

■ Keep unit 75 percent to 95 percent full<br />

without obstructing airflow.<br />

■ Clean coils regularly.<br />

■ Install away from any heat source.<br />

■ Replace an older unit with a newer<br />

<strong>Energy</strong> Star model.<br />

■ Eliminate the use of a second<br />

refrigerator.<br />

■ Households with multiple units should<br />

consider replacing with a single larger<br />

unit.<br />

A larger unit in place of two smaller units will cost less to operate.


Freezers<br />

■ Manual defrost units requires defrosting<br />

at ¼­inch frost build up.<br />

■ Maintain 0 F to 5 F.<br />

■ Keep 75 percent to 95 percent full without obstructing airflow.<br />

■ Clean coils regularly.<br />

■ Install away from any heat source.<br />

■ Replace an older unit with a newer <strong>Energy</strong> Star model.<br />

■ Eliminate the use of an additional freezer.<br />

Electric Clothes Dryers<br />

■ Avoid using an electric clothes dryer; consider using a<br />

laundry line.<br />

■ Dry full loads; consider combining loads to reduce dryer<br />

use.<br />

■ Clean lint trap and exhaust vent regularly.<br />

■ When purchasing a new dryer, consider an <strong>Energy</strong> Star<br />

model.<br />

Clothes Washers<br />

■ Avoid washing with hot and warm water. Use cold water only.<br />

■ Pre­soak heavily soiled loads.<br />

■ Combine loads to reduce washer use.<br />

■ Purchase front­loading washers, which consume less water per load.<br />

■ Replace an older unit with a newer <strong>Energy</strong> Star model.<br />

Dishwashers<br />

■ Consider using the dishwasher in lieu of manually<br />

washing dishes.<br />

■ Avoid using the heat dry cycle.<br />

■ Operate using full loads only.<br />

Lighting<br />

■ Turn lights off when not in use.<br />

■ Use fluorescent or CFLs in high use areas.<br />

■ Replace several small bulbs with one bulb.<br />

■ Decorate wall surfaces with light reflective colors.<br />

■ Utilize natural sunlight whenever possible.<br />

■ Keep lighting fixtures and covers clean.<br />

■ Consider installing photocell and motion detector units for exterior lighting.<br />

In General<br />

■ Maintain your appliances. Well­maintained appliances operate efficiently.<br />

■ Replace aging appliances with <strong>Energy</strong> Star models.<br />

■ Turn off televisions, fans, lights and computers when not needed.<br />

■ Unplug battery, cell phone and laptop chargers when not charging.<br />

APRIL 2010 7


8 KIUC CURRENTS<br />

<strong>Energy</strong> management strategies benefit KIUC members and the environment. To<br />

help members save energy and money, KIUC offers nine energy­efficiency programs<br />

designed specifically to help manage energy costs and promote the efficient use<br />

of electricity.<br />

■ Efficient Appliance Replacement Program<br />

■ Qualifying Member Appliance Replacement Program (QMARP)<br />

■ Solar Water Heating Savings Pilot Program<br />

■ Solar Rebate Program ($800 rebate)<br />

■ Solar Loan Program (zero­percent interest loan)<br />

■ Appliance Meter Service<br />

■ Residential Home Visit Program<br />

■ New Member Lighting Program<br />

■ Commercial Retrofit Program<br />

For details on KIUC’s <strong>Energy</strong> <strong>Wise</strong> Programs, please contact us at 246.8280 or visit www.kiuc.coop.<br />

For additional information on any of the <strong>Energy</strong> <strong>Wise</strong> Practices and <strong>Energy</strong> <strong>Wise</strong> Programs mentioned<br />

in this article, please contact our <strong>Energy</strong> <strong>Wise</strong> office. For residential services call 808.246.8280 or<br />

808.246.8284. For commercial services call 808.246.8275.<br />

By Paul Daniels<br />

A Picture’s Worth...<br />

Featured in this issue of A Picture’s Worth is<br />

Men’s Hardwear, located in Kapa’a, two doors<br />

down from the ABC Store and across from Kela’s<br />

Gallery. The unique shop, specializing in men’s<br />

jewelry, carries accessories to suit a variety of<br />

tastes. It is a division of Grande’s Gems, with<br />

locations at Kilohana Plantation, Kaua‘i Marriott<br />

Resort and the Coconut Marketplace.<br />

If you have a business, large or small, and want to participate in<br />

the Commercial <strong>Energy</strong> <strong>Wise</strong> Program, call Paul Daniels at 246.8275.<br />

Androcles Handy, pictured, and his wife, Tiffany<br />

Grande, are deeply involved in this family venture,<br />

started by Tiffany’s parents in 1982.<br />

As explained by Androcles, “Grande’s, having<br />

four woman’s jewelry stores in Hawai‘i, felt a need<br />

to have a store just for the guys—a cool and edgy<br />

guy’s store with jewelry, knives and watches, and<br />

one­of­kind pearl and opal designs.”<br />

A sense of style isn’t the only business<br />

attribute found here. There also is a<br />

need to manage costs and expenses.<br />

Men’s Hardwear just converted from<br />

50­watt halogen to 4­watt light­emitting<br />

diode (LED) technology. This equates to<br />

a 93­percent reduction in lighting costs.<br />

This is not the first energy­efficiency<br />

measure implemented by this savvy<br />

business. Grande’s at the Marketplace<br />

completed an extensive energy lighting<br />

conversion to ceramic metal halide and<br />

included energy­efficient compact<br />

fluorescent lamps at its Marriott<br />

location—both in early 2009, with more<br />

projects in the planning. All were done<br />

with the assistance of KIUC’s <strong>Energy</strong><br />

<strong>Wise</strong> Program.<br />

Thanks to the Grande’s Ohana for its continued<br />

support of KIUC’s energy goals.


QMARP<br />

KIUC is giving away free refrigerators. What’s the catch? You have to qualify.<br />

The Qualified Member Appliance<br />

Replacement Program (QMARP) was<br />

developed to help qualifying lowincome<br />

seniors (age 60+) reduce their<br />

residential energy use by replacing<br />

older, less efficient refrigerators with<br />

new, more efficient ones at no cost to<br />

the participating member.<br />

After electric water heating,<br />

refrigerators are the second­highest<br />

energy consuming appliance in a<br />

home. It may not make economic<br />

sense to install a solar water heater in<br />

a small family of one or two. The<br />

amount of water heated for a small<br />

family may not warrant it. However,<br />

replacing a refrigerator can make<br />

good economic sense.<br />

Improvements in the efficiency of refrigerators<br />

have increased significantly. In 1972, the average<br />

refrigerator used more than 1,800 kilowatt­hours<br />

(kWh) a year. Thanks to new standards,<br />

refrigerators average less than 500 kWh a year. As<br />

electric rates and the price of refrigerators<br />

increase, replacing an aging, less efficient model<br />

can be difficult for elderly members on fixed or<br />

limited incomes.<br />

The old refrigerator is removed from the house<br />

to be recycled. The replacement refrigerator as<br />

closely as possible matches the size and door<br />

configuration of the original.<br />

The savings to the participant varies depending<br />

on the age and condition of the older refrigerator.<br />

The older the model, the greater the reduction is<br />

likely to be for the customer. The energy savings is<br />

sustained over the life of the refrigerator, which<br />

typically is 10 to 12 years.<br />

KIUC was pleased to provide Teresita Gregg of Kekeha with a new<br />

side­by­side refrigerator last year.<br />

By Ray Mierta<br />

KIUC partners with the County of Kaua‘i Office<br />

of Elderly Affairs to make this program possible.<br />

The two collaborate on the marketing side. The<br />

county makes the initial contact and determines<br />

the candidate’s eligibility. Once the income level<br />

and age has been verified, the county contacts<br />

KIUC, which initiates a visit to the home to help<br />

with energy education and collect the information<br />

necessary to replace the refrigerator.<br />

If you or someone you know wants to apply for<br />

this program, please review the guidelines below<br />

and contact the County of Kaua‘i Office of Elderly<br />

Affairs, 241.4487.<br />

Qualified Member Appliance<br />

Replacement Program (QMARP)<br />

Eligibility:<br />

◼ Home owner must be 60 years or older.<br />

◼ Household must meet Federal Poverty Income Guidelines for the<br />

program year. Eligibility is based on total gross household income<br />

from all sources.<br />

◼ Refrigerator replaced must be the primary refrigerator. Existing unit<br />

will be removed from the residence.<br />

APRIL 2010 9


10 KIUC CURRENTS<br />

By Steve Rymsha<br />

RENEWABLE OUTLOOK<br />

KIUC’s Update on Projects<br />

in Progress and Completed<br />

The board and management of KIUC are<br />

committed to decreasing the island’s reliance on<br />

imported fossil fuels and replacing that generation<br />

with homegrown renewable energy resources.<br />

That not only will aid the environment, but will<br />

offer members more stable rates due to less<br />

volatility from world oil prices.<br />

Here is a recap of actions the co­op has taken<br />

toward the renewable energy goals in its strategic<br />

plan. KIUC’s 2009 renewable portfolio standard<br />

was 14 percent, and the co­op is on target to<br />

reach the goal of more than 50 percent by 2023.<br />

Green <strong>Energy</strong> Hydro LLC – 130 kW<br />

◼ 170 homes annually<br />

◼ Began operations in Q3 2009<br />

Port Allen Warehouse<br />

◼ Building integrated photovoltaic systems<br />

completed the first week of February.<br />

◼ Replaced roof and installed 68 kW<br />

roof­integrated photovoltaic system—<br />

20 homes annually<br />

Pole­Mount PV – full potential 1 MW<br />

◼ Two demonstration systems installed in January.<br />

◼ A number of systems will be installed in 2010<br />

to test and evaluate the technology.<br />

(See page 34 for full story)<br />

Ground­Mount PV<br />

◼ Good progress on 2 MW to 5 MW to be<br />

completed in 2010 and 2011<br />

◼ 400 to 1,000 homes annually<br />

◼ Projects pending on private lands in Waimea,<br />

Koloa, Kilauea<br />

Biomass<br />

Finalizing PacWest Purchase Power Agreement,<br />

which will create jobs and provide 30 percent of<br />

Kaua‘i electricity by the second half of 2012; Green<br />

<strong>Energy</strong> Hawai‘i continues to work toward<br />

development of the 6.4­MW biomass facility and<br />

plans to be operational in 2012<br />

Concentrating Solar Thermal<br />

◼ Issued Letter of Intent for 10 MW facility<br />

◼ Project to be located on private land in<br />

Waimea/Kekaha; beginning Purchase Power<br />

Agreement negotiations<br />

Waste Oil – 1 million to 2 million<br />

gallons annually<br />

◼ Up to 2,800 homes annually<br />

◼ PUC approved contract – Docket 20080315<br />

◼ KIUC will begin purchasing waste oil from<br />

Kaua‘i <strong>Energy</strong> LLC<br />

◼ Waste oil will power S1<br />

◼ While not a renewable source, it is a recycled<br />

source that displaces 1 million to 2 million<br />

gallons of virgin fossil fuel annually


KIUC is partnering with the Kaua‘i Food Bank to<br />

build awareness about hunger on Kaua‘i and<br />

encourage food donations for families on Kaua‘i.<br />

KIUC is a drop off center for the 2010 spring food<br />

drive. The co­op will accept donations of tuna,<br />

pasta, rice, canned meat and canned vegetables or<br />

a check made out to the Kaua‘i Food Bank,<br />

located at the Hana Kukui Center in Līhu‘e.<br />

About 300 members visit KIUC offices<br />

daily to conduct utility business. If only a<br />

small number bring a food donation, it<br />

will make a big difference. Called Light<br />

Up A Life, the promotion offers one free<br />

compact fluorescent light bulb for a<br />

minimum donation of $5—either food or<br />

a check made out to the Kaua‘i Food<br />

Bank. The donation can be made at the<br />

main KIUC office on Pahee Street in<br />

Līhu‘e. The lobby receptionist will accept<br />

the donation and issue the bulbs Monday<br />

through Friday, 7 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.<br />

The high­quality bulb replaces a<br />

standard 75­watt incandescent bulb. In a<br />

typical home, it will save about $50 a year<br />

in electric costs.<br />

By Ray Mierta<br />

Light Up A Life<br />

Spend $5 on food and save up to $50 off your electric bill!<br />

KIUC wants to help Light Up A Life of those in<br />

need by helping to collect food and providing<br />

energy­saving light bulbs to help members’<br />

energy­efficiency efforts.<br />

For more information, call KIUC <strong>Energy</strong> Services<br />

at 246.8284.<br />

Kilauea School’s 2nd Annual<br />

Chili Cook Off and Music Fest<br />

Saturday, May 8th, 11:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.<br />

Kilauea School<br />

Some of the chili contestants include Papaya’s in Hanalei, Scotty’s,<br />

Pau Hana Pizza, Hanalima Bakery and Oceans by the Beach at the Waipouli Resort<br />

It is a community event with free entertainment and just an<br />

$8 donation<br />

for a chili plate from some of Kaua‘i’s best chefs.<br />

Nā Hōkū Hanohano award winner Kupaoa, Aloha Breeze, Rumbletone, Kilauea School’s<br />

Ukulele Band presented by John Kaneholani and Kilauea School’s very own 3rd and 4th<br />

grade students will mele and ‘oli presented by Kumu Naomi Yokotake will be performing!!<br />

Thanks to our many sponsors such as KIUC, Aqua Engineers, Unlimited Construction,<br />

Resort Group, Hanalima Bakery, Oceans by the Beach, Papaya’s, Scotty’s and Pau Hana Pizza.<br />

APRIL 2010 11


12 KIUC CURRENTS<br />

By Maile Moriguchi<br />

COOPERATIVE TECHNOLOGY<br />

Load Shedding<br />

Photos by Shelley Paik<br />

Keeping the lights on isn’t a cakewalk.<br />

Electricity, unlike other commodities, must be<br />

produced on demand. Technology that will store it<br />

for future use, especially on any large scale, is still<br />

largely under development.<br />

If the electricity being produced can’t keep up<br />

with what is needed in real time, brownouts or<br />

blackouts could occur.<br />

To prevent this from happening, KIUC uses a<br />

load shedding schedule to protect the<br />

cooperative’s valuable generation equipment.<br />

“Although KIUC has not started its smart grid<br />

project yet, our grid is smart already,” said Mike<br />

Yamane, engineering manager for KIUC. “Load<br />

shedding is a self­healing mechanism of our<br />

island grid.”<br />

When the co­op’s generation system becomes<br />

overloaded, the grid institutes a systematic<br />

shutdown to prevent a catastrophic failure.<br />

Load shedding is essentially a load management<br />

program, which allows KIUC to reduce the<br />

demand on its system at critical times. It is an<br />

intentional and automatic reduction of load,<br />

designed to maintain system stability.<br />

“Generation megawatts equals load<br />

megawatts,” said Carey Koide, an engineer and<br />

support services manager for KIUC. “Lack of<br />

generation to meet load will reduce frequency,<br />

and may result in collapse of the system. A stable<br />

system operates at 60 hertz, but we fluctuate plus<br />

or minus 0.1 hertz. That is ‘loose’ compared to the<br />

mainland.”<br />

Because KIUC is not connected to a larger<br />

electrical grid like the mainland, its system<br />

frequency varies a lot more during normal<br />

operations. Because of this condition, when an<br />

event occurs—like a loss of a generating unit or<br />

frequency excursion caused by intermittent<br />

sources of generation like wind and solar—system<br />

frequency tends to decay a lot faster, which could<br />

result in load shedding.<br />

Equipment damage also could occur when<br />

system frequency drops below 57 hertz for an<br />

extended time.<br />

Power Plant Operator Manny Igaya and Assistant Power<br />

Plant Operator Kjell Newall check the monitors during<br />

breaker operations.


The co­op has nine diesel engines,<br />

three combustion turbines, one steam<br />

plant and two hydro units. As the daily<br />

load fluctuates, KIUC prioritizes which<br />

units to use based on efficiency,<br />

economics and other operating criteria.<br />

The KPS steam­injected gas turbine is the<br />

most efficient unit and runs 24/7. As the<br />

load demand increases or decreases<br />

throughout each day, other units are<br />

used to serve members.<br />

KIUC has a load shedding schedule with four<br />

blocks. Each contains six to 12 feeder breakers.<br />

“It is done at the breaker level,” Koide<br />

explained. “It is prioritized, and spread across the<br />

system. It is not location specific.”<br />

Each breaker has a digital relay with a specific<br />

frequency set point, which automatically opens<br />

the breaker and disconnects its load from the rest<br />

of the system. As the system frequency<br />

approaches 57 hertz, more blocks will open until<br />

the frequency returns.<br />

Engineering re­evaluates the load shed<br />

schedule on a regular basis, rotating it so<br />

everyone shares the pain during the self­healing<br />

process. Most non­priority breakers will<br />

experience outages due to load shed­driven<br />

events, but after the third event, the rotation<br />

moves them lower on the list. Another group of<br />

breakers will be the first to go in when the next<br />

load shed event occurs.<br />

Normal recovery from load shed incidents is 8<br />

to 12 minutes, depending on the generator<br />

involved. Generally, the larger the generator, the<br />

greater the recovery time.<br />

For example, the 26­megawatt Kapaia Power<br />

Station (KPS) takes about 25 minutes to get to 6<br />

MW, then must wait for steam to be produced<br />

to get back to the unit’s full 26 MW capacity.<br />

That can take up to one hour. However, KIUC<br />

normally responds to a loss of a generating unit<br />

with its faster­starting diesel units and<br />

combustion turbines.<br />

“Starting the unit is the first priority,” said<br />

Yamane. “We want to get the power back on as<br />

soon as possible. Once power is fully restored<br />

then we will try to figure out why a particular unit<br />

tripped off line.”<br />

Once additional generation is started up, key<br />

power plant personnel are notified of the incident.<br />

A dedicated telephone is routed to the call center<br />

so staff there can respond to customer questions.<br />

Communications staff also notifies the media with<br />

details about the locations involved in the load<br />

shed and the estimated restoration time.<br />

After each overhaul of a generating unit, a “break­in” period is<br />

conducted. Typically, the unit is run at increasing loads over set<br />

time periods as determined by manufacturer guidelines. During<br />

this time, KIUC typically runs additional generation to cover for<br />

any trips that may occur during testing of the unit.<br />

Assistant Power Plant<br />

Operator John “Scooby”<br />

Mattos tags switches during<br />

routine maintenance at the<br />

Port Allen Power Plant.<br />

APRIL 2010 13


14 KIUC CURRENTS<br />

By Shelley Paik<br />

THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS<br />

Official Results of<br />

2010 KIUC Board of Directors Election<br />

Photo by Shelley Paik<br />

The KIUC Board of Director’s Inauguration was held on March 30 in the KIUC Main Conference Room in Līhu‘e. New board member<br />

JanTenBruggencate, and returning board members Carol Bain and Allan A. Smith are sworn in by Judge Clifford Nakea.<br />

Carol Bain, Allan A. Smith and Jan<br />

TenBruggencate were elected to KIUC’s Board of<br />

Directors. These three new directors will each serve<br />

for a three­year term ending in March 2013.<br />

KIUC received 6,761 ballots in this election. While<br />

there were three available director slots to fill, not<br />

all voters chose to exercise all three votes on their<br />

ballot; therefore, the number of votes may not<br />

equal the total number of ballots received.<br />

The official results of the 2010 Board of<br />

Directors election are as follows:<br />

1. Smith, Allan A. 4,323 21.34%<br />

2. TenBruggencate, Jan 4,126 20.36%<br />

3. Bain, Carol 3,240 15.99%<br />

4. Gegen, Pat 2,671 13.18%<br />

5. Medeiros, Carol 2,422 11.95%<br />

KIUC management, with the assistance of the<br />

California­based Merriman River Group, announced<br />

the official tally late on March 27.<br />

The newly­elected board members were<br />

inaugurated Tuesday, March 30.


Aloha,<br />

On February 22 and 23, 2010, we were visited by three members of the<br />

Ilocos Norte Electric <strong>Cooperative</strong>: General Manager Renato Balintec,<br />

P.E.E; Director Marlon Valdez from San Nicolas, Ilocos Norte; and Director<br />

Virgilio Calajate from Badoc/Pinili, Ilocos Norte. These leaders came to<br />

look at KIUC’s operations and discussed a possible sister cooperative<br />

relationship. Most of the Filipinos on Kaua‘i have their roots in Ilocos<br />

Norte, P. I. The members of the Filipino Chamber of Commerce joined<br />

KIUC in welcoming our visitors.<br />

Now that the Board of Directors election is over, I want to welcome<br />

first­time Director Jan TenBruggencate to our KIUC ohana. Jan comes to<br />

us with a broad background in journalism and will be a welcome addition<br />

to the board. Allan Smith and Carol Bain were re­elected to the board.<br />

The Legislative Committee continues to monitor bills that affect us as they go through the various<br />

committees in the Legislature. Engineering Manager Mike Yamane heads our efforts in this area.<br />

Our Strategic Planning Committee began implementing our strategic plan, working with our staff on a<br />

two­year agenda for action. Each project is assigned to a specific department, which is responsible for<br />

carrying out the task to its completion. I want to thank Committee Chairman Peter Yukimura for<br />

completing the strategic plan in a timely manner. This year, the Strategic Planning Committee members<br />

are Ben Sullivan, chairman; David Iha and Steve Rapozo, members. Production Manager Brad Rockwell<br />

will oversee the staff.<br />

With everyone working together, KIUC is moving closer to the board’s goal of having 50 percent of our<br />

electricity from renewable sources by 2023.<br />

Mahalo,<br />

Teofilo “Phil” Tacbian<br />

Chairman, KIUC Board of Directors<br />

Chairman: Teofilo “Phil” Tacbian<br />

Vice Chairman: Peter Yukimura<br />

Treasurer: Allan Smith<br />

Secretary: David Iha<br />

Executive<br />

Chairman: Peter Yukimura<br />

Members: Allan Smith, David Iha and Phil<br />

Tacbian<br />

Finance & Audit<br />

Chairman: Allan Smith<br />

Members: Jan TenBruggencate, Peter Yukimura<br />

Government Relations/Legislative Affairs<br />

Chairman: David Iha<br />

Members: Allan Smith, Phil Tacbian<br />

A Message From the Chairman<br />

2010 KIUC Board of Directors<br />

Committees<br />

International<br />

Chairman: Peter Yukimura<br />

Members: Stu Burley<br />

Member Relations<br />

Chairman: Steve Rapozo<br />

Members: Carol Bain, Jan TenBruggencate<br />

Policy<br />

Chairman: Stu Burley<br />

Members: Carol Bain, Ben Sullivan<br />

Strategic Planning<br />

Chairman: Ben Sullivan<br />

Members: David Iha, Steve Rapozo<br />

APRIL 2010 15


By Anne Barnes<br />

Tacbian Honored by the Kaua‘i Filipino<br />

Chamber of Commerce<br />

16 KIUC CURRENTS<br />

Teofilo “Phil” Tacbian, chairman of the KIUC<br />

Board of Directors, was presented the<br />

distinguished service award in the field of<br />

community service by the Kaua‘i Filipino Chamber<br />

of Commerce at its 10th anniversary awards dinner<br />

earlier this year. He serves on the co­op’s Executive<br />

Committee, and before becoming chairman was<br />

treasurer of the KIUC board, chairman of the<br />

Government/ Legislative Committee and a member<br />

of the Finance Committee.<br />

Other recipients of distinguished service<br />

awards were Robert “Bobby” Ayonon, president<br />

of Kaua‘i Air Conditioning and Refrigeration,<br />

entrepreneurship; Mabel Jean Odo, preschool<br />

research teacher, education; Kathy Clark,<br />

president and chief executive officer of Wilcox<br />

Memorial Hospital, medicine; Dr. Mariano<br />

Torres, president of Mariano Torres MD Inc.,<br />

medicine; and Oscar Portugal, founding<br />

president of the Kaua‘i Filipino Chamber of<br />

Commerce, president emeritus.<br />

Tacbian has been an independent insurance<br />

agent since 1961. For more than 28 years, he<br />

worked at the Garden <strong>Island</strong> Mortuary and<br />

Kalāpaki Bay Memorial Park, serving as president<br />

and manager, board member and general<br />

manager. Currently, he is a consultant to Kalāpaki<br />

Bay Memorial Park.<br />

An expert on<br />

parliamentary<br />

procedure, Tacbian<br />

teaches parliamentary<br />

procedure at Kaua‘i<br />

Community College<br />

and has been a<br />

consultant to county<br />

Photo by Carol Bain<br />

councils, boards and<br />

commissions<br />

throughout the state.<br />

Tacbian also has served as chairman of the<br />

county’s Board of Water Supply, vice chairman of<br />

the state’s Contractors Licensing Board,<br />

chairman and vice chairman of the state’s Land<br />

Use Commission, a congressional liaison to Sen.<br />

Daniel Akaka, volunteer coordinator of the Kaua‘i<br />

Civil Defense Agency, and president and director<br />

of the Kaua‘i County Public Improvement Corp.<br />

He has volunteered with the Kaua‘i Jaycees,<br />

Kaua‘i Easter Seals Society, Kawaihau Little<br />

League, Kapa‘a Pop Warner, Kapa‘a Swim Club,<br />

Kapa‘a Elementary PTA, Kaua‘i District PTA, and<br />

Child and Family Service.<br />

He previously was named Kaua‘i’s Outstanding<br />

Young Man by the Kaua‘i and West Kaua‘i<br />

Jaycees, is listed in the Outstanding Young Men<br />

of America, and was recognized as Insurance<br />

Agent of the Year by the Hawai‘i State<br />

Association of Life Underwriters.<br />

Congratulations, Phil.


KIUC selected the Merriman River Group to conduct the 2010 Board of Directors election.<br />

The company provided full service election management and ensured process integrity from<br />

start to finish by providing election programming, phone and online software, counting and tabulation.<br />

The bar had been set high during the past seven elections, and the team at Merriman River kept that<br />

standard as it lead us through our eighth election.<br />

AlohaVote & Merriman River Group<br />

Merriman River Group was founded in 1998 to<br />

provide election management services for<br />

organizations and political consulting services for<br />

public candidates in areas where it does not<br />

participate in election management.<br />

The team has extensive experience in election<br />

management. In 1990, the company was hired to<br />

help supervise the International Brotherhood of<br />

Teamsters (IBT) election, which the United States<br />

District Court for the Southern District of New<br />

York was overseeing under the terms of a consent<br />

decree reached in the 1988 case of United States<br />

of America v. International Brotherhood of<br />

Teamsters, et al., and the Commission of La Cosa<br />

Nostra, et al. (No. 88 Civ. 4486).<br />

Election management services have earned<br />

Merriman River a reputation for innovation,<br />

accuracy and integrity. The company has been<br />

selected to provide customized services on some<br />

of the world'’s largest private elections, including<br />

the 2001 and 2006 IBT international officer<br />

elections, with multiple divisions and about 1.5<br />

million members eligible to vote by mail.<br />

By Matthew Fitch<br />

Shelley Paik, KIUC Public Affairs Specialist<br />

Photo by Shelley Paik<br />

Merriman River offers advanced data, election<br />

and communications services to private<br />

organizations, public agencies, large corporations<br />

and major universities. It recently concluded the<br />

2008 National Leadership Index—the first report<br />

in a multi­year collaboration between Merriman<br />

River and the Center for Public Leadership at the<br />

Harvard Kennedy School.<br />

The company is pleased to feature VoterEdge<br />

software, which provides secure data<br />

transmissions, a simple and intuitive user<br />

interface, voter anonymity, powerful data<br />

collection and analytic tools. It has a fully<br />

integrated Internet and phone voting system<br />

working from the main database.<br />

A division of<br />

Merriman River<br />

KIUC mail ballot volunteers<br />

and Merriman River staff<br />

separate the envelopes and<br />

ballots for the election.<br />

APRIL 2010 17


2010 Census - Stand Up<br />

and Be Counted<br />

$800 Rebate<br />

100% Financing<br />

Zero Interest<br />

18 KIUC CURRENTS<br />

Hawai‘i residents are standing up and being<br />

counted in Census 2010. Nearly a third of Census<br />

2010 forms mailed to Hawai‘i residences in the first<br />

week of the count were mailed back, according to<br />

representatives at the State Department of Business<br />

Economic Development and Tourism.<br />

The U.S. Constitution requires the federal<br />

government to count everyone residing in the<br />

United States every 10 years. That includes all 50<br />

states, Washington, D.C., American Samoa, the<br />

Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana <strong>Island</strong>s,<br />

Guam, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin <strong>Island</strong>s.<br />

Article I, Section 2 of the U.S. Constitution<br />

specifies that congressional seats will be distributed<br />

proportionately among states on the basis of a<br />

census to be conducted every 10 years. Federal law<br />

penalizes those who do not fill out a form ($100<br />

fine) or who provide false information ($500 fine).<br />

The federal government allocates more than $300<br />

billion a year to states and communities based, in<br />

part, on census data. The money helps fund<br />

everything from roads and schools to health care<br />

and childcare centers.<br />

Questionnaires were mailed in March, and<br />

were due April 1. Census workers will conduct<br />

follow­up visits to residences who do not return<br />

forms. If every household mails back its form—<br />

more than 120 million have been mailed<br />

out—the government could save $1.5 billion in<br />

follow­up visits. If residents mail back their<br />

census form, it costs the government 42 cents<br />

compared to an estimated $56 to obtain a<br />

household’s census response in person.


Here are some other census facts:<br />

◼ One of the shortest census questionnaires in<br />

history, the 2010 Census has only 10 questions,<br />

which the Census Bureau estimates will take 10<br />

minutes to complete. Among the questions are<br />

whether a resident owns or rents, and<br />

information about each household member:<br />

name, sex, age, race and relationship to the<br />

person filling out the form.<br />

◼ The census asks how many people live or<br />

sleep in a given household as of April 1.<br />

Respondents should include babies born on<br />

or before April 1, 2010, as well as non­U.S.<br />

citizens. College students who live away from<br />

home and military personnel should not be<br />

counted on household surveys. Divorced<br />

parents who share custody of a child should<br />

indicate where a child usually lives.<br />

◼ Americans have been counted since 1790. The<br />

2010 Census is the 23rd head count in U.S.<br />

history. The first was conducted on Monday,<br />

August 2, 1790. The population then was 3.9<br />

million. This year’s official Census Day is April<br />

1. The expected population is 309 million.<br />

◼ The Census Bureau predicts two­thirds of<br />

U.S. households will fill out and mail back the<br />

2010 Census. Among those least likely to<br />

return forms are illegal immigrants,<br />

Hispanics, young adults, city dwellers and<br />

residents displaced by foreclosures. Census<br />

takers will canvass city streets in an attempt<br />

to include the homeless.<br />

◼ Rural areas and places with a large poor<br />

population tend to benefit most from an<br />

accurate census. The largest state program<br />

that relies on federal census statistics is<br />

Medicaid, the government health care<br />

program for low­income people.<br />

◼ In 2000, Florida, Georgia, Nevada, Arizona,<br />

Texas and North Carolina had below­average<br />

mail participation rates. Since then, they<br />

have seen higher rates of foreclosures. If<br />

responses are low this year, these states<br />

could be cheated of federal dollars and<br />

congressional seats.<br />

◼ This year, the government lined up a $130<br />

million campaign—complete with Super Bowl<br />

and Winter Olympics ads, a censussponsored<br />

NASCAR race car, and a<br />

nationwide road tour—to encourage people<br />

to mail back their census forms.<br />

◼ Census 2010 by the numbers: 360 million, 29<br />

miles, 11.6 million pounds. That is the total<br />

number of questionnaires printed (360<br />

million), how high they would stand stacked<br />

in a pile (29 miles high—more than five times<br />

higher than Mt. Everest) and the collective<br />

weight of the paper the questionnaires were<br />

printed on (11.6 million pounds). If stretched<br />

end to end, the questionnaires would circle<br />

the globe three times.<br />

All responses to the census are confidential<br />

and used for statistical purposes only. By law,<br />

the answers individuals give cannot be shared<br />

with anyone, including welfare, law enforcement<br />

or immigration agencies. Census workers take an<br />

oath to protect the confidentiality of the<br />

information provided.<br />

APRIL 2010 19


Keiki young and old have an opportunity to broaden their horizons and their minds<br />

through two special programs offered this summer by KIUC. Four high school<br />

students have earned the opportunity of a lifetime by winning an all­expense­paid<br />

trip to Washington, D.C. Exiting fifth­graders have a chance to spend two weeks<br />

having a blast while learning all about electricity.<br />

KIUC KEIKI<br />

Washington Youth Tour<br />

20 KIUC CURRENTS<br />

Photo by Shelley Paik<br />

Selected to represent KIUC in the nation’s<br />

capital for one week in mid­June are Morgan<br />

Azeka of Kamehameha Schools­Kapalama, Beau<br />

Acoba of Waimea High School, Taylor Langstaff of<br />

Kapa‘a High School and Erin­Marie Navarro of<br />

Kaua‘i High School.<br />

Since the early 1960s, the Washington Youth<br />

Tour (WYT)—sponsored by the National Rural<br />

Electric <strong>Cooperative</strong> Association (NRECA)—has<br />

drawn more than 1,300 high school students to<br />

Washington, D.C., each year.<br />

Students learn about electric cooperatives,<br />

American history and U.S. government. They<br />

attend educational seminars, visit with their<br />

representatives in the U.S. House and Senate, and<br />

see the sights around Washington, D.C.<br />

During the WYT, each state delegation selects<br />

a representative to the Youth Leadership Council<br />

(YLC), which builds leadership and public<br />

speaking skills, and enhances the delegates’<br />

knowledge of the energy industry and the<br />

cooperative form of business.<br />

Students have the opportunity to make<br />

presentations at cooperative meetings, and are<br />

invited to attend and participate in the NRECA<br />

Annual Meeting. The YLC selects a national<br />

spokesperson to address members at the NRECA<br />

Annual Meeting and the Youth Tour delegates the<br />

following year.<br />

Interested in participating in the 2011 trip?<br />

Watch Currents after the start of the next school<br />

year, or contact KIUC’s Maile Moriguchi at<br />

246.4348 or mmoriguchi@kiuc.coop.<br />

2009 Youth Tour winner Dustin Julian with KIUC CEO<br />

Randy Hee at the NRECA Annual Meeting in<br />

Atlanta, GA in February, 2010.


<strong>Energy</strong> Does Work<br />

Building off the success of last summer’s pilot<br />

program, KIUC will host exiting fifth­graders<br />

during a two­week program designed to give the<br />

next generation of energy consumers the tools<br />

and inspiration needed to use energy<br />

responsibility.<br />

Through hands­on activities, experiments,<br />

guest speakers and tours of facilities, young<br />

people will be educated on the importance of<br />

energy efficiency and conservation.<br />

The curriculum—which was developed by local<br />

teacher Traci Sullivan, and taught not only by<br />

educators but KIUC staff—covers the following<br />

concepts:<br />

• What Is <strong>Energy</strong>?<br />

• Forms and Transformations of <strong>Energy</strong><br />

• The <strong>Energy</strong> Problem<br />

• <strong>Energy</strong> Choices<br />

• <strong>Energy</strong> Efficiency<br />

• Renewable Forms of <strong>Energy</strong><br />

Trey Delos Reyes and Saedy Tumaneng play the Guess Who electricity game.<br />

The 11 students from eight schools who<br />

participated last year played energy games, built<br />

hydrogen cars, constructed Lego windmills and<br />

visited the power plant in Port Allen.<br />

They worked together to problem solve<br />

and came to conclusions about energy,<br />

including how we use it and what our<br />

energy future might look like.<br />

They presented what they learned<br />

and wrote reports featured in Currents<br />

magazine. They also blogged about the<br />

program, and continue to blog.<br />

“Students named their program<br />

Zetetic Analyzers of Power Sources<br />

(ZAPS) and the name stuck,” said Maile<br />

Moriguchi, Community Relations<br />

Coordinator. “We’re now calling the<br />

program KIUC ZAPS.”<br />

Interested in participating in<br />

this summer’s program?<br />

Contact KIUC’s Maile Moriguchi<br />

at 246.4348 or<br />

mmoriguchi@kiuc.coop.<br />

2009 KIUC ZAPS Students<br />

APRIL 2010 21


Mini-Grants<br />

22 KIUC CURRENTS<br />

The National Rural Electric <strong>Cooperative</strong><br />

Association (NRECA) is offering 10 “mini­grants” of<br />

$500 each to fund special projects in rural K­12<br />

classrooms in schools or communities served by<br />

KIUC or other electric cooperatives, or whose<br />

students’ homes are served by a co­op.<br />

Kindergarten to 12th­grade classroom teachers<br />

are invited to submit projects for funding. Projects<br />

should investigate the science of energy or<br />

electricity. Examples include a study of local<br />

geology, the history of hydroelectric generation in<br />

the community or alternative sources of energy<br />

for the next generation.<br />

Applications will be screened by the National<br />

Rural Education Association. The Teacher<br />

Activities Committee will select 15 finalists.<br />

NRECA will select 10 winners from that list.<br />

Selected projects will be funded at the beginning<br />

of the 2010­2011 school year.<br />

Applications will be judged on the<br />

following criteria:<br />

◼ A project design that demonstrates<br />

cooperation between students<br />

◼ Appropriateness for age and grade levels<br />

◼ A project design that encourages a high level<br />

of student involvement<br />

◼ A project design that indicates coordination<br />

with your local rural electric cooperative<br />

◼ A project design that focuses on student<br />

learning<br />

◼ Overall quality of the application and<br />

adherence to grant guidelines.<br />

Entries must be postmarked by May 15, 2010.<br />

For an application and additional details, see<br />

www.nrea.net and follow the links to “awards.”<br />

2010 Registration<br />

West Kaua‘i AYSO Region 940<br />

girls and boys ages 5-19,<br />

Līhu‘e-Kekaha<br />

ALL skill levels welcome<br />

COST: $50 - 1st player<br />

(multiplayer discount and financial aid available)<br />

Flat fee of $30 U16-19 division or VIP program<br />

WHERE & WHEN<br />

Kukui Grove Center Kalaheo Neighborhood<br />

Center<br />

Fri. April 9: 5p-8p Fri. April 23: 5p-8p<br />

Sat. April 10: 9a-12p<br />

Waimea Neighborhood Center<br />

Sat. April 24: 9a-12p<br />

PRE-REGISTER online and save<br />

an additional $5 per family<br />

www.aysokaua‘i.net


For an electric cooperative such as KIUC, service means more than delivering electricity to<br />

customers. While its core mission is to keep the lights on and offer programs to help you use<br />

electricity more efficiently, it also is committed to building a stronger community.<br />

When Kaua‘i United Way campaign<br />

coordinators Kymi Sakai and Dawn Cummings<br />

started their 2009 campaign last September, they<br />

knew they were facing some challenges,<br />

considering the tough economic conditions.<br />

While they didn’t think they could come close<br />

to KIUC’s 2008 goals, it didn’t discourage them<br />

from planning their presentations to employees<br />

and the Board of Directors, and thinking of a<br />

fundraiser to boost the campaign.<br />

They adopted a mindset that the campaign was<br />

more than raising money and meeting goals. They<br />

saw it as an opportunity to give back to the<br />

community through the support of the 27<br />

agencies that are allocated money through the<br />

Kaua‘i United Way.<br />

They moved forward with their steadfast goal of<br />

100 percent employee and board participation<br />

and to meet or exceed the prior year’s dollar<br />

amount in pledges.<br />

When the results of the campaign were tallied<br />

in November, they had reached an impressive 87<br />

percent participation level—just a 3 percent drop<br />

from the prior year’s participation. Despite that,<br />

employee pledges totaled $22,412. That was an<br />

increase of 4 percent compared with 2008’s totals.<br />

KIUC has a well­established record of broad<br />

community support. Co­op employees have<br />

consistently been one of the top five corporate<br />

gift­givers to Kaua‘i United Way’s campaign. For<br />

the second consecutive year, KIUC has garnered<br />

the number 1 spot in campaign gift­giving,<br />

thanks to the generosity of the employees and<br />

Board of Directors.<br />

The co­op’s participation extends beyond fund raising. Member<br />

Services Manager Barbara Nagamine has served on the Kaua‘i United<br />

Way board since 1998, and is entering her fifth term as a director.<br />

Singlehandedly, Barbara brought the previously obscure Agency<br />

Relations Committee to prominence. Thanks to Barbara, each board<br />

member now visits at least one participating agency and issues a<br />

formal report. In conjunction with staff visits and agency representation<br />

at United Way hearings, this gives the Allocations Committee more<br />

information from which to draw as funding decisions are made.<br />

For her efforts, Barbara was awarded the prestigious 2009 Founder’s<br />

Award. The honor is presented annually to the Kaua‘i United Way Board<br />

member who best exemplifies the noble intentions and spirit of the<br />

organization’s founders.<br />

Elsie and Mabel Wilcox, A. Hebard Case, Lindsay Faye, Andrew Gross and Bernard D. Pratt founded<br />

Kaua‘i United Way in 1943, determined to “transmit the community not less but greater, better and<br />

more beautiful than it was transmitted to us.”<br />

KIUC’s CEO Randy Hee, Chairman Teofilo “Phil” Tacbian and KUW Coordinators Dawn Cummings and Kymi Sakai<br />

presented a check of matching KIUC contributions to Scott Giarmin and Loretta Geiss from Kaua‘i United Way.<br />

KIUC IN THE COMMUNITY<br />

Kaua‘i United Way<br />

Photos by Shelley Paik<br />

APRIL 2010 23


March of Dimes<br />

24 KIUC CURRENTS<br />

Joe Fontanilla, a senior planner for the<br />

transmission/distribution department at KIUC, has<br />

spearheaded the co­op’s March of Dimes<br />

fundraising team for more than 10 years. He says<br />

he was inspired to get involved after he and his<br />

wife, Nancy, welcomed a healthy son after 15 years<br />

of trying to conceive. The boy is now in college.<br />

Typically, Fontanilla—a quiet, unassuming<br />

man—recruits 20 KIUC employees and family<br />

members to participate in the walk. He also<br />

gathers donations from those who are not able to<br />

attend. KIUC supports the effort by allowing<br />

Fontanilla to send emails for team recruitment<br />

and small fund raising events for the employees.<br />

In 2009, Fontanilla estimated he could raise<br />

$500 for the March of Dimes. His team raised<br />

nearly $1,500. At the team captain kickoff meeting<br />

this year, Fontanilla indicated he wanted to raise<br />

$5,000 this year. KIUC has pledged to match the<br />

first $1,000.<br />

“This kind of support from an employer helps<br />

further philanthropy among all employees,<br />

especially since this employer is a community<br />

leader as well,” said Cheryl Ann Farrell, local<br />

March of Dimes coordinator. “This is my second<br />

year of coordinating the March for Babies here<br />

on Kaua‘i. It was last year that I first met Joe as I<br />

began contacting former team captains of prior<br />

years. I had been briefed during my initial<br />

orientation that Joe was one of our champion<br />

team captains—that he had participated for<br />

years and always done well and to contact him<br />

right away.”<br />

Farrell said she had seen a Currents story<br />

featuring KIUC’s community activities. It included<br />

a photo of the walk team from 2008.


“I knew that this was a strong group,” she said.<br />

“KIUC itself has been a champion in the<br />

community. I have been involved with several<br />

nonprofit events over the years, and KIUC has<br />

always been a leader in community development<br />

and support.”<br />

Photos by Shelley Paik<br />

The 2010 March for Babies will be Saturday,<br />

April 10, at Lydgate Park in Kapa‘a. Registration is<br />

at 7:30 a.m. at the main pavilion. The 2­mile walk<br />

through the park begins at 8 a.m., followed by fun<br />

activities for the family, with music, food, keiki<br />

rides, games and prizes.<br />

The March of Dimes seeks to improve the<br />

health of babies by preventing birth defects,<br />

premature birth and infant mortality. Money<br />

raised through March for Babies—which used to<br />

be called WalkAmerica—supports life­saving<br />

research, community services, education and<br />

advocacy that help babies get a healthy start.<br />

“I try to help out as much as I can,” says<br />

Fontanilla, who marked 34 years with the utility<br />

company on March 1. “I wish people would be<br />

aware of what can happen to a newborn as a<br />

result of drugs, tobacco and alcohol.”<br />

KIUC March of Dimes walkers pose for a picture before<br />

the start of the walk.<br />

Seeing a baby hooked up to wires and fighting<br />

to live is sad, Fontanilla says, noting how grateful<br />

he and Nancy are that their son, Travis, was born<br />

without any birth defects.<br />

Farrell said she looks forward to Fontanilla’s<br />

team doing “exceptionally well.”<br />

“We thank both Joe and KIUC for being models<br />

of good citizenship, and to KIUC for being an<br />

employer that rewards and supports individual<br />

employee achievement,” Farrell said.<br />

To register for the 2010 walk, visit<br />

www.marchforbabies.org, or contact Cheryl Ann<br />

Farrell at cfarrell@marchofdimes.com or<br />

652.1284.<br />

Jeremy and Stephanie<br />

McKelvy came out<br />

to help support<br />

the March of Dimes.<br />

APRIL 2010 25


Relay for Life<br />

26 KIUC CURRENTS<br />

When Jackie Cachero first<br />

became captain of KIUC’s<br />

American Cancer Society<br />

Relay For Life team, she had<br />

no idea the foundation she<br />

was setting for herself, let<br />

alone her co­workers.<br />

“Three years later, I was<br />

diagnosed with breast<br />

cancer,” says Jackie, who<br />

works in KIUC’s human<br />

resources department. “I<br />

have developed more of a passion to make sure<br />

Relay For Life is successful, and educate employees<br />

about cancer. I really get into it.”<br />

Jackie’s enthusiasm has been infectious. Fellow<br />

human resources co­workers Pia Gregorio and<br />

Sheryl Grady, and member services representatives<br />

Tracie Jacintho and Kymi Sakai, have joined the<br />

organizing team. More than 50 KIUC employees,<br />

and their family members and friends, participate in<br />

the event, which raises funds and awareness to<br />

prevent lives from being lost to cancer.<br />

The Cancer Killa­watts, as the KIUC team is known,<br />

is among the top fund raisers in Kaua‘i’s Relay For<br />

Life, consistently earning “gold” status. This year, the<br />

team is staging four major events to raise<br />

contributions: a sale of baked goods, flowers and<br />

candy tied to Valentine’s Day; a luncheon in which<br />

employees are invited to buy food prepared and<br />

donated by co­workers; a car wash for the<br />

community on May 8; and the sale of chicken hekka<br />

prepared by Clifton Sato, KIUC mechanic, during the<br />

Relay For Life.<br />

Started 25 years ago, Relay For Life has grown into<br />

the world’s largest movement to end cancer. Each<br />

year, more than 3.5 million people in 5,000<br />

communities in the United States and communities<br />

in 21 other countries gather in teams and<br />

participate in Relay For Life. The only requirement is<br />

payment of a $10 registration/commitment fee per<br />

person. It is recommended each participant set a<br />

personal goal to raise at least $100 in pledges.<br />

Teams camp out and take turns walking or running<br />

around a track or path. Each team is asked to have a<br />

representative on the track at all times during the<br />

event. Because cancer never sleeps, relays are<br />

overnight events, lasting up to 24 hours in length.<br />

This year’s westside Relay For Life is April 24­25 at<br />

Hanapepe Stadium. The theme is Caribbean Cruise.<br />

The event kicks off at 6 p.m. with a Survivors Lap—<br />

an inspirational time when survivors are invited to<br />

circle the track together and celebrate the victories<br />

achieved over cancer.<br />

After dark, during the Luminaria Ceremony,<br />

people who have been touched by cancer are<br />

honored and loved ones lost to the disease are<br />

remembered. Candles are lit inside bags filled<br />

with sand, each one bearing the name of a<br />

person touched by cancer. Participants often<br />

walk a lap in silence.<br />

During the Fight Back Ceremony, participants<br />

make a personal commitment to save lives by<br />

taking up the fight against cancer. The Kaua‘i<br />

event ends at 6 a.m.<br />

Jackie and her fellow leadership team invite<br />

people to watch for information about presale car<br />

wash tickets, or to stop by Kukui Grove the morning<br />

of May 8, beginning at 10 a.m. They also can<br />

contribute to the team by going to<br />

www.relayforlife.org/kaua‘ihi, then clicking on the<br />

Cancer Killa­watts link.<br />

Pia says she started out taking a shift at the Relay<br />

For Life in honor of her mom, who had cancer. But<br />

once she got to know Jackie, she says she had to get<br />

more involved.<br />

“Pretty much everyone has someone close to<br />

them who has somehow been touched by cancer,”<br />

she says.


KIUC IN THE COMMUNITY<br />

KIUC Seabird Update<br />

Kaua‘i <strong>Island</strong> <strong>Utility</strong> <strong>Cooperative</strong> was<br />

disappointed to learn that Earthjustice's clients<br />

had followed through with their threat to file a<br />

lawsuit against KIUC for alleged “illegal<br />

operations” with regards to seabirds, on March 24<br />

following the 60­day notice it issued in January.<br />

Despite KIUC’s efforts working in the utmost<br />

good faith to address issues raised by<br />

Earthjustice, they chose to sue, which benefits<br />

no one, will cost the ratepayers/member­owners<br />

more money in legal fees, and does nothing to<br />

advance bird protection.<br />

“In spite of the decision by Earthjustice’s<br />

clients to file suit, it is the cooperative’s<br />

intention to continue to implement seabird<br />

conservation measures,” said KIUC President<br />

and CEO Randy Hee. “We will continue<br />

collaborating with state and federal wildlife<br />

agencies on a Habitat Conservation Plan (HCP)<br />

that offers long­term solutions.<br />

”Since its inception eight years ago, KIUC has<br />

worked closely with U.S. Fish and Wildlife<br />

(USFWS) and the Hawai’i Department of Land &<br />

Natural Resources – Division of Forestry and<br />

Wildlife (DOFAW) to address complex issues<br />

concerning the potential impact of utility<br />

By Anne Barnes<br />

Photo by Maile Moriguchi<br />

structures and lights on several protected and<br />

endangered seabird species. As part of that effort,<br />

KIUC has implemented numerous measures to<br />

reduce the potential impact of its facilities on<br />

seabirds (such as shielding thousands of<br />

streetlights, shielding facility lighting, altering<br />

power lines, etc.) and to assist seabird survival<br />

and recovery (such as funding, expanding and<br />

improving the Save Our Shearwaters program, and<br />

funding habitat improvement projects).<br />

A little more than one year ago, the state and<br />

federal wildlife agencies jointly proposed a new<br />

approach for the HCP, to which KIUC promptly<br />

agreed. KIUC prepared the HCP document and<br />

submitted the associated applications to the<br />

agencies early last year. The agencies are nearing<br />

approval of the plan, and based on their timeline,<br />

anticipate issuance of an incidental take permit<br />

and license in the third quarter of this year.<br />

KIUC still believes the way to resolve these<br />

important and challenging issues is through the<br />

state and federal permitting processes, and their<br />

associated public review and comment<br />

opportunities. We continue to urge the state and<br />

federal wildlife agencies to act on our longstanding<br />

applications.<br />

APRIL 2010 27


co-op connecons scoop<br />

MAKE THE CO-OP CONNECTIONS CARD<br />

Part of Your Social Network<br />

The Co-op Connecons Card program is constantly evolving to<br />

provide more value to co-ops and co-op members. Stay current on<br />

the latest specials, naonal discount deals and limited me offers<br />

with tweets from Twier. Several hundred co-op members have<br />

signed on to receive up-to-the-minute news flashes on the program.<br />

Followers receive a maximum of five tweets per week. Co-op<br />

members can also become fans of the Co-op Connecons Card on<br />

Facebook. Visit connecons.coop for links to the program’s pages on<br />

both sites.<br />

28 KIUC CURRENTS<br />

Co-op Connections:<br />

Fast Fact<br />

283<br />

Number of Touchstone <strong>Energy</strong> cooperatives<br />

that offer the card to their members.<br />

$15 Million<br />

Approximate amount saved since<br />

May 2007 on prescription medications<br />

by co-op members nationwide.<br />

The Co-op Connections Card program has<br />

more than 75 national discount deals to<br />

go along with co-ops’ local deals. Here’s<br />

a sampling of some of the great savings<br />

available through Co-op Connections.<br />

Visit Connections.coop to check out all<br />

the national discounts!<br />

COUPONS.COM<br />

New printable coupons every day, accepted at<br />

more than 160 supermarket chains nationwide.<br />

SHARI’S BERRIES<br />

Get 15 percent off hand-dipped berries,<br />

cheesecakes and gourmet baked goods<br />

that make unforgettable gifts.<br />

OMAHA STEAKS<br />

Save 50 percent off the popular Steak<br />

and Cake Combo.<br />

BARNES&NOBLE.COM<br />

Free standard shipping and an additional<br />

5 percent off already reduced prices.<br />

BEST WESTERN<br />

Special low room rates available only to cardholders.<br />

HERTZ<br />

Special offers, free upgrades and more.<br />

LA QUINTA INNS & SUITES<br />

10 percent off best available room rates.<br />

SEARS COMMERCIAL<br />

Get 10-50 percent off appliances, TVs and more.<br />

PETMEDS<br />

10 percent off at America’s largest pet pharmacy.<br />

NIAGARA CONSERVATION<br />

20 percent off energy efficiency home<br />

improvement items.<br />

PRO FLOWERS<br />

15 percent off a wide assortment of flowers.<br />

SPRINT<br />

15 percent off monthly services for new<br />

and existing customers.<br />

www.petmeds.com<br />

®<br />

®


As a card­carrying member, you can use your Co­op Connections Card or key fob at any participating<br />

business and receive discounts at restaurants and retail shops, services, hotels and much more. Spotting<br />

a participating business is easy. Look for the Co­op Connections Card sticker on the door or cash register<br />

at the business. KIUC publishes an updated list of participating businesses in each issue of KIUC Currents<br />

magazine, but deals are added all the time. The best spot to find the latest deals is online at<br />

www.kiuc.coop. Simply click the “Co­op Connections” link. If you have a business and would like to<br />

participate in the program, please call 246.4348 for more information.<br />

Aloha Services, Kapa‘a<br />

10% discount on all shipping, storage, copies and post<br />

office box rentals.<br />

Backdoor Hanalei, Hanalei<br />

10% off all original­priced goods, except surfboards<br />

and paddleboards.<br />

Beachrail, Līhu‘e & Hanamā‘ulu<br />

5% off products, except Lionel trains and collectable<br />

items.<br />

Buddha Boutique, Līhu‘e<br />

10% off (discount cannot be combined with other<br />

discounts or in­store specials).<br />

Edward Jones, Kalāheo<br />

Free portfolio review.<br />

Hanalei Paddler, Hanalei<br />

10% off all original­priced goods, except surfboards<br />

and paddleboards.<br />

Hanalei Surf Company, Hanalei<br />

10% off all original­priced goods, except surfboards<br />

and paddleboards.<br />

JJ’s Broiler, Līhu‘e<br />

“Early Bird Special” – Customer must be seated<br />

between 5 p.m. and 6 p.m. to receive a 10% discount<br />

on food items. Liquor is excluded. Tax and gratuity not<br />

included. Parties of up to 10 people only.<br />

Jim Saylor Jewelers, Kapa‘a<br />

10% discount.<br />

Kalapaki Bay Memorial Park, Līhu‘e<br />

$150 discount on cemetary plots.<br />

Kaua‘i Floors, Inc., Līhu‘e<br />

10% off all area rugs in stock, not already reduced.<br />

Kaua‘i Inn, Līhu‘e<br />

20% off rack rate.<br />

Kaua‘i Self­Storage, Līhu‘e<br />

10% off regular rental rate plus one free lock with<br />

rental of any size unit.<br />

By Maile Moriguchi<br />

KIUC’S VALUE ADDED SERVICES<br />

Cash In On Savings With Your<br />

Co-op Connections Card<br />

Kaua‘i Memorial Gardens, Līhu‘e<br />

5% discount on cemetery property and funeral plans<br />

(pre­need). Not good toward at­need services and<br />

merchandise.<br />

Kayak Kaua‘i, Kapa‘a<br />

10% discount on tours and rentals.<br />

Kujo’s Mini Mart, Kalāheo<br />

10% off everything, except alcohol, cigarettes and<br />

gift items.<br />

Lawai Cannery Self Storage & Warehouses, Kalāheo<br />

10% off of any self­storage unit. Offer not valid with<br />

any other specials.<br />

Market Street Diner, Līhu‘e<br />

10% off all items, excluding early bird or happy hour.<br />

New Leaf Skin Care, Līhu‘e<br />

15% off all skin care services.<br />

North Shore General Store, Princeville<br />

20% off café prices.<br />

Ohana Hearing Care Inc., Līhu‘e<br />

15% off all new digital hearing aids and 10% off T.V.<br />

Ears Regular System.<br />

Precision Tinting Kaua‘i, Līhu‘e<br />

15% off regular price.<br />

Princeville Mail Center (Aloha Services), Princeville<br />

10% discount on all shipping, storage, copies and post<br />

office box rentals.<br />

Progressive Expressions, Kōloa<br />

10% off original­marked prices, except surfboards.<br />

Sweet N Sassy, ʻEleʻele<br />

10% off all regular­priced merchandise, not to include<br />

sale items or other in­store promotions.<br />

Tropics Day Spa, ʻEleʻele<br />

Purchase a one­hour massage at regular price ($85)<br />

and get 30 additional minutes for free.<br />

Wings Over Kaua‘i, Kalāheo<br />

10% off, three passenger maximum, two passenger<br />

minimum. Direct booking only.<br />

Members can pick up their Co­op Connections Card at KIUC’s Main Office in Līhu‘e. If your<br />

business would like to participate in the program, or for more information, please contact<br />

Maile Moriguchi at 246.4348.<br />

APRIL 2010 29


MEMBER SERVICES<br />

Outage: What Happens &<br />

What You Can Do<br />

30 KIUC CURRENTS<br />

One of the challenges electric utility customers<br />

face is that from time to time temporary outages<br />

occur and electrical service is interrupted. While<br />

KIUC’s service availability has been better than<br />

99.98 percent for the past two years, it also<br />

means KIUC’s average customers were without<br />

power for almost 0.02 percent of the time.<br />

Why do outages occur? How long do they last<br />

and what should a customer do?<br />

The following percentage of causes is from 2009<br />

KIUC data of sustained interruptions—those<br />

lasting longer than one minute.<br />

About 25 percent were caused by “acts of<br />

nature,” such as high winds, floods and storms. On<br />

Kaua‘i, high winds cause debris such as trees to<br />

make contact with wires, and sometimes topple<br />

them. Other external causes—for example, auto<br />

accidents that contact utility poles or wires,<br />

construction crews that dig into underground<br />

cables, tree trimmers that contact overhead wires<br />

and trees that contact wires due to overgrowth—<br />

accounted for an additional 20 percent of<br />

sustained interruptions.<br />

An additional 25 percent were caused by loss of<br />

power supply—generating unit problems that<br />

result in a reduction of output, causing an under<br />

frequency load shed. Distribution equipment<br />

failures—such as corroded fuse holders and<br />

damaged insulators, cables, poles or<br />

transformers—were responsible for 18 percent of<br />

outages. Failure or malfunction of transmission<br />

equipment—large transformers, insulators,<br />

lightning arrestors and switches—caused about 12<br />

percent of interruptions.<br />

Less than 1 percent are due to outages<br />

prearranged to repair transmission or<br />

distribution circuits.<br />

“There are three primary measures when it<br />

comes to power outages: number of outages,<br />

duration of outages and the product of the two,”<br />

said KIUC Production Manager Brad Rockwell.<br />

“The primary indicator of utility performance is<br />

the product—Average Outage Hours per<br />

Member—since it captures both frequency and<br />

duration of outages.”


For 2008 and 2009, the average KIUC member<br />

was without power 1.5 hours each year. “Some<br />

were out more, and some were out less, but the<br />

average was 1.5 hours—or 0.017 percent—<br />

without power,” Rockwell added. That means that<br />

KIUC’s “up time”—when electrical service is<br />

available to all customers—was 99.983 percent in<br />

both 2008 and 2009.<br />

How does KIUC normally respond, and what<br />

should customers do?<br />

When a tree falls on a power line, the power<br />

will go out. It merely is a question of how long. A<br />

minor outage may result in a brief interruption—<br />

just enough to cause a flashing 12:00 on all of<br />

your clocks. Depending on the extent of the<br />

damage, repairs may take time.<br />

KIUC’s goal is to restore power safely to the<br />

greatest number of customers in the shortest time<br />

possible. But restoring power after a major outage<br />

is a big job that involves much more than simply<br />

replacing a pole, removing a tree from a line or<br />

flipping a switch back at the office. Often, line<br />

crews must work long hours in inclement weather<br />

just to locate the source of the problem.<br />

Before calling KIUC to report an outage, make<br />

sure your house hasn’t tripped a circuit breaker.<br />

Are your neighbor’s lights off, too? If so, turn on<br />

your portable radio to find out whether the<br />

outage already has been reported. If it has, you do<br />

not need to call again. If not, call 246.4300.<br />

When you report the outage, give your name,<br />

address and account number (it is on your bill).<br />

Stay near the phone at least 15 minutes after<br />

calling so a KIUC representative can call back for<br />

more information, if needed. If you call and<br />

receive a busy signal or an answering machine,<br />

most likely the call volume is too high for the<br />

personnel on shift to handle. If that is the case, it<br />

is safe to assume KIUC knows about the outage.<br />

Turn on an outside light so repair crews can see<br />

when power has been restored. Unplug voltagesensitive<br />

electronic equipment such as computers<br />

and televisions. When power is restored, don’t<br />

turn everything back on at once.<br />

Listen to the radio for outage information and<br />

instructions in the event of a storm. Kaua‘i’s Civil<br />

Defense station is KQNG, at 570 AM or 93.5 FM.<br />

KUAI is at 720 AM; FM97 is at 96.9 FM. KIUC<br />

personnel stays in contact with all three stations<br />

and will broadcast special advisories about your<br />

power supply. Oceanic Time Warner also carries<br />

National Weather Service reports.<br />

During an outage, KIUC’s media reports will<br />

advise you of the outage start time; areas<br />

affected; the cause of the outage, if known; and<br />

the sequence of events related to power<br />

restoration. You will be told when the outage has<br />

been restored, and about any additional work that<br />

will be needed.<br />

Power Plant Shift Supervisor Ira Fernandez discusses the causes of an outage that occurred earlier this year<br />

with Production Manager Brad Rockwell and Transmission & Distribution Manager Jack Leavitt.<br />

Photo by Shelley Paik<br />

APRIL 2010 31


KIUC Completes & Energizes<br />

Photovoltaic Project at Port Allen<br />

32 KIUC CURRENTS<br />

“Through projects like this one, KIUC continues to investigate and<br />

evaluate various alternative power sources that allow us to utilize<br />

existing assets and help us continue to deliver reliable, affordable and<br />

clean electricity to our members.”<br />

Randy Hee ­ KIUC President and CEO<br />

KIUC & PETRA Solar Join Forces<br />

A Petra Solar employee<br />

develops new solar<br />

conversion<br />

technologies.<br />

KIUC and New Jersey­based<br />

clean energy company Petra<br />

Solar have teamed up to<br />

launch the first utility pole ­<br />

mounted photovoltaic (PV)<br />

system in Hawai‘i. This<br />

landmark solar demonstration<br />

project features Petra Solar’s<br />

SunWave systems mounted<br />

on Ahukini Road in Līhu‘e.<br />

Petra Solar, founded in 2006<br />

by Dr. Shihab Kuran, is the<br />

pioneer of the SunWave UP<br />

Series—a grid­tied, pole­mounted, distributed solar<br />

generation system. Less than three years since the<br />

founding, Petra Solar shifted rapidly from “start­up<br />

to ramp­up” status after signing its first commercial<br />

contract for $200 million with New Jersey’s largest<br />

utility, PSE&G, last July.<br />

In February’s Currents you saw the beginning of<br />

our 68­kilowatt photovoltaic project for KIUC’s<br />

Photo by Cameron Kruse<br />

The SunWave systems not only turn street light<br />

and utility poles into solar generators, but provide<br />

smart grid communications and electric grid<br />

enhancement functions, offering unique and<br />

compelling solutions for utilities. A traditional,<br />

string, inverter is designed to convert power from<br />

several solar panels connected to one another. In<br />

contrast, Petra Solar’s Smart <strong>Energy</strong> Module, which<br />

includes an inverter, is designed to work with a<br />

single solar panel. This one­to­one relationship<br />

between the inverter and the solar panel provides<br />

several benefits, such as avoiding the shutdown of<br />

all modules connected to a single inverter when a<br />

single module ceases to generate, increased system<br />

efficiency and simplicity of installation.<br />

warehouse roof at the Port Allen facility. The<br />

project was completed and energized on February<br />

12. Beachside Solar Technologies (Beachside<br />

Roofing) recently completed the installation of the<br />

Building Integrated Photovoltaic system (BIPV).<br />

78 individual solar­integrated BIPV modules were<br />

mounted on the warehouse roof. The project also<br />

included installation of 18 Solatube 21­inch<br />

tubular daylights, increasing natural lighting<br />

during the day. Transmission and distribution<br />

crews upgraded the single­phase line so the<br />

warehouse can export power onto the grid<br />

whenever there is surplus power. Employee<br />

Cameron Kruse shot this photo immediately<br />

following completion of the project.


Kaua‘i District<br />

Tennis Association<br />

2010 Charity Tournament Schedule<br />

May 1 & 2 ­ Kaua‘i United Way ­ April 23 (entry deadline)<br />

*June 26 & 27 ­ Kaua‘i United Way ­ June 18 (entry deadline)<br />

*August 7 & 8 ­ Kaua‘i United Way ­ July 30 (entry deadline)<br />

*October 9 & 10 ­ Kaua‘i United Way ­ October 1 (entry deadline)<br />

*December 11 & 12 ­ Toys for Tots ­ December 3 (entry deadline)<br />

The next charity tournament:<br />

Men’s & Womens Doubles ­ Spring Challenge<br />

Poipu Kai Resort, the Kaua‘i District Tennis Association (KDTA)<br />

and Grand Hyatt Resort Kaua‘i will be hosting the next charity<br />

tournament. The tournament will be held on May 1 & 2,2010.<br />

All proceeds will benefit the Kaua‘i United Way.<br />

This event will be a Men’s and Women’s Doubles Tournament.<br />

Entry fees are $20.00 per person.<br />

Entries for this tournament can be made by printing the entry and<br />

waiver forms off the KDTA website: www.kctennis2009.webs.com<br />

and mailing it along with payment to the address below or by emailing<br />

players name, phone number and e­mail, partners name, phone<br />

number and e­mail and division of play to<br />

kctennis2009@hawai‘iantel.net:<br />

*An e­mailed entry should be followed up with a payment<br />

and signed waiver form by the entry deadline.<br />

DIVISIONS:<br />

A Division (4.0 – 4.5)<br />

B Division (3.5 – 4.0)<br />

C Division (3.0 – 3.5)<br />

Mail to:<br />

K C Tennis<br />

P. O. Box 962<br />

Kalaheo, HI 96741<br />

Please make checks out to Poipu Kai Association<br />

*dates tentative<br />

KIUC’s<br />

Recent<br />

Outages<br />

KIUC continues<br />

to investigate the causes<br />

of recent outages.<br />

Some of the outages were a result of an<br />

intermittent problem on one of KIUC’s<br />

most efficient generating units at the Port<br />

Allen Power Plant that began on Sunday,<br />

March 21, 2010. After the outages on<br />

Sunday, the unit was shut down.<br />

“While our most effective troubleshooting<br />

of such problems occurs with the unit<br />

online, we recognize that keeping it online<br />

may cause outages, and so we temporarily<br />

remove it from service,” said KIUC<br />

Production Manager Brad Rockwell. “In<br />

doing so, we dispatch less efficient<br />

generators and continue troubleshooting as<br />

best we can. At some point, we have to put<br />

it back online to test it. Following the<br />

problems on Sunday afternoon, we left the<br />

unit off on Sunday night and most of<br />

Monday. We addressed the symptoms we<br />

found and put the unit back online Monday<br />

afternoon. It ran fine until Tuesday<br />

afternoon, when the problem reoccurred.”<br />

The unit has been offline since for<br />

additional troubleshooting.<br />

KIUC recognizes the inconveniences this<br />

may have caused our members and would<br />

like to reassure them that the co­op is doing<br />

everything within its control to prevent<br />

similar instances from happening again.<br />

APRIL 2010 33


Pack Up <strong>Energy</strong> Savings<br />

When taking a vacation, do you think about giving your meter a break, too?<br />

34 KIUC CURRENTS<br />

By Pam Blair<br />

It is easy to forget about conserving electricity<br />

when you and your family pack your bags and<br />

head to the airport for a vacation or lengthy trip.<br />

But if you don’t think about it before you leave,<br />

you could face an unpleasant—even irritating—<br />

surprise when you return.<br />

While it seems to make no sense, your energy<br />

bill can be the same or even higher when your<br />

home is unoccupied. Some equipment, motors<br />

and electrical devices use power, whether or not<br />

anyone is home.<br />

Let your meter know you are gone by preparing<br />

your home before you leave. Then you can enjoy<br />

your vacation knowing you are not wasting<br />

energy—or your money.<br />

Preparing the Home<br />

for Your Absence<br />

Refrigerators and freezers draw electricity to<br />

keep your food cold and frozen in your absence. If<br />

you will be gone for a prolonged time, empty them<br />

out, shut them off at the breaker and prop open<br />

the doors to prevent mildew from growing inside.<br />

Anything that uses clocks, memory, remote<br />

control, microprocessors and instant­on<br />

features—such as televisions and VCRs—consume<br />

small amounts of electricity even when turned<br />

“off.” Unplug those items before you leave.<br />

Rather than leave lights on all day, use a timer.<br />

Detecting Other Reasons<br />

for High Bills<br />

Staying home and trying to figure out what is<br />

behind an increase in your electric bill? Consider<br />

these possible causes:<br />

◼ A defective water heater thermostat can<br />

prevent the heating element from cutting off,<br />

causing continuous operation. In two­element<br />

heaters, failure of one element can cause the<br />

other to operate more.<br />

◼ Consider your living habits. Do you love<br />

gadgets? Most are powered by electricity.<br />

Perhaps you have a growing family, and you<br />

recently purchased a computer and a<br />

dishwasher. Do you love to cook? Do you and<br />

your family spend hours surfing the Internet?<br />

Did you have guests who stayed for weeks on<br />

end, and who left on the lights and did<br />

laundry? All of these activities add to your<br />

electricity usage.<br />

What’s Up With My<br />

Electric Meter?<br />

Often consumers faced with higher­than­usual<br />

bills wonder if their meter is wrong, if it was read<br />

improperly, or if it has a short and is running fast.<br />

While those things can happen, they are rare.<br />

Your electric meter is a finely calibrated device<br />

that is almost always within the plus or minus 2<br />

percent tolerance range. Meters are regularly<br />

tested to ensure accuracy.<br />

High bills rarely are due to a faulty, fastrunning<br />

meter. In fact, a meter tends to gradually<br />

slow with age, benefiting the consumer.<br />

The most common cause of high bills is an<br />

increase in electrical usage.<br />

When you are home, you use electricity for<br />

lighting, cooking, cleaning, operating electronics<br />

and powering your computer. But the electricity<br />

is on even when you are gone, powering your<br />

water heater, refrigerator, pumps and all of those<br />

electronics that have a built­in clock and<br />

automatic “on” function. They are “phantom”<br />

power users, drawing a small amount of<br />

electricity whenever they are plugged in,<br />

regardless of whether they are turned on.


◼ Has anything changed in your household?<br />

Spring or fall cleaning, holiday activities,<br />

sickness or convalescence at home, and<br />

changes in the size of the family—for<br />

example, a new baby or a college student<br />

returning home—often result in increased<br />

electrical usage.<br />

◼ If you have moved into a new home, consider<br />

whether your new dwelling is larger than your<br />

former home, is in a location with more<br />

extreme temperatures or wind, has a larger<br />

water heater, is less well insulated or has<br />

fewer draperies.<br />

◼ Billing periods can vary from month to month.<br />

Note whether the month contained five<br />

weekends or a holiday—time when usage<br />

tends to be greater.<br />

◼ Other causes of bill variations are defective<br />

appliances, frost on a refrigerator unit, home<br />

repairs, lack of good appliance maintenance,<br />

defective house wiring, exposure of pipes and<br />

the water heater to cold air, and leaking hot<br />

water faucets.<br />

Do the Math<br />

To better understand how you use electricity,<br />

read your meter at about the same time each<br />

day for one week. Note activities done one day,<br />

but not the next, and special circumstances,<br />

such as overnight guests. That will help you<br />

identify reasons for varying usage. Subtract the<br />

previous day’s reading from the current<br />

reading to see how many kilowatt­hours of<br />

electricity you use during a 24­hour period.<br />

The popular comic strip heroine Little Orphan Annie<br />

takes center stage in one of the world’s best-loved<br />

musicals at Kalaheo School’s cafeteria-turned-theater<br />

April 23, 24 and 30 and May 1.<br />

Based on the Tribune Media Service comic strip Little<br />

Orphan Annie, “Annie Jr.” brings to life the spunky<br />

Depression-era orphan determined to find her<br />

parents who abandoned her years ago on the doorstep of a New York City orphanage run by the cruel, embittered Miss<br />

Hannigan. In adventure after fun-filled adventure, Annie foils Miss Hannigan’s evil machinations, befriends President<br />

Franklin Delano Roosevelt, and finds a new family and home in billionaire Oliver Warbucks, his personal secretary Grace<br />

Farrell and a lovable mutt named Sandy.<br />

“Annie Jr.” features the classic songs “Tomorrow,” “I Think I’m Gonna Like It Here” and “I Don’t Need Anything But You.”<br />

In the Kalaheo production, Helena Huffman stars as Annie, with Jeffrey Peterson as Oliver Warbucks, Abigayl Cox as Grace<br />

Farrell and Tylyn Nakamura as the infamous Miss<br />

Hannigan. Jacob Herr and Carolyn Price play the<br />

villainous Rooster and Lilly. Thirty plus others play<br />

the various orphans and ensemble roles.<br />

Directed by Marly Madayag, performances of<br />

“Annie Jr.” begin at 7 p.m. each evening. Tickets<br />

are available at the school or at the door prior to<br />

the show. The cost is $5 for adults. Children 12<br />

and under are admitted free.<br />

Come early and enjoy the food booth, where you<br />

can enter a drawing to win the grand prize of a<br />

sterling silver key heart locket chain ($375 value)<br />

donated by Tiffany & Co.<br />

For more information, or to order tickets, please<br />

email us at: kesdrama@gmail.com.<br />

APRIL 2010 35


1<br />

36 KIUC CURRENTS<br />

Photos By Maile Moriguchi<br />

1 Crab Wonton<br />

8 ounces softened cream cheese<br />

1 package imitation crab<br />

2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce<br />

½ teaspoon garlic powder<br />

1 package won ton pi<br />

1 egg, beaten<br />

Oil for frying<br />

Sweet chili sauce for dipping<br />

2<br />

Ono Pupu<br />

Mix cream cheese, imitation crab,<br />

Worcestershire sauce and garlic power. Heat oil<br />

to 350 degrees. Drop a spoonful of crab mixture<br />

in the center of each won ton pi. Rub a light layer<br />

of egg around the edges and fold edges<br />

diagonally to seal the won ton. Fry about 2 to 3<br />

minutes, until golden brown.<br />

3 Boiled Peanuts<br />

2 pounds peanuts, raw in­shell<br />

3 tablespoons Hawai‘ian salt<br />

1 star anise<br />

Wash peanuts until water is clear. Add water<br />

to cover peanuts and soak overnight. Put weight<br />

on them so peanuts are soaking under the<br />

water. Drain and rinse several times, until the<br />

water is clean. Add star anise; cover and boil for<br />

30 to 45 minutes, testing to see that peanuts are<br />

cooked, but not soft. Do not overcook. Turn off<br />

heat. Add salt and mix. Cover and let stand<br />

30 to 45 minutes.<br />

2 Stuffed Mushrooms<br />

12 medium­sized cremini or white mushrooms<br />

½ cup mayonnaise<br />

¼ to ⅓ cup shredded crab meat<br />

1 small shallot, minced<br />

⅛ teaspoon paprika<br />

¼ cup Parmesan cheese<br />

⅛ teaspoon dill<br />

⅛ teaspoon celery salt<br />

Topping: Mix four parts bread crumbs to 1 part<br />

Parmesan cheese in a bowl.<br />

Remove the stems and gills from the<br />

mushrooms. Mix all ingredients (except topping<br />

ingredients) in a bowl. Stuff mushrooms, then turn<br />

upside down and dip in topping. Place mushrooms<br />

in a foil­lined pan and bake in 325­degree oven for<br />

15 to 20 minutes. As an alternative to an oven,<br />

place the foil­lined pan with mushrooms in a<br />

barbecue grill and cook until nicely browned.<br />

3


4<br />

4 Smoked Fish and Dill<br />

Dill<br />

Cream cheese<br />

Baguette bread<br />

Pepper<br />

Olive oil<br />

Smoked fish<br />

Mix dill in cream cheese. Set aside. Slice one<br />

baguette very thin. Mix plenty of pepper with olive<br />

oil. Brush one side of bread. Toast in toaster oven<br />

until brown. If you don’t have a toaster oven, place<br />

oiled bread on a cookie sheet and place under the<br />

broiler until brown. Turn and cover the other side<br />

with the pepper/olive oil mix and broil. Slice<br />

smoked fish and serve with the cream cheese/dill<br />

mixture and pepper bread. Let your guests build<br />

their own, or stack and serve.<br />

6 Smoked Meat<br />

20 pounds pork butt<br />

1 box brown sugar<br />

1 hand ginger<br />

2 cloves garlic<br />

1 package char sui<br />

3 quarts soy sauce<br />

3 Hawai‘ian chili peppers<br />

Cut pork butt into 2­inch thick 1­foot long strips.<br />

Marinate strips and all ingredients except char sui<br />

mix for three days, mixing twice a day. Add char sui<br />

24 hours before smoking. Smoke pork in a smoker<br />

for four hours, or until done. Cut strips into bitesized<br />

pieces and fry until cooked through.<br />

5 Pupu-Style Spareribs<br />

5 pounds spareribs<br />

4 cloves garlic, crushed<br />

1 large piece ginger root, crushed<br />

½ teaspoon salt<br />

1 cup sugar<br />

1 cup soy sauce<br />

1 cup catsup<br />

⅓ cup oyster sauce<br />

Cut spareribs into 1½­inch pieces. In a large<br />

sauce pot, combine spareribs, garlic, ginger and<br />

salt. Add water to cover spareribs. Bring to a boil;<br />

lower heat and simmer 1½ to 2 hours, or until<br />

spareribs are tender. Drain. Combine remaining<br />

ingredients and marinate spareribs in sauce<br />

overnight in the refrigerator. Place spareribs on the<br />

rack of a broiler pan and broil 3 inches from unit in<br />

electric oven for 7 to 10 minutes, basting with<br />

remaining sauce. Turn and broil for 5 to 7 more<br />

minutes. Makes 15 to 20 servings.<br />

6<br />

5<br />

APRIL 2010 37


By Karissa Jonas, Controller<br />

Statement<br />

of Operations<br />

For the period 01/01/2010 – 02/28/2010<br />

38 KIUC CURRENTS<br />

KIUC results of operations through February<br />

28, 2010, are still being impacted negatively by<br />

the weak economy. Electricity usage on the<br />

island is still at a significantly decreased level,<br />

primarily due to the reduction in visitors to the<br />

island. KIUC is doing everything it can, while<br />

maintaining safety and reliability, to reduce<br />

costs in various areas in order to continue to<br />

meet its loan covenants.<br />

Revenues, expenses and net margins totaled<br />

$24.6 million, $22.7 million and $1.9 million,<br />

respectively, for the two­month period ending<br />

February 28, 2010.<br />

As is the case for all electric utilities, the cost of<br />

power generation is the largest expense, totaling<br />

$13.5 million or 55.0 percent of revenues. Fuel<br />

costs are the largest component of power<br />

generation, totaling $11.1 million or 45.1 percent<br />

of revenues, and representing 82.0 percent of the<br />

cost of power generation. The remaining $2.4<br />

million or 9.9 percent of revenues and 18.0<br />

percent of the cost of power generation,<br />

represents the cost of operating and maintaining<br />

the generating units.<br />

Percentage of Total Revenue<br />

Taxes<br />

8.4%<br />

Depreciation &<br />

Amortization<br />

11.0%<br />

Administrative &<br />

General<br />

Net of Non-Operating<br />

Margins<br />

5.3%<br />

Marketing &<br />

Communications<br />

0.5%<br />

Interest<br />

6.0%<br />

Member Services<br />

2.4%<br />

Net Margins<br />

7.8%<br />

Fuel & Purchased<br />

Power Costs<br />

45.1%<br />

Production Operation &<br />

Maintenance<br />

9.9%<br />

Transmission & Distribution<br />

Operation & Maintenance<br />

3.6%<br />

The cost of operating and maintaining the<br />

electric lines totaled $0.9 million or 3.6 percent of<br />

total revenues. The cost of servicing our members<br />

totaled $0.6 million or 2.4 percent of revenues.<br />

The cost of keeping our members informed<br />

totaled $0.1 million or 0.5 percent of revenues.<br />

Administrative and general costs—which include<br />

legislative and regulatory expenses, engineering,<br />

executive, human resources, safety and facilities,<br />

information services, financial and corporate<br />

services, and board of director expenses—totaled<br />

$1.4 million or 5.6 percent of revenues.<br />

Being very capital intensive, depreciation and<br />

amortization of the utility plant costs $2.7 million<br />

or 11.0 percent of revenues. Although not subject<br />

to federal income taxes, state and local taxes<br />

amounted to $2.1 million or 8.4 percent of<br />

revenues. Interest on long­term debt, at a very<br />

favorable sub­5 percent interest rate, totals $1.5<br />

million or 6.0 percent of revenues. Non­operating<br />

net margins added $0.1 million to overall net<br />

margins. Revenues less total expenses equal<br />

margins of $1.9 million or 7.8 percent of<br />

revenues. Margins are allocated to consumer<br />

members and paid when appropriate.


Simple<br />

Pleasures<br />

Production Manager<br />

Brad Rockwell takes<br />

the Kaumakani seniors<br />

on a tour of the<br />

Port Allen Power Plant.<br />

Parting<br />

Shot<br />

Leadership Kaua‘i’s 2010 Pi‘ina Hoku Youth Leadership group’s Community Project, Kaua’i <strong>Energy</strong><br />

Education Project (KEEP), is now online at www.keeproject.org. The website offers information on<br />

energy efficiency and features an energy consumption calculator. Please visit the website and read<br />

about more about Pi‘ina Hoku’s KEEP project in the next issue of KIUC Currents.<br />

We’re always looking for interesting items to feature in Parting Shot. If you have an item to share with<br />

readers, please email currents@kiuc.coop or send it to: KIUC Currents, 4463 Pahe‘e Street, Suite 1, Līhu‘e, HI<br />

96766­2000.<br />

APRIL 2010 39


40 KIUC CURRENTS<br />

HI-130<br />

Powerlines<br />

Aloha mai kākou,<br />

I would like to thank KIUC’s members for exercising the<br />

cooperative principle of “democratic member control” by your<br />

votes in our 8th annual election for directors. I would like to<br />

congratulate incumbent directors Allan Smith and Carol Bain and<br />

new director Jan TenBruggencate for being selected by our<br />

members to serve on the Board of Directors for our cooperative. I<br />

also thank Carol Medeiros and Pat Gegen for stepping forward to<br />

offer themselves as choices before our membership. I look forward to working with Allan, Carol,<br />

Jan and our seated directors as they provide governance for our cooperative.<br />

A cooperative principle that our employees take to heart is “concern for community,” and this<br />

issue of Currents includes some highlights on the Kaua‘i United Way, March of Dimes and the Relay<br />

for Life. Virtually all employees and directors become involved with community support and<br />

community giving, but I would like to thank Dawn Cummings and Kymi Sakai for co­chairing the past<br />

year’s United Way Campaign. Thanks to Joe Fontanilla, who has led our March of Dimes effort for<br />

many years, and thanks to Jackie Cachero for leading KIUC’s Relay for Life team. We have many<br />

other employees who serve our community by volunteering as coaches, helping on educational<br />

projects or serving on boards and commissions. We are indeed proud of our employees who not<br />

only work very hard at KIUC to keep the lights on, but work to support their community.<br />

KIUC remains committed to obtaining a high level of renewable energy to supply our members.<br />

It will take a lot of effort to achieve that goal, and this issue provides some insight into where we<br />

are heading with some of the projects. We often mention that the most benefit can be achieved<br />

through more efficient use of energy, and we include some things our members might consider<br />

using as alternatives.<br />

Thanks again to all of the candidates and members who participated in this year’s election<br />

process; you have helped in one of the core principles of a cooperative. Congratulations again to<br />

Allan Smith, Carol Bain and Jan TenBruggencate for having been selected to serve as directors by<br />

KIUC’s membership.<br />

Mahalo!<br />

Randall J. Hee<br />

President and CEO

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