Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP)

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If you or someone you know is having trouble paying their energy bills, the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) may be able to help. This federally-funded program helps eligible households pay for home energy bills. Learn more and find out where to apply at energyright.com/residential/energy-assistance.

PVEC’s Pandemic Response Plan

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Powell Valley Electric Cooperative has implemented Tier 1 of its Pandemic Response Plan.  As this situation develops, it may become necessary to increase PVEC’s level of response. Updates will be provided on PVEC’s website (pve.coop) and Facebook.  PVEC is committed to serve its membership and we appreciate your understanding and patience during this uncertain time.

Tier 1 of the Pandemic Response Plan

  1. A very effective method of combating the spread of COVID-19 is “Social Distancing”; i.e., reducing close contact of the population. PVEC expects each employee to adhere to all policies or instructions regarding social distancing despite how inconvenient or awkward they may seem.

 

  1. Employees shall not shake hands or make physical contact with one another or with customers and should generally maintain at least 6 feet of separation from one another. Exceptions are made for members of crews working or riding in trucks together.

 

  1. The General Manager/CEO will establish office-wide sanitation policies (i.e. surface cleaning protocols, etc.).

 

  1. Employees who are concerned about contracting COVID-19 from their place of work, and can perform their duties remotely, will be offered options to work from home. At the discretion of the General Manager/CEO, certain positions may be required to work remotely.

 

  1. Measures will be implemented to protect employees whose duties cannot be performed remotely.

 

  1. The General Manager/CEO may at any time decide to secure the main office and allow customers to conduct transactions only through “Drive-Through” windows.

 

  1. PVEC will promote and encourage customers to perform business over the phone or on our website.

 

  1. In the event local schools and/or childcare facilities close, the General Manager/CEO will identify all employees impacted by the need for childcare services. If essential employees cannot perform their duties from home and are impacted by a need for childcare, PVEC Management will seek a reasonable accommodation.

 

  1. If departmental meetings need to occur, meetings shall be held via one of the following methods but should not include groups larger than ten (10) employees unless required for continued operations:
    1. Teleconference via office phones, cell phones, or radios.
    2. Outdoor meeting with all employees separated by at least 6 feet.

 

  1. Employees shall refrain from congregating (“hanging out”) in groups and shall try and keep a healthy distance from others at all times (at least 6 feet). Exceptions are allowed for members of the same crew or for the completion of work that ensures continuity of service.

 

  1. Personal Travel: PVEC employees who have traveled for personal reasons internationally or to areas in the U.S. that have declared states of emergency are to contact their manager in advance of returning to work to discuss areas that were visited and any potential guidance and/or restrictions for returning to work. In some cases, the employee may be subject to a 14-day isolation at home using paid time off (PTO).

 

  1. Employees working on outside crews (i.e. line crew, right-of-way, etc.) will be assigned small groups (crews) which will comprise of the men they are normally working on a “crew” with. These assigned groups shall keep segregated from one another until further notice.

 

  1. Electric/ROW Department
    1. Line and ROW workers will stick to their own crews and avoid congregating with members of other crews.
    2. If one member of a crew is suspected of having the coronavirus, it will be assumed the other members are sick as well. In the case of a confirmed COVID-19 case, the entire crew would remain at home and unable to work for at least 14 days or until cleared by a medical professional.
    3. Crews will stick with their assigned truck and shall disinfect their truck and workspace at the end of every day.
    4. The Area Supervisors will remain separate from crews, stay in their assigned office, assigned truck, and direct work remotely as much as possible.
    5. Area Supervisors will ensure helpers are assigned to make up crews and prevent intermingling of crews.
    6. Line and ROW crews will not intermingle, except as required to ensure continuity of service.

 

  1. Customer Service
    1. As long as the Board of Directors or the public health authorities permit us being open to the public, all inside Customer Service (CS) employees shall work on site while also taking precautions to ensure they are limiting their possible exposure to COVID-19. Precautions shall include at minimum: sanitizing workspaces often, washing/sanitizing hands often, wearing gloves while supplies are available, and keeping 6 or more feet from others whenever possible.
    2. At the discretion of the General Manager/CEO, a decision may be made to close counter transactions to our customers and use other available PVEC methods, such as a “drive-through” service, to process customer transactions.

 

  1. Accounting/Billing/HR/General
    1. As a general rule, any administrative employee whose duties can be performed from home should do so. And any work that must be performed on site shall be completed while taking the same precautions as our inside CS personnel (listed in previous section).
    2. The Senior Engineer will coordinate with Department Managers and Supervisors to ensure remotely working employees have the means to do so.
    3. Administrative employees whose duties cannot be performed remotely will be assigned shifts whenever possible and practical, to reduce contact. If these duties can be performed only on specific days (i.e. payroll), or during any fraction of a full work day, those employees will work from home when not actively performing said duties.
    4. Building Maintenance employees who must be present both to conduct their usual duties, and ensure additional sanitation protocols, will exercise extreme caution in limiting their exposure.
    5. Department Managers who have a need to be present at the office will remain separate from employees, remain in their offices, and provide direction remotely.

 

  1. Warehouseman/Purchasing Agent & Senior Mechanic
    1. As much as possible, these employees shall remain isolated and keep safe distances from co-workers (at least 6 feet).
    2. Employees shall disinfect their workspace at the end of every shift.

 

  1. Unless otherwise decided by the Board of Directors, all Full Time Employees will continue to receive regular pay, unless they are using voluntary PTO (including sickness since they would be unable to work). This time will be treated like regular days for payroll purposes (all standard rules apply per current policy manual, i.e., overtime, stand-by, call-ins, etc.).

Woodlake Recognized Powell Valley Electric Cooperative Employees

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In appreciation of Powell Valley Electric Cooperative and the hard work of the employees, Rodney and James England of Woodlake Lodge, Golf and Country Club, recently provided breakfast for PVEC employees.

“We are very proud of the hard work that our employees do on a daily basis,” says Randell Meyers, General Manager/CEO of Powell Valley Electric.  “We truly appreciate this act of kindness shown to our employees.”

Mr. Rodney England expressed his sincere gratitude and appreciation for the dedication of PVEC employees who work hard every day to keep our community in power.  He presented a plaque during the breakfast and read the inscription on the plaque: “We acknowledge the unwavering endurance of wind, rain, sleet, cold and darkness exhibited by the members of the PVEC in order to provide comfort to those they serve.  We therefore express our sincerely offered admiration and appreciation for your dedication and perseverance in this endeavor.”

Powell Valley Electric Cooperative is a consumer-owned, not-for-profit electric utility that provides safe, reliable and affordable energy to more than 32,000 meters in Scott, Lee and Wise counties in Virginia and Claiborne, Hancock, Hawkins, Grainger and Union counties in Tennessee. To learn more about Powell Valley Electric Cooperative visit our website at pve.coop or like us on Facebook.

 

 

Tennessee State Electrical Permits

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Tennessee State Electrical Permits may now be purchased online or at a Powell Valley Electric Cooperative office. To purchase electrical permits online visit core.tn.gov. A first time user will need to create an account. This account will be used to purchase a permit, print a permit or to request an inspection. You will need to know the electrical permit number to schedule an inspection or to purchase additional permits for the same location.

Steps for using the online system:
1. Visit core.tn.gov.
2. On the left side of the screen under “New User”, select “Register a new account.”
3. To purchase a permit:
• Select “Apply for a New Type of License, Permit or Registration.”
• Then select “Permits – Electrical and Residential.”
• Choose the application for the permit you wish to purchase.
• Follow the steps to complete the application.
• Submit payment.

The Electrical Inspector for Claiborne, Hancock, Union, Grainger, and Hawkins counties is Eric Ramsey. His office hours are 8:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. on Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday. To speak to the inspector call (423) 626-0724 during his office hours or leave a message on his voicemail at any time and he will return your call.
Please do not hesitate to contact your local PVEC office or the Permits and Licensing team at (615) 741-7170 or by email at SFMO.permits-licensing@tn.gov if you have any questions.

Local students visit nation’s capital on Washington Youth Tour

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Students from Powell Valley Electric’s service area spent a week in our nation’s capital as delegates of the 2019 Washington Youth Tour. Caleb Daniels, J. Frank White Academy, Brandon Meadows and Ellie Yount, Hancock County High School, and Blaine Caylor, Claiborne High School were among 135 students from across Tennessee on the weeklong trip that began Friday, June 14.

The annual event, sponsored by Powell Valley Electric Cooperative and the Tennessee Electric Cooperative Association, provides young leaders with an opportunity to explore the nation’s capital, learn about government and cooperatives and develop their leadership skills. Students were selected for the trip by writing short stories titled “Electric Cooperatives – Connecting Communities” that explain how co-ops provide communities with much more than electric power.

“The Youth Tour is a unique opportunity for these young people to experience history and public policy upclose and personal,” says Randell Meyers, general manager for Powell Valley Electric Cooperative. “Tour delegates experience an exciting week visiting museums, monuments and other landmarks and learning about leadership, history and government.”
“We take great pride in recognizing the best and brightest from across Tennessee,” said Todd Blocker, vice president of member relations for the Tennessee Electric Cooperative Association and tour director. “By honoring their accomplishments through programs like the Washington Youth Tour, we show these future leaders that their co-op cares about the future. We want these young people to come home with a better understanding of their nation and new passion to serve their community.”

While in Washington, D.C., Tennessee’s Youth Tour delegates saw the White House and memorials to past presidents Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln and Franklin Delano Roosevelt as well as monuments honoring the sacrifices of veterans of World War II and the Vietnam and Korean Wars. During visits to the museums of the Smithsonian Institution, the touring Tennesseans saw and experienced natural, historical and artistic treasures. Other fun stops included historic homes of former presidents — George Washington’s Mount Vernon and Jefferson’s Monticello — as well as Ford’s Theater and a boat cruise down the Potomac River. The group also paid a solemn and sobering visit to Arlington National Cemetery where the delegates laid a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknowns.

For many, the highlight of the trip was hearing from Holocaust survivor Ms. Esther Starobin at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. Her advice to the delegates was, “Don’t be a bystander in this world. You have to know history and pay attention to it. Get involved and learn as much as you can with more than a single viewpoint.”
The group was welcomed to the U.S. Capitol by Sens. Lamar Alexander and Marsha Blackburn and members of the Tennessee congressional delegation who posed for photos and answered questions.

President Lyndon Johnson inspired the Washington Youth Tour in 1957 when he encouraged electric cooperatives to send youngsters to the nation’s capital. In the years since, more than 6,000 young Tennesseans have been delegates on the Washington Youth Tour.