Grayson Collin News
Information for reporting your outage on the App
We have learned that when our members go to report an outage on our app, they have run into an issue. Members have received a message stating “There are no other account available on your service to report an outage.” This response happens because your meter has already notified our office that your home is without power. If you have any other accounts, like a barn or another building, that is currently not listed in the outage, it will allow you to select and report those meters as “out”. We want to assure you that though this can be a frustrating response – it just means that our office is aware of your outage, allowing us to work towards restoration as quickly and safely as possible. We have someone at our office 24/7 all year round and will be here to field your calls and help anyway we can.
903-482-7100
Concern from Members regarding high bills
Cold Weather Creates Higher Usage Resulting in Higher Bills
Recently Grayson-Collin Electric Cooperative has had an influx of concern from members about high bills. We understand that thus far we have encountered a mild winter – however, the cold snap we experienced caused a large spike in usage.
The graphs below show how cold temperatures can significantly increase energy usage. The red and blue lines are the day’s high and low temperatures. As an Arctic blast arrived on Jan. 14, these member’s DAILY usage (as seen in the green, orange and blue usage bars) nearly doubled or tripled their average usage. On average all these members had normal energy usage – until the cold weather arrived and stayed until the 17th. On Jan. 14, the high was about 22 degrees and the low dropped to about13. If the thermostat is set to 75, that’s a major 50+-degree difference during the day and 60+-degree difference at night that the heating unit must overcome. Compare that to the 25-degree difference an air conditioner must overcome to keep indoor temperatures at 75 degrees on a 100-degree day.
As the weather moved into our service area, all four members used approximately as much energy in those four days as they had the entire 13 days prior. For reference, one graph shows an entire electric house, second graph reflects a meter on a barn which also has a pool, hot tub, and a RV plugged into it, the third is an all-electric house with a wood burning fireplace with a pool, and finally a member with a gas fireplace, stove, and oven.
Although you may not have touched your thermostat, with outside temperatures dropping so dramatically, heating units must use more electricity to maintain the desired temperature indoors. We also want to emphasize that while heat pumps do use less energy and are far more efficient than space heaters(space heaters can also significantly increase your usage), heat pumps become less efficient and often switch to “emergency heat” or “resistance heat” when temperatures drop to the lower 30s. That can increase energy usage by up to three times!
You can find energy saving tips on our website www.gcec.net under the energy efficiency tab.
We are here to serve you and understand the frustration a higher than anticipated bill can cause. Our Member Services Department can be reached at 903-482-7100and our friendly MSR’s will be happy to discuss with you your bill and usage. We also offer free energy audits to help you better understand your homes energy usage.
SmartHub Redesign
Coming Soon.......
The SmartHub Website is being redesigned on 01/22/2024!
Christmas Closings
Our offices will be closing early on December 22nd so our employees can begin celebrating the Christmas Holidays.
We wish you a very Merry Christmas.
We will continue to have crews on call and dispatchers available if the need arises. You can reach us at 903-482-7100.
Remembering Jacob "Jake" Waldrip
It is with heavy hearts that we share the news of the untimely passing of a beloved coworker and dear friend, Mr. Jacob “Jake” Waldrip. Our entire Co-op Family is deeply saddened by this loss, and we extend our heartfelt condolences to his family and loved ones affected by this tragedy.
In honor and memory of Jake Waldrip and to allow our Co-op Family the opportunity to pay their respects, Grayson-Collin Electric Co-op will be temporarily closed on Thursday, October 5th, 2023.
Jake played a large role in not only our operations team but an even bigger part in our Co-op Family. Jake served as a lineman and staking engineer for approximately 20 years. As we continue to work through this tremendous loss of a member of our Co-op family and dear friend, we ask that you please keep his family, loved ones and friends in your thoughts and prayers.
As Jakes wife, Heather, said “He deserves to be celebrated.” Jake loved his family and friends, and though we mourn the passing of Jake, we will always remember his warm smile, his playful demeanor, and continued efforts to always go the extra mile for his loved ones.
We appreciate your understanding and support during this difficult time. We will have Dispatchers and service crews ready to handle any outages that may occur. We thank our extended Co-op Family from Fannin Electric Co-op for volunteering to serve our members while we are at the services for Jake.
We will resume normal business operations on Friday, October 6th, 2023, and we are committed to serving you with the same dedication and excellence that you have come to expect from us.
Thank you for your understanding and empathy during this challenging time.
To view the obituary, please visit https://mullicanlittle.com/jacob-ray-waldrip/