As the leaves start to change and the autumn breeze fills the air, it is that time of year again when we all look forward to the excitement of Halloween. The costumes, the candy and the joy of watching our children and grandchildren light up with anticipation as they prepare for Trick-or-Treat night.

However, it is also a time when we must be especially vigilant to ensure the safety of our loved ones and our community. The safety of our members is of paramount importance to Clay Electric Co-operative, and I would like to take a moment to share some important tips for a safe and enjoyable Halloween.

Trick-or-Treat safety

• Stay visible: When choosing or creating costumes, prioritize visibility. Add reflective tape, glow sticks or LED lights to costumes to ensure your children are easily seen by passing motorists.
• Accompany young children: Always accompany young children while they are out trick-or-treating. Hold their hands and always keep them close to you.
• Plan a route: Plan your route ahead of time and let someone know where you will be. Stick to well-lit areas and avoid shortcuts through alleys or unfamiliar neighborhoods.
• Check candy: Before indulging in the sweet treats, carefully inspect all candies and goodies for signs of tampering. Discard any items that look suspicious or have damaged packaging.
• Respect traffic rules: When crossing streets, always use crosswalks and obey traffic signals. Teach your children to look both ways before crossing and never dart out into the street.

At Clay Electric Co-operative, we are committed to your safety and the wellbeing of our community. Let’s all do our part this Halloween to ensure that our families and neighbors enjoy this tradition without any accidents or mishaps. 

Remember, a safe and happy Halloween makes lasting memories. Let’s make this season memorable for all the right reasons. Your cooperative family at Clay Electric Co-operative is wishing you and your loved ones a wonderful, safe and joyous Halloween.

Back to business, even with fall in full swing and winter just around the corner, the various incentives for solar installations are still on the table on the state and federal level. With more and more programs coming out to make solar builds more economically feasible, it’s important to stay educated about the ways a solar system could be beneficial to you. Clay Electric Co-operative, like most cooperatives, runs off a net billing model. This differs from what Ameren and other Illinois investor-owned utilities are mandated to provide. When you have a solar system on CECI’s distribution grid, your production benefits you in one of two ways. If you use the kilowatts you produce, you get full retail value for them, as you aren’t buying those kilowatts from the cooperative. If you generate excess kilowatts and feed them back into the grid, you don’t forfeit them; instead, you receive credits on your account at the wholesale value, known as the avoided cost, which is the rate at which we would purchase those kilowatts from the power plant.

If you are looking into solar, it is imperative that you contact the cooperative. With many financial incentives available, not every solar company is focused on the happiness of the end-user. Clay Electric Co-operative is dedicated to finding the best solutions to our members’ power needs. Sometimes that means a solar system is a perfect fit and other times it isn’t. Our goal is to make sure that our members don’t regret their purchases, and we will do all in our power to make sure they have all the knowledge available to them to make their best decisions.

Don’t forget to be on the lookout for your member number in the center section of this magazine. There are three member numbers hidden in Clay Electric News. If you find your number and give us a call, you win $5 off your next bill!