Santee Electric Cooperative officials are pleased to report that yesterday's Annual Meeting saw record attendance again with 4,001 members registering and voting for board or trustees at Kingstree Senior High School.
Consumer registration and voting began at 1p.m. in the school's cafeteria. Registration and casting of ballots ended promptly at 6:30 p.m. Every member who registered received a $15 bill credit and a 12 can cooler and was eligible to win a variety of door prizes that were given away at the business meeting.
Scholarship winners were Sammy K. Livingston, Zachary Jay McDonald, Alexus Cokley, Megan Michelle Brown, Harrell L. Poston Jr., Samone Cumbee, Maxine G. Greene and Codey Witherspoon. Other winners include...
| Black & Decker Blower/Vac/Mulcher | 801 | Henry Timmons |
| Samsung - DVD Player | 1381 | Patsy Martin |
| Stanley - Backpack Sprayer | 3335 | Bea Boyd |
| GE - Microwave Oven | 948 | Charles Moody |
| Wesinghouse - Solar Powered Utility | 3850 | Vincent Dupree |
| Peak Performance - Portable Power System 450 | 2623 | John Winns |
| Eureka- Vacuum System | 3908 | Willie Wilson |
| Troy-Bilt 20v Lithium-Ion Trimmer | 822 | Annie Ruth Linen |
| Hamilton Beach - Non-Stick Electric Skillet | 1005 | Betty Moseley |
| Westinghouse - Solar Powered Security Light | 3240 | James Banks |
| Designer Series - Crock Pot | 3112 | Etta Chandler |
| Portable Cable - 18v Cordless Drill/Driver set | 3295 | Herbert Hemingway |
| Lasko - Max Performance Floor or Wall Mount Fan | 812 | Ranson Scott |
| GE - 5,200 BTU Air Conditioner | 1546 | L. Carter |
| Philips - 19' LCD HD TV | 2879 | Elizabeth Graham |
| GE - 5 cu ft Chest Freezer | 287 | Theresa Snow |
| CEEUS Donated - Sharp 19' LCD TV | 1601 | Prince Shaw |
| $300 Energy Voucher | 819 | Degoris Brown |
| $400 Energy Voucher | 3915 | Willie Edwards |
| $500 Energy Voucher | 3733 | Ruther Bradley |
| LG 47' LCD HD TV | 3869 | Tommy Truluck |
| 98 Chevrolet Lumina | 1201 | Jennifer Barnes |
In his annual report, President and CEO Floyd Keels explained the perils of electric resistance heaters in manufactured homes. During the coldest days this past winter, manufactured homes with resistance heating could use enough electricity to result in monthly bills of $1,000, he said. While those same manufactured homes with a heat pump running the same amount of time would see heating costs of only about $200. Keels explained the HVAC replacement program sponsored by SEC and the Electric Cooperatives of South Carolina and encouraged members to apply for this assistance.
Keels also addressed the importance of protecting the integrity of homes to ensure heat and conditioned air does not escape, resulting in higher electric bills. He asked members to periodically look underneath their homes for damaged duct work and insulation and spoke of the importance of weather stripping all exterior openings.
Trustees Raymond Fulton (District 2), Charles E. Wilson (District 4) and Stanley S. Pasley (District 7) ran uncontested and were re-elected to the Board of Directors.
Santee Electric Cooperative serves electric power in rural Williamsburg, Georgetown, Clarendon and Florence Counties.