On this month's episode of Plugged In host Rod Smerkar is again joined by Supervisor of Member Services Neal Harrell to discuss vacation energy use and how to save money when you are out of your home. Have a topic you would like us to cover? Share your ideas to communications@cuivre.com

Welcome to Plugged In from Cuivre River Electric Cooperative. In this episode Rod Smerkar sits down with Member Engagement Supervisor Neal Harrell to discuss summer bills and how to increase your HVAC's efficiency to help save energy and money.

In mid-January, while Missouri was settling into winter, CREC linemen Rodney Braddy and Jacob Tiefenthaler were boarding a plane for a mission unlike any other. They traded the Midwest cold for the sweltering heat of Jamaica. Not for a vacation, but to answer a call for help after Hurricane Melissa devastated seventy-five percent of the island's power grid this past October. The Jamaica Public Service Company contacted NRECA, the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association, requesting assistance. NRECA's international program usually focuses on first-time electrification in developing countries, but this was different. This was about getting the power back on. For nearly a month, Rodney and Jake worked alongside other Missouri linemen and local crews to rebuild what the storm had destroyed. Today we're talking with them about the sweat, the challenging Caribbean terrain and the incredible people they met along the way.

Thank you for tuning in to Plugged In from Cuivre River Electric Cooperative. This episode was hosted by Mary Wilson and Rod Smerkar. Have a topic you'd like us to cover? Share your ideas at communications@cuivre.com. And don't forget to subscribe and leave a rating on your favorite podcast app so you never miss an episode.