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EDWARDSBURG COUPLE TO GO 36 DAYS WITHOUT ELECTRICITY

(Cassopolis, MI) – David and Cara Ball are counting the days, and relishing the time they have with their electricity.

With a bid of 36 days, the Edwardsburg couple won the 2nd Annual Midwest Energy-Starbucks Challenge, and will begin their stint without electricity at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, May 24. Their prize for completing the challenge is $1000.

The challenge was issued to the 32,000 members of the cooperative by president/CEO Bob Hance as a way to get people to put a value on their electric service. A Starbucks drinker himself, Hance equated the price of a cup of the premium coffee with a day’s worth of electric service. The average residential customer on the Midwest system pays about $3.50 a day for their service. While no one was willing to give up a day’s worth of electricity for a cup of coffee, a few decided to bite when Hance turned it into an auction with a prize of $1000.

The auction began in March and concluded at Noon on Friday, May 12. Customers were invited to bid on the number of days they would be willing to go without electricity in exchange for $1000. The 36-day bid, coming in at 11:58 a.m., sealed the deal for the Balls. The only rules are that they must physically live in the home for the duration of the challenge, and they may not use a generator or other form of electric generation.

"Most of us don’t blink an eye when we put down $3 to $4 for a cup of good coffee, but complain about paying $100 or so a month for our electric service," Hance said. "I want people to see and understand the value and realize everything they can do because of that $3.50 a day."

If the Balls can complete their challenge, the value will be just under $28 a day.

Before submitting their bid, the Balls spent a 48-hour period without electricity to determine the hardships they might face. They realize it will not be easy, but are embracing the challenge.

In 2005, the challenge was successfully completed by Vicky Kind of Tipton, Mich., who went for 18 days without electricity.

Midwest Energy Cooperative is a member-owned electric utility providing electric and an assortment of energy-related programs and services to more than 32,000 customers in 11 counties in southern Michigan and northern Indiana and Ohio. Midwest Energy is the parent company of Midwest Connections and Midwest Propane and has district offices in Cassopolis, Paw Paw, and Adrian.

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