SC |agenda
BY THE NUMBERS
Alexa, how much are you costing me?
The numbers tell the tale: Americans love their smart speakers and those oh-so-handy “digital assistants” that let us turn off the lights, listen to the news and order food simply by using voice commands.
66.4 million
Number of Americans who own a smart speaker device and have the ability to summon a digital assistant like Amazon’s Alexa and Google Assistant to do their bidding.
40%
Share of users who have more than one smart speaker in the home.
2014
The year smart speakers became available.
$25 to $180
Retail price for smart speaker systems ranging from the most basic to the most advanced.
$3.15
Approximate cost of the electricity needed to operate an Amazon Echo smart speaker in standby mode for one year.
$6.93
Approximate cost of electricity needed to play your favorite music at full volume through an Amazon Echo, nonstop, for one year. Rock on, Alexa. —MARIA KANEVSKY
Apply now for 2020 WIRE scholarships
WOMEN RETURNING TO SCHOOL to
earn college degrees may now apply
for fifinancial assistance from the 2020 Jenny Ballard Opportunity Scholarship program. Sponsored by South Carolina Women Involved in Rural Electrifification (SCWIRE), a service organization associ- ated with South Carolina’s not-for-profifit electric cooperatives, the scholarship is a one-time award based on fifinancial need and personal goals.
In 2019, Linda Cohen, a Laurens Electric Cooperative member, and Christine Sawyer, a Pee Dee Electric Cooperative member, each earned $2,500 awards.
For Cohen, the scholarship was a chance to restart her business educa- tion. She left Greenville Tech 36 years ago when she married and had her fifirst child. Scholarship funds are helping her earn a bachelor’s in business admin- istration from Strayer University, and she plans to continue her education
by earning an MBA.
Sawyer used her scholarship to pay tuition at Francis Marion University where she is studying pre-pharmacy and chemistry. Her ultimate goal is to complete pharmacy school.
Applicants for the program must: u Be a member of a South Carolina
electric cooperative.
uHave graduated from high school or
earned a GED at least 10 years ago. u Be accepted into an accredited S.C.
college or university. uDemonstrate fifinancial need and
clear academic goals.
ALL SMILES Linda Cohen, top, and Christine Sawyer are recipients of the 2019 WIRE scholarships.
The deadline for applications is June 1, 2020. Recipients will receive scholarships for the Fall 2020 or Spring 2021 semester, with funds paid directly to the college or university.
   To apply for the 2020 scholarship, visit ecsc.org/content/wire-scholarship and fill out the online form. Paper forms are available at your local electric cooperative or can be downloaded as a PDF from SCLiving.coop/scholarship. Completed paper forms can be emailed to [email protected], or mailed to Peggy Dantzler, The Electric Cooperatives of South Carolina, 808 Knox Abbott Dr., Cayce, SC 29033.
 6 SOUTH CAROLINA LIVING | JANUARY 2020 | SCLIVING.COOP
WALTER ALLREAD WALTER ALLREAD
ECHO DOT BY AMAZON