End of summer

By Britton Lightsey

Curt Morris Chair

David Collins Vice-Chair

Sheila Gunter Secretary Treasurer

Terry Gosa

William T. Hulsey

Jim McRae

Mitzi West

Chad Williams

Warren Williford

Isn’t it amazing how fast the year seems to pass? I have been with Tombigbee for just over a year, and I am amazed at how quickly this year seems to be moving on. This month, we will conclude yet another annual meeting! I hope you have taken advantage of the ballot you received in last month’s magazine. For those who participated, you will see a $15 credit on your bill in September. This works out great for our members as the September bills can typically be some of the higher ones. If you are looking for ways to conserve energy on the hottest days, please see the rest of our pages for some money saving tips.

We are in the middle of our annual right of way spraying for our substations. This process will take several weeks. Our contractors will be spraying any trees that have grown into the right of way of our lines. They will be focusing on the Hamilton, Vernon and Crowe substation. We have had great success with this group, and we know they will do a good job for us throughout the next several weeks. Keeping our right of way clear is critical to help keep outage times down. While this will not eliminate trees falling or issues occurring outside of the right of way, this process will help!

On the fiber side, we are continuing to work and construct approximately 100 miles a month. We have improved some of our processes on the construction side. Do you know that every one of our Tombigbee members has access to sign up for freedom FIBER? We met this commitment earlier this year, and we are always happy to hear from our members who have signed up for fiber and are enjoying the service. If you have not already signed up, you can do so by visiting www.freedomfiber.com. If you have any questions about the signup process or our service, you are always welcome to contact our office during normal business hours.

Summer is quickly coming to a close. Kids are getting ready to start a new school year, and we’re all getting ready to begin a new season. We hope you have a great month!

Energy Efficiency Tip of the Month

Did you know ceiling fans can make a room feel 4 degrees cooler? To save energy through ceiling fan use, remember to raise your thermostat a few degrees while fans are turned on. Ceiling fans can help improve comfort year-round. In the summer, operate ceiling fans in a counterclockwise direction. Reverse the direction to clockwise during winter months and set fans on a low speed so warm air can circulate from the ceiling to the lower levels of the room.

Remember, ceiling fans cool people, not spaces. Be sure to turn them off when you leave the room.

Source: Dept. of Energy