JUNE 2016 | BILL INSERT
INSIDE THIS ISSUE: • Sign up for an innovative rate now! • Attend our free solar energy seminar at the Safety Village. • Submit your design for a chance to win cash. • Beat the Peak this summer.
CONTROL WHAT YOU CAN — YOUR BILL When you can’t control messy rooms, control what you can—your bill NIG H T
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Benefits of the Smart Choice Rate:
MORNING E VENIN G
The Smart Choice Rate gives you a simple way to manage and reduce your annual electric bill. By lowering your energy use during peak hours just a little, you can lower your annual cost of energy.
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• Lower energy charge • Less fluctuation in monthly bills makes it easier to budget • Using energy wisely can help lower your bill • More control over your bill Sign up today at www.cobbemc.com/takecontrol.
FREE FAIR TICKETS • ACTIVITIES • PRIZES
Attend the Annual Meeting and learn about your co-op’s progress, ways to save on your electric bill and exercise your right to vote! Saturday, Sept. 17
You’re invited! Free solar energy seminar
Jim R. Miller Park
Attend our free solar energy seminar Thursday, Aug. 11 from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Cobb County Safety Village.
Door Prizes
A look at what to expect: • Answers to commonly asked questions about residential solar energy • Cooperative Solar details for homeowners • Learn how solar energy systems work, information on the solar industry, current trends and opportunities for homeowners • Weather permitting, tour the Safety Village and see the small-scale Cobb EMC building and new solar power generating station, beginning at 4:30 p.m.
• Tablets • Visa® gift cards • Bill credits • Big Green Egg® grills • Refurbished Cobb EMC truck Key dates and deadlines:
Registration is required, and seats are given on a first-come, first-served basis.
August 12: Notice must be received from any member desiring to exceed the 5 minute speaking limitation at the Annual Meeting.
Reserve your seat:
www.cobbemc.com/annualmeeting
www.cobbemc.com/solarseminar
BRINGING YOU THE POWER OF MEMBERSHIP Design our next Annual Meeting T-shirt for a chance to win!
1st
Do you have a cool idea for a Cobb EMC T-shirt? Enter our Annual Meeting T-shirt design contest for the chance to win cash and have your design printed on thousands of T-shirts. The design must relate to Cobb EMC or energy efficiency. Submissions are due June 30, 2016. If you are selected as a finalist, your design will be posted on Cobb EMC’s Facebook page and the community will vote for the winner. Participants* must live in a primary residence served by Cobb EMC. www.cobbemc.com/tshirt
2nd $500 cash
$1,000 cash
Your design on thousands of T-shirts.
*Participants under 18 years of age must have their parent or guardian’s permission before entering the contest.
BRINGING YOU THE POWER OF COMMUNITY Powering a bright future for our community Through Operation Round Up®, our members have contributed more than $1.8 million in our community supporting local organizations so they can fulfill their missions. For a full list of recipients, visit www.cobbemc.com/roundup. May 2016 donations • American Diabetes Association • The American Heart Association • Boys and Girls Club of Metro Atlanta • Camp Twin Lakes • Destiny’s Daughters of Promise • Devereux Georgia • Foster Siblings Reunited DBA Camp to Belong–Georgia • Georgia Transplant Foundation Inc. • Girl Scouts of Greater Atlanta
• GRACEPOINT Christian School • Travelers Aid of Metropolitan DBA HOPE Atlanta • Kids3 • Mostly Mutts Animal Rescue and Adoption Inc. • Paulding Education Foundation • Sheriff Roger Garrison Charities • South Cobb Arts Alliance • Robert W. Woodruff Arts Center Inc.
BRINGING YOU THE POWER OF SAFETY Would you drive blindfolded on the highway? Of course not. However, if you text while driving 55 miles per hour on a highway, you are essentially doing just that. Five seconds is the average time your eyes are off the road while texting. When traveling at 55 mph, that’s like driving the length of a football field while blindfolded. Talking on a cellphone also carries significant risks. According to the National Safety Council, drivers can miss seeing up to half of what’s around them—traffic lights, stop signs, pedestrians—when talking on a cellphone. At this time of year in particular, when more people are on the roads and kids are out of school, our goal is to raise awareness and spur conversation about the dangers of distracted driving. Help promote a culture of safety. We encourage everyone in the community to join us and help keep our families, friends and neighbors safer by putting down their phones and focusing on the road when they drive. Together, we can put the brakes on distracted driving.
3rd $250 cash
BRINGING YOU THE POWER OF ENERGY
Can you beat the peak this summer? It’s summer in Georgia which means temperature and energy costs are both on the rise. Electricity is most expensive during hot summer months when it’s in highest demand.
Manage your account online with SmartHub
Let’s beat the peak to save this summer! By lowering your energy use during peak conservation hours you can help your co-op reduce how much it pays for electricity. Peak conservation hours take place on certain days in the months of June through September from 2 to 7 p.m. when Cobb EMC’s demand peaks. This usually occurs on weekdays when we experience the highest temperatures.
SmartHub®, our online and mobile application allows you to easily and securely pay your electric bill in real time, monitor daily energy usage and more.
Limiting your energy use during peak conservation hours helps the co-op save and, in turn, could help keep rates low. You can also take charge of your bill by signing up for our Smart Choice Rate. Learn how to sign up at www.cobbemc.com/ takecontrol.
SmartHub makes it simple to manage and pay your bill:
How will you know when to beat the peak? We’ll notify you when we’re experiencing peak conservation hours via:
• Pay by credit card – no fee • Schedule payments • See payments posted in real time • Monitor account on-the-go with an app for tablets and smartphones • Manage your account 24/7 • Track your daily and hourly energy usage
WEBSITE
ACCOUNT PORTAL
SOCIAL MEDIA
ALERT PHONE LINE
770-429-2223
How do you beat the peak? It’s easy! Simply shift your energy use during peak conservation hours. •• Spread out the watts! Don’t use too many energy sources at the same time. •• Program your thermostat to an energy-efficient summer setting: 80 degrees or higher. •• Run the dishwasher, dryer and other appliances during off-peak periods. •• Turn off unnecessary lights and unplug unnecessary appliances. •• Ensure your air filters are clean. Learn more at www.cobbemc.com/beatthepeak.
Sign up for SmartHub: www.cobbemc.com/smarthub Learn more about SmartHub: www.cobbemc.com/aboutsmarthub
SAVE MORE WITH CO-OP CONNECTIONS®: As a member of Cobb EMC you are connected to valuable discounts through your Co-op Connections® Card, including discounts from local participating businesses. Find out more at www.cobbemc.com/ discounts.
Home Services
Entertainment
2 Hip Chicks Designs www.2hipchicksdesigns.com
Catered Southern Events www.cateredsouthernevents.com
All American Decorative Concrete www.aadecorativeconcrete.com
Gala Events Facility www.galafacility.com
Decorator’s Decision Inc. www.decoratorsdecisioninc.com
Georgia Aquarium www.georgiaaquarium.org/ emcmembers
Guso Janitorial Services LLC www.gusojanitorial.org Kay P. Morgan, High Caliber Realty www.kaypmorgan.com Metro Home Improvement www.metrohome.biz SafePath Security www.safepathsecurity.com
Jump Ovation Parties www.jumpovation.com Six Flags Over Georgia www.sixflags.com/overgeogia Enter promo code: cobbemc Stone Mountain Park www.stonemountainpark.com
Sundial Plumbing www.sundialplumbing.com Walton Communities www.waltoncommunities.com
Download the Co-op Connections® app to get your card on your tablet or mobile phone!
New payment center office hours Effective July 5, new walk-in and drive-through hours will be 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday.
cobbemc.com
Our Home Energy Efficiency Makeover winners are now enjoying their energy efficient home! Cobb EMC, in partnership with Gas South and the Cobb Heating and Air Association, gifted one deserving Cobb EMC member a Home Energy Efficiency Makeover at a ribbon cutting event held May 18, 2016. The makeover winners, Wes and Shannon Pilgrim of Marietta, were nominated by their neighbors Bill and Tracey Phillips and ultimately selected from more than 40 nominations. The Pilgrims received new energy-efficient appliances, a bill credit from Cobb EMC, two years of free natural gas service from Gas South, and a new HVAC unit, water heater, insulation and duct work from Cobb Heating and Air Association members. The total financial worth of the makeover is valued at approximately $20,000. To learn more about their story, visit www.cobbemc.com/makeover.
Effective July 9, the member care center will be closed on Saturdays and will remain closed on Sundays. Members may still call our member care center Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Did you know? You have 24/7 access to your account when you visit www.cobbemc.com/smarthub.
Mark your calendar Open board meeting Where: 1000 EMC Parkway JUN Marietta, GA 30060 28 When: June 28 at 4 p.m.