CONNECTIONS JANUARY 2018 | THE OFFICIAL NEWSLETTER OF COBB ELECTRIC MEMBERSHIP CORPORATION
Upcoming events Office closing Cobb EMC will be closed Jan. 1 in observance of New Year’s Day and Jan. 15, Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Employees are always on call for emergencies. Please call our automated outage system at 770-429-2100 in the event of an outage, and visit our outage center at cobbemc.com/outage.
Open board meeting The Cobb EMC board of directors will host an open board meeting on Jan. 23 at 4 p.m. in the Cobb EMC board room. To RSVP visit cobbemc.com/boardmeeting or call 678-355-3225.
HVAC Tuneup Rebate The HVAC Tuneup Rebate begins March 1. To get a reminder email, go to cobbemc.com/enewsletter.
small change
BIG DIFFERENCE
The Cobb EMC Community Foundation has awarded more than $3,045,943 to local charities and nonprofits, as of October 2017. Thanks to generous members who round up their bills. Visit cobbemc.com/foundation for a full list of recipients or to learn how to request funding.
Literacy Week brings authors to local schools Students from 43 schools across metro Atlanta received visits from 12 awardwinning children’s book authors during Literacy Week, a weeklong celebration of reading and writing hosted by Cobb EMC and Gas South. “Our original goal for Literacy Week was to encourage students’ love of reading,” said Mark Justice, director of education and community relations at Cobb EMC. “Eight years into the event, we hear stories from parents like one student who hurried home from an author visit, got out paper and pencil and started writing her own book. The authors’ impact on students is evident, and we’re proud to help provide this experience to local students.”
community affairs coordinator. “Every child deserves the best possible future, and we know that a good education is the foundation for success. Gas South is proud to Be a Fuel for Good by exposing children to great learning experiences, and Literacy Week is one of the great ways in which we do that.” Pictured below is author and illustrator Michael White who brings books to life during Literacy Week.
Throughout the week, authors challenged 24,000 students to expand their creativity through writing and illustration and to build life-long reading habits. Guest authors included several Georgia writers, as well as NASA author, speaker and space historian Andrew Chaikin and New York Times bestselling author Brian Lies. “Gas South is committed to giving back to our communities – when children thrive, our communities thrive,” said Carley Stephens, senior
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MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT AND CEO
May your new year be bright
QUICK GUIDE Online: www.cobbemc.com Email: memberservices@cobbemc.com President and CEO
Chip Nelson
BOARD OF DIRECTORS Chairman
Tripper Sharp
Vice Chairman
David McClellan
Secretary-Treasurer
Bryan Boyd Kelly Bodner Eric Broadwell Edward Crowell Malcolm Swanson David Tennant Rudy Underwood
CONTACTS & HOURS Phone: 770-429-2100 Report an outage: 770-429-2100 Fax: 770-429-3330 Pay by phone: 1-855-730-8714 In person: 1000 EMC Parkway Marietta, GA 30060 Walk-in hours: Monday – Friday
Chip Nelson, President and CEO
(8 a.m. – 5 p.m.)
Drive-through hours: Monday – Friday (8 a.m. – 5 p.m.) Member Care Center hours: Monday – Friday (7 a.m. – 6 p.m.)
The beginning of a new year is cause for celebration – a time for looking back and remembering the many moments that made 2017 bright. We kept money in your pockets by keeping rates among the lowest in the state, and we returned more than $13.6 million to our members last fall. We expanded our solar energy portfolio by nearly 300 percent, offering affordable, renewable energy to all our members and earning the spot as one of the U.S. Top 10 renewable energy leaders.* We provided a free app to help you stay organized and manage your account on the go. But above all, we’ve built one of the most technologically advanced electricity distribution systems in the world, earning us national recognition for providing reliable electricity 24/7. We’re committed to making sure this year is as good as the last. We’ll continue working to make your lives easier and to make our community an even better place to live, work and play.
Life changes, but our promise to you stays the same – To provide you reliable energy at the lowest possible price. Happy New Year!
Chip Nelson President and CEO
Express Pay drop box is available for non-cash payments 24/7
EDITORIAL STAFF Contributors
Brooke Melton Leslie Thompson Traci Washington Angela Croce, CCC
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‘We’ve built one of the most technologically advanced electricity distribution systems in the world, earning us national recognition for providing reliable electricity, 24/7.’ —Chip Nelson, President and CEO * According to the Smart Electric Power Alliance’s national Utility Solar Rankings.
Get cash for college – scholarship applications available Cobb EMC is accepting applications for a variety of scholarships. More than $73,000 in funds is available for high school students and undergraduate students.
and careers in public service. In addition to the trip, the top three winners also receive scholarships and the opportunity to interview for a paid internship.
Scholarship applications are due beginning Feb. 2, so don’t miss these opportunities.
Walter Harrison Scholarship
Cobb EMC Community Foundation Scholarship Amount: $5,000 Deadline to apply: March 9, 2018 The Cobb EMC Community Foundation Scholarship awards 14 scholarships in the amount of $5,000 each to eligible students. Two types of scholarships are available: college/university and vocational/technical college. Washington Youth Tour Scholarship Amount: $500; $1,000; $1,500; trip to Washington, D.C. Deadline to apply: March 2, 2018 The Washington Youth Tour is an all-expenses-paid, weeklong trip to Washington, D.C., that provides two high school juniors the opportunity to meet their elected representatives and learn about U.S. history, government
Amount: $1,000 Deadline to apply: Feb. 2, 2018 The Walter Harrison Scholarship is available to high school seniors and undergraduate students accepted or enrolled in any vocational school or two- or four-year accredited college or university in Georgia. Who’s eligible? To be considered for scholarships, applicants must live in a primary residence served by Cobb EMC. To apply Visit cobbemc.com/scholarships and complete the application process.
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“It was one of the best weeks of my life. Many of the friendships I made are ones I know I will always have. The knowledge and experience that I gained through the Youth Tour has helped me in everything from being a better government and economics student to being a more informed global citizen.” —Meredith Johns, Cobb EMC delegate
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BYRON McCOMBS
Win a scholars Washington, D.
ship, fully paid trip to .C., and paid internship
Washington Youth Tour 2018 tentative itinerary
June 7 Kickoff banquet, Atlanta
Applications are now open for the Washington Youth Tour Scholarship. The top three winners will receive scholarships ($500, $1,000 or $1,500). In addition, Cobb EMC will send two delegates on an all-expenses-paid, weeklong trip to Washington, D.C., to meet elected representatives and learn about U.S. history, government and careers in public service. The winners will also have the opportunity to interview for a paid summer internship. The scholarship is open to current high school juniors who live in a primary residence served by Cobb EMC.
June 8 Team-building activities; flight to Washington, D.C.
Dates TBD
TUORN G HIN TO WAYSOUTH
Tour and lunch at Mount Vernon; Holocaust Memorial Museum; dinner at Union Station; evening guided tour of memorials; photo op at White House
Go to cobbemc.com/youthtour to apply by March 2.
Guided tour of Jefferson, Lincoln, Korean War and Vietnam Veterans memorials; Arlington National Cemetery guided tour; dinner performance of “Newsies” at Toby’s Dinner Theatre in Columbia, Md.
Youth Tour finalist excels as intern
All States assembly; tour Smithsonian museums; cruise on Potomac River
As part of Cobb EMC’s commitment to education, a paid internship is awarded annually to one of the Cobb EMC Washington Youth Tour finalists.
Tour Supreme Court, U.S. Capitol and Washington National Cathedral; Sunset Parade at U.S. Marine Corps War Memorial (Iwo Jima statue)
Ian McCullough was selected for the 2017 summer internship. “My favorite part of the internship was probably the experience of working in an official office and doing real, substantive work,” said McCullough. “I now have skills necessary to succeed later in life, in any sort of work setting that I may pursue.”
LOUIS TONSMEIRE JR.
During the internship in the Cobb EMC education and community relations department, McCullough was assigned multiple projects, including organizing volunteer activities and coordinating events for Cobb EMC employees and local charities.
Meet with Georgia’s congressional delegation; tour Newseum and Library of Congress; All States farewell event
Delegates Meredith Johns, left, and Ian McCullough
June 14 Return flight to Atlanta
Note: itinerary subject to change
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5
Easy ways tod get organize
Cut the clutter, save a stamp and get organized when it comes to your electric bill. We’ve got five ways to make managing your electric account easier. 1. Say hello to paperless billing and goodbye to piles of envelopes and bill stubs. View and pay your bill online when you set up an account at cobbemc.com/myaccount. You can also get reminders for when your bill is available, when payment is due and when payment is posted. 2. Forget the worry and make sure your bill is paid on time. Sign up for Auto Pay, and your electric bill will be paid automatically every month.
Money-saving travel hacks
3. There’s one simple and organized place to manage your electric account. Download the Cobb EMC app to pay your bill, report an outage, monitor energy use, contact us and get the latest news. 4. Set a goal to minimize your energy use this year. We’ve made it easy to access and monitor your monthly, weekly and hourly energy use. Just sign into your online account or download the Cobb EMC app. 5. Plan a little to save a lot! Use your Co-op Connections® Card to access hundreds of discounts at local stores and thousands of deals nationwide. You can also download the app for on-the-go access to discounts.
Use your Co-op Connections® Card to save on rental cars.
Download the Co-op Connections app for instant access to savings and deals.
Look for discounts before you pay for tickets. You can save on sports, concerts, theater, movie tickets and theme park tickets nationwide.
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Before you book a hotel, check for discounts! You can save on more than 700,000 hotels worldwide, from modern boutiques to big brands.
#sign up to win
Download the Cobb EMC app for a chance to win! Entering is as easy as 1, 2, 3. Download and log into the Cobb EMC app. Tap the Enter to Win icon. Complete the entry form.
We’re proud to power your lives
Once you complete the entry form, you will be entered into drawings for tablets, bill credits and more! For more information: www.cobbemc.com/entertowin
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2017 Winners Someone you know could be next!
Our Home Energy Efficiency Makeover Program is back! Cobb EMC is partnering with the Cobb Heating and Air Conditioning Association, Gas South and Cobb County Water System to give one member a home energy efficiency makeover! Nominate a family in need of energy-efficient home improvements for the chance to win. Nominees must live in a primary residence served by Cobb EMC. Entries must be submitted by Jan. 19, 2018. www.cobbemc.com/makeover
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We’re proud to power your lives