December 2016 - Bill Insert - Smart Choice Rate

DECEMBER 2016 | BILL INSERT

INSIDE THIS ISSUE: • Happy holidays from our family to yours!

• Nominate a member to win a Home Energy Efficiency Makeover.

• Scholarship deadlines are coming up fast! Apply now.

Smart Choice

• Do you pay your bill online?

Find important information inside.

Same Power. Different Hour.

MAKE THE HOLIDAYS UNFORGETTABLE Tree-cycle and help the environment Cobb EMC’s forestry department is partnering with Bring One for the Chipper to offer Christmas tree recycling for Cobb and Cherokee counties.

• Cobb County: Find specific dates and drop-off locations for Cobb County at www.keepcobbbeautiful.org/ bring-one-for-the-chipper.

• Cherokee County: December 28 - January 20 Hobgood Park

Nominate a Cobb EMC member for our Home Energy Efficiency Makeover Program!

This holiday season could be unforgettable for a Cobb EMC member. Know anyone in need of home energy improvements? Once again, Cobb EMC is partnering with the Cobb Heating and Air Conditioning Association and Gas South to give one deserving member a Home Energy Efficiency Makeover!

Nominate a family in need of energy efficient home improvements for the chance to win.

To be eligible, homeowners must live in a primary residence served by Cobb EMC.

2016 winners pictured above You could be next!

Entries must be submitted by January 15, 2017.

Mark your calendar Open board meeting

Where: 1000 EMC Parkway DEC Marietta, GA 30060 13 When: December 13 at 4 p.m.

RSVP: (678) 355-3225 You can also RSVP at: www.cobbemc.com/boardmeeting

Nominate a member in need of a Home Energy Efficiency Makeover and tell us their story! www.cobbemc.com/makeover

Cobb EMC

ENERGY

MAKEOVER

Sponsors:

BRINGING YOU THE POWER OF MEMBERSHIP Scholarships available for students Cobb EMC cares about the community and local youth. That’s why we award annual scholarships to our younger members to help them achieve their academic dreams. We are proud to offer the Cobb EMC Community Foundation Scholarship, Walter Harrison Scholarship and Washington Youth Tour. www.cobbemc.com/scholarships

Walter Harrison Scholarship Application deadline: February 10, 2017 Washington Youth Tour Application deadline: February 24, 2017

Up to

$74,000 in scholarships available

Cobb EMC Community Foundation Scholarship Application deadline: March 10, 2017

BRINGING YOU THE POWER OF COMMUNITY A small amount of change can make a big difference Through Operation Round Up®, our members have contributed more than $2.2 million to our local nonprofit organizations by rounding up their bill to the nearest dollar. The maximum tax-deductible amount that each member rounds up is only $11.88 per year. Visit www.cobbemc.com/roundup to learn more about the organizations that have benefited from the program.

November 2016 donations • Boys & Girls Clubs of Bartow County • Calvary Children’s Home • Cobb Community Foundation • Cobb County Bar Association • Cobb County Safety Village Foundation • Cobb Senior Citizens Council • Dave Krache Foundation • Destiny’s Daughters of Promise • Fellowship of Christian Athletes • Friends of Cherokee County Public Library

• Friends of the Cobb County Commission on Children and Youth • Goshen Valley Foundation • HopeQuest Ministry Group LLC • Life Learning Community Center • Lonely Hearts Club • South Cobb Arts Alliance • Special Olympics • Turning Point Enterprises Inc. • United Military Care • Youth Empowerment through Learning and Serving Inc.

BRINGING YOU THE POWER OF ENERGY Four mistakes even energy-savvy renters make Think energy savings require expensive, long-term investments? Think again. Here are four common energy mistakes renters make and solutions that are free, cheap or can make the move with you when your lease is finished.

1 3

Replacing your five most frequently used bulbs with long-lasting LEDs can save $75 a year. Save the originals so you can swap them back once your lease ends.

2

Washing only full loads of laundry saves 3,400 gallons of water each year—enough to fill eight standard hot tubs!

But don’t stop there … Turning the setting from hot to warm can cut your energy use in half, and switching to cold water can save $30-40 each year.

Your dishwasher can be more efficient than washing dishes by hand. For those of us who dread hand-washing dishes, this is great news! A full, energy-efficient dishwasher can use less energy than hand-washing after several meals.

4

Turning the thermostat back 7-10° F while you sleep can cut 10 percent off heating costs. Pile on the covers and watch those savings increase!

BRINGING YOU THE POWER OF SAFETY Cobb EMC joins initiative to protect members from scammers Cobb EMC members and utility customers around the country should be aware of telephone, mail, email, door-to-door and other in-person scams that involve criminals posing as utility company representatives and demanding immediate payment or personal information.

Here’s what scammers are doing: • Impersonating electric, natural gas and/or water company employees over the phone, in person or by other means • Targeting vulnerable demographics, including senior citizens and non-native English speaking persons • Using advanced tactics, such as playing a telephone recording that sounds like a utility company’s phone system message or displaying a utility company’s name and logo in person • Threatening to disconnect or suspend utility service if immediate payment is not received If you believe that you have been contacted by a criminal impersonating an electric, natural gas or water company representative:

Hang up the phone or close the door and call Cobb EMC’s verified direct phone number: (770) 429-2100

Do not give the caller or visitor a prepaid card, a wire transfer, or any other form of payment that may be difficult to trace.

Ignore suspicious requests for personal information such as bank account numbers, user names and passwords or Social Security numbers.

Do you pay your bill online? Make sure your browser is up to date To protect your information online, SmartHub® is only compatible with the following browser versions: Apple Safari 9.0+, Mozilla Firefox 27+, Internet Explorer 11+, Google Android 5.0+ and Google Chrome 30+. Updated browsers provide a better user experience and greater security protection.

Visit www.cobbemc.com/smarthubfaqs for frequently asked questions about SmartHub and for links to download the newest versions of each browser.

Internet Explorer Google Android 11+ 5.0+

Apple Safari 9.0+

Google Chrome 30+

Mozilla Firefox 27+

https://cobbemc.smarthub.coop

John Doe

Delete all suspicious emails that require immediate action to verify or demand personal information.

BRINGING YOU THE POWER OF MEMBERSHIP Unwrap savings with Co-op Connections® This holiday season, let Cobb EMC’s Co-op Connections Card help you save. Find all the ways you can save on local businesses and national offers by visiting www.cobbemc.com/discounts.

Local restaurants Buffalo’s Cafe www.buffalos.com/locations/acworth Tom + Chee Kennesaw www.tomandchee.com Local entertainment A Formal Image Limousines www.aformalimage.com Gala Events Facility www.galafacility.com

Six Flags Over Georgia www.sixflags.com/overgeogia Enter promo code: cobbemc Stone Mountain Park www.stonemountainpark.com National deals *All national deals require a special code. Find these codes by visiting www.cobbemc.com/discounts and logging into the Co-op Connections page. Check them all out online!

Georgia Aquarium www.georgiaaquarium.org/ emcmembers Jump Ovation Parties www.jumpovation.com

Your approved contractor network As a Cobb EMC member, you are connected to trustworthy contractors through our Approved Contractor Network, which includes the areas of duct cleaning, insulation, solar, roofing and HVAC. Find our approved contractors list at www.cobbemc.com/contractors.

Duct cleaning contractors Accutemp Heating & Cooling Inc. www.accutempair.com Ductz of Greater Atlanta www.ductzatlanta.com

cobbemc.com

Neese-Jones Heating & Cooling www.neesejones.com Electric contractors Casteel Heating & Cooling Inc. www.casteelair.com Sanders Electric www.sanderselectric.com Craft Electric Inc. www.craftelectricinc.com Wade Electric Inc. www.wade-electric.com Geothermal contractors Geosaves Inc. www.geosaves.com Premier Indoor Comfort Systems LLC www.premierindoor.com

Windows, doors and roofing contractors DuraCraft of Georgia Inc. www.duracraftofga.com Dynamic Installations LLC www.dynamicinstallsatl.com LCS Residential www.lewallencs.com Factory Direct Remodeling of Atlanta www.fdratlanta.com Nehemiah ReConstruction LLC www.nehemiahexteriors.com Pinnacle Window & Siding Co. www.pinnaclewindows.net

Cobb EMC and Gas South: Coming together for the good of the community Behind every great business is a great community, which is why Cobb EMC and Gas South are committed to serving the communities where their employees and customers live, work and play. Here are a few highlights from the past year.

Science Olympiads: In March, Cobb EMC and Gas South sponsored the 2016 Science Fairs and Science Olympiads in Cobb, Cherokee and Paulding counties.

Literacy Week: In October, Cobb EMC and Gas South sponsored the seventh annual Literacy Week, bringing together 13 children’s book authors and students at 43 schools across our service district. Literacy Week presentations are interactive workshops that encourage creativity and teach students how to become better writers and artists.

Rainey Brothers Ceiling & Insulation www.raineybros.com

www.cobbemc.com/community

Visionaire Windows www.visionairewindows.com

Holiday hours

Welden Enterprises LLC Phone: (770) 633-7745 Window World of North Atlanta www.windowworldatlanta.com

Our offices will close at 11:30 a.m.

December 22 and will remain closed through December 26 in celebration of Christmas.

Our offices will also be closed January 2 in celebration of the New Year.