NOVEMBER 2016 | BILL INSERT
INSIDE THIS ISSUE: • Happy Thanksgiving from our family to yours! • Cobb EMC crews travel to help after Hurricane Matthew. • Holiday energy efficiency tips you can’t afford to miss. • Our Home Energy Efficiency Makeover program is back!
HAPPY THANKSGIVING As we celebrate the holiday season, your Cobb EMC family wants to reflect on what we’re thankful for this year.
$2 MILLION DONATED
Members donated $2 million to local nonprofits through Operation Round Up®.
$7.9 MILLION SAVED
Members saved an estimated $7.9 million through two credits in the Wholesale Power Adjustment for July and October.
LOWEST RATE IN THE STATE
Your family saves money by receiving electricity from Cobb EMC, Georgia’s most affordable EMC.
RELIABILITY
Cobb EMC linemen traveled to Costa Rica with the NRECA International Foundation to provide residents with access to reliable and affordable electricity.
Electricity is a critical need, but it takes more than poles, wires and kilowatt-hours to make a community. We’re committed to being there for you, our member, to provide safe, reliable electric energy at the lowest possible price. Over the years, we have answered the call to provide additional benefits and programs because it is important to us that our community thrive and prosper. Happy Thanksgiving from our family to yours!
Cobb EMC crews help in aftermath of Hurricane Matthew We want to thank our Cobb EMC linemen who packed their bucket trucks and drove south to help Coastal Electric Cooperative crews in Midway, GA restore power to the thousands of members in the dark following Hurricane Matthew. Our crews spent six days offering restoration assistance in multiple counties.
Mark your calendar Open board meeting Where: 1000 EMC Parkway NOV Marietta, GA 30060 29 When: November 29 at 4 p.m. RSVP: (678) 355-3225 You can also RSVP at: www.cobbemc.com/boardmeeting
BRINGING YOU THE POWER OF MEMBERSHIP Cobb EMC honors firefighters and emergency medical crews at Five Alarm event In honor of their daily sacrifices for the general public, Cobb EMC recognized firefighters and emergency medical crews at the 7th Annual Five Alarm event. Each year, dozens of first responders from communities across our five-county service district come together to eat lunch, enjoy live music and prizes and to be celebrated for all of their hard work and dedication as well as celebrate our partnership.
Holiday fire prevention tips: • Keep candles 12 inches from things that can burn. • Make sure your tree is at least 3 feet away from heat sources. • Water your Christmas tree every day. • Get rid of your tree after Christmas or when it is dry. • Read manufacturer’s instructions for the number of light strands to connect. Source: U.S. Fire Administration
BRINGING YOU THE POWER OF COMMUNITY You have the power to empower our community November is National Nonprofit Awareness Month, and through Operation Round Up®, our members have contributed more than $2.1 million to our local nonprofit organizations by rounding up their bill to the nearest dollar. This month, there are two statewide and national opportunities to provide additional help in our communities. Find the cause that moves you and explore other nonprofits in the links below: Georgia Gives Day - November 17 www.gagivesday.org
Giving Tuesday - November 29 www.givingtuesday.org
Operation Round Up October 2016 donations • 10 Women of Hope Inc. • Aloha to Aging Inc. • ALS Association • Bullock Foundation Inc. • Center for Family Resources • Davis Direction Foundation Inc. • Down Syndrome Association of Atlanta • Elm Street Cultural Arts
• Extension Inc. • Georgia SPOT • Happy Caps • HopeQuest Ministry • Leukemia & Lymphoma Society • Marietta Police Athletic Club • Mostly Mutts Animal Rescue and Adoption Inc. • MUST Ministries
Above (L-R): Chattahoochee Nature Center Director of Operations Henning von Schmeling, Cobb EMC Foundation Board Member Harry Abrams, CNC Executive Director Chris Nelson and Cobb EMC representative Meredith Zonsius.
BRINGING YOU THE POWER OF SAFETY Holiday lighting safety tips Don’t let the bright and colorful sparkle of the season distract you from taking the precautions that you need to stay safe when decorating. Cobb EMC provides tips to unwrap the gift of safe holiday decorating: Do not overload electrical outlets or extension cords.
Test holiday lights by connecting each strand before hanging them.
Consider purchasing LED holiday lights; they are cool to the touch and more energy efficient than incandescent bulbs.
Turn off all indoor and outdoor holiday lighting before leaving the house or going to bed.
Use holiday lights that include the Underwriter’s Laboratories (UL) label.
Make sure there are no broken bulbs or damaged or frayed cords. Discard any defective strands.
Source: America’s Electric Cooperatives, Safe Electricity
BRINGING YOU THE POWER OF ENERGY Our Home Energy Efficiency Makeover Program is back! Know anyone in need this holiday season? 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. Entries must be submitted by January 15, 2017.
2016 Winners You could be next!
Sponsors:
Cobb EMC
ENERGY
MAKEOVER Nominate a member and tell us their story! www.cobbemc.com/makeover
TIPS TO SAVE ENERGY DURING THE HOLIDAYS The winter holiday season is almost here, and with it comes the frenzy of decorating, holiday gatherings, gift buying and errand running. Don’t let your energy-saving efforts fall by the wayside amid all the festivities; the tips below will help you save energy and money while you celebrate.
Use LED Holiday Lights • LEDs are much cooler than incandescent lights, reducing the risk of combustion or burnt fingers. • LEDs are made with epoxy lenses, not glass, and are much more resistant to breakage. • The same LED string could still be in use 40 holiday seasons from now. They last longer.
Estimated cost to light a six-foot tree for 12 hours a day for 40 days
Estimated cost* of buying and operating lights for 10 holiday seasons
Incandescent C-9 lights
$10.00
Incandescent C-9 lights
$122.19
LED C-9 lights
$0.27
LED C-9 lights
$17.99
Incandescent mini-lights
$2.74
Incandescent mini-lights
$55.62
LED mini-lights
$0.82
LED mini-lights
$33.29
*Assumes 50 C-9 bulbs and 200 mini-lights per tree, with electricity at $0.119 per kilowatt-hour (kWh) (AEO 2012 Residential Average). Prices of lights based on quoted prices for low volume purchases from major home improvement retailers. All costs have been discounted at an annual rate of 5.6%. Life span assumed to be three seasons (1,500 hours) for non-LED lights. Source: Energy.gov
BRINGING YOU THE POWER OF MEMBERSHIP A new way to request wood chips Cobb EMC often grinds up debris from tree trimming and line clearance. This product can be used for wood chips and is available as a courtesy to you, our members. If you are interested in receiving a truck load of wood chips, you can now submit an online form by visiting www.cobbemc.com/requestwoodchips. Why do we trim trees? As a member-owned cooperative, Cobb EMC is committed to providing all our members with safe, affordable and reliable electric service. One of the most common and crucial ways we do this is our effort to maintain the vegetation growth within our right of way. Right of way efforts are important to: • Ensure the safety of our members • Ensure the safety of our line crews who work 24/7, many times at night and in extreme weather conditions • Improve and maintain reliability for all our members
Your approved contractor network As a Cobb EMC member you are connected to trustworthy contractors through our Approved Contractor Network, including in the areas of duct cleaning, insulation, solar, roofing and HVAC. Find our approved contractors list at www.cobbemc.com/contractors. Insulation contractors 31-W Insulation Co. www.31w.com
SWAT Service www.swatservices.com Solar contractors
cobbemc.com
Bird Family Insulation www.birdinsulation.com
Creative Solar USA Inc. www.creativesolarusa.com
EnviroFoam Technologies Inc. www.envirofoamtech.com
Hannah Solar www.hannahsolar.com
GCS Spray Foam Insulation www.gcssprayfoam.com
Radiance Solar www.radiancesolar.com
Rainey Brothers Ceiling & Insulation www.raineybros.com
Soenso Energy www.soenso.com
Better Home Enterprises www.callabetterhome.com
Solar Energy USA www.solarenergy-usa.com
Wilserv Corporation www.wilserv.net Plumbing contractors Casteel Heating & Cooling Inc. www.casteelair.com Mr. Plumber www.mrplumberatlanta.com Ridgeway Mechanical www.ridgewaymechanical.com Sundial Plumbing Services www.sundialplumbing.com
Suncatcher of Atlanta www.suncatcherofatlanta.com Sunshine Solar www.sunshinesolar-llc.com Energy audit contractors Efficient Energy Solutions www.thenrgguy.com Green Day Energy Foundation Inc. www.greendayenergyco.com Neese-Jones Heating & Cooling www.neesejones.com The Home Foundation Inc. www.atlantaenergyaudit.net
Tree-cycle and help the environment This year, Cobb EMC’s forestry department is once again partnering with Bring One for the Chipper, Georgia’s annual Christmas tree recycling program, to offer Christmas tree recycling for Cobb and Cherokee counties. Check out upcoming newsletters for more information regarding drop-off locations or visit www.keepgeorgiabeautiful.org for more updates.
Holiday hours Our offices will close November 24 and will remain closed November 25 in celebration of Thanksgiving. Employees are always standing by for emergencies. Please call our automated outage system at 770-429-2100 in the event of an outage or visit www.cobbemc.com/outagecenter.