Manager’s Comments
Exceeds Expectations
South Alabama Electric Cooperative Board of Trustees
Bill Hixon District 1
James Shaver District 2
Leo Williams District 3
Ben Norman District 4
Max Davis, General Manager
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“Exceeds expectations.” Every parent or child always combed their grade-school report cards for EEs, which signified they had attained the coveted “exceeds expectations” rating in aspects of school life that couldn’t be assigned a letter grade.
If you hear from us, asking for you to participate in a member satisfaction survey, please do so. This way, we’ll know if we’re meeting your expectations, exceeding them, or need to improve in a specific area.
DeLaney Kervin District 5
Norman D. Green District 6
Glenn Reeder District 7
James May At Large
Headquarters: 13192 Hwy 231 P.O. Box 449 Troy, AL 36081 800-556-2060 4 SEPTEMBER 2013
exceptional job for you. However, we have many people behind the scenes who also make our cooperative the best it can be. Our engineers continually explore new technologies to improve service reliability - like trhough our automated metering infrastructure program. Our billing department works to make bill pay easier and more convenient with programs like Bank Draft and Levelized Billing. We also now offer OnLine Bill Pay as well. Our member services representatives want to make sure you have a positive and satisfying experience when you call our office for help. They’ll work to help you understand your energy usage and offer suggestions on ways you can conserve. And because we’re a cooperative, we have a special responsibility to support the communities we serve and exceed expectations there, too. That means we aim to improve the quality of life by working to bring jobs to our area, help our local schools, and assist local charities whenever possible. If you hear from us, asking for you to participate in a member satisfaction survey, please do so. This way, we’ll know if we’re meeting your expectations, exceeding them, or need to improve in a specific area. Whether it’s a power outage or energy audit, a billing question or community event, we’re working hard to achieve those EEs from you every day.
As we grew, EEs turned into (we hoped) As and Bs. Yet I don’t think any of us lost that desire to exceed expectations. At South Alabama Electric Cooperative we also strive for EEs, every single day. We don’t want to do what you only expect us to do—provide you with affordable, safe, and reliable electric service. We want to go farther and do better, from providing superior member service to offering programs that help you save time and money. South Alabama’s lineworkers provide the public face of our mission to exceed expectations. They routinely work in rough weather and put in long hours. But they do it gladly, because they care about doing an
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www.southaec.com
South Alabama Electric Cooperative
Annual Meeting Notice 2013
South Alabama Electric Monthly Operating Report KWH Sold 28,220,496 Avg. Utility Bill $210.76 Average Use 1,734
South Alabama Electric Cooperative will hold its 2013 Annual Membership Meeting on Tuesday, October 29, at the Pike County Cattlemen’s Complex on Highway 231 South in Troy, AL. All cooperative members are reminded of their membership rights and are encouraged to attend this meeting. The bylaws of the cooperative provide that an annual meeting is to be held on the last Tuesday in October each year at a time and place designated by the trustees. The purpose of this meeting is to elect trustees, to report the cooperative’s activities from the previous year and to transact any other business that may properly come before the meeting. Any person, firm, association, corporation, political body or subdivision thereof may qualify for membership in the following manner: A. Written application; B. Agree to purchase from the cooperative electricity on the premises;
Alabama Living
C. Agree to comply with and be bound by the Articles of Conversion, bylaws, rules, and regulations adopted by the Board of Trustees; and D. Paying the membership fee. No member may hold more than one membership in the cooperative, and no membership is transferable. There is a trustee for each of the seven districts and one trustee serves at large. The trustees are elected on an alternate basis for a period of three years. Candidates are selected by a nominating committee and other nominations may be made by petition or from the floor. Election is by written ballot, with one vote allowed per member. A list of nominations will be posted in the cooperative’s office and mailed to the members as provided in the bylaws. Names and addresses of the nomination committee are also available at the cooperative office.
Total Accounts Billed 16,275 Total Miles of Line. 2,659 Consumers per mile of line 6.12 Information from JUNE 2013
SEPTEMBER 2013 5
Your membership matters
J
oin us for the 2013 Annual Membership Meeting of South Alabama Electric Cooperative on Tuesday, October 29 at the Pike County Cattlemen’s Complex. For more than 75 years, South Alabama Electric Cooperative has been working to provide you - our members - with reliable electricity at an affordable price. And each year, we give you the chance to learn more about the cooperative which serves you at our annual membership meeting. While you are there, enjoy musical entertainment provided by The Chuck Wagon Gang, back again this year by popular demand. Currently the Chuck Wagon Gang consists of: Dave Emery (bass, emcee, and manager), Shaye Smith (alto), Stan Hill (tenor), and Julie Hudson (soprano). The great Chuck Wagon Gang standards, classics, and most requested songs are still featured at today’s Chuck Wagon Gang concert, and their simple approach remains intact. There just can’t be a Chuck Wagon Gang concert without “The Church In The Wildwood”, “Higher”, Echoes From The Burning Bush,” “Heaven’s Really Gonna Shine,” “We Are Climbing,” “I’ll Meet You In The Morning”, “Looking For A City”, and others in this vein. But as with any singing group, new 6 SEPTEMBER 2013
songs, new recordings, and freshness must prevail. The Chuck Wagon Gang is currently nominated in “Mixed Group Of The Year” in the Singing News Fan Awards, which will be given out at the National Quartet Convention in Louisville, Ky. this month. Their latest recording, “Keep Travelin’ On,” remains true to their famed tradition of old favorites, yet freshness comes out in several new
songs. The Chuck Wagon Gang is committed to preserving the integrity of its great legacy by continuing the simple style that Dad Carter established nearly 72 years ago. They will continue to do as Dad Carter instructed, “Sing the old songs, and sing them the way I taught you.” We know you don’t get to choose who provides your electric service. But those served by an electric cooperative are not just customers, they are members. That means you have a say in how the organization operates and as an owner, it’s important for you to take a few minutes and learn about your electric
cooperative. Members have a voice and a vote in how your co-op is governed. Through democratic control, members like you elect other members from our co-op to serve on the board of trustees. This year Districts 1 (Bill Hixon) and 2 ( Jimmy Shaver) will be up for election. Your board of trustees, along with those who work for your co-op, are your friends and neighbors. South Alabama Electric cares about improving the quality of life in the areas they serve. We invest in local communities where you live and work. Your membership also entitles you to certain benefits like energy audits that help you find ways to lower your electricity use, or college scholarships for your children. You receive the Alabama Living magazine because you’re a member and we want you to stay abreast of important co-op news and events. As a member you receive returns on your investment in your co-op. Electric co-ops aim to operate at-cost, so any excess revenues, or margins, are returned to members in the form of capital credits, based on their electric use. So mark your calendars and make plans to attend this year’s annual membership meeting so that you can learn more about the value of your membership.
www.southaec.com
South Alabama Electric Cooperative
Alabama Living
SEPTEMBER 2013  7
Want to know how much electricity you used yesterday? Last week?
Monitor your energy use with MyMeter™ from
With MyMeterTM, you can: • View a graphical representation of daily and monthly usage. • Compare monthly usage to other homes served by South Alabama Electric Cooperative. • Set “markers” to note energy efficiency upgrades. For example, when buying a new appliance, simply mark the date and MyMeter™ will track how much energy you are saving. • Take an “energy challenge” and set an energy savings goal. The challenge lasts 6 months and tracks your results in both graphically and tabular fashion.
Are you curious about how your energy use varies from day to day? South Alabama Electric Cooperative’s free online energy tracking program, called MyMeter™, helps take the mystery out of your electric bill. MyMeter™ is a free Web-based service from South Alabama Electric Cooperative that allows you to track and chart your daily energy use. Members who sign up for the service can see their usage for each day and monitor the days of the week that they use the most energy.
• Access multiple accounts under a single sign-on.
For more information or to sign up: www.southaec.com (334) 566-2060
Alabama Living
8 SEPTEMBER 2013
Month 2012 5
www.southaec.com
Brundidge From the smallest yard to the largest homes...Brundidge has it all. Come browse our locally owned businesses offering old time personal service. Jones Animal Clinic 242 Lee Street Brundidge, AL 36010
Jack Jordan
334-735-2315 Physical: 117 McNeil Street Troy, Alabama 36079 Mailing: P. O. Box 1074 Troy, Alabama 36081
42  SEPTEMBER 2013
Phone: (334) 566-4060 Toll-Free: 1-800-360-4060 Fax: (334) 566-6105 Email: thepress@troycable.net
www.southaec.com