APRIL 2016 | BILL INSERT

• Plan ahead to save on your electric bill

• Show us your design skills for a chance to win big!

• Summer’s on the horizon. Learn how you can capture your share of the sun.

INSIDE THIS ISSUE:

PLAN AHEAD TO TAKE CONTROL OF YOUR BILL

The Smart Choice Rate makes budgeting easy by minimizing fluctuation in power bills. With this rate you have a simple way to reduce your annual electric bill by controlling your usage during peak conservation hours.

Peak conservation hours are determined by the times of day when energy is in highest demand. Peak conservation hours usually occur on weekdays in a five-hour window from June through September between 2-7 p.m. On specified days when peak usage heightens—peak notification days—we’ll ask you to conserve energy. Cobb EMC has prepared several ways to notify you when we are experiencing peak conservation hours, including emails, our corporate website, SmartHub (our online account management system) social media and a peak notification alert phone line, 770-429-2223.

Please note: You set a peak service charge based on your highest one-hour consumption of energy during peak conservation hours. You can lower your demand by planning ahead and spreading the use of your air conditioning, stove, washer and other appliances during these peak conservation hours.

Stay informed about peak notification days and receive alerts about peak conservation hours. Sign up for Cobb EMC electronic newsletters to learn when to use your power at different hours and when to save energy during peak conservation hours. Visit www.cobbemc.com/smartalerts. Download the SmartHub® app today! The online and mobile application allows you to easily and securely pay your electric bill, monitor daily and hourly energy use and more.

Smart ChoiceSame Power. Different Hour.

Peak Notification Days: June through September on hot summer weekdays when Cobb EMC forecasts that we will experience higher peak usage conditions. Cobb EMC may call peak conservation hours during peak notification days. Peak notification days will exclude weekends and holidays.

Peak Conservation Hours: The period between 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. only when we are experiencing high peak energy usage during peak notification days. This is the time to conserve energy and money.

Peak Service Charge: Based on the highest one-hour consumption of energy (kWh/hour) established by the member during peak conservation hours (Cobb EMC will specify in advance) or the highest consumption used during the month if peak conservation hours have not been set.

Words to know:

Win a $25 bill credit!

Take a short quiz about the Smart Choice Rate and you could win! www.cobbemc.com/quiz

Sign up to receive peak conservation hour notices

BRINGING YOU THE POWER OF MEMBERSHIP

BRINGING YOU THE POWER OF COMMUNITY

BRINGING YOU THE POWER OF ENERGY

Powering a bright future for our community Through Operation Round Up®, our members have contributed more than $1.6 million to charities in our community. Find a full list of Operation Round Up recipients at www.cobbemc.com/roundup.

March 2016 donations • 100 Black Men of North Metro Inc. • Achieve through Education • Act Together Ministries • Advocates for Bartow’s Children Inc. • Bullock Foundation Inc. • Chattahoochee Tech Foundation • Cobb Community Alliance to Prevent Substance Abuse Inc. • Destiny’s Daughters of Promise • The Georgia Ballet • Habitat for Humanity Northwest Metro Atlanta • Kennesaw State University Research & Service Foundation

• LGE Community Credit Union • Lost Mountain Kiwanis • Master Gardener Volunteers of Cobb County Inc. • Mended Hearts Atlanta Chapter 81• MUST Ministries Inc.• Service League of Cherokee County • South Cobb Arts Alliance • Sunshine on a Ranney Day • Tommy Nobis Foundation • Vision Rehabilitation Services of Georgia • Young Ladies with Potential Inc.

Capture your share of the sun

Cobb EMC remains committed to doing what we can to help the environment while continuing to provide our members reliable, affordable electric energy options. That’s why we’ve made the benefits of clean, renewable power more widely available to our members through our Cooperative Solar program. Sign up for Cooperative Solar to see how it’s easy to be green!

Visit www.cobbemc.com/coopsolar to learn more.

Show us your design skills!

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. www.cobbemc.com/tshirt

YOUR DESIGNHERE

1st$1,000 cash

Your design on thousands

of T-shirts.

$500 cash $250

cash

2nd 3rd*Participants must live in a primary residence served by Cobb EMC.

BRINGING YOU THE POWER OF SAFETY

Will you remember to call before you dig? April is Safe Digging Month, which reminds us that it’s important to know what lies under the ground. Georgia law requires that homeowners have underground lines located before beginning any digging project.

The utility locating service is performed for free; all you have to do is call Georgia 811 before you dig. A professional will come to your location to mark the areas where public utility lines are buried. You’ll want to avoid planting anything near these lines in case they need to be dug up for maintenance or repair. Planting near the lines can also be dangerous, even deadly, in the event contact is made.

If you do nick an underground utility in the midst of a project, do not abandon the situation. Instead, call your utility provider and let an expert repair the damage.

Are you familiar with the different colors that mark underground utilities? You may see these identifiers painted on the ground or marked with flags in the area where the corresponding utility is buried.

Electric

Proposed Excavation

Reclaimed Water

Gas, Oil or Petroleum

Sewer/Drainage

Potable Water

Communications

Call 811 before you dig to mark underground utilities.

Cobb EMC steps up our right-of-way efforts

There are many ways that Cobb EMC provides you with safe, reliable electric service. One of the most common, and crucial ways, is referred to as right-of-way clearing (or vegetation management). We recently completed a thorough vegetation management audit that defines the most cost-effective approach for achieving our vegetation management goals. The audit recommended a four-year cycle to clear 15 feet on either side of the pole line (right of way) and completely remove all fast growing vegetation from underneath all power lines.

Clearing the right of way is critical in keeping our member’s lights on, keeping our families safe and maintaining reliable electrical service.

You may ask why our right-of-way (ROW) efforts are important?

• To ensure the safety of our members

• To ensure the safety of our line crews who work 24/7

• To restore power safely and improve reliability to approximately 180,000 members Why was a four-year cycle implemented?

To improve the safety, reliability, efficiency and cost-effectiveness of electrical service by managing vegetation under, in and around power lines, easements and rights of way.

As part of an ongoing ROW campaign, Cobb EMC is using independent contractors for the most cost-effective way to trim and remove vegetation around or near overhead primary power lines, which may be located on your property.

2016 contractors*: W. A. Kendall & Co. Townsend Tree Service Lewis Tree Service TCI *Other contractors may be used throughout the year for the ROW campaign.

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mAPPROVED 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

Bird Family Insulation www.birdinsulation.com

EnviroFoam Technologies Inc. www.envirofoamtech.com

GCS Spray Foam Insulation www.gcssprayfoam.com

Rainey Brothers Ceiling & Insulation www.raineybros.com

Better Home Enterprises www.callabetterhome.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

SWAT Service www.swatservices.com

Solar contractors

Creative Solar USA Inc. www.creativesolarusa.com

Hannah Solar www.hannahsolar.com

Radiance Solar www.radiancesolar.com

Soenso Energy www.soenso.com

Solar Energy USA www.solarenergy-usa.com

Suncatcher of Atlanta www.suncatcherofatlanta.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

Annual Meeting: Key dates and deadlines May 27: Nomination petitions for Director elections must be submitted (Sec. 3.07). Terms for directors of districts 4, 5 and 8 will be expiring at the Annual Meeting. June 9: Member sponsored bylaw amendments must be submitted (Sec. 10.01). August 12: Notice must be received from any member desiring to exceed the 5 minute speaking limitation for the Annual Meeting (Sec. 2.12). www.cobbemc.com/annualmeeting

Need wood chips for your landscaping? Cobb EMC’s forestry department works hard to maintain clearance around power lines to maintain our high rated reliability. All debris removed becomes valuable wood chips and rough cut mulch for flower beds or gardens that is offered to members for free and delivered via truck loads. These wood chips may contain some thorns and jagged pieces from a variety of trees, so it is not recommended for children’s play areas. Call 770-429-3413 to request free wood chips.

Don’t forget to check your HVAC this spring

Our annual $50 HVAC Tuneup rebate is available now. The program will run through June 1, or while supplies last. For program guidelines, a complete list of approved contractors and to request your voucher, visit www.cobbemc.com/tuneup.

Mark your calendar

Open board meeting Where: 1000 EMC Parkway Marietta, GA 30060 When: Apr. 26 at 4 p.m.26

APR