*Not shown: Safety harness, hinged hot stick and arctic coat

• April 11 is National Lineman Appreciation Day. #ThankALineman

• 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:

WE APPRECIATE ALL OUR LINEMEN!

A new rate option will soon be available

Cobb EMC will soon offer a new rate that gives you a smart way to manage your electric bill.

Thanks to this innovative rate program you will have a simple way to reduce your annual electric bill by lowering your usage during peak conservation hours.

Stay tuned for more information about how to sign up in our upcoming newsletters!

America’s electric cooperatives have annually designated the second Monday of April as National Lineman Appreciation Day. We’re proud to recognize all electric linemen for the services they perform around the clock in dangerous conditions to keep power flowing and protect the public’s safety.

Cobb EMC’s team of line workers cover more than 9,000 miles of power lines for our members in Cobb, Cherokee, Fulton, Bartow and Paulding counties.

Keeping our linemen safe doesn’t come easy. Dangerous situations are commonplace for this dedicated team, so making sure each is outfitted with proper safety equipment is a crucial priority. Take a look at what goes into suiting up Bobby Price, our own first class lineman—step 2:

Hard hat: A hard, plastic hat features a wide brim to keep debris out of a lineman’s face. Inside slots are universal to fit a flame-resistant liner and accessories like ear protection.

Rubber gloves: A lineman first dons insulated rubber gloves for protection from electrical currents. He then layers leather gloves with vinyl cuffs to prevent cuts from sharp objects. As the voltage levels with which a lineman works increase, gloves are supplied in increasing thickness. Rubber sleeves tuck inside gloves to protect the lineman’s arms from contact with power lines as he works.

Clothing: Shirts and pants are flame-resistant and made with non-metallic buttons.

Tool pouch: This leather satchel attaches to the body belt and keeps hand tools accessible.

Safety glasses: These protect the eyes and deflect any debris that makes it past the hard hat, particularly materials that fly or splatter like molten metal. Body belt: A sturdy leather/synthetic belt is designed with utility in mind. It holds up the tool pouch and the safety belt.

Safety belt: This belt wraps around the pole while the lineman is climbing and is secured to his waist by two metal D-rings. Work boots: The leather boots are designed to protect the foot and include extra arch support for nimble climbing. Gaff climbers, which wrap around work boots, have triangular points that jab into poles, stabilizing a line worker as he climbs.

Eric Crisler, Marietta Power

Steven Chatman, Georgia Power

Tyler Dilbeck, Cobb EMC

Did you know? A lineman’s gear weighs about 50 pounds. That’s a

lot of extra weight on a hot summer day!

APRIL 2016 | BILL INSERT

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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

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

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.