18ACoastal Electric CooperativeAugust 2011

MEMBER NEWSLETTER AUGUST 2011

If you’re not baking, you’re wasting energy

rowing up, my sister had anEasy-Bake Oven. It was a mirac-

ulous device, baking brownies,sugar cookies and any number ofother treats—all with the aid of a100-watt incandescent lightbulb.

It’s nice to know the extra heatgiven off by inefficient lighting canbe put to good (and delicious) use.But you’re not cooking with theother lightbulbs in your home, andtraditional incandescent bulbs waste90 percent of their energy byreleasing heat. That’s not surprising,because the bulb’s design hasn’tbeen updated since it was created130 years ago.

Just as cars and refrigeratorshave become more efficient overtime, lightbulbs are getting anoverhaul. In 2007, Congress passedthe Energy Independence andSecurity Act, calling for incan-descent bulbs to be at least 28percent more efficient, startingnationally in January 2012. Eachhousehold could save $50 a yearwith this change, and those savingsadd up—Americans could savemore than $6 billion annually.

You have several efficientlightbulb options. If you don’t wantto stray too far from the bulbsyou’re used to, consider halogenincandescent lightbulbs. They cutenergy use by about 25 percent and

last three times as long as tradi-tional incandescent bulbs.

How are they different? A smallcapsule holds halogen gas aroundthe filament. This minor additionboosts the bulb’s lifespan andefficiency. But everything else—theshape, color range and ability todim—stays the same as the bulbsyou grew up with.

Another distinctive style of bulb

should already be familiar—Coastal Electric has beenpromoting and giving awaycompact fluorescent lightbulbs(CFLs) for several years. CFLs arethe most common and cost-effective efficient bulb on themarket. The trademark swirly styleis linked to the concept ofefficient lighting, but somemanufacturers encase CFLs todiffuse the light and provide thesame look and feel as traditionalbulbs. CFLs offer 75 percentenergy savings over traditionalincandescent bulbs and last 10times longer.

The last lighting option holdsthe most promise for our lightingfuture. Light-emitting diodes(LEDs) are commonly used inelectronics. The bulbs are small—about half the size of a pencileraser—but by banding severalbulbs together, a bright anddependable light emerges.

LEDs use 75 to 80 percent lessenergy than incandescent bulbsand last 25 times longer—by farthe longest lifespan yet for light-bulbs. They’re expensive, but

The 100-watt bulb may be

leaving store shelves, but have

no fear—future bakers will

still be able to perfect sugary

treats with Hasbro’s Easy-Bake

Ultimate Oven, featuring an

alternative heating element.

GBY F. WHIT HOLLOWELL JR./CEO

F.Whit Hollowell Jr.

Incandescent bulbs on the way out, so be prepared

Continued on page 18D

GEORGIA MAGAZINECoastal Electric Cooperative18B www.CoastalElectric.coop

ith less than 15 feet separatingthe hovering Bell Jet Ranger

helicopter from an energized,115,000-volt transmission line, threepairs of eyes scan each foot of thebright aluminum conductor, lookingfor burn marks, cracked insulators,damaged lightning arrestors or adead tree that might threaten electricreliability to Coastal Electric Cooper-ative’s members. “There is no betterway to inspect the 17,500 miles ofGeorgia’s network of high-voltagetransmission lines than by helicopter,”says Coastal Engineering and Opera-tions Vice President Chris Fettes.

“These lines cross miles of pineforests, swamps and coastal marsh-lands.” Fettes says. For the most part,they are out of sight. But lightningstrikes, vandalism and other acts canoccur. When you have a failure on abig transmission line like these, itcould mean a loss of power for tensof thousands of members. So,maintaining the transmission-linenetwork is the highest priority.

For a pilot, it’s unbelievablystressful to fly low and slow downbetween the trees and the trans-mission line. A mechanical failure onthe helicopter would leave fewoptions for escape. “We fly along thepower lines at eye level, and eventhough we’re in a jet helicopter,

we’re moving only about 20 milesper hour.” Fettes says. The crew oftwo observers wears headsets andcalls out guy wires or other obstruc-tions to the pilot. They also look fordead trees and unauthorized activitywithin the transmission line rights-of-way.

These annual aerial inspectionsare a very cost-effective way tomaintain good system reliability. In

just over two hours, which includeda refueling stop in Savannah, thehelicopter crew was able to inspectall of the Georgia TransmissionCorp. (GTC) lines in two coastalcounties. It would take workers onall-terrain vehicles many days tocover that same right-of-way atground level.

“Sometimes, we see theunexpected,” Fettes says. During theflight near Highway 196 in LibertyCounty, the observers caught aglimpse of a small black bear—not acommon sight in this area. The bearwas probably forced from his nativehabitat by the recent forest fires inthe area.

To learn more about how GTCbuilds and maintains the state’snetwork of transmission lines, visittheir website at www.gatrans.com

Low-flying helicopter inspects high-voltage power lines

Annual aerial inspections are most cost-effective way to maintain system reliability

W

Many Coastal Electric members may have seen this helicopter flying low and slowover power transmission lines in late June, when Georgia Transmission Corp. wasusing the chopper to perform annual inspections.

This is about as closeas it gets! It takesnerves of steel tomaneuver the Bell JetRanger helicopter towithin a few feet of anenergized 115,000-volttransmission line.Thisline section is betweenRiceboro and theTradeport Eastsubstation, on Highway38 near Midway.

August 2011 18CCoastal Electric Cooperative

Use your smartphone to track daily electricity use

he best tool for lowering yourelectricity bill may be one you

already have in your pocket. If youhave a smartphone like an Androidor iPhone, or even a regular phonethat will receive text messages, thenCoastal Electric can send you dailyalerts showing how much electricityyou used the previous day. Or, youcan choose to receive an alert onlywhen your daily use exceeds apreset amount. Smartphone userscan download a free applicationcalled MyUsage Mobile from theAndroid Market or the iPhone Store.

MyUsage Mobile allows you toget information about your electricityconsumption anytime, anywhere. It’sfast, easy and convenient. It’s a freeservice, made available to CoastalElectric Cooperative membersthrough the Co-op’s fully deployedsmart-grid usage monitoring andprepaid electric service.

Any Coastal Electric-served

T

home, apartment or business with asmart meter can receive information

24/7 about how muchelectricity is beingused, and trackconsumption each day.If you have an AdvancePay (prepaid) account,you can view yourbalance and dailycharges in real time.

With accurateinformation about yourelectricity consum p-tion, you can begin toreduce your carbonfootprint and bettermanage your budget.MyUsage Mobile givesyou the informationyou need in order tomake wise decisions

MyUsage Mobile gives you the information you need

to make wise decisions regarding your energy consumption

From this screen on MyUsage.com, Coastal Electric Members can select a UsageMonitor account, enabling them to view their daily electricity use and have textalerts sent to their phone. All you need to get started is an email address, youraccount number and your electric meter number.

regarding your energy use.To begin, go to MyUsage.com.

All you need is an email address,your Coastal Electric accountnumber and your meter number.You can find your account numberand meter number on your recentelectricity bill.

Follow the onscreen setupinstructions. When completed, youwill be able to view a bar graphwith your daily use plotted againstthe average daily temperature. It iseasy to see the dramatic correlationbetween high temperatures andelectricity use. You can then log onto your MyUsage.com web accountto check daily use and configureyour alerts.

Then, with your smartphone,get and install the free MyUsage

The MyUsage.com website shows users a graph of dailyelectricity usage and a red line that plots temperature.It’s easier to manage your electricity usage when youget daily feedback as to how much you’re using. Continued on page 18D

prices will fall as more folks use thetechnology.

Ready to start saving? Newlabels, appearing in January, willhelp you compare the lumens (lightoutput) from your old bulbs so youcan buy a comparable, efficient bulb.You can learn more at energysavers.gov/lighting.

But what about the Easy-BakeOven? Have no fear—future bakerswill still be able to perfect sugarytreats. Hasbro plans to introduce anew Easy-Bake Ultimate Oven in late2011, featuring an alternative heatingelement. Rest assured, future chefscan still find inspiration—and youcan funnel some of your lightingsavings toward culinary school!

Official Publication of Coastal Electric Cooperative, Published

Monthly for All Members

J. Mark Bolton, EditorCoastal Electric Cooperative1265 S. Coastal Highway

P.O. Box 109Midway, GA 31320

(912) 880-2268, direct linemark.bolton@coastalemc.com

Find us online:CoastalElectric.coop

Business office hoursOpen 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Mondaythrough Thursday, and until 5 p.m.

on Friday, except for holidays.

Report outagesCall us at (800) 421-2343

Board of DirectorsSteve Mullice

President, Liberty County

Jack WatersVice President, Liberty County

Barbara DavisSec./Treas., McIntosh County

W.L. BlandMcIntosh County

Laura McGeeBryan County

Johnny KearnsMcIntosh County

Ken LukeBryan County

Eric HartleyBryan County

John Woods IIILiberty County

Coastal Electric Cooperative, yourTouchstone Energy® Partner, is anot-for-profit, member-ownedpower cooperative providing

electricity to the people of Bryan,Liberty, Long and McIntosh

counties.

18D GEORGIA MAGAZINECoastal Electric Cooperativewww.CoastalElectric.coop

Incandescentbulbs on the way out, Continued from page 18A

Starting in 2012, lightbulbs must be

more energy efficient.

The three most common bulb options consumers will find on

store shelves are:

Halogen incandescents Energy Savings:* 25 percent

Lifespan:* Three times longerAnnual Energy Cost: $3.50

What Are My Lighting

Options?

?

Learn more at energysavers.gov/lighting

* As compared to traditional incandescent bulbs

Compact Fluorescent Lamps (CFLs)

Energy Savings:* 75 percent Lifespan:* 10 times longerAnnual Energy Cost: $1.20

Light-emitting diodes (LEDs)Energy Savings:* 75-80 percent

Lifespan:* 25 times longerAnnual Energy Cost: $1

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Mobile app. Use the same user -name and password from yourweb account to launch the mobileapp, and voila! You can view your daily use graph on yoursmartphone.

Look for even more features,such as hourly use data, in thefuture.

Now you are armed with oneof the most powerful tools formanaging your electric use. Settingup a Usage Monitor account iseasy, but if you get stuck just giveus a call, and we’ll walk youthrough it. Call Mark Bolton at(912) 880-2226.

Smartphone totrack dailyelectricity use,Continued from page 18C