TIP OF THE MONTH Periodically inspect your dryer vent to ensure it is not blocked. This will save energy and may prevent a fire.—Source: energy.gov

CONNECTIONSSEPTEMBER 2015 | THE OFFICIAL NEWSLETTER OF COBB ELECTRIC MEMBERSHIP CORPORATION

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Free fair tickets • Unlimited rides • Door prizes

Attend the Annual Meeting and learn about your co-op’s progress, ways to save on your electric bill and exercise your right to vote!

Saturday, Sept. 19 Jim R. Miller Park

Door Prizes• Tablets• Visa® gift cards• Bill credit• Big Green Egg® grills• Refurbished Cobb EMC truck

Find the most current information and applicable deadlines and requirements at www.cobbemc.com/ annualmeeting.

POWER OF MEMBERSHIP

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Three credits passed to members

Cobb EMC recently passed along three credits in the months of June, July and August to bring overall savings and help lower summer bills for our members. In June, a 5-mill credit in the Wholesale Power Adjustment (WPA) was applied, followed by a 9-mill credit in the WPA for the month of July and a 7-mill credit in August.

“As a co-op, we’re focused on putting our members’ interests first,” says Cobb EMC President and CEO, Chip Nelson. “Cobb EMC works hard to keep our rates among the lowest in the state, and we’re proud to pass the savings along to our members through lower bills.”

For an average household using 1,000 kilowatt-hours, Cobb EMC residential

members received up to a $5 credit on electric service for the month of June, a $9 credit for the month of July and a $7 credit in August.

Among the lowest rates in the state

Cobb EMC members save approximately $25 on summer bills when compared to the average electric utility customer, according to the 2015 Georgia Public Service Commission’s Summer Residential Rate Survey.

At the 1,000 kWh use level, our rates are second lowest out of Georgia’s 41 EMCs and fourth lowest out of all 94 providers in the state. These low rankings reaffirm our commitment to safely delivering reliable, competitively priced electricity.

Cobb EMC puts more money in your pocket!

B R I N G I N G Y O U T H E POWER O F M E M B E R S H I PCONNECTIONSCobb Electric

Membership Corporation

www.cobbemc.comEmail: memberservices@cobbemc.com

President and CEO Chip Nelson

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Chairman Bryan Boyd

Vice Chairman Tripper Sharp

Secretary-Treasurer David McClellan Eric Broadwell Kelly Bodner Edward Crowell Malcolm Swanson David Tennant Rudy Underwood

Editorial Staff Brooke Melton Angela Croce, CCC

Contacts & Office HoursPhone: 770-429-2100Report an outage: 770-429-2100Fax: 770-429-3330

In person:1000 EMC Parkway Marietta, GA 30060

Walk-in hours:Monday – Friday (8 a.m. – 6 p.m.)

Drive-through hours: Monday – Friday (7 a.m. – 6 p.m.)

Member Care Center hours: Monday – Friday (7 a.m. – 6 p.m.)Saturday (8 a.m. – 3 p.m.)

Express Pay drop box is available for non-cash payments 24/7

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You’re invited to the Annual Meeting Join Cobb EMC at the biggest member event of the year

On Saturday, Sept. 19, 2015, we will convene the 77th Annual Meeting of the Cobb Electric Membership Corporation. I would like to personally invite each of you to attend and take this opportunity to meet your elected directors and employees. Since our last annual meeting, our co-op and your board of directors have focused on increased transparency and accountability, stronger governance and putting the interests of our members first. Priority one is making your life and your experiences with us more convenient. Last year, we announced a new billing system

that would erase credit card fees for residential members. You must be pleased with the new system because more than 83,000 members actively manage their electric accounts through SmartHub®. This summer, the board of directors passed along a credit on June, July and August bills, as a result of a Wholesale Power Adjustment. We want to remind our members that we’re continually looking out for you. These credits reaffirm our commitment to safely delivering reliable, competitively priced electricity. We’ve remained committed to going above and beyond to address your ever growing energy needs. Our cooperative has added 118 MW of solar power to our energy portfolio over the last two years. As solar energy becomes more prominent, remember that Cobb EMC is more than just your energy provider—we’re ready to serve as your trusted energy advisor. It takes a great deal of planning, equipment, staff and programs to provide safe, reliable electricity to those we serve. But our efforts don’t stop there. As a co-op, we have a special responsibility to give back to the areas in which our members live and work. We’re proud to share that the Cobb EMC Community Foundation, a third party foundation comprised of members and separate from Cobb EMC, established the Cobb EMC Community Foundation Scholarship. Fourteen scholarships in the amount of $5,000 each were awarded to eligible high school seniors this year. Our connection to the community has garnered several honors for the cooperative over the past year. Your directors won the first ever NRECA Cooperative Spirit Award for their focused efforts on increased transparency and accountability, stronger governance and lower operating costs. Then in November, for unprecedented generosity and service to thousands of residents in five metro Atlanta counties, Georgia EMC named us EMC of the Year. Adding to the list of reasons to celebrate, we recently reached a milestone in community contributions—$1 million. We thank our generous members who donated their small change through Operation Round Up® and gave more than $1 million back to local nonprofits right here in our community. Cobb EMC maintains a system that serves about 195,000 meters for more than 177,000 members, all while keeping the electricity flowing and rates as competitive as possible. Our goal is to provide you with reliable, competitively priced electricity. I look forward to seeing you Sept.19.

Chip Nelson President and CEO

Plant trees to save energyDid you know fall is the best time of year to plant trees? Coincidentally, it’s also one of the loveliest times to be outdoors. So grab a shovel and head outside to enjoy that crisp, cool air! A day of planting can also block out street noise and make your home more energy efficient. In fact, the U.S. Department of Energy estimates that proper tree placement can cut your heating and cooling bills by a whopping 25 percent! A few evergreens planted along the north, west and east sides of your home create a windbreak to keep out frigid winter winds. Save the leafy trees for the south and west sides of your home. As their leaves fall, winter sunlight will shine in and help warm up your house. But don’t worry; as the leaves fill in during the spring, their shade will help block those warm rays. As temperatures drop over the next few weeks, start thinking about your curb appeal and how it can help you save energy this winter.

Fiber optics enhance service reliabilityCobb EMC recently completed its first 11-mile fiber optic loop, which will help maintain and improve service reliability to members. Integration of fiber optic cables along our automated distribution system allows us to deliver valuable system data and messages at the speed of light to our state-of-the-art power control center. Fiber optics provide effective and efficient communication between our Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) system and smart switches on our distribution system. Because fiber has a larger bandwidth and much greater speed, power control technicians can quickly isolate trouble and redirect power to the nonimpacted areas. Additionally, fiber optic cables provide a more secure way for the co-op to carry sensitive data. “We’re pleased to continually implement cutting-edge technologies to improve reli-ability and efficiency,” says Chip Nelson, president and CEO of Cobb EMC. The co-op’s skilled and knowledgeable crews have equipped three substations with fiber optics, and six additional substations will be connected by the end of the year. Cobb EMC remains on the forefront of technology to improve member service and ensure reliable distribution of electricity. Comparing the average length of outages among cooperatives, Cobb EMC ranks second among Georgia’s 41 cooperatives and third among 25 co-ops in the nation with more than 100,000 members, according to a key ratio trend analysis conducted by the National Cooperative Finance Corporation.

Power OF ENERGY

Have your heating system inspected annually. Think of it like an oil change for your car. www.cobbemc.com/conserve

POWER OF MEMBERSHIP

The Annual Meeting is an opportunity for you to exercise one of the greatest benefits of your co-op membership, by voting for the upcoming year’s board of directors. www.cobbemc.com/aboutcobbemc

POWER OF SAFETY

Did you know misused and malfunctioning electrical outlets and cords cause thousands of house fires each year?www.cobbemc.com/safety

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Win a $25 bill credit! Help us improve our service by taking our online survey and you’ll be automatically entered into a drawing to win one of ten $25 bill credits on your next electric bill. www.cobbemc.com/survey

B R I N G I N G Y O U T H E POWER O F M E M B E R S H I PCONNECTIONS

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Your co-op gives you 200+ ways to save!As a member of Cobb EMC, you are connected to valuable discounts from more than 200 local businesses through your Co-op Connections® Card. Present your Co-op Connections Card at any participating business and save. Find a complete list of participating businesses and the discount they offer at www.cobbemc.com/discounts.

Don’t have your discount card handy? Download the free Co-op Connections app on your phone. Don’t forget to pick Cobb EMC as your electric provider.

Attorney

Divorce Money Matterswww.divorcemoneymatters.com

DivorceTown Help and Hope Fairwww.divorcehelpandhope.com

Wade H. Everett, P.C. Attorney at Lawwww.wadeeverett.com

*online offer must be redeemed at www.cobbemc.com/discounts

Health Care and Fitness

Anytime Fitnesswww.anytimefitness.com

Blumsack Family Chiropractic www.blumsackfamilychiropractic.com

Brilliant Eyes Vision Centerwww.brillianteyesmarietta.com

CareMinders Home Carewww.careminders.com/marietta

Chiropractic Wellness by Dr. George www.drgeorget.com

Curves of Kennesawwww.curveskennesaw.com

Eaton Chiropracticwww.eatonchiropractic.com

Foothills Chiropractichttp://foothills-chiropractic.com

Foster Chiropractic and Wellnesswww.fosterchirowellness.com

Highland Family Chiropracticwww.highlandfamilychiro.com

Iron Tribe Fitnesswww.irontribefitness.com

Nutrition House Atlantawww.oswsatl.com

Ping Hai DDS & Associates PC www.drhai.com

Right Path Hypnosiswww.rightpathhypnosis.com

Shirley’s Helping Handswww.shirleyhelpinghands.com

Smith Smile Orthodonticswww.smithsmile.com

Women’s Premier Fitnesswww.womenspremierfitness.com

Financial Services

Fifth Third Bank, Member FDIC*www.53.com

Organized Daily Money Matters www.organizeddailymoneymatters.com

Beauty and Bridal

CTO Bridalwww.ctobridals.com

Gary and Elaine’s Photography www.garyandelainesphotography.com

Automotive

Auto Cool Inc.www.autocool.biz

Autossey Automotivewww.autossey.com

Cedarcrest Auto Care www.cedarcrestauto.com

Kams Auto Service Centerwww.kamsauto.com

NAPA’s Premier Service Centerwww.premierservicecenter.com

Southern Imports Automotive Inc.www.southernimportsautoinc.com

Speedemissions www.speedemissionsinc.com

Learning and Education Services

Kreative Learning Resource Center Inc.www.kreativelearningcenter.org

Music by Debrawww.musicbydebra.com

$$$More participating businesses:

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Take advantage of local savings!

Entertainment and Event Planning

Atlanta Party Doctors, DJsEmail: atlantapartydoctors@gmail.com

Exclusive Entertainment Productionswww.djbally.com

Gala Events Facility www.galafacility.com

Georgia Aquarium* www.georgiaaquarium.org/emcmembers

Jump Ovation Partieswww.jumpovation.com

Magic Man Entertainment Inc.www.magicmanentertainment.com

O’Brien Productionswww.obrienproductions.com

Six Flags Over Georgia*www.sixflags.com

Stone Mountain Park* www.stonemountainpark.com

Wishdrawals Disney Travel Email: ashley@wishdrawals.com

Printing and Business Services

5 Degrees Northwww.5dnorth.com/project-planner

Amway Distributorswww.amway.com/dfglobal

Allegro Business Products www.allegrobusinessproducts.com

Classic Impressions www.classicimpga.com

Gaites Language Serviceswww.gaitesco.com

Moonlighting In Tech www.mli-tech.com

One Hour Signswww.onehoursigns.com

Park ‘N Flywww.pnf.com

PrintWavewww.printwave.com

Relax and Waxwww.relaxandwax.com

Webb Supply Companywww.webbsupplycompany.com

Xpress Ink & Tonerwww.xpressink.net

Home Services

2 Hip Chicks Designswww.2hipchicksdesigns.com

All American Decorative Concretewww.aadecorativeconcrete.com

All Phase Home Serviceswww.1stopshopatl.com

American Maid Inc.www.americanmaidinc.net

Atlanta Construction Enterprises Inc.www.atlantaconstructionenterprises.com

Danny’s Pro Painting www.dannyspropainting.com

Decorator’s Decision Inc. www.decoratorsdecisioninc.com

Georgia Gardenswww.gagardens.co

Healthy Home Termite & Pest Controlwww.pestzone.net

Kay P. Morgan, High Caliber Realtywww.kaypmorgan.com

LOUD Security Systemswww.loudsecurity.com

Major Appliance Repair Company LLCwww.tomarcollc.com

Metro Home Improvements Inc. www.metrohome.biz

Original Bug Manwww.originalbugman.com

Radco Electricwww.radcoelectric.net

Specialty Stump GrindingEmail: specialtystumpgrinding@aol.com

Uplighting Americawww.uplightingamerica.com

VOGUE Properties and Interiors LLCwww.voguepropertiesandinteriors.com

Retail

DF Global https://www.amway.com/dfglobal

Just T-shirt Quiltswww.justtshirtquilts.com/cobbemc

NG Apparel www.ngapparel.net

Picture Frame Depot www.pfdatlanta.com

Prospector’s Pouch Fine Jewelrywww.prospectorspouch.com

POWER OF ENERGYBRINGING YOU THE

“My EMC helps my family finance solar.”

Cobb EMC is your trusted expert for all the information you need regarding solar energy, and we are now offering solar energy financing. Take advantage of our solar energy loan and get more value from your energy dollars! Cobb EMC and GEMC Federal Credit Union have partnered to offer you a fast and economical way to finance solar energy home improvements.

www.cobbemc.com/solarfinancing

That’s the power of membership.

New solar financing

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POWER OF ENERGY

A little change can change livesOperation Round Up recipientsEach month, the Cobb EMC Community Foundation board of directors administers Operation Round Up® funds to local nonprofits. The foundation awarded more than $1,091,650 in Operation Round Up funds to date, with $65,700 going to the following nonprofits in July:

• Atlanta Legal Aid Society Inc.: Provides civil legal service at no charge to low-income people residing in Cobb in five core practice areas: family law, housing, health care, government benefits and consumer finance.

• Autism Speaks: Goal is to change the future for all who struggle with autism spectrum disorders.

• Camp Kudzu Inc.: Mission is to educate, empower and inspire children living with type 1 diabetes.

• Cherokee Friends of Recovery Foundation Inc.: Goals are to protect the safety of all citizens from impaired drivers.

• Cobb County Safety Village Foundation: Serves as an advocate, develops part-nerships and secures resources in support of the Safety Village. Believes that inter-active education is the key to reducing risk and keeping the community safe.

• Communities In Schools of Marietta/Cobb County: Mission is to surround stu-dents with a community of support, empowering them to stay in school and achieve in life.

• Dream Makers Youth Foundation: Dedicated to improving the overall well-being of children with special needs and their families.

• Family Promise of Cobb County: Committed to assisting homeless families with children achieve adequate and consistent income, stable housing and lasting inde-pendence by mobilizing our local interfaith community to provide temporary meals, shelter, compassionate hospitality and professional social services.

• Habitat for Humanity of Northwest Metro Atlanta: Seeking to put God’s love into action, Habitat for Humanity brings people together to build homes, communi-ties and hope.

• Lekotek of Georgia Inc.: Facilitates the inclusion of children with disabilities into their families, schools and communities by providing accessible play, adapted toys, technology and resources.

• Master Gardener Volunteers of Cobb County Inc.: Mission is to advance horticultural education and best practices and to provide not-for-profit services to the citizens of Cobb County to promote the knowledge of and interest in gardening to the public.

• North Cobb Lions Club: Partners with schools, churches, etc. and provides ser-vices at their sites.

• Paulding County 4-H: Assists youth in acquiring knowledge developing life skills, and forming attitudes that will enable them to become self-directing, productive and contributing members to society.

Visit www.cobbemc.com/roundup for a full list of recipients or to learn how to request funding.

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Exercise your right to vote! Refer to your Cobb EMC voting packet for instructions on how to vote for bylaw amendments and nominees for director election in 2015. You are a member of Cobb EMC—not a customer—and you have a voice when it comes to the way we do business. Members can vote by mail, electronic ballot or in person Sept.19 at Jim R. Miller Park. Specific bylaw requirements associated with director elections are available at www.cobbemc.com/meeting.

Coming soon:Cooperative SolarCobb EMC is working to bring you the power of affordable, attainable solar energy through our Cooperative Solar program. The program will allow you to participate in solar energy production without the expense of purchasing and owning a solar energy system.

Cooperative solar advantages:• Solar energy access for renters, homeowners• Maintenance free• Affordably priced• No contract

If you’d be interested in participating, please visit www.cobbemc.com/coopsolar.

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POWER OF MEMBERSHIPBRINGING YOU THE

Take the stress out of paying bills!

Did you know Cobb EMC’s online account management system is available as a mobile application? The app allows you to easily and securely pay your electric bill in real time, monitor daily energy usage and more!

Scan this QR code to access SmartHub in the Apple iTunes App Store.

Scan this QR code to access SmartHub on Google Play for Android.

Download the app at no cost:• Search for SmartHub or NISC. • Enter your profile information and choose Cobb EMC.