DECEMBER 2015 | BILL INSERT

• 12 days of energy savings

• Cooperative Solar is now available. Find out how it works.

• Scholarships available for students. Find out details inside.

INSIDE THIS ISSUE:

Holiday hoursOur offices will close at 11:30 a.m. Dec. 23 and will remain closed Dec. 24 through Dec. 25. We will also be closed Jan. 1. Employees are always standing by for emergencies. Please call our automated outage system at 770-429-2100 in the event of an outage or visit www.cobbemc.com/outagecenter

Wishing you Happy Holidays and a New Year filled with

prosperity and success!

Tree-cycle and help the environmentCobb EMC’s forestry department is partnering with Bring One for the Chipper, Georgia’s annual Christmas tree recycling program, to offer Christmas tree recycling for Cobb and Cherokee counties. Bring your real Christmas tree to one of the designated drop-off locations and Cobb EMC will chip it into mulch. You can even take the freshly chipped mulch home and put it to good use! Christmas tree drop-offs will take place December 26, 2015 through January 9, 2016 at designated Cobb County and Cherokee County locations.

Visit www.keepgeorgiabeautiful.org for updated drop-off locations and dates.

1. Drive your way to fuel savings Save money on fuel costs by emptying your car after all your shopping trips. An extra 100 pounds in your vehicle could increase gas costs by up to $.08 a gallon.

Source: Department of Energy

12 Days of Energy Savings

2. Save energy in the kitchen This holiday, don’t waste heat from your stovetop. Use right-sized pots on stove burners to save about $36 annually with an electric range or $18 with gas.

3. Plug holiday decorations into power strips

Stop phantom loads, which cost Americans $100 a year on average, by turning off power strips when you aren’t using holiday decorations.

4. Install a light timer

Stay in the holiday spirit while saving energy by using timer controls to turn holiday lights on and off at specific times.

5. Take advantage of sunlight

Open curtains during the day to allow sunlight to naturally warm your home, and close them at night to reduce the chill from windows.

6. Use LED lights

Light your tree with LEDs and save money. It only costs $0.27 to light a 6-foot tree for 12 hours a day for 40 days with LEDs compared to $10 for incandescent lights.

7. Prepare your windows for winter

Storm windows can help reduce heat loss through your windows by 25-50 percent.

8. Maintain your fireplace

Keep warm air in your house and cold air out with proper chimney maintenance, like sealing your fireplace flue damper, caulking around your hearth and installing a heat-air exchange system to blow warmed air back into the room.

9. Monitor your energy usage

Sign in to our account management system, SmartHub, from your desktop or mobile phone and check your usage down to the hour! Download the free app at www.cobbemc.com/aboutsmarthub.

10. Buy ENERGY STAR electronics

Depending on usage, an ENERGY STAR computer can save 30-65 percent more energy compared to a computer without this designation.

11. Set your thermostat for winter

Save energy in the winter by setting the thermostat to 68°F while you are awake and setting it lower while you are asleep or away from home.

12. Complete an online energy audit

Find projects that make your home energy efficient by using our home efficiency analysis tool. Visit www.cobbemc.com/togetherwesave for more information.

7. Prepare your windows for winter

8. Maintain your fireplace

9. Monitor your energy usage

10. Buy ENERGY STAR electronics

11. Set your thermostat for winter

Scholarships available for studentsCobb EMC cares about the community and local youth. That’s why we award annual scholarships to our younger members. We are proud to offer the Cobb EMC Community Foundation Scholarship, the Walter Harrison Scholarship and Washington Youth Tour.

Find application deadlines and more information at www.cobbemc.com/scholarships.

Washington Youth Tour

Amount: $1,500, $1,000 and $500

Walter Harrison Scholarship

Amount: $1,000

Community Foundation Scholarship

14 scholarships in the amount of $5,000 each

November 2015 donations

• 100 Black Men of North Metro Inc. • Boys and Girls Club Marion D Mimms • Boys and Girls Club of Bartow County • Cherokee Child Advocacy Council Inc. • Cobb Community Foundation Inc. • Davis Direction Foundation Inc. • Georgia Symphony Orchestra • Reinhardt University • United Military Care Inc. • VOICE Today Inc. • WellStar Foundation • Young Life West Cobb

Your spare change makes a difference!

Through Operation Round Up®, our members have contributed more than $1,300,000 to charities in our community.

www.cobbemc.com/roundup

Capture your share of the sunCobb EMC’s Cooperative Solar program allows residential members to participate in solar energy production without the expense of purchasing and maintaining a solar energy system. Visit www.cobbemc.com/coopsolar to watch an animated video on how Cooperative Solar works. Here’s a snapshot:

Sign up for Cooperative Solar!

Fill out the form online at www.cobbemc.com/coopsolar

Members who want to participate can purchase solar energy for $25 per month for each block. Each block contains 5 solar panels. Members can get up to six blocks of solar energy per account. The energy output from the solar panels will offset an equivalent amount of traditional power on your bill. The approximate output of each block can be 160 to 270 kWh per month.

Mark your calendar

Board Meeting Where: 1000 EMC Parkway Marietta, GA 30060 When: Dec. 15 at 4 p.m. 15

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Cobb EMC is there to power your every day life, connecting you to reliable electricity. Our 99.99 percent reliability rating helps assure our members that they can count on us, rain or shine. With some 180,000 members, reliability is critical. Having one of the most technologically advanced power distribution systems in the country with one thousand points of automation monitored 24/7, 365 days a year, assures our members that the lights will stay on in their homes and their business will keep running.

That’s the power of membership.

UNWRAP THE SAVINGS WITH CO-OP CONNECTIONS®: Business and Entertainment

Catered Southern Events LLCwww.cateredsouthernevents.com

CTO Bridal www.ctobridals.com

Gala Events Facility www.galafacility.com

Gary and Elaine’s Photography www.garyandelainesphotography.com

Georgia Aquarium*www.georgiaaquarium.org

Jump Ovation Parties www.jumpovation.com

Just T-Shirt Quilts www.justtshirtquilts.com

Merle Norman Cosmeticswww.merlenorman.com

O’Brien Productions www.obrienproductions.com

Organized Daily Money Matters www.organizeddailymoneymatters.com

Picture Frame Depotwww.pfdatlanta.com

PromoURLogowww.promourlogo.com

Relax and Waxwww.relaxandwax.com

Six Flags Over Georgia*www.sixflags.com/overgeorgia

Stone Mountain Park*www.stonemountainpark.com

The Alison Agency www.thealisonagency.com

Windham Business Serviceswww.windhamservices.net

We look out for you, so you can enjoy what’s important.Identity theft is the fastest growing crime in the U.S. Co-op Connections® wants to help by unveiling ID Sanctuary, an identity theft monitoring and resolution service. This benefit provides you with the proactive tools and recovery assistance needed to quickly respond to an identity or fraud crisis.

As a Cobb EMC member, you can join ID Sanctuary and protect your family for as low as $8 per month. Learn more and sign up today by visiting www.cobbemc.com/idsanctuary.

*Offer only available online at www.cobbemc.com/discounts