October is national co-op month!
Every October, Central Georgia EMC and cooperatives across the country celebrate National Cooperative Month—recognizing who we are and, more important, the customer-owners we serve.
Cooperatives are different from other types of businesses. When the market declines to offer a product or service or does so at a very high price, co-ops step in to fill the need.
Similar to how CGEMC was built by members who came together to bring electricity to our community, cooperatives are advocates for the common good. Your electric co-op exists to provide safe, reliable and affordable energy to you. Equally important is our mission to enrich the lives of the members we serve.
Our close connection to the community ensures we get a first-hand perspective of local priorities, enabling us to make more informed decisions on long-term investments, such as community solar programs, equipment and technology upgrades, and electric vehicle programs. That’s why we are continually seeking your input. Whether through community events, social media channels, or at the annual meeting, we want to hear from you!
We will continue to learn from our customer-owners about their priorities so we can better serve you—because your electric co-op was built by the community, for the community.
Ask Adam!
Adam McDaniel is your dedicated Energy Analyst. Adam spends much of his day looking for energy usage anomalies. When energy use falls outside a customer-owner's normal range, Adam can proactively make contact before a potential problem becomes a large electric bill.
How can we get ready to save energy in the colder months?
That's a great question! The mild weather of fall is a great time to knock out a few energy-saving projects.
- Check for air leaks around your home. Add caulk or weather stripping to seal those leaks around doors and windows.
- Change your filters. Filters should be changed throughout the year to prevent dirty clogs and allow your system to work more efficiently.
- Turn down the temperature of your water heater. By setting your water heater to 120 degrees, you will use less energy and save money.
- Lower your holiday lighting costs. Switch to LED holiday lights. They are more energy-efficient and safer than traditional bulbs.
One of the best energy tips - set up usage alerts through our customer portal or mobile app! Alerts keep you informed of changes in energy use daily, keeping you in control of your energy spending.
For National Cooperative Month, we would like to highlight the keys to CGEMC's success—our employees! Not only do they work tirelessly to ensure the power keeps flowing, but they also devote their personal time to give back to the communities we serve. We refer to these acts of service as “Co-Opportunities.”
From coaching youth football teams to sending care boxes to troops overseas, from building homes for those in need to training aspiring fishermen—you will find them helping others in so many ways. The next time you are involved in a community project, look around... the chances are strong that a CGEMC employee will be standing next to you!
cubihatcha outdoor center welcomes cgemc
CGEMC looks forward to September each year when approximately 3,000 third-grade students and 120 teachers from Henry County Schools take their lessons outdoors for two weeks to experience the “Cubihatcha Kids” outdoor education program.
The field trips to the Cubihatcha Center provide opportunities for experiential or “hands-on” learning for students through outdoor classroom activities that correlate with the third grade Georgia Standards for Excellence and Applied STEM Curricula. In addition, the field trips encourage student appreciation of natural resources and awareness of the water/sewer utility’s role in the community.
CGEMC has created a special program covering the importance of electrical safety, energy conservation, and a lesson on friction.
"I am always energized by the time I spend with the Cubihatcha Kids. They have such great questions and are excited to work on our friction experiment," said Member Engagement Coordinator Christy Chewning. "Our program message remains constant, but the unique enthusiasm of each class makes every session new."
Powering Future Generation
Part of our commitment to our customer-owners is keeping pace with the latest and future trends of the energy market.
As always, the future of power generation is a rapidly changing landscape—and it’s one that we’re excited about! The electric vehicle market is a great example. Currently, electric vehicles represent 2.4% of all auto sales in the United States; however, that number is expected to surge to 30% of all auto sales by 2027. We’re already making preparations to handle that increased demand for electricity and evaluating rate options for off-peak charging.
Additionally, we are actively increasing our carbon-free power portfolio though the expansion of solar fields throughout the state and additional Plant Vogtle capacity coming on-line in 2021 and 2022. By 2023, almost 34% of our mixed power portfolio will reflect this move to carbon-free power solutions. We are already offering our customer-owners clean and renewable energy through our Cooperative Solar program and are pleased to announce the addition of 45,000 kW over the next two years.
We look forward to powering future generation with environmental and customer-owner interests as our catalyst.
Operation Round Up
In September, a total of $10,628 was awarded by the Central Georgia EMC Foundation to non-profit organizations in our service territory.
- Monroe County Kingdom Builders - $2,500 - To purchase materials for home repairs.
- Adventure Bags, Inc. - $2,000 - To purchase bookbags filled with age appropriate essential items for children experiencing crisis.
- JHS Volleyball Spike Club - $1,128 - To purchase custom net pads and tape for the 2019-2020 school year.
- Anchor of Hope Foundation, Inc. - $2,500 - To provide scholarships for individuals with developmental disabilities.
- Connecting Henry, Inc. - $2,500 - To fund activities, student transportation, and purchase supplies for the SWAG Program (Students Working to Achieve Greatness).
Qualifying 501(c)(3) organizations in our service territory are invited to submit an application to the Operation Round Up Foundation.
Through Operation Round Up, our members support local organizations with a mission to make our communities even better places to live, work, and dream big. By simply rounding up your monthly electric bill to the next dollar, you can join in! Our pennies add up to make BIG CHANGE!
Co-op Connections Card
Fall Into Savings!
Fall is the perfect time to make sure your heating and air system is in top shape. Take advantage of the savings offered by our local Co-op Connections partners!
Airtekk Comfort Solutions - 20% off any service; $450 off qualifying heat pumps. 404-550-1582
EnergyWise Heating & Air - 10% discount on any service repair. 706-468-9742
Head Heating & Air - 10% discount on repairs; free estimate on equipment replacement. 478-992-0044
Jackson Heating & Cooling - 10% off any repair or $100 off equipment replacement. 770-775-5262
Lewis and Malone Heating & Air - 10% off first service call. 706-468-0627
Meeks Heating and Air - $49 service call special. 770-227-5753
Nail Heating & Air Conditioning - 10% off services; $150 off new systems. 770-946-8088
Phillips Heating & Air - 10% off services; 5% off equipment. 770-880-9932
Are you a local business who would like to be included in Co-op Connections? Click the link below. It is simple and free!
Credits:
Created with images by stanvpetersen - "electric parking vehicle" • niekverlaan - "lamp idea pear" • Alyson McPhee - "untitled image"