February 2005
23
Middle Georgia EMC Newsletter
Member Newsletter
Middle Georgia
Middle Georgia
The Official Newsletter of Middle Georgia Electric Membership Corporation
P.O. Box 190, Vienna, GA 31092
February 2005
MANAGER'S
MANAGER'S
Comments
Comments
By Hugh Richardson
t was reported last month that our power cost will
take a big jump this year and the increase is being
reflected in our power cost adjustment. Below is a
graph of the history of our residential rate cost to
you and our projection of this year's cost. While the
increase is about 8 percent, the cost per kwh will still
be below that from 1991 to 1995 and will be about
the same as it was in 1997. This jump includes an
anticipated rate change we may have to implement
later in the year. This would be the first rate design
change since our last rate decrease in 2000. (Yes,
we decreased residential
rates about 14 percent in
small increments from
1996 to 2000.) And, I'll even go a little further and
project that the cost per kwh will actually come
down some in 2006. We will keep you updated of
any changes. Check out the Public Service
Commission Web site to compare our residential cost
to other power suppliers in the state. Type in
www.psc.state.ga.us and go to "Electric" and
"Residential Rate Surveys."
I
Power Cost Adjustment Update
1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005
2
4
6
8
10
Residential Cost Per KWH
Cents Per KWH
24
GEORGIA MAGAZINE
Middle Georgia EMC Newsletter
e are a small co-op, says Wes Bennett, GIS
(Geographic Information System) and network
administrator at Middle Georgia EMC. And when it
comes to jobs, many of us here have multiple titles.
I work in the mapping
department of Middle
Georgia EMC and also
perform IT duties here.
Our co-op has an
Automatic Meter Reading
(Hunt Technologies) system
in place that has been work-
ing for three years. I recently
set up a wireless network
here to allow people with
laptops to enjoy freedom
from wires and also to work
from their vehicles.
In our previous setup
process we were copying
files from our server to each
laptop manually. Files
copied to each laptop were Turtle information
(Hunt Technologies), billing information along with
the map information. This took time to copy each
file, because they are very large, from separate
directories on the server.
Suffering from frustration and lack
of time, I wrote a small program in
"Visual Basic" that allows laptop users
to click on a
shortcut from the
desktop to update
their files. This allows users
to select what updates they
want. So, instead of a lot
of clicking and updating,
this little program will allow
pretty much anyone to update
their files.
The wireless network and
this program combined allow
the user to update necessary
files without ever leaving the
truck. With these two objects
in place, they allowed me to
spend more time mapping
and doing other work without
having to update each of the seven laptops that
potentially needed to be updated every day. This
program has been working for several months now
and has proved to be a definite time saver.
Wes Bennett, GIS and network administrator at
Middle Georgia EMC, tied for second place in the
Cooperative Resource Network Tech Tip through
NRECA.
Heating season calls for carbon monoxide alarms
W
·
If you notice any warn-
ing signs that carbon
monoxide is at
harmful levels in
your home--the
air is stuffy and
stale; conden-
sation appears
on windows;
burner flames
turn yellow;
pilot lights
flutter or
extinguish--turn
the appliance off and open
the windows. Call a natural gas con-
tractor to inspect the equipment.
·
Properly maintain your furnace, boiler vents and
chimneys.
eating season is a good time
to make sure the carbon
monoxide detectors in your
house are working properly.
Or, if you don't have any, it's
time to install them.
Carbon monoxide is a poten-
tial byproduct of burning fossil fuels
like gas and oil. It's colorless and odorless, but it's
potently toxic, and can cause everything from dizzi-
ness to death.
Stay safe this winter by taking a few precautions:
·
Install a carbon monoxide alarm outside of every
bedroom.
·
Replace batteries in the alarm at least twice a year.
While you're at it, change the batteries in your
smoke alarms, too.
H
Heating season calls for carbon monoxide alarms
Going wireless
Going wireless
February 2005
25
Middle Georgia EMC Newsletter
Mrs. Salter's Peanut Butter Pie
Recipe Summary
Difficulty: Easy
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Yield: 1 pie
Ingredients
1-1/2 cups heavy whipping cream
1/4 cup sugar
8 ounces cream cheese
1 cup crunchy peanut butter
1 cup 4X powdered sugar
1 graham cracker crust, store-bought or pre-made
Directions
Whip cream with 1/4 cup sugar. Mix all other
ingredients until smooth and fold in whipped
cream until well blended. Pour mixture into a
graham cracker crust and chill for several hours
before serving.
Pecan Dreams
Recipe Summary
Difficulty: Easy
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Yield: 25 small squares
Ingredients
1-1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
1 cup flour
1 (8-ounce) package of cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
1 cup chopped pecans
Topping
1 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons sugar
1 cup almond toffee bits
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Begin by
greasing a 9-inch square pan. Using a
bowl, stir together the confectioners'
sugar and flour. Using a pastry cutter
or fork, cut the cream cheese and but-
ter into the flour mixture until crum-
bly. Press the mixture into the pan
evenly. Pour the nuts over the
pressed dough and bake for 30 min-
utes. Remove the pan from the oven and
allow to cool completely. To make the top-
ping, whip the cream and sugar together, using a
mixer, until stiff. Fold in the almond toffee bits and
spread mixture over cake. Cut into squares and
refrigerate.
Chocolate Meringue Kisses
Recipe Summary
Difficulty: Easy
Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook Time: 12 minutes
Yield: 4 dozen
Ingredients
1 cup confectioners' sugar
3 egg whites, stiffly beaten
1/2 cup crushed saltine crackers
1/2 cup walnuts or pecans, chopped
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 (6-ounce) package semisweet chocolate chips
Directions
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Using a large bowl,
fold the confectioners' sugar a little at a time into the
stiffly beaten egg whites. Add the crackers, nuts and
vanilla and fold gently. Melt the chocolate over a
double boiler and allow to cool slightly. Fold the
melted chocolate into the egg-white mixture. Using a
greased cookie sheet, drop the mixture by rounded
half teaspoonfuls. Place in the oven and bake for 12
minutes. Remove cookies from oven and repeat until
the batter has been used completely.
Desserts for the Valentine in your life
Compliments of Paula Deen and the Food Network
Desserts for the Valentine in your life
Compliments of Paula Deen and the Food Network
26
Middle Georgia EMC Newsletter
Board of Directors
Don Wood
President
Johnny Noble
Vice President
Kay West
Secretary
John David McCall
Treasurer
Jerry F. Rhodes
Director
Royce Conner
Director
Ronnie Fleeman
Director
Ronnie Youngblood
Director
David Dunaway
Director
Davis and Forehand
Attorneys
Staff
Hugh Richardson
General Manager
Lisa Laney
Executive Secretary,
Newsletter Editor
Randy Kent
Office Manager
Mike McGee
Manager of Operations
and Engineering
Vienna Area (229) 268-2671
Rochelle
(Day) (229) 365-2263
(Night) 1-800-342-0144
Hawkinsville
(Day) (478) 892-3436
(Night) 1-800-342-0144
Office Hours
Mon-Fri 8 a.m.-5 p.m.
(Branch offices closed from
12-1 p.m. daily)
Closed Saturday, Sunday and holidays.
There is a dispatcher on call 24 hours
a day for your convenience.
GEORGIA MAGAZINE
Years of Service Recognition for Middle Georgia EMC employees who celebrated an
anniversary in January 2005 include the following:
John McAnally
, first class lineman,
is celebrating his 24th year;
Mike McGee
, manager of Operations & Engineering, is
celebrating his 18th year;
Ricky Boyd
, first class lineman, is celebrating his 16th year;
Linda Quick
, plant accountant, is celebrating her fourth year; and both
Wes Bennett
(GIS & Network Admin.) and
Laurie Mincey
(cashier in the Hawkinsville office) are
celebrating their third year. Also, congratulations are in order to
William Smith
, Middle
Georgia EMC's mechanic, for being voted the 2004 Employee of the Year!
Years of Service Recognition
Years of Service Recognition
Our 2004
Christmas card
featured Logan
Jacobs, son of
Kylie and Brandon
Jacobs of Vienna.
Logan is our
youngest lineman
here at Middle
Georgia EMC; he
is only a year old!
Our Youngest Lineman
Bright office lights can brighten the moods of the people who work
under them.
A study by Circadian Technologies, a firm that monitors the per-
formance of shift workers, says bright lighting may increase employee
performance by up to 20 percent.
In the study, Circadian exposed people to five different lighting
conditions: two with constant light intensity and three with varying
intensity.
Researchers tested participants for alertness, mood and performance before, during and
after each application.
The results showed increases of 10 percent to 20 percent in performance, with mood and
alertness improving the greatest during morning hours.
Better performance, one study author says, could offset the cost of changing over to
high-intensity lighting.
Brighten lights; brighten moods
Brighten lights; brighten moods