MG_NL_0806

August 2006

Middle Georgia EMC Newsletter

Member Newsletter

Middle Georgia

The Official Newsletter of Middle Georgia Electric Membership Corporation

P.O. Box 190, Vienna, GA 31092

August 2006

MANAGER'S

Comments

By Hugh Richardson

kay, I know the cost of electricity

has jumped tremendously in

the last two years, and I agree

that the jump was quick, but

when you evaluate the unit cost

as compared to the past, it's real-

ly not that bad.

This year, our members will be

paying approximately 9.9 cents per

kilowatt-hour for residential rates, which

includes facilities charges and power cost adjust-

ments. In 1940, this cost was around 2.2 cents

per kwh. Over

the past 66

years, this

equates to

a 2.3 percent annual increase.

Another comparison: If you take

the unit cost during the late 1980s and

early '90s, and adjust it to today's dollars

using just a 2 percent inflation rate, then the

cost back then ranged from 11 to 12 cents per

kwh. This means that we are actually paying less

than the cost 15 years ago.

Electricity is still a good value

Years of Service Recognition

Middle Georgia EMC's July employees celebrating an anniver-

sary are as follows: Apparatus Technician

Danny Goss

is celebrat-

ing his 27th year with the co-op. Serviceman

Rosby Anderson

celebrating his 20th year with Middle Georgia EMC. And finally we
have

Chipper Jones

celebrating four years at Middle Georgia EMC.

I would also like to mention that

Christy Troupe

became our full-

time cashier in the Vienna Office on July 3, 2006. Christy has
worked part time at all of our offices for more than two years,
and we are so happy to have her on full time now.

In addition,

Ann Evans

retired as of Monday, July 31, 2006,

after almost 34 years as our billing clerk. She will be greatly
missed by all of our employees, directors and members. To honor
her years of service, Middle Georgia EMC hosted a retirement din-
ner in her honor at The Retreat at Lake Blackshear on the evening
of July 31, 2006.

Middle Georgia EMC would like to welcome

Mary Anne

McDuffie

as our new part-time, fill-in cashier.

GEORGIA MAGAZINE

Middle Georgia EMC Newsletter

he weather is sultry and there's a hint of rain in

the air. Suddenly, the skies grow dark and heavy

rain begins to fall. Your television reports severe
weather, possible tornadoes and hail. Do you know
what to do?

Disasters can happen at any time, and at their

most severe, you could be left without electricity,
gas, running water or phone service. Stores and
banks could be closed, and roads impassable. Help,
if needed, could be a long time away.

The Medical College of Georgia's (MCG)

Children's Medical Center offers the following checklist
to help families prepare in the event of an emergency:

1. Before a disaster happens, talk with your family

to formulate an action plan. Topics should include:

What is a disaster, what are the most common
disasters that could occur in your area and
what are the warning signs?

What needs to happen in case you need
to shelter in place or in the event of an
evacuation?

Who should be called in the event of an emer-
gency? Remember to also identify someone out-
of-state as a central contact for everyone to call.

Where should the family meet if separated?

What do you do in case of fire, and where are
the escape routes?
Remember, when talking with children, get down

to their eye level and reassure them while providing
an honest, realistic picture. Let them know there will
be people who can help if they get separated.
Encourage them to discuss their fears and feelings,
and to ask questions.

2. Assemble a Family Disaster Kit. The following

items should be assembled
in your home, ready to
grab in case of an
emergency:

A three-day supply
of water and food. Aim for
one gallon of water per person
per day. Food should require no
refrigeration and little or no
water. Don't forget the manual
can opener.

A first-aid kit. Include items such as
cleanser, sunscreen and anti-diarrhea

Disaster planning 1-2-3

medication, along with the
usual first-aid supplies.

Clothing and bedding. Every
person needs one complete
change of clothing and foot-
wear. Have sleeping bags or
blankets for each person too.

Tools and emergency supplies.
Remember flashlights and bat-
teries, a battery-operated radio,
candles and waterproof matches, a
shut-off wrench to disable gas and water, signal
flare, whistle, plastic sheeting and tape, as well as
personal hygiene products, including toilet paper.

Special items. Keep copies of important docu-
ments such as passports, insurance policies and
deeds in a portable waterproof container.
(Originals should be kept in a safe deposit box.)
If anyone in your family has special needs, make
sure to keep copies of prescriptions and medical
records in a safe place and store a two-week sup-
ply of any medicines or necessary supplies.

Children's needs. For infants, remember comfort
items like toys or a blanket as well as extra dia-
pers and formula/
powdered milk. Also,
make sure children
know or have on
them their address,
phone number, par-
ents' names and an
emergency contact
number in case of
separation. For the
older child, a "Get
Ready Kit" can be
made with games, cards, a favorite toy, family
and pet pictures, puzzles, crayons and paper.

Pets' needs. Don't forget to include your family
pets during planning.

3. Learn CPR and first aid. Check with your local

American Red Cross chapter to find out about classes.

Through honest communication and proper

planning, your family can be prepared to act, cope
and recover in case of an emergency.

For more information, please visit www.

mcghealth.org.

August 2006

Middle Georgia EMC Newsletter

Clean lint traps

ere's an easy way to keep your house from

burning down: Clean the lint trap in your

clothes dryer every time you use it.

Twenty people die every year in fires caused by

clogged exhaust systems in clothes dryers, says the
U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. The
clogs most often are caused by lint buildup.

To prevent lint buildup:

Clean the lint trap before drying each load of
laundry.

Periodically vacuum the gasket around the dryer
door and anywhere else lint and dust might
accumulate.

Check around the exhaust hood covering the

outlet for lint buildup every
few months.

Properly vent your dryer
so it exhausts to the
outdoors.

Aside from preventing
fires, a lint-free exhaust
system helps your dryer
operate more efficiently, so it
will dry your clothes quicker and
use less energy.

Every so often, wash the lint filter in your clothes
dryer with a little soap and warm water to help
extend the lifespan of that appliance.

Middle Georgia EMC participates

in Honor's Day ceremonies

obert Herman, Member Services supervisor at

Middle Georgia EMC, represented our cooperative

at the Honor's Day ceremonies at Fullington Academy
in Pinehurst and Westfield Academy in Perry.

Robert attended the Honor's Day ceremony at

Fullington Academy to honor Andrew Langston for his
achievement of being one of our Washington Youth
Tour delegates and Jessica Thompson for being chosen
to receive a $500 scholarship to help with college
expenses.

Robert also attended the Honor's Day ceremony at

Westfield Academy to honor Zack Hamsley for being
one of our Washington Youth Tour delegates.

Jessica Thompson

Andrew Langston

Zack Hamsley

Middle Georgia EMC participates

in Honor's Day ceremonies

Middle Georgia EMC Newsletter

GEORGIA MAGAZINE

ight skyrocketing gas prices by taking con-

trol of your vehicle's unnecessary fuel con-

sumption advises the Car Care Council, the
source of information for the "Be Car Care
Aware" consumer education campaign pro-
moting the benefits of regular vehicle care,
maintenance and repair to consumers.

The Car Care Council offers the
following tips that really work:

Vehicle gas caps: About 17 percent of
vehicles on the road have gas caps that
are either damaged, loose or missing
altogether, causing 147 million gallons of gas to vaporize every year.

Underinflated tires: When tires aren't inflated properly, it's like
driving with the parking brake on and can cost a mile or two per
gallon.

Worn spark plugs: A vehicle can have either four, six or eight spark
plugs, which fire as many as 3 million times every 1,000 miles, result-
ing in a lot of heat and electrical and chemical erosion. A dirty spark
plug causes misfiring, which wastes fuel. Replace spark plugs regu-
larly based on the manufacturer's recommendations.

Dirty air filters: An air filter clogged with dirt, dust and bugs
chokes off the air and creates a "rich" mixture--too much gas being
burned for the amount of air, wasting gas and causing the engine to
lose power. Replacing a clogged air filter can improve gas mileage
by as much as 10 percent, saving about 15 cents a gallon.

Fuel-saving driving tips include:

Don't be an aggressive driver: Aggressive driving can lower gas
mileage by as much as 33 percent on the highway and 5 percent on
city streets.

Avoid excessive idling: Sitting idle gets zero mpg. Warming up the
vehicle for one to two minutes is sufficient.

Observe speed limits: Each mpg driven over 60 results in an addi-
tional 10 cents per gallon. To maintain a constant speed on the high-
way, cruise control is recommended.

Combining errands into one trip saves gas and time: Several
short trips taken from a cold start can use twice as much fuel as a
longer, multi-purpose trip covering the same distance.

Avoid carrying unneeded heavy items in a truck: An extra 100
pounds can cut fuel efficiency by a percent or two.

As part of the "Be Car Care Aware" education campaign, the Car

Care Council also offers a free service-interval schedule to help take the
guesswork out of what vehicle systems need to be routinely inspected
and when service or repairs should be performed. The schedule can be
printed for free from the Car Care Council's Web site at www.carcare.org.

--The Car Care Council

Take control of rising gas prices:
Don't let your money evaporate

Board of Directors

Don Wood

President

Johnny Noble

Vice President

Kay West

Secretary

Ronnie Youngblood

Treasurer

John David McCall

Director

Jerry F. Rhodes

Director

Royce Conner

Director

Ronnie Fleeman

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.