Who’s looking out for you? Read monthly in more than 590,000 homes
Published by North Carolina Association of Electric Cooperatives, Inc. 3400 Sumner Blvd. Raleigh, NC 27616 (800) 662-8835 www.carolinacountry.com Editor Michael E.C. Gery, (800/662-8835 ext. 3062) Senior Associate Editor Renee C. Gannon, CCC (800/662-8835 ext. 3209) Contributing Editor Karen Olson House, (800/662-8835 ext. 3036) Creative Director Tara Verna, (800/662-8835 ext. 3134) Senior Graphic Designer Warren Kessler, (800/662-8835 ext. 3090) Graphic Designer Linda Van de Zande, (800/662-8835 ext. 3110) Publication Business Specialist Jenny Lloyd, (800/662-8835 ext. 3091) Advertising Jennifer Boedart Hoey, (800/662-8835 ext. 3077) Todd Boersma, (919/293-0199) Executive Vice President & CEO Rick Thomas Senior Vice President, Corporate Relations Nelle Hotchkiss North Carolina’s electric cooperatives provide reliable, safe and affordable electric service to 850,000 homes, farms and businesses in North Carolina. The 26 electric cooperatives are each member-owned, not-for-profit and overseen by a board of directors elected by the membership. All content © Carolina Country unless otherwise indicated. Member, Audit Bureau of Circulations Periodicals postage paid at Raleigh, N.C., and additional mailing offices. Editorial offices: 3400 Sumner Blvd., Raleigh, N.C. 27616. Carolina Country® is a registered trademark of the North Carolina Association of Electric Cooperatives, Inc. (ISSN 0008-6746) (USPS 832800) POSTMASTER: Send form 3579 to P.O. Box 27306, Raleigh, N.C. 27611. Subscriptions:Individual subscriptions, $10 per year. $20 outside U.S.A. Schools, libraries, $6. Members, less than $4. Address Change: To change address, send magazine mailing label to your electric cooperative. Carolina Country magazine is a member of the National Country Market family of publications, collectively reaching over 7 million households. Advertising published in Carolina Country is accepted on the premise that the merchandise and services offered are accurately described and willingly sold to customers at the advertised price. The magazine, North Carolina Association of Electric Cooperatives, Inc., and the member cooperatives do not necessarily endorse the products or services advertised. Advertising that does not conform to these standards or that is deceptive or misleading is never knowingly accepted. Should you encounter advertising that does not comply with these standards, please inform Carolina Country at P.O. Box 27306, Raleigh, NC 27611. (919) 875-3062. Carolina Country is available on cassette tape as a courtesy of volunteer services at the N.C. Department of Cultural Resources, Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped, Raleigh, N.C. (888) 388-2460.
HAS YOUR ADDRESS CHANGED? Carolina Country magazine is available monthly to members of North Carolina’s electric cooperatives. If you are a member of one of these cooperatives but do not receive Carolina Country, you may request a subscription by calling Member Services at the office of your cooperative. If your address has changed, please inform your cooperative.
By Morris McClelion As the energy buzz gets louder—rising demand, higher prices, lower carbon emissions, better fuel efficiency, greater energy independence, more renewable energy—you might wonder, “Who is looking out for us?” As the “expert advice” comes at you from all sides—efficient appliances, “green” products, energy tax credits, hybrid vehicles—you might be asking yourself, “Who can we trust?” In North Carolina and across the U.S., electric cooperatives for more than 60 years have worked as a network in your favor. The electric cooperative utility that you own operates with only you in mind and always has. Electric cooperatives naturally conduct business for the benefit of their consumer-members. Cooperatives are not organized to make a profit, but instead to deliver a reliable and affordable service to their members. Even in today’s complex energy climate, our purpose remains unchanged. Cooperatives always combine resources not only to run our businesses most efficiently, but also to make things happen. As state and federal governments enact legislation affecting the energy we deliver and the environment around us, your local cooperative representatives routinely visit legislative and executive offices to help policymakers understand how the issues affect real people: taxes, increased regulations and mandates, local business development, and cost implications of new technologies and standards. Simply put, cooperatives act as your advocate in the energy arena. Your cooperative continually trains employees to understand not only how electricity works for you, but also what new services can help you as a consumer. If you see a “green” product or an energy-saving service that promises to cut your energy bill more than any
other, your electric cooperative can supply straight answers about how well these investments really work and whether it will work for you. Because we always have been involved with improving the quality of life in our communities, cooperatives care about using energy resources wisely in order to leave a cleaner world for our children. That’s why you’ll also see coops involved in project demonstrations that help explain how the generation and consumption of electricity really work. We are involved with realistic solar and wind energy investments, truly efficient appliances, effective energy-saving measures you can count on, as well as how to use electricity safely and more efficiently. As long as cooperatives have been in the business of supplying you with reliable, affordable energy, we have provided you with the information behind the business. Carolina Country magazine, your co-op’s newsletter and Web site, and information supplied with your monthly bill regularly keep you up to date on issues affecting your cooperative and your electricity costs. We also keep open relationships with news media statewide, local civic organizations, businesses, farmers, schools, churches and municipal governments to help them understand our issues as well. Communicating has always been a priority among cooperatives. And that works both ways: cooperatives are utilities that listen to those they serve. In today’s maze of energy issues, who’s looking out for you? Your cooperative, that’s who.
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Morris McClelion is CEO and general manager of Central Electric Membership Corporation, the Touchstone Energy cooperative serving more than 19,000 members in Chatham, Harnett, Lee, and parts of Moore and Randolph counties. He also is president of the North Carolina Association of Electric Cooperatives.
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