On the House

SHE DID EVERYTHING RIGHT

Seventeen-year-old Mary Gehrig was driving home from a friend’s house when a storm turned from average to angry.

The storm was not a problem during the first part of her drive, and she assumed it would stay that way during the half-hour ride home. “I’ve never really been afraid to drive in storms; I’m pretty good with them,” she explained. “I’ve always been fascinated with thunder and lightning.”

Unbeknownst to Mary, a stronger, more violent storm was about to erupt, and conditions grew worse than anyone had anticipated. The typically familiar and uneventful drive was neither of those things that June night.

Strong rotations formed and their herculean strength folded several metal transmission towers in half. Around 15 to 20 minutes into the drive, Mary’s knuckles gripped the wheel as she struggled to see in front of her. During lightning flashes, she saw little white lines in the distance. As she got closer, she realized that those lines were across the road, in her path, and that they were anything but small.

“I realized I was not going to (be able to) drive over it,” Gehrig recalls. She slammed on the brakes and her car struck the object, which happened to be one of two high-voltage transmission power lines lying in the road. The massive cable stopped Mary’s car in its tracks. The car’s electrical system was damaged, and she was stuck there alone during the storm.

What happened next was lifechanging — but in a good way. Mary picked up her phone and called her parents. When her dad heard that there was a downed power line involved, he told her to stay where she was, not get out of the car, and call 9-1-1.

Fire chief Rich Schock, who was on the scene that night, said, “Those are large transmission lines with a lot of volts in them,” adding that the outcome could have been fatal had Mary gotten out. “Mary did everything right,” he said.

KNOW WHAT TO DO

When there is an accident involving downed power lines, a padmount transformer or other related equipment:

• Call 9-1-1 and report that a downed line or other electrical equipment is involved.

• Do not get out of the vehicle until electric utility workers say it is safe to exit.

• Warn those involved in the accident to stay put and alert others who might approach to stay back.

Exiting the vehicle is a last resort and should only be attempted if the car is on fire or giving off smoke. If this is the case, exit the vehicle by crossing your arms and jumping from the vehicle without touching it. Then, hop with both feet together as far as you can.

Summer rates return May 1 Rights-of-way Summer residential rates return maintenancebeginning with May 1 electric bills. While our summer rates are schedule slightly higher (12.48¢) than our winter rates (11.49¢), the co-op is currently issuing a wholesale Tideland has hired Lucas Tree power cost adjustment (WPCA) Experts to trim trees in our rightscredit, which reduces the billed of-way. cost for power. During May Lucas crews will be The co-op recommends an air working in Pinetown, along conditioning setting of 78° F for Braddy Road and in Duck Creek. an occupied home and 85° F for an unoccupied home. If you find Lee Electric construction crews the 78° F setting uncomfortable, will continue work on the Dowry check your home’s indoor Creek circuit along Hyde Park humidity level. If it is above 50%, Canal and in the Rose Bay area look for ways to reduce indoor served by our Ponzer substation. humidity to allow for a higher thermostat setting. Strategies for Remember to support these reducing indoor humidity important system maintenance include running bathroom operations. Proper tree care leads exhaust fans while showering, to greater system reliability. covering pots and pans while cooking, and reducing the num- Please observe proper distances ber of indoor plants that require when planting trees and erecting frequent watering. Keep in mind fences and other structures. And that oversized air-conditioning always call 811 to have undersystems will not run long enough ground utilities located before beginning an excavation or construction project.

to properly dehumidify, so avoid the urge to oversize when installing a new HVAC system. Fans are an economical way to cool off but remember: fans cool people. They do not cool rooms. Therefore, cut fans off in unoccupied rooms. Likewise, you should never operate your HVAC system in the “On” mode, which will continuously operate the system blower. Use the “Auto” mode instead. If you are going to be way from home an extended period of time, turn your thermostat to 85°F and cut your water heater breaker off. When you are home we recommend a thermostat setting of 78°F If summer generally produces your highest electric bills during the year, consider enrolling in our levelized billing program before temperatures crank up. Levelized billing is a great way to insulate yourself from seasonal billing fluctuations.

Service

inspections

Bellwether Management Solutions has completed service inspections of those metered locations served by the Pantego substation and were wrapping up Sidney substation inspections in April. Bellwether will move to Ponzer substation services next.

Inspections have moved along fairly quickly thus far thanks to the overwhelming majority of members being in compliance with both safety and access protocols.

Know before you grow

Always be aware of the location of power lines, and designate preplanned routes that avoid hazard areas.

Be aware of increased height when loading and transporting tractors on trailer beds. Many tractors are equipped with radios and communications systems that have very tall antennas extending from the cab that could make contact with power lines. Avoid raising the arms of planters or cultivators or raising truck beds near power lines, and never attempt to raise or move a power line to clear a path.

Simply coming too close to a power line while working is dangerous as electricity can arc or “jump” to conducting material or objects, such as a ladder, pole, or truck. Remember, non-metallic materials such as

lumber, tree limbs, tires, ropes, and hay will conduct electricity depending on dampness, dust, and dirt contamination. When guy wires (a grounded wire used to stabilize utility poles) are broken, these normally neutral wires can be anything but harmless. If you hit a guy wire and break it, call the utility to fix it. Do not do it yourself. When dealing with electrical poles and wires, always call the electric utility.

If your equipment does come into contact with power lines, stay in the cab and call for help. Warn others who may be nearby to stay away and wait until the electric utility arrives.

If leaving the cab is necessary, as in the case of fire, the proper action is to jump—not step—with both feet hitting the ground at the same time. Hop to safety, keeping both feet together as you leave the area. Once you get away from the equipment, never attempt to get back on or even touch the equipment before the power has been shut off.

Farm managers should make sure full-time and seasonal workers are educated on these safety precautions, and danger areas need to be thoroughly identified and labeled.

www.tidelandemc.com

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

J. Douglas Brinson, President Clifton Paul, Vice President Mark Carawan, Secretary David Ipock, Treasurer Rudy Austin, Garry Jordan, Dawson Pugh, Paul Sasnett, Wayne Sawyer & Charles Slade

GENERAL MANAGER & CEO

Paul Spruill

EDITOR

Heidi Jernigan Smith

Member Service

252.943.3046 800.637.1079

24 Hour Outage Reporting & Automated Services

252.944.2400 800.882.1001

Tideland EMC is an equal opportunity provider & employer

Facebook “f” Logo

Facebook “f” Logo CMYK / .eps Facebook “f” Logo

CMYK / .eps Facebook “f” Logo CMYK / .eps CMYK / .eps

Holiday

Closing Holiday Our offices will be closed office closing December 24 and 25 as well as January 1. Our Our offices will be closed 24-hour call center will Monday, May 30, in be fully staffed for outage observance of Memorial reporting and account Day. Our 24-hour call management. center will be staffed and Merry Christmas on-call crews will be on and a Happy New Year! standby to respond to service emergencies and outages. Take care and remember to celebrate responsibly.

OFFICIAL NOTICE OF 2022 ANNUAL MEETING OF MEMBERS

MEMBER SATISFACTION: 80 years of promises kept

TIDELAND EMC’S SATISFACTION RATINGS REMAIN AMONG THE HIGHEST IN THE INDUSTRY

88

TIDELAND EMC

73

TOUCHSTONE ENERGY COOPERATIVES

72

INVESTOR OWNED

71

MUNICIPALITY OWNED

TIDELAND EMC 2021 ANNUAL REPORT TO MEMBERS

Innovation and service are the cornerstones for a bolder, brighter energy future

Rate stability continued through 2021, with a

wholesale purchase power adjustment credit

of $0.00179 issued for every kilowatt hour sold

during the year. As the fog of the pandemic

began to lift, electric sales increased 7% over

the previous year, even outpacing the 10-year

running annual sales average by 3%.

As we neared completion of our most recent construction work plan,

which kicked off in 2017, net electric plant assets increased 25%. The

result has been major infrastructure improvements that leave us better

prepared to serve a growing membership with improved system reliability

and greater resiliency during volatile weather. Favorable interest rates

further contributed to the current period of rate stability by reducing the

co-op’s long-term borrowing costs. New wholesale power contracts indi-

cate a return to peak demand management strategies that we employed

in the 1980s and 1990s. Modernization of our substations and further

development of smart grid technologies in the past five years have better

positioned us to reap the cost-saving benefits of load reduction strategies.

American Customer Satisfaction IndexTM

OUR BOARD OF DIRECTORS

NC Electric Cooperative’s Poletop Rescue Competition resumed following a pandemic hiatus. Tideland was represented by lineman Matthew Neal.

MEMBERSHIP MATTERS

For the year ending December 31, 2021, Tideland EMC issued credits to both current and former members of the cooperative totaling $2 million. The source of those credits was threefold:

• Wholesale power cost adjustment (WPCA) credits issued monthly totaled $625,805 in 2021. The increase from 2020, $440,000, was attributed to 7% higher kilowatt-hour sales in 2021.

• Capital credit refunds to the estates of deceased members totaled $580,490.

• A general retirement of capital credits in December 2021 to members who had service with the cooperative in the years 1992 and/or 1993 totaled $800,000.

In 2021, Tideland paved the way for our members to access low-interest financing for backup generators and other energy-related projects with a pathway to membership in the ElecTel Cooperative Federal Credit Union.

ANNUAL KWH SALES

400,000,000 350,000,000 300,000,000 250,000,000 200,000,000 150,000,000 100,000,000 50,000,000 0 KWH

2021 HIGHLIGHTS

Bright Ideas Classroom Grants

In-person safety education

• Funded 9 Bright Ideas grants totaling $13,503, benefiting 1,198 students in local classrooms

• Awarded 8 college scholarships to graduating high school seniors

• Co-op employees experienced no lost-time injuries

• Returning to in-person public presentations, we delivered safety education to 540 participants

• In our 80th year of service, we achieved a 88% member satisfaction rating, head and shoulders above investor-owned and municipal utilities and even most co-ops

Merritt circuit improvements

This 3-year project culminated in the installation of 195 new poles and heavied-up conductor to increase capacity and reliability in one of our fastest-growing areas.

34.5kV subtransmission line

In late November, crews completed the replacement of 140 aged wooden poles with ductile iron poles along the Hwy. 32 corridor in Beaufort Countyat.

Lake Phelps upgrade

Work is 86% complete to rebuild the portion of the Dowry Creek circuit that serves Lake Phelps, including major agricultural loads in Washington County

WE LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING YOU AGAIN IN PERSON

Official Notice of Annual Meeting

You are hereby notified that the 2022 Annual Meeting of Members of Tideland Electric Membership Corporation will be held at Beaufort County Community College in Washington, NC, on Thursday, May 12, at 7:00 p.m. to take action upon the following matters:

1) the reports of officers, directors and committees; 2) the election of three (3) directors of the cooperative to serve three years terms; & 3) the transaction of such other and further business which may come before the meeting, or any adjournment thereof.

In accordance with the Cooperative’s bylaws, the nominating committee nominated the following members as candidates for seats on the Board of Directors: District 1: Rudy Austin District 3: Dawson Pugh District 9: J. Douglas Brinson There were no nominations by petition. Meeting registration will begin at 6:30 p.m. Mark Carawan Secretary