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Volume 1, Number 8July 2011
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Estimated Reading Time:

5.5 minutes

In This Issue
Stay Connected!
Fun Fact
Beat the Heat
Energy Efficiency Seminar
Discount Savings
A Few cents. A Big Difference.
Stay Connected!

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Here's what you will learn about:
  • Co-op Connections Card Business of the week
  • Energy saving tips
  • GreyStone News
  • GreyStone Programs and Services
  • 'How To' videos to help manage your energy usage.
  • And more!!!
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Fun Fact of the Day

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DID YOU KNOW?
In July 1776,
the estimated number of people living in the newly independent nation were 2.5 million. Today, our nation has an estimated 311.7 million.
 
Source: census.gov
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______________________________
We hope you have found this information both useful and informative. Stay tuned each month as we introduce new information to you while having a little fun in the process. Let us know what you think. Send us your suggestions and we will see how we can include them in E-Link.

Be sure to adjust your spam settings which could prevent you from receiving future newsletters. Simply add us as a 'safe sender' and you will be ready to go!

Sincerely,

Amanda Busby

E-Link Editor

Public Relations & Communications Specialist
GreyStone Power 

 

 

 

 

 

*Please note: Spacing issues are a result of the email program or browser used to view this email.

Independence Day

As children, we wanted the security of knowing our parents were there. As teenagers, we could have cared less. Being independent is all we could think about. "Just wait until I am old enough! I will make all of my own decisions," many of us thought. As adults, we know better and understand the parents' role.

July 4 kids

 

For some of us, that day of independence came sooner than others. As adults, we are awarded the opportunity to make decisions on a daily basis; and not all of them are easy. We have been given the opportunity to vote and voice our opinions.

 

There was a time when our forefathers did not share these luxuries. They had little to no say in what went on around them and in their towns. This month marks the 235th anniversary of our independence from Great Britain. Our ancestors fought so that we could experience freedom and have a voice, and it's time we start using it.

 

We are currently part of a national campaign to engage elected officials to help our country meet climate change goals while keeping electricity reliable and affordable. The outcome of this legislation could have an effect on our electricity supply, technology and affordability to our members. In addition, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is stepping in with costly rules and regulations of their own related to the generation of power. How awful it would be for members to have to sit in the dark again because they simply can't afford the electricity. Candles for light. Fires for heat. Wood burning stove manufacturers would love the new business! But wouldn't that be sending us back towards the dark ages instead of pushing us forward to the future?

 

Learn more about this cause and make your voice heard today! You can take action and ask your elected officials to keep electric bills affordable. Don't forget to say thank you to those who are taking these issues seriously and working to keep our costs down.

GreyStone members are fortunate to be represented by U.S. congressmen and senators like Rep. Phil Gingrey, Rep. Lynn Westmoreland, Sen. Johnny Isakson and Sen. Saxby Chambliss, who are concerned about their constituents continuing to have affordable, reliable electricity and have spoken out against these costly actions.  

   

To send a letter to your congressmen, or to learn more, visit ourenergy.coop

 

Pictured above: Kennedy Fields and Drake Bentley of Dallas, Ga.

Beat the Heat

Quick! Find your checklist! Close the curtains and the blinds. Check! Set the thermostat to 78 degrees. Check! Turn the ceiling fan on medium, blowing down. Check! Change the air filter for the month. Double check the weather-stripping around the windows and the doors. Make sure all supply air registers are open. Check! Check! Check! summer man with ice_2

 

There are many different things you can do to offset the slightly higher summer rates that you are experiencing right now. The checklist above names just a few, but you can find many more at TogetherWeSave.com. Your action can cause a positive reaction in what you see when you look at your next bill.

 

Last month, we experienced 19 consecutive days over 90 degrees! That means the air conditioning units were working overtime. The cooler our homes, the higher our bills. Now is a great time to put some energy tips into practice.

 

Summer rates will be in effect through Oct. 31, so there's no time like the present to start saving energy and money. The slightly higher rate schedule is designed to help recover the higher costs caused by the peak demand during this time period and the need to operate additional generating plants to meet the need.

 

Historically, electricity usage increases in the summer when homes and businesses use more air conditioning, refrigeration and other electrical equipment. Naturally, keeping homes and businesses cool when temperatures soar costs more. To help us keep costs down for our members, we encourage them to always conserve, but especially during the summer months. Those who value comfort over economy may use their air conditioning as much as they like, but at a higher cost per kilowatt hour than in the winter. This means that those who conserve during the summer are rewarded by lower electric bills, while those who use as much as they like, pay the highest bills. In a sense the high users help subsidize costs for those who make more of an effort to conserve.

 

Due to our innovative methods of dealing with high demand, negotiating the best rates in wholesale power contracts, and encouraging you, our members to conserve, you enjoy some of the lowest rates in the state and nation, winter or summer.

 

A winter 2011 Residential Rate Survey by the Georgia Public Service Commission shows GreyStone's rates as some of the lowest in the state among electric cooperatives. GreyStone's winter rates were the eighth lowest in the state among 42 electric cooperatives at the 1,000 kilowatt-hour (kWh) usage mark, which is closest to the average usage of members per month.

 

The cost of 1,000 kWh of usage under GreyStone's winter rates was $94.95, while the average for four other local electric providers was $108.58. For all EMCs in the Residential Rate Survey, the average cost for 1,000 kWh of usage under these rates was $107.84.

Energy Efficiency Seminar

airtightTHERE'S STILL TIME TO R.S.V.P. for the next Energy Efficiency Seminar!

 

Join us on July 28 as we host our second Energy Efficiency Seminar

for GreyStone members! 

 

Our primary goal for this seminar will be to teach you, our members, the various ways you can save money throughout your home by reducing your energy usage. Come and learn how to perform your own personal energy audit in order to achieve and maintain those savings.

 

"The energy efficiency seminar conducted on May 17 was very informative, professionally run, and totally member-oriented. I learned so much from the presentations. The take-home material was priceless. The GreyStone employee greetings and personal involvement was a difference maker and something I certainly noticed and appreciated. In essence, the seminar was worth the invested time. Job well done!" says GreyStone member Tantalous Smith.

 

The seminar will cover existing and new home energy efficiency measures, rebate and financing opportunities and web services. For more information or to R.S.V.P., call 770-370-2273 or email [email protected].

 

SEMINAR:    Thursday, July 28, 7-9 p.m.

LOCATION:  GreyStone Power Auditorium

INVITATION CRITERIA:  Adults only. This is not an event for children.

 

Limited seating left. Only 100 seats available!

Reservations are required. First come, first serve.

 

Registration deadline is July 15.

 

**This seminar is free, and is not an attempt to sell you any service or product.**

Discounts at the touch of a finger!

iPhone app

So... You are checking out at the pharmacy and you remember to look for your Co-op Connections discount card to reduce the cost of your prescription. You can't find it, and then remember that your son took it because he was meeting a friend at Quiznos for lunch and wanted to use it there. You are left wondering how you can get your discount without the card in hand.

 

Well, no worries! With the introduction of the smartphone app, available on the iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad and the Droid, you can now have access to your card information any time you need it. Simply open your app and show the back of the card image to the cashier. It's that easy!

 

With GPS capabilities, the new app has also made it easier for you to find deals at participating businesses in your area. It can even tell you how many miles away they are! 

 

Learn more about the Co-op Connections program and the many different ways you can save. You can also get a current listing of businesses by visiting connections.coop/greystonepower. You can also call to request a card at 770-370-2436, or to print your own card, visit connections.coop/pharmacy.php.

  

LOOK WHO RECENTLY JOINED THE PROGRAM OR UPDATED THEIR OFFER!

 

G and A Graphics (commercial printing)

Austell . . . . ... . . . . . . . . . . . . 770-944-0465

10% off.

 

Astoria Riverside Park  (apartment homes)

Atlanta . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 404-344-1336

No administration fee and deposit. Preferred pricing package.

A few cents can make a big difference

ORU small"It's only a few cents. I don't see how my $.46 could help anyone so I won't even bother. It would cause more work for someone processing the paperwork than help to others. What kind of a difference would that make?" 

 

Truth is that type of thinking is nonsense! A few cents each month multiplied by 103,000 members (if everyone joined the program) could make a huge difference assisting the many Operation Round Up charities and organizations. Let's do the math... $.46 multiplied by 103,000 would equal $47,380; and that's just one month! Let's take it a step further-- multiply that figure by 12 months and you would have helped raise $568,560! Just think how that money could be used to help the non-profit organizations in your communities! That's A LOT of money!

 

Operation Round Up supports charities such as local food pantries, the Boys and Girls clubs, pregnancy centers, camps for children, and many other non-profit organizations in our area. Your round up could make more of a difference than you could truly imagine.

 

Learn more about Operation Round Up and how you could impact a life with just a few cents each month! You can also sign up by calling 770-370-2960 or send in an individual donation to Operation Round Up, GreyStone Power Foundation, Inc., P.O. Box 897, Douglasville, GA, 30133. All donations are tax deductible.

Copyright � 2011 GreyStone Power Corporation.
Business Telephone: 770-942-6576  /  Outage Telephone: 1-866-GREYSYONE; 770-949-7880; 770-942-6576
[email protected]
All Rights Reserved.

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GreyStone Power's Green Power program is certified by Green-e Energy. To view copies of the  notice of Price, Terms and Conditions of service and/or the Product Content Label click here.
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