Albemarle Soundsis published monthly by

Albemarle Electric Membership Corporation

P.O. Box 69Hertford, NC 27944

(252) 426-5735

Gary Ray, General ManagerChris Powell, Editor

Website and member portal:www.aemc.coop

Outages:1-800-274-2072

24-hour payments: (252) 426-4419

We are members of NC 811. Call 811 or 1-800-632-4949

two business days before you plan to dig. They will contact us to locate any underground

electric lines. It’s the law.

December 2017 Proudly serving the members of Albemarle Electric Membership Corporation

Albemarle EMC Carolina Country DECEMBER 2017 21

AEMC to Sponsor Trip for

StudentsAlbemarle EMC is seeking

applications from students interested in attending the annual Electric Cooperative Youth Tour to Washington, D.C. Delegates to the June 9-15, 2018 Youth Tour will see democracy at work in meetings with North Carolina’s congressional delegation, practice networking and leadership skills, and visit sites such as the Washington Monument, Arlington National Cemetery, and Smithsonian museums.

High school students who will be juniors or seniors during the 2018-19 school year are eligible. Applications for the Youth Tour are due Jan. 15. Statewide, North Carolina’s electric cooperatives will send a delegation of approximately 45 students who will join nearly 1,800 tourists representing 46 states.

“We are happy to invest in our young members and help them find a path to accomplish their dreams and seek new opportunities.” said Gary Ray, general

manager of Albemarle EMC. “We encourage all students interested in the trip of a lifetime to apply.”

Students can apply by visiting www.aemc.coop/content/washington-youth-tour-online-form. Applications are also available by contacting Chris Powell at (252) 426-2586 or chris.powell@aemc.coop.

Posters like the one above have been hung in area high schools to provide students with easy access to application information.

Holiday Closings

Albemarle EMC will be closed Dec. 25-26 and Monday, Jan. 1 for New Year’s Day. Merry

Christmas and happy holidays!

Would you like flexibility paying your electric bills? Ask about AEMC FlexPay.

Linemen Attend School Truck

Day

Albemarle EMC linemen Matt Byrum and Aaron Pippen (in bucket) recently took a line truck to Grandy Primary to participate in the school’s Truck Day.

Albemarle EMC Carolina Country DECEMBER 2017 22

AflacAltec Industries, Inc.American Safety Utility Corp.B&M ContractorsBellwether Management SolutionsBiggs Cadillac Buick GMCBlackwater Electric Co.Bob JordanBrinkley Lawn Care of Gates Co.Cape Hatteras Electric CooperativeCapital Associated Indus-tries, Inc.Central Electric Member-ship Corp.C&W GradingChick-fil-ACoBankCox IndustriesDominion North Carolina PowerEdgecombe-Martin EMCFeyer FordFirst Citizens BankGaston Security Halifax EMCJimbos JumbosJones-Onslow EMCKleen Line LTD

Lekson Associates, Inc.Lewis HobsonLucas Tree ExpertsLumbee River EMCMcNair, McLemore, Middlebrooks & Co., LLPNash LoggingNational Transformer Sales, Inc.NCEMCPee Dee EMCPepsi Bottling VenturesPowerTechPNC BankRoanoke Electric Coop-erativeRutherford EMCScotch Hall PreserveSound Golf Links at Albemarle PlantationSurry Yadkin EMCTEMAThe Carolina ClubThe Okonite CompanyThe Pines Golf ClubThe Pointe Golf ClubTransformer Maintenance & Service Inc.Tri-County EMCVidant Chowan HospitalWallace and Freda NelsonWalmart of Elizabeth City

Dinner Sponsor Beverage Sponsor

All Other Sponsors:

Albemarle EMC would like to thank the following Light Up Christmas Golf Tournament sponsors. With your help, we were able to provide more than 500 children with toys this Christmas.

Thank You Toy Drive Sponsors!

ACT Grants AwardedSeveral Albemarle Community

Trust grants were recently awarded to local nonprofits.

The Hertford Volunteer Fire Department received a grant for $5,000 to purchase wireless tablets. The tablets will be linked to an app called Iamresponding. The app maps the location of a distress call and also provides locations of hydrants. In addition the tablets enable volunteer firefighters to be tracked in real-time, as they are responding to the call.

“Not only can we see the availability of the firefighters responding, but it also shows the

firefighters’ locations as they are coming to the station,” said Drew Woodard, chief of the Hertford Volunteer Fire Department.

The Albemarle Home School Hunter Safety Team was recently awarded a grant for $2,000. The grant will be used to purchase archery targets, insurance and a television/DVD player that will be used for instruction.

The Albemarle Hopeline was awarded a $5,000 grant. The funds will be used to repair moisture damage to their building. Extensive water damage has rendered five of the

shelter’s nine bedrooms unusable. The Albemarle Community Trust is funded by Albemarle

EMC members who contribute voluntarily through their power bills.

Karen Harrell and her son, Jeremiah, receive an Albemarle Community Trust grant check for their hunter safety team.

Booth and Associates, Inc.

Lee Electrical Construction, Inc.

Certificate Achieved

Fire Chief Drew Woodard and Assistant Chief Robbie Reed were recently presented with a $5,000 grant from the Albemarle Community Trust.

Lineman Apprentice Austin Cooke (right) recently received his Underground Line Construction II certification from Nash Community College. Cooke completed 32 hours of training to receive the certificate. He is congratulated by Glenn Parks, manager of operations for Albemarle EMC.

How Albemarle EMC works to provide its members with the highest-quality service possible.

Albemarle EMC is at Your Service

Albemarle EMC Carolina Country DECEMBER 2017 23

Time to Prepare for Cold WeatherTis the season for preparing for Old

Man Winter. Power bills during the cold months are often some of the highest of the year. That’s because there simply isn’t a way to raise the temperature of a home without digging into one’s pockets, unless you have a free supply of chopped firewood. During the summer, a person can open a window, spend more time on

a porch or use fans, which are very efficient. But during the winter, something has to be turned on or burnt. Even so, there are ways to lessen the need for heat and realize more

benefit from the heat you are using.As someone who conducts energy

audits, I can tell you that the thermostat is the first thing a person should start with. I have gone into homes experiencing high power bills, only to find that the thermostat is set to 80 degrees. If the outside air temprature is 40 degrees, that means the heating system has to raise the inside temperature of that house 40 degrees, and then keep it there! If the home is not well insulated and has leaking ductwork, it’s a recipe for a very high power bill.

According to the U.S. Department of Energy, members can save as much as 10 percent a year on heating costs by turning your thermostat back seven to ten degrees for eight hours a day. We recommend setting your thermostat to 65 degrees during the winter.

Another problem I often encounter is leaking ductwork. On average, a typical home’s ductwork will lose 20 percent of its conditioned air in the crawl space or attic due to leaking ductwork. However some homes experience significantly higher loss. Often the tape used to make duct connections will fail due to condensation. Conditioned air then blows through the gaps created by the loose tape. Other causes include rodents chewing holes through ductwork, or ductwork that has fallen. We recommend homeowners inspect their ductwork once a year to identify duct leaks. Ducts can be sealed with a combination of mastic and fiberglass mesh tape. Mastic is a type of adhesive that is flexible and made specifically for ventilation systems. The mesh tape acts as a backer, giving the mastic a surface to bond to. Once ductwork has been sealed with mastic, it rarely ever needs to be sealed again.

Space heaters, when used incorrectly, will also cause high bills. Space heaters should never be used to heat a large space for a long period of time. Using space heaters to heat an entire house, in place of a central heating system, is often a mistake. That’s because space heaters require significant electricity to operate. However, space heaters can lower a power bill, if the space heaters are used to heat a confined space. In other words, a person can shut off their central electric

furnace and, instead, use a space heater in one small, closed-off room. The space heater will not have to work nearly as hard as a central heating system would to heat the whole house.

However, some make the mistake of using their central system, then blocking all of the vents except for the ones in a particular part of the house. They incorrectly think that all of the warm air will flow to the room with the unblocked vents. Instead, the blocked vents create pressure in the ductworks, and the air escapes through gaps in the ductwork. A ductwork’s diameter determines the maximum volume of air that can flow through. The capacity of the ductwork cannot be exceeded by blocking some vents and leaving others open.

Your heating system is the largest driver of your power bill during the winter. Many manufactured homes come with a central system that consists of an electric furnace inside and an air conditioner outside. Electric furnaces are expensive to use. If your air conditioning unit needs to be replaced, we recommend purchasing a heat pump. Heat pumps heat and cool, are far more efficient and cost just a few hundred dollars more than an air conditioner, which you will get back quickly in energy savings. Your existing electric furnace can still be used for backup heat.

These are some of the top ways to save on heating costs this winter. For more tips, visit www.aemc.coop. Albemarle EMC prides itself on being your energy expert. When it comes to heating your home this winter, we want you to get your money’s worth - every penny.

Ductwork is sealed with mastic glue.