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.

May 2016 Proudly serving the members of Albemarle Electric Membership Corporation

Albemarle EMC Carolina Country MAY 2016 21

Employee Promoted

Angela Wiggins has been promoted to associate accountant.

Wiggins has worked for three years at Albemarle EMC. In her previous capacity, she served as a consumer services representative.

She will now assume accounting department duties, working alongside Tina Russell.

“Angela has done a great job, and we wish her well in her new role,” said Gary Ray, general manager of Albemarle EMC.

Albemarle EMC has contracted Ruth Russ to serve as interim senior accountant in the co-op’s finance department.

Russ is filling the position left open when accounting supervisor Jason Cartwright left to accept a position with another co-op.

Russ has 25 years of experience in electric co-op distribution accounting, working for co-ops in Alabama, Georgia and South Carolina. For the past 4 years, she has worked as a consultant, filling the gap until co-ops can hire a full-time accountant.

“We appreciate the considerable experience that Ruth brings to this position,” said Gary Ray, general manager of Albemarle EMC. “This will give us the flexibility to hire and train a full-time accounting person.”

Know the Facts About Community

Wind Generation

Recently a company has solicited Albemarle EMC members to purchase electricity generated by wind turbines.

Those who agree to the terms receive an extra bill for the purchase of Renewable Energy Certificates (REC). A REC equals one megawatt hour of renewable generation.

“We want our members to be aware that Albemarle EMC has no affiliation with any of these community-wind generation companies,” said Gary Ray, general manager of Albemarle EMC. “Participating in these programs will not lower power bills.”

Participants in the community-wind program would still receive their power through Albemarle EMC lines, and the electricity consumed would be from Albemarle EMC’s generation sources.

More than half the power that Albemarle EMC provides comes from emission-free sources, including nuclear and solar. Albemarle EMC also continues to invest in renewable power generation resources and brings innovative energy solutions to members.

Members who would like to directly support renewable generation can do so through the NC GreenPower program. The voluntary program allows members to contribute as little as $4 per month to support renewable generation in North Carolina.

Temporary Accountant Hired

Albemarle EMC Carolina Country MAY 2016 22

Intern Opportunities AvailableFor the past 15 years, the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association’s

(NRECA) summer internship program has given rising college juniors and seniors an opportunity to gain valuable professional experience. The paid internships provide work experience and enrichment activities for 12 weeks from May 16 through August 5. Applicants must have a 3.0 GPA and provide a resume, college transcripts and two professional recommendations when they apply for positions listed on our internship opportunities web page. Please e-mail questions to humanresources@nreca.coop.

NRECA has internship opportunities across many fields including: Insurance and financial services; finance and accounting; communications and marketing; information technology; government relations; business and technology strategies and more.

Managers are required to develop a project (which their intern will work on for the duration of the program) that will provide real world business experience and assist the department in an area that would benefit from the addition of a fresh perspective from the next-generation workers.

Throughout the program, interns are also required to attend various brown-bag lunches where they will learn about NRECA’s mission, the multiple departments within the association, as well as issues that are personal to them, like financial planning.

Some other activities our interns will participate in include:● A visit to Capitol Hill● A photo session, so that all interns can have a professionally made head shot● Brown-bag lunches with enrichment topics● An additional, cross-collaborative group project● Opportunities to meet with the CEO and members of the senior staffNRECA’s intern program is constantly evolving. We encourage both managers and

interns to provide feedback on the current year’s program and make suggestions for the future.

NRECA’s Intern Program makes a serious impact on its participants. It also can lead to successful careers inside NRECA. Many interns have turned a summer learning opportunity into a full-fledged career.

ACT Grants Benefit

CommunityTwo Albemarle Community Trust

(ACT) grants were recently awarded to organizations that will greatly benefit the community.

A $2,600 grant was awarded to the Chowan Education Foundation, Inc. The funds will be used to purchase a subscription to BrainPOP, a group of educational websites with more than 1,000 short, animated movies for students in grades K-12. The animated movies cover all aspects of the curriculum. A portion of the funds

will also be used to purchase Problem-Attic, which enables curriculums to be tailored and personalized for learning.

A $5,000 grant was awarded to Open Door of Perquimans, a food pantry. The purpose of the Open Door is to provide a year-round program designed to assist in meeting emergency food assistance for those whose needs cannot be met from other resources.

The Albemarle Community Trust is funded by members who contribute voluntarily through their power bills. Members can opt out at any time.

Chowan Middle School Principal John Lassiter (left) and Chowan school Superintendant Rob Jackson were recently presented with an ACT check.

Teachers: Apply Now for Bright Ideas Education Grants!

It’s April, and here at Albemarle EMC, that means one thing: the beginning of a new season of Bright Ideas education grants! The Bright Ideas grant program is offered by all 26 of North Carolina’s electric cooperatives and supports educators in need of funding to implement creative, hands-on learning projects in their classrooms.

Since 1994, North Carolina’s electric co-ops have awarded more than $10.2 million in Bright Ideas grants to teachers statewide. More than 9,800 classroom projects benefiting well

over 2 million North Carolina students have been made possible because of these grants.

Albemarle EMC is now accepting applications for Bright Ideas education grants for the 2016-17 school year. Teachers in K-12 classrooms with innovative ideas for hands-on learning projects are encouraged to apply for a grant. Last year, Albemarle EMC awarded more than $12,000 for projects supporting local teachers and students.

Grant applications will be accepted April 1 through Sept. 23. However, it could pay to apply early: All teachers who submit their applications by the early bird deadline of Aug. 15 will be entered into a drawing for a Visa gift card.

Teachers at qualifying schools can apply individually or as a team, and grants are available for all subjects. To apply, or for more information about the Bright Ideas grant program, visit www.NCBrightIdeas.com.

Closed for Memorial Day

We will be closed Monday,

May 30 for Memorial Day.

Open Door of Perquimans recently received a $5,000 ACT grant.

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

Albemarle EMC is at Your Service

Albemarle EMC Carolina Country MAY 2016 23

May is Electricity Safety MonthElectricity safety is a matter that

Albemarle EMC focuses on year round. Even so, it’s all the more fitting to pay special attention to safety during the month of May, National Electricity Safety Month.

One of the most important things to know about electricity is that it is always attempting to reach the ground. The reason electricity likes to flow to the ground is the earth has plenty of space and conductive materials to accommodate a lot of electrons. Because electricity wants to flow to the ground, it will use any available means to get there, including a human body. For example, a downed power line has the capability of instantly killing anyone who makes contact with it. Downed power lines should always be considered live. If a downed power line is ever encountered,

Albemarle EMC should be contacted immediately so that linemen can properly repair it.

Also, one of the most dangerous tools in your garage is the aluminum ladder. If a person is not aware, the ladder can make contact with an overhead service. The electricity will then use the metal

ladder to reach the ground, harming anyone who happens to be in contact with the ladder. Of course, the same goes for any long, metal objects such as antennae, pool nets, etc.

An equally dangerous tool is a shovel. Digging into an underground power line can have a disastrous consequence. Before digging, dial 811 to have underground utilities located and marked.

Anytime water and electricity is encountered together, you should be hearing warning alarms in your head. Simply coming into contact with an energized puddle of water is enough to cause great harm. Appliances that plug into walls should be kept a minimum of 10 feet from water sources. Also be on the lookout for electronic devices that could potentially fall into a bathtub or shower. If you live in an older home, you may have wall outlets that are not Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter (GFCI) protected. GFCI’s sense when electricity is flowing to a fault and not the intended appliance. It then shuts itself off before serious harm can occur. These types of outlets are very common in areas where water is encountered such as bathrooms and kitchens. GFCI outlets can be identified by a small reset button located between the receptacles. The reset button enables the outlet to be returned to normal working conditions, if the outlet is ever tripped off. It is not uncommon for GFCI outlets to trip themselves off, because they have an extremely sensitive setting, and it only takes a slight variation in the electricity to trip the outlet.

Overloaded outlets can cause a fire hazard. Never plug more than one device into a receptacle. Also, if you have young

children in the house, it’s a good idea to purchase outlet covers.

When handling electrical appliances it is always a good idea to inspect the cord powering the device. If you notice any exposed wires, the cord should be replaced entirely. Touching a cord with exposed wires can have serious consequences because a person being electrocuted may not be able to let go of the cord. When electricity enters the body in large amounts, it causes all of the muscles in the body to contract at the same time. Your hand is operated by two separate muscles on either side of the forearm. One muscle contracts to close the hand, the other muscle contracts to open the hand. So when an electrocution causes both muscles to operate simultaneously, the muscle that closes the hand prevails because it is the stronger of the two muscles. The way to save a person in this situation is to disconnect the power source.

When operating a generator, it is always a good practice to ground the unit. This can be accomplished with some heavy gauge wire and a metal rod that can be driven into the ground. If a short ever develops in the generator, the electricity will use the metal rod to travel to ground, instead of using a person’s body.

These are just a few of the countless ways that electricity can be handled improperly. The best advice is simply to never take your safety for granted. Also please share this electricity safety information with the younger people in your life. Lacking the life experiences that adults have, youngsters often never realize when they are in a dangerous situation.