President’s Message
STEPHEN B. HAMLIN
President & CEO of Piedmont Electric Membership Corporation
Thank you to all our members! You are the reason why this year, and every year at Piedmont Electric, is wonderful. That being said, this past year will go down as a particularly memorable one.
Hurricane Matthew rocked our state in October, knocking out power for many North Carolinians. After quickly restoring power in our communities, 12 Piedmont Electric linemen went to assist restoration efforts at Central EMC in Lee County before heading to South Carolina to help members at Santee Electric Cooperative.
This year we had a lot of good news as well. By participating in energy-saving programs like Beat the Peak, Load Management and Time-of-Day rates, Piedmont Electric members helped save the co-op more than
$6 million in power costs since 2013.
As a result, our members have enjoyed a rate reduction since January 2016, having saved an average of 5.6 percent on the monthly energy component of their bill.
In addition to providing members with ways to better control their energy use and thus their electric bills, this year we also offered a new way for members to support solar energy.
In April, we opened the largest community solar program in North Carolina and began offering subscriptions to members, which provides a low cost, low risk way for our members to be involved with solar energy.
While our member-focused mission remains the same, this year saw changes to our leadership team as Glennie Beasley joined the board of directors in May, and I took over as president and chief executive officer in July.
Our predecessors left behind a strong legacy upon which we continue to build. Each day, every member of the Piedmont Electric team strives to enhance the quality of life in the communities we serve at a good value to our members by providing you with affordable, reliable and environmentally responsible electricity.
This member-first approach will serve us well in 2017 and the years ahead as we recognize that we are in the midst of rapid change in our industry. New technology, renewable energy and dynamic member expectations are changing the way we do business.
Take comfort in knowing that your local co-op will continue to keep your best interests at heart and stay true to our mission while facing these industry changes head on.
As the year comes to a close, I thank you for being a member of Piedmont Electric. We wish you a joyous holiday season and a safe and prosperous New Year.