2022 Annual Report to Members
The Power of People
Jackson EMC employees have a purpose for our work – to exceed our members’ expectations with reliable, courteous and personalized
service. Whether we are helping out in the community, coordinating the construction of power lines, providing energy efficiency tips or responding to a service call, we strive to live up to that purpose.
Having a great purpose requires great people to back it up. Your cooperative is strong because of the power of people. People who are innovative. People who care about their community. People who are excited about the possibilities for their cooperative. That’s the same for employees and members.
As a member, you can take great comfort knowing your cooperative is not only working with a sense of purpose, but also that we’re accomplishing great things today and preparing to do even more. We want to provide you with an update on our achievements, accomplishments and our coming plans. The information on these two pages provides a recap of the past year and looks forward to what’s ahead for Jackson EMC.
Continued Growth
Our service area continues to experience impressive growth with new homes and businesses. Over the past five years, the number of meters we serve has grown by 10%. During the past 12 months, we added more than 6,400 meters to our distribution system –
bringing the total meters we serve to more than 250,000. That’s an impressive milestone for your cooperative. Of the more than 900 electric cooperatives in the U.S., Jackson EMC is the third largest, with 250,000 meters. Reaching this milestone means we’ve
strategically prepared for new businesses and neighbors, while providing exceptional service to you.
During the past 12 months, we’ve added 500 commercial and industrial members who add 60.5 million kilowatt hours of competitive load from companies that chose Jackson EMC as their electric provider. Commercial accounts make up 10% of our membership but use 40% of the electricity. They play a key role in keeping costs low for all members by enabling us to purchase electricity at a more competitive price. These new members represent a variety of industries, including Makita, U.S.A.’s new facility in Hall County for distribution, training and customer service. It also includes a facility for manufacturing, warehouse and office space in Banks County for Pak-Lite, a leading producer of specialty forms, fabrics and flooring. Additionally, Publix has selected Jackson EMC as its service provider for its newest grocery stores in Winder, Jefferson and Athens.
Preparing for the Future
Over the past year, Jackson EMC has worked diligently to improve the distribution network that supplies your power. We continue to build new substations and upgrade existing ones, which improves the reliability of your electricity. We recently completed a new substation serving the growing North Hall area. In Gwinnett, we upgraded a substation that serves many businesses and residents in the Norcross area. In the next year, we plan to build three additional substations, which will bring the total number of our substations
to 84.
We’ve invested more than $47 million in our distribution network to better serve members. Along with substation improvements, those investments include adding energized lines to our system and installing state-of-the-art automated switches that help restore power quicker in the event of an outage. Our goal is to install 500 of these automated switches across our distribution system. We added 27 this year, bringing our current total to 390.
Over the next three years, we plan to invest $173 million in our distribution system to upgrade lines and equipment, improve reliability and serve our growing membership.
Renewable Energy
Jackson EMC members have a growing interest in solar options. I’m excited that we launched our Cooperative Solar program which allows members to receive energy from an off-site solar facility that distributes energy to individual residences while avoiding the inconvenience of rooftop solar. This program lets members get energy credits directly on their bill, without any contract or longterm obligation, through Jackson EMC-owned solar panels, just as if the panels were installed on their home. Our members received 93 million kilowatt hours of renewable energy during the past 12 months through our strategic partnership with Green Power EMC. Just over half was generated by solar power – which was enough to completely power more than 3,200 of your homes last year.
Through several new projects under construction in middle and south Georgia, we’ll add more solar power in the coming years through our partnership with Green Power EMC.
We’re excited for the opportunities to expand our solar offerings to members. We want to be your trusted energy advisor and to be here for your questions about using renewable energy for your home.
Technology Improvements
Over the past few years, we’ve been making significant improvements to our technology to better serve you. That’s included launching the MyJacksonEMC website and mobile app, along with providing payment kiosks at our local offices that accept bill payments 24/7.
This year, we launched our PrePay program. Members on PrePay pay for electricity before they use it, which gives them more control over their account. For those members who want to make smaller, more frequent payments, PrePay is a great option. It’s also easy to use through the MyJacksonEMC website or mobile app.
Community Impact
At the heart of a cooperative is serving the community. Members who participate in Operation Round Up support funding for community-based programs, like food banks, community health clinics, educational initiatives, emergency shelters and more. Members participating in Operation Round Up round up their bill to the next dollar. On average, a Jackson EMC member contributes $6 a year to the program. The Jackson EMC Foundation uses those funds to award grants to worthy organizations making a positive impact and individuals in need. Last year, Jackson EMC members gave back more than $1.3 million to the community through grants awarded by the Jackson EMC Foundation. Since Operation Round Up started in 2005, our members have contributed more than $18 million to the program.
Margin Refunds
Thanks to the power of people – our members and our employees – our cooperative is strong. As a not-for-profit cooperative, a portion of revenues left after all the bills are paid each year – we call them “margin refunds” – are returned to members at the end of the year. Last December, eligible Jackson EMC members received $14 million in margin refunds. This December, we’ll return $15 million in refund checks to members who received service in 1994, 1995, 1996, and/or 2021. These margin refunds bring the total returned to members since we were founded in 1938 to $189 million.
We’re honored to serve you with reliable, courteous and personalized service. We look forward to your continued engagement in your cooperative. Thank you!