You may wonder why we encourage you to use electricity more efficiently through conservation. After all, we’re in the business of selling kilowatt-hours. Why would we encourage our customers to use less electricity?
Well, your cooperative isn’t in business to make a profit; it’s in business to serve you in the most efficient, reliable and cost-effective way possible. Your co-op is collectively owned by the people it serves and shares its members’ interest in keeping costs down.
We strongly encourage energy conservation for a number of reasons. First, it’s good common sense. Although fossil fuels are still relatively abundant, they aren’t infinite. Depleting these natural resources means there will be less fuel for future generations.
Conserving energy saves you money in two ways: Less electricity used means a lower bill, and when many consumers lower their usage, that saves your cooperative money as well. You see, electric co-ops must keep enough power (capacity) on hand to supply all members’ highest usage (demand). If that demand can be managed effectively, new power sources may not have to be tapped as soon as they would otherwise, and the construction of costly new generating plants can be postponed.
As our electric system continues to grow, we must maintain an adequate supply of power. Your conservation efforts, when combined with others’, can ensure that the cooperative’s growth remains stable.
Here at your co-op, we’re trying to keep your electricity affordable by automating operations where possible and by setting reasonable budgets that do not sacrifice reliability or service. We have no control, however, over the market price of fuels needed to generate electricity.
We’ll continue to offer tips for conserving electricity, even though we’re in the business of selling it. You can always count on your co-op to keep looking out for you.
