There’s plenty that separates an electric cooperative from a typical electric utility. Though we provide essentially the same service to our members that other utilities provide to their customers, the Cooperative Difference lies in the “how” rather than the “what.”
Your co-op is more accountable to you as a member than a typical utility is to its customers. Electric cooperatives are owned by their members, which means that co-ops focus on members’ needs, as well as on local priorities. Your co-op’s board is made up of members, like yourself, who pay monthly bills. Co-op employees live and work in your community. A cooperative’s commitment to continually improving its service quality, balanced against the cost of providing that service, is an entirely different mindset from big utilities that deliver electricity to their customers while seeking to maximize profits for their shareholders.
Co-ops are an integral part of the communities we serve. Each co-op looks and acts a little differently, but a co-op is ultimately a reflection of the values and priorities of the communities it serves. Butler Rural Electric Cooperative, in southwest Ohio, is different from Holmes-Wayne Electric Cooperative, in northeastern Ohio. North Western Electric Cooperative, a smaller co-op in one corner of the state, doesn’t look or act the same as South Central Power, which provides service across parts of 23 counties on the other side of Ohio. They have similar goals, but each co-op is focused on what’s best for its own unique circumstances.
Electric cooperatives continue to be more innovative than other utilities, particularly when it comes to making service more reliable or more convenient for our members. Co-ops lead the industry in adopting new technologies and sharing resources and experiences to continually improve results.
What the Cooperative Difference means to you is more reliable service; faster, friendlier response; a bill that covers the cost of service, with any profits returned to you over time; roots, presence, and investment in your local community; and people who care about making a difference.
That’s the essence of the Cooperative Difference. Thanks for the opportunity to serve you.
