By Ken Schlimgen, General Manager
If you’re like me, you probably have a daily routine. Every weekday, I hop in my car and head to the office. Sometimes, I get a late start and decide to grab a quick breakfast sandwich and a diet coke from the fast-food spot on the south side of Mitchell. It’s convenient and gets me the breakfast I need when I’m running behind. I’ll admit I do this more often than I should.
Now, why am I sharing this? As your General Manager, there are many things on my mind each day. Is the cooperative delivering quality service to you? How do we keep attracting and retaining skilled employees? Can we trim costs without compromising reliability? What about ensuring we have enough electricity at a reasonable price in the future? These are just a few of the tough questions we tackle, and they all play a role in the decisions that impact electricity costs.
With the recent rate adjustment, some of you might be wondering about the value you’re getting for your electric bill. To put things into perspective, I compared the daily cost of electricity to other monthly expenses. My quick breakfast runs me about $7, and my daily commute costs around $3. My cell phone bill averages about $5 a day, internet and cable come to $6.50, property taxes are $16, and water/garbage service is $6. My home and auto insurance is around $20 a day— hopefully, I never need to use it!
The average cost of electricity for Central Electric residential/farm members is about $7 per day, or $212 per month. That means the average Central Electric residential/farm member can power their home and farm operations for the same price as a breakfast sandwich and a diet coke. Now, to me, that’s real value.
Electricity provides benefits that we often take for granted. It powers our homes, keeps food fresh, heats water, charges our devices and maintains a comfortable and safe environment. It’s easy to take these benefits for granted, but when you step back and think about it, electricity offers tremendous value. And when you compare it to many other services, it has remained relatively stable, even with the recent rate adjustment.
As a member-owned cooperative system, Central Electric, along with East River Electric and Basin Electric, does everything in its power to ensure your costs stay reasonable and that electricity remains of great value to you. It’s not always easy, as there are several factors beyond inflation that impact the price of electricity. Some are within our control but most are not.
Weather, for example, can impact both the demand for electricity and the ability to generate it. Extreme conditions can lead to higher usage and power disruptions. Additionally, government policies and taxes on emissions play a significant role in shaping electricity costs. When we adjust rates, we take all these factors into account—and, as a cooperative, we’re mindful of how these adjustments affect you, our member-owners.
Electricity is vital for everything from your home to schools, hospitals and businesses. Rest assured that your cooperative team and I are committed to working every day to ensure that electricity remains a valuable, cost effective resource for you.
Until next month, stay safe!