For folks new to Eastern Illini (and for those old hands who might need reminding), let me introduce you to the Second Cooperative Principle, “Democratic Member Control,” one of seven guidelines that govern cooperative operations. That means you, as a member/owner of Eastern Illini, ultimately select who represents you on the co-op’s Board of Directors and determines the strategic direction of our local, not-for-profit business.

It’s not an easy task. Responsibilities stack up, and time commitments are considerable. Besides attending hours of meetings every month, each director must continuously educate himself or herself about the complex business of electricity production and distribution. Directors also spend lots of their free time boning up on the intricacies of strategic planning and financial decision-making. Our directors must take a series of courses and receive their Credentialed Cooperative Director Certification to serve on the board.

But the learning doesn’t end there. Numerous other classes and seminars cover topics that must be part of each director’s pool of knowledge. And after all of that education, sorting through difficult choices remain.

Like any successful democracy, this decision-making process does not operate in the dark. We keep you informed about the financial condition of the co-op, tell you when situations arise that could affect your bill or service, and educate you about the issues involved. We do this through our PowerLines newsletter (included in your monthly billing statement), through our website, through our annual report, and, most importantly, during face-to-face conversations, whether at our annual meeting or other events, or even just a conversation in the local supermarket.

In a democracy, member participation is crucial. That’s why it is important for you, if you care about how your co-op operates, to attend our various meetings and let us know when issues arise that need our attention. Consider giving your time, whether in service on the board or on various committees.

Co-ops are different than other forms of businesses because of you, our members, and because of the way decisions are made. We welcome and encourage your involvement. After all, it’s YOUR co-op.

Welcome to a new segment on the Eastern Illini Electric Cooperative blog.  Each week for the next seven weeks, we will let you know exactly what being a member/owner of cooperative means, and how you benefit from being part of a cooperative family.  Enjoy!

Now, as always, it’s a good time to be a member of an electric cooperative.

Not only are co-ops locally owned and controlled—by you, our member/owners—they are locally run to serve your needs.

While many Illinois electricity consumers pay power bills to companies that answer to far-away stockholders who demand a healthy profit every quarter, local members call the shots at electric co-ops like ours. Co-ops aren’t under pressure to keep rates high enough to generate big profits. Instead, co-ops try to keep your bill as low as possible while providing high-quality service. Co-ops invest money in excess of operating costs back into the business locally or return the excess (known as margins) to you in the form of capital credits.

And unlike the boards of directors of investor-owned utilities who keep an eye on generating profits for people living far away, your co-op’s directors (fellow members, by the way) have only one thing in mind: keeping lights on safely, reliably, and keeping costs affordable in our local community. That’s why you elected them. And that’s what’s so great about co-ops. If you don’t like the direction your co-op is taking, you have the power to change the leadership through democratic means.

You may know the history of the electric cooperative movement, how seven decades ago rural residents banded together to bring the conveniences of electricity to their communities when investor-owned utilities would not extend service. The associations they formed, on the same democratic principles as this great nation, are as strong and relevant today as they were back then.

But co-ops are not just products of a proud past. These days, Americans from all walks of life have come to recognize the co-op approach—members working together to achieve price and service benefits—can work for other needs just as effectively as it delivered affordable power to rural Americans.

The seven principles upon which electric co-ops were founded—voluntary and open membership, democratic member control, and members’ economic participation, among others—are as meaningful today as they were when electric co-ops began in the 1930s.
Leadership at Eastern Illini shares the same concerns as you, our members. We are accessible. You can give us a call or send us an e-mail and know someone here is listening. And at our annual meeting, held each year in June, you can visit with us in person and share insights on how you want your business operated.

In these days of economic turmoil, folks who receive electricity from co-ops are lucky. As locally owned and operated businesses, electric co-ops understand the people they serve. Directors and employees at your co-op share the same values and have the same pride of place as you do because it is our community, too. We act like neighbors because we are neighbors.

That’s the cooperative difference.

May is National Electrical Safety Month

I heard a pretty amazing story the other day. It involved two teens in Indiana, Lee Whittaker and Ashley Taylor, who were driving down the road with some friends when their car started to fishtail. Lee did his best to keep the vehicle on the road. But before he knew it he was sliding straight into a utility pole—and that pole came down, lines and all, right on top of his overturned car.
Now, most folks faced with this situation would do what comes naturally: get out of the car. But Lee and Ashley knew better. Not a week earlier they had attended a safety demonstration at their school sponsored by their local electric co-op. One of the key messages relayed was “stay in your car if it ever hits a power pole, where you’ll be safe from any electrical current.”
The two did just that, and kept their friends in the car and family members at a safe distance once they arrived. As a result, the entire group walked away with just a few minor injuries. However, without a basic knowledge of electrical safety, the outcome that night could have been much different.
The electricity Eastern Illini provides day-in and day-out is a phenomenal resource, powering our modern lifestyles in a safe, reliable, and affordable way. But electricity must be respected: if safety isn’t made a priority, what changes our lives for the better could change them for the worse in an instant.
Lee and Ashley know this from experience, and we’re striving to keep you informed of electrical safety so you don’t have to learn a similar lesson the hard way.
Safety has been a part of the fundamental culture at Eastern Illini since day one. Being an electric lineworker is ranked by the U.S. Department of Labor as one of the top ten most dangerous jobs, on the same list as fisherman, loggers, and military servicemen. We demand that not only those out in the field, but employees at all levels make safety a top priority.
As part of our safety commitment, please take time to learn how you can be safe around electricity at home. Spending just a few minutes with some helpful resources can make all the difference when you’re faced with a possible unsafe situation. For more information on electrical safety, please visit our website, at www.eiec.coop, as well as SafeElectricity.org and Electrical-Safety.org.
I hope there won’t be any stories about Eastern Illini members getting into sticky situations like Lee and Ashley. But if there are, a few minutes spent studying safety today could ensure a happy ending.

Nominating petitions now available for the June 10 director election.

Directors in Directorate Districts 1 and 7 will be elected on June 10, 2010, at Eastern Illini’s Annual Meeting.

Incumbent directors Kay Horsch, of Dewey, District 7 and Harold M. Loy, of Beaverville, District 1, have indicated they will seek re-election.

Any Eastern Illini member interested in being elected to the board of directors may pick up a nominating petition at Eastern Illini’s headquarters at 330 W. Ottawa in Paxton. The petition must be signed by at least 25 Eastern Illini members.

Petitions need to be filed at Eastern Illini’s headquarters in Paxton no later than 5 p.m. on Monday, April 26, 2010.

The Credentials Committee will meet at the cooperative’s headquarters on Wednesday, April 28, 2010, to review the qualifications of all candidates who file nominating petitions to determine their eligibility to serve as directors of Eastern Illini.

Based on the results of the recent special meeting of members, Eastern Illini’s Board of Directors will be officially decreased to nine members (from 11), effective at the June 10 annual meeting.

This change, overwhelmingly approved during the special meeting, will allow board members to continue to provide adequate representation for all Eastern Illini members, while lowering expenses.

Eastern Illini Electric Cooperative employees received a safety honor during the recent Safety/Supervisory Technical Conference held in Springfield.

The award was given to electric cooperatives with outstanding “best accident/illness” safety records for 2009.

The theme of the safety conference was “Put the Spotlight on Safety.”

Attendees heard firsthand from two linemen who were involved in a fall during ice storm recovery work. They also heard from Kristie Cunningham, the wife of a fallen lineman, about her family’s perspective on their tragedy.

Alan Schweighart, Eastern Illini’s Manager of Operations and Engineering (pictured above on the left) accepted the award from AIEC President/CEO N. Duane Noland (pictured above on the right.)

We all hear about energy efficiency time and time again.  But what does it really mean?

Well, I think it means something different to everybody – which makes it very hard to talk about.

As a electric cooperative, we’ve promoted energy efficiency for years – which sometimes causes heads to turn.  Why would an electric company that is in business to sell electricity want to talk to people about saving energy?

Well, there are actually a couple of reasons.  First of all, we like happy customers (although we like to call them members or owners or member/owners.)  Secondly, there are some  instances when electricity IS the most efficient energy source.  In that case, your electric bill might go up (we obviously like that) but your overall energy bill would go down (you obviously like that.)

A good example of that is a geothermal system.  Geothermal systems are – without a doubt – the most energy efficient way to heat and cool your home.  Even the EPA says so!  If you replace your existing gas (LP or natural gas) furnace with a geothermal system (and with the current 30% tax credit available, now is a great time to do that) your electric bill will go up.  BUT, your overall energy bill (electricity plus gas) will go down.  Plain and simple!

Anyway, we’ll be talking about things like this at some upcoming Energy Wise Home Savings Events (a fancy way to say Energy Efficiency Seminar).  Check our site for more information: http://www.eiec.org/wise_ewhse.html

As part of the federal stimulus package, there are several attractive tax credits available right now.

Check this great site from Energy Star for complete information: http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=tax_credits.tx_index

Among the highlights are a 30% tax credit for the installation of a geothermal heating and cooling system.  The key here is, though, that there is NO LIMIT to the amount of this rebate.   Most of the other energy efficiency rebates are maxed out at $1,500.

With that much of a rebate, and no limit, the upfront cost of the geothermal system is very close to that of a high-efficiency gas system, but with a huge decrease in operating costs.

Check it out!!

Wow, what a day!

The largest attendance we’ve ever had at an Annual Meeting was just over 500 members.  That was about 18 years ago, and featured a hotly contested board election.

On Thursday, June 11, though, we hosted 877 members at the 2009 Annual Meeting!

It was a crazy, hectic day.  We ran out of food, and had to order pizzas to get everyone fed.  Thanks to all of our members that waited in the long dinner line for a few slices of pie!

It is quite obvious that a $25 bill credit is enough to get our members motivated to attend the meeting….hopefully we can do it again next year!  By the way, the bill credit came out to over $20,000….not too shabby!

Yep, that’s right.  We are offering all registered members at the annual meeting $25.  Just for showing up!

We have a great day lined up, including: FREE dinner; inflatables and other games and activities for kids; tethered hot-air balloon rides; and engaging and interactive programs to show you how to save money on all your utility bills.

At the conclusion of the short business meeting, one lucky member will also walk away with the $500 grand prize!

EIEC Annual Meeting
Thursday, June 11, 2009
3 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.

Eastern Illini headquarters
Paxton, IL

Visit our Web site for more information!

The first wind turbine connected to the Eastern Illini electric grid went live recently, just south of St. Joseph, Illinois.

This project is part of a unique dual renewable system that also feature a solar array panel.  This wind turbine is just under 3 kw, and will provide approximately 600 kwh of electricity each month.

On Saturday, May 9, we will host a renewable energy open house at the site of this project.  Check out the details, here.