Safety Minute: Do the Bunny Hop By David Young Most of electrical safety is around preventing dangerous situations from happening. But accidents happen, and it’s important to know how to get out of a dangerous situation safely. At this year’s Annual Meeting, I talked about how to be safe when there are electrical hazards around a car. Electricity always seeks the shortest path to the
June 2, 2026
By Louis Porter After a few hours of work the new pole replaced the broken one, and the job was done—and the number of WEC members out of service dropped by one household. The outage on April 16 and 17 was caused by an unusual event. After all, tornados don’t touch down in Vermont that often, and this was the only one to do so
June 2, 2026
The big story for 2025: WEC saw a significant drop in the number of outages and outage hours. Compared to 2024 the number of outages decreased 20%, and the time members went without power dropped by 35%. Ongoing grid improvements help, but a year of relatively mild weather is the main factor behind these encouraging statistics. There were no major storms in 2025—that is, no
June 2, 2026
Thanks to Financial Cushion and Grants, WEC Invests in Right-of-Way Clearing, Infrastructure, and Resources We live in a two-tier economic society where perhaps 20% of the people have around 80% of the assets. This inequality leads to hardship felt only by some. What can our Co-op do about it? We must be mindful of what our members’ concerns are. – Stephen Knowlton Time of use
June 2, 2026
Monday, June 1, 2026 11:28 am Crews have made the repairs and have restored power to all members. Thank you for your patience as we did this important work. Remember: if you see lines down, do not touch or approach them. They could still be energized. Please report any downed wires or trees by calling WEC immediately at 1-802-223-5245 or 1-800-932-5245. Monday, June 1, 2026 11:15 am WEC will
June 1, 2026
5/5/2026 – 10 pm All outages have been restored. About 1,100 remain out of power statewide. Remember: if you see lines down, do not touch or approach them. They could still be energized. Please report any downed wires or trees by calling WEC immediately at 1-802-223-5245 or 1-800-932-5245. 5/5/2026 – 4:15 pm High winds have caused scattered outages across WEC territory. Crews have already repaired some issued, but about
May 5, 2026
4/17/2026 – 9:18 pm WEC crews have restored all outages in our territory, including those caused by a likely tornado. Thanks to WEC dispatchers, line crews and others for a long day of hard work. Happy National Line Worker Appreciation Day. Remember: if you see lines down, do not touch or approach them. They could still be energized. Please report any downed wires or trees by
April 17, 2026
4/25/2026 – 11:15 a.m. Power has been restored to WEC members. We anticipate winds dying down late morning, but it is possible additional outages will come in. Remember: if you see lines down, do not touch or approach them. They could still be energized. Please report any downed wires or trees by calling WEC immediately at 1-802-223-5245 or 1-800-932-5245. 4/25/26 – 7:30 a.m. WEC crews have restored power to
April 5, 2026
WEC Plans to Incentivize EV Drivers to Charge During Off-Peak Hours—Reducing Grid Load and Saving Money for All Members In February, WEC updated its PowerShift program to benefit electric vehicle drivers and to reduce the Co-op’s power costs—which helps all members save money. WEC now provides members a bill credit for charging electric vehicles during off-peak hours. Members who enroll in the revised PowerShift program
April 2, 2026
By Louis Porter Washington Electric Cooperative reports annually to state regulators on how well it provided service to its members over the last year. The Service Quality and Reliability Plan, or SQRP, report consists of 12 categories designed to take a snapshot of where we are doing well and where we need to improve. While this report is filed with the Vermont Public Utility Commission,
April 2, 2026
By Don Douglas Practically, this has meant that while nearly every other utility in Vermont is enacting or proposing rate increases, WEC is not. Washington Electric Cooperative had a very positive 2025! We recognized margins in the amount of $2,513,429, an increase of $1,644,962 from the previous year. Members, that is your money. Not-for-profits don’t have profits that go to shareholders, but when our income
April 2, 2026
By Stephen Knowlton From the law of supply and demand, the cost of [wires, poles, and transformers] is increasing because they are needed for the nationwide expansion of the grid driven by construction of new data centers, even though they are not being built in New England. As I read the newspapers, listen to the news, and talk to people, it’s clear to me that
April 2, 2026
By Louis Porter We can’t promise a financial and outage period as good as 2025 every year, but we can promise we are using the opportunities before us to prepare your cooperative for the future. Washington Electric Cooperative had a tremendous 2025! With no major storms and extremely good production at the Coventry Landfill Gas to Energy plant, WEC was able to defer $1.2 million
April 2, 2026
3/29/26 – 2:15 p.m. All outages have been restored to the area. 3/29/26 – 2:00 p.m. WEC is experiencing outages in the Plainfield area. Crews are assessing the cause for repair. Thank you for your patience. Remember: if you see lines down, do not touch or approach them. They could still be energized. Please report any downed wires or trees by calling WEC immediately at 1-802-223-5245 or 1-800-932-5245.
March 29, 2026
All outages were restored by 8:30 p.m. Tuesday – 7:30 p.m. WEC crews continue working on the final remaining outages that remain from today. About 51 members remain out of power at the moment, from a high point early this morning of more than 1,000. Barring additional outages or complications we expect to restore power to the final members over the next several hours. Remember:
March 17, 2026
Jeff Wilson of VEC to Take Over from Don Douglas as Vermont’s Representative to National Rural Electric Cooperative Association Every eight years, the boards of Vermont’s two rural electric cooperatives alternate which sends a representative to the board of the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA). There are 48 NRECA reps: one per each state that has electric co-ops. In March, WEC Treasurer Don Douglas
February 25, 2026
High Coventry Performance Insulates WEC from Raising Rates We hear the message loud and clear from members: they think their electricity is expensive… It’s our goal to keep costs reasonable within the constraints we face. – Stephen Knowlton Two decades ago WEC’s Board made the decision to build and invest in our in-state renewable generation plant, and it’s paying dividends to members, because it costs
February 25, 2026
WEC Community Remembers Board Vice President Mary Just Skinner “She was totally dedicated to cooperative principles. She was a lot of fun, she had a good sense of humor, and she was engaged in life and the community—in all aspects of it.” – Richard Rubin In early January 2026, WEC Board Vice President Mary Just Skinner passed away unexpectedly while visiting family in California. She
February 25, 2026
Barry Bernstein: Comparing WEC and GMP Bills I’ve been an active member of the Co-op for more than 50 years, and as a director and President of WEC’s Board of Directors for over 20 years. One of the questions I still get asked is why are WEC’s residential electric bills higher than Green Mountain Power’s, the investor-owned utility that serves the more densely settled parts
February 25, 2026
Monday – 1/19/26 3:00 p.m. Crews have restored power to all members. Thank you for your patience. Remember: if you see lines down, do not touch or approach them. They could still be energized. Please report any downed wires or trees by calling WEC immediately at 1-802-223-5245 or 1-800-932-5245. Monday – 1/19/26 @ 2:15 p.m. WEC is experiencing an outage on the Greensboro feeder in the Walden, Stannard, and
January 19, 2026