Storms and an equitable energy future discussed at first in-person Annual Meeting since 2019 The Annual Meeting took place in WEC’s Operations Center, where a few dozen transformers were ready for deployment. Most were ordered in 2020, and only just delivered after three years tied up in the supply chain. Members, staff, and guests mingled and enjoyed farm-to-table dining from …
Falling in love with strangers
Erica Heilman of Rumble Strip podcast delights membership with big questions A correction to our last issue: Erica Heilman is not from Calais. She’s from East Calais. Electricity–and now broadband–both reached neighboring Maple Corner first, she reminded WEC members; East Calais residents wait a little longer. She was joking, sort of. Heilman claimed to have a deep need to be …
President’s & GM’s Message: WEC Accesses Contracted Hydro-Québec Power
Longstanding contract provides 2 MW of baseload power as Co-op members’ winter needs and WEC’s electric peaks rise. Also: member education around EV charging, adding load, and safety Background to Hydro-Québec Contract Steve: In 2012, WEC negotiated a new 25-year contract with Hydro-Québec [HQ], and the Board at that time approved it. At the time, WEC did not have a …
When your EV is also your outage battery backup: Looking ahead to bidirectional charging
EVs on the market can already charge other devices. Bidirectional charging EVSE will allow EVs to function as full-house battery backup. Bill Powell, WEC’s Energy Coach, doesn’t usually trade in predicting the future. When it comes to making big purchase decisions, though, he knows WEC members like to plan ahead. Members who are still driving combustion engine cars, but are …
On the transformer waitlist? You can probably still charge an EV
Efficiency improvements in tech sometimes come with unintended consequences. In March, the American Public Power Association filed a comment warning that the Department of Energy’s proposed efficiency standards for transformers would worsen an existing shortage, throttled by supply chain woes since early in the pandemic. WEC just saw a delivery of transformers ordered in 2020, and has several orders still …
New incentives through federal Inflation Reduction Act
Federal legislation includes $369 billion in climate and clean energy investments, distributed through grants, loans, and tax incentives. The 2022 Inflation Reduction Act represents a long-term, massive investment in a clean energy economy. Elements of the bill are intended to support beneficial electrification–the term used by WEC and others to describe replacing devices powered by fossil-fuel combustion with devices powered …
Talking Electric Vehicles
Members considering EVs – but not yet buying them – talk about factors in their decision making WEC members are thinking about electric vehicles. While some members have been driving EVs for years, many other members are giving thoughtful consideration to making the switch as EVs become mainstream. Last year, at the member cookout in September, conversations about EVs reflected …
Time capsule
15 years ago, here’s what Cabot kids learned about energy During the 2007-2008 school year, Energy Coach Bill Powell visited Cabot fourth-graders to talk about power. What they learned from his presentation was incorporated into “a display we created to share our year-long, whole school focus on energy and sustainability,” said retired teacher and WEC member Mary Ann Tormey. Recently, …
Safety Minute: Don’t become the path for an electric current
A new feature from Safety and Environmental Compliance Specialist David Young Safety Minute is a new, regular feature from Safety and Environmental Compliance Specialist David Young. Young started at WEC in 2022 after 19 years at Vermont Electric Cooperative. He’s specialized in safety for nine years. WEC, which has received multiple awards for its safety record, is a great fit …
Good conversation: Erica Heilman of Rumble Strip to speak at Annual Meeting
Erica Heilman thinks you should go to WEC’s Annual Meeting. It’s not just because she’s the featured speaker, or because she’s a member. It’s because she thinks our best work happens in spaces full of other human beings, figuring things out together, with snacks. “The fastest democracies are the longest, slowest, most boring meetings,” she said. Vermonters are proud of …