Evolution and alignment More on net metering; updates on rate increase, supply chain, and changes to incentive program Time to evolve net metering Steve: We continue to hear from our members in response to our net metering theme issue (September 2022). It’s worth reminding our members that we are not faulting those homeowners who have already chosen to net meter, …
Rates Information
Energy Efficiency Charge Rates for 2023 In November, the Public Utility Commission issued its order setting Energy Efficiency Charge (or EEC) rates to take effect on electric bills issued on or after February 1, 2023. Per the order, almost all customer classes will see rate reductions in 2023, based on the rule that governs the calculation of EEC rates. Efficiency …
High winds, heavy snow: Be prepared for winter storms
“We live in a territory that has a lot of severe winter storms, and we have a lot of trees. Some of those trees come down on power lines,” said General Manager Louis Porter. Already, high winds have caused outages. Because of the rural, heavily forested nature of WEC’s territory – and all those north-south mountain ranges that create natural …
Supply chain delays complicate beneficial electrification efforts
WEC asks for patience and communication in a time of high demand and low supply You don’t need a Level 2 charger unless your daily mileage exceeds what a Level 1 can do overnight. – Bill Powell You’ve been on the list for 18 months, and you’re finally about to pick up your electric vehicle. There’s just one hitch. You …
Notice: Supply chain interruptions
By Dave Kresock Like many other utilities across the nation, WEC is experiencing unprecedented challenges in procuring a wide variety of electric distribution equipment. The result is that there now may be significant delays in completing some member-requested electric services. This particularly affects new or enhanced service to members’ properties, as transformers are in short supply. In many cases, our …
What the Co-op Means to Me
A meditation on Co-op Month from a recently elected Director By Betsy Allen When I first moved to the Northeast Kingdom, I heard about a neighbor who was selling bulk food items from her home in town. I could fill out a piece of paper with how many pounds of flour or beans or dried fruits I’d like. Once a …
October/November – Brief Updates
Got something to say? Letter to the editor, comment, or a story tip? Drop us a line at currents@wec.coop or Washington Electric Cooperative, Inc., P.O. Box 8, East Montpelier, VT 05651, Attn: Co-op Currents. Where’s WEC? Crews are busy working to keep rights-of-way clear. Right-of-way maintenance is necessary to keep your power safe and reliable. Click here for right-of-way updates. …
Together again
Co-op gathers members together for a cookout, connections, and engineering demonstration on a sunny September day Preview in new tab September 10 was hot and sunny. But with almost 150 members expected for lunch, the grills were busy at WEC’s Operations Center, cooking burgers and chicken from local farms. Typically, WEC hosts the Annual Meeting of the membership in early …
Context for WEC’s rate increase filing
By Louis Porter Washington Electric Cooperative has filed for a 14.19% increase in its rates. The need for this increase is driven by several factors, but the primary ones are a decline in production at the Coventry landfill gas-to-electricity plant and high and volatile prices in the New England energy market that are occurring at the same time. The result …
Members Write: Responses to September 2022 issue
To Co-op Currents: I applaud the Co-op for making the Co-op Currents digital. However, the September issue had me confused with the links to read the “net metering” pieces at the tail end of the print issue. I first clicked on each of the links and read those pieces; they seemed short and disjointed. I then read the PDF of …