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 …
RESTORED: Outages – 6/2/2023
June 3, 2023 | 7:40 am WEC crews worked through the night to restore power to nearly all members who were out. They continue to work on two locations where issues remain. Statewide, about 3,000 electric customers remain out of power. Thank you to members for their patience and to WEC crews and dispatchers for working overnight. If you see …
RESTORED: Outage – 5/31/2023
Thursday, June 1, 2023 | 7:30 am Crews worked through the early hours of this morning and restored power around 3:30 am. One pole has since been replaced and crews will continue repairs on the other today and tomorrow. The cause of the damage appears to be a vehicle-pole accident. Thank you for your patience and for reporting outages. If …
RESTORED – Outages – 5/1/2023
May 1, 2023 | prior 9:00 pm Power has been restored to members in Cabot & Walden. May 1, 2023 | 3:45 pm Beginning at 4 pm and lasting until approximately 6 pm, power will be out for crews to repair lines damaged earlier today (see below). 210 members will be without power. Thanks for your patience! May 1, 2023 …
Outages – 4/12/2023
April 12, 2023 | 2:00 pm WEC is currently experiencing outages in the following areas: April 12, 2023 | 1:30 pm WEC is currently experiencing outages in the following areas: April 12, 2023 | 11:00 am WEC is currently experiencing outages in the following areas: Please call 802-223-5245 to report outages, trees on power lines, or downed wires. More information …
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 …
President’s Message: Variability and our renewable energy future
2022 marked by major storm, broadband make-ready, rate increase By Stephen Knowlton Washington Electric Cooperative faced two major challenges in 2022. First, Winter Storm Elliott joined us all for Christmas like an unexpected relative, making the holidays more difficult and less comfortable for many WEC members and their actual relatives. As I write this, I find it pleasant to have …
Manager’s Report: Why Cooperate?
What’s the benefit of public power in our current era? By Louis Porter Most members of Washington Electric Cooperative know why and how electric cooperatives in general, and WEC in particular, came into being. They know the history of rural territories, whose lack of population density and rugged landscapes made electrification difficult, expensive, unprofitable, and therefore unappealing to investor-owned utilities. …
Public Power in the Public Interest
By Louis Porter, General Manager Vermont’s power system is the cleanest in the country, from a carbon perspective. Since Vermont’s Renewable Energy Standard took effect in 2016, utilities have made enormous progress reducing emissions. Public power utilities make sure our power purchases are both environmentally and financially sustainable. Beyond provision of power, our mission includes community and environmental impact. Today, …