WEC’s Community Fund supports a gazillion years of Naturalist Journeys at North Branch Nature Center in Montpelier For as long as anyone at North Branch Nature Center can remember, Washington Electric Co-op has sponsored the popular Naturalist Journeys program through regular donations from the member-supported Community Fund. “Thank you for the gazillion years of support. I think that’s the accurate …
President’s & GM’s Message: WEC infrastructure tolerates catastrophic flooding; excess solar threatens substation
Regulators’ order requiring a income-qualified reduction system calls into question Co-op’s ability to self-govern WEC’s flood response, outages Louis: Our poles and wires were not too badly affected by the initial storm on July 10 that caused catastrophic statewide flooding. We had about 1,100 members out. We did, however, have a pretty major outage the following Thursday and Friday, July …
Co-op Seeks Former Members for Capital Credit Refunds
WEC has returned almost $10 million to members since 1998 When your electric cooperative takes in more money than it costs to run the utility, where does that money go? Have you ever noticed a credit on your November electric bill? As a member of an electric cooperative, excess revenue is returned to you and your fellow member-owners. That is …
Incumbents re-elected, storm resilience focus of Annual Meeting
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 …
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 …
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 …