To Co-op Currents: As a 30 year industrial and commercial IBEW journeyman electrician, I recently became aware of a dangerous situation with trees that had fallen and brought powerlines into the street. Trees had been coming down in this specific spot on a semi regular basis, nearly hitting a moving vehicle and regularly bringing down powerlines into the street. When …
Winter Storm Elliott coverage
By the Co-op Currents Editorial Committee On December 23, 2022, Winter Storm Elliott reached Vermont with extremely high winds coming from an unusual direction, and a thaw followed by a temperature plunge that created icy conditions so fast, state officials warned drivers to get to wherever they planned to spend the night by 3 p.m. It was a historic storm …
Three incumbents run for re-election to Board of Directors
Every year, WEC’s membership elects three fellow members to serve on the Co-op’s nine-seat Board of Directors. The members who serve in these critical roles oversee management and staff and make policy and leadership decisions for the member-owned electric utility. Three incumbent Directors are running for re-election in 2023: Don Douglas of Orange, Treasurer; Jean Hamilton of Plainfield; and Mary …
Winter Storm Elliott: How does it compare to previous storms?
By Barry Bernstein Winter Storm Elliott, or the Christmas 2022 storm, will prove to be the most expensive storm in WEC’s history, but not the longest one in terms of days out. It was part of a storm front that put 200 million Americans on a winter alert: that’s two thirds of the US population. It was preceded by a …
Special: Winter Storm Elliott coverage and letter to members from GM Louis Porter
Dear Fellow Members of Washington Electric Cooperative, I want to thank you for your patience during the recent outage, for caring for your neighbors, and for the encouragement and kindness you showed WEC staff. WEC has recovered from experiencing one of its most destructive storms in recent history. At the start of our restoration efforts, 5,700 members were without power …
President’s and General Manager’s Message
WEC’s rate redesign, incentivizing beneficial electrification, now in full effect Co-op continues to support broadband rollout, Community Fund donations, and hosts two member events in September New rate design now in full effect Steve: The final phase of WEC’s rate redesign took effect July 1. According to the Public Utility Commission’s ruling, we’ve been required to implement the changes in …
Rights-of-way 101: Responsibilities and Practices
What is a right-of-way? A right-of-way is a type of easement that gives utilities the right to access private land in order to maintain shared infrastructure, such as poles and wires. Most of WEC’s power lines are distribution lines, which have a 20-foot right-of-way on either side of the line. Transmission lines have a 100-foot right-of-way. Rights-of-way exist so utilities …
Brief Updates – July 2022
Fall Membership Gathering Join WEC for an in-person membership gathering and cookout lunch on Saturday, September 10, 2022 from 11 AM – 3 PM at the WEC Operations Center, 230 Fassett Road in East Montpelier.Lunch is free and available by reservation only. Click here to RSVP. Open House at Coventry Landfill Join WEC and Casella Waste Systems for the first …
Brief Updates – June 2022
Final Phase of Rate Design Effective July 1 On July 1, the final phase of WEC’s rate redesign takes effect: The residential monthly customer charge will rise to $26.49 The residential charge per kilowatt hour will drop to $0.21149 Members will continue to purchase the first 100 kilowatt hours each month at the reduced rate of $0.08476. This is not …
WEC Presents on Outage Restoration to Cabot Students Studying Disaster Preparedness
How do you capture the attention of a nine-year-old? You need a topic with action, danger, and the potential for knowledgeable kids to save the day. At the Cabot School, grade 3-4 co-teachers Alison Morrow and Rebecca Nally have landed on a class exploration topic that has, unfortunately, real-world application: natural disasters. The class studies disasters for months. “We integrate …