Back to School: An Electric Co-op Quiz
It’s back-to-school time across Kentucky. For our youngest students, the first weeks of August might be a flurry of buying supplies, filling backpacks and looking forward to the year ahead. Others might be heading off to college, beginning a new certification program or working on an advanced degree. Learning is for everyone, even our members! Whether you’ve been with Salt River Electric eight years or 80 years, we feel it’s important that our members continue learn about cooperative and the value they bring to our communities and lives. So lets go through a quick electric cooperative refresher quiz.
Q: What is an electric cooperative?
A: Electric cooperatives are utilities that are built by and belong to the commune-ties they serve. They are also not-for-profit, which means they don’t send money to outside shareholders. Like all co-ops, Salt River exists to provide safe, reliable energy at the cost of service and to improve the quality of life in our communities.
Q: How are electric cooperatives different from other utilities?
A: Electric co-ops are guided by seven cooperative principles, including “Democratic Member Control” and “Concern for Community.” We are governed by our members, which means decisions are made locally, by people who live and work in the communities we power.
Q: Who does my cooperative serve?
A: Salt River Electric provides electricity to over 57,000 members in all or parts of 10 counties—Bullitt, Nelson, Spencer, Washington, as well as parts of Marion, Mercer, Anderson, Jefferson, LaRue and Shelby. Unlike investor-owned utilities, which maximize profits for shareholders, our purpose is to serve our local communities. We were built by our members, and we’re proud to work for you.
Q: Who owns my cooperative?
A: Might feel like a trick question, but you do! You’re not a “customer” of Salt River Electric; you’re a part-owner. Asa consumer-member, you can vote inflections to choose the board members who guide co-op decisions, or you can run for a board seat yourself. You can also stay informed about co-op businesses we communicate regularly throughout website, social media and Kentucky Living. And you can always call in with a question or concern and talk with a real person who wants to help.
Learning doesn’t stop when we leave the classroom. This back-to-school season, I encourage you to stay curious and to be engaged. The more you know about Salt River Electric and the work we do, the better equipped you are to participate, ask questions and shape the future of the communities we serve.