SECO News August 2024

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DEAR MEMBERS,

At SECO Energy, our goal goes beyond keeping the lights on. We strive to provide you with the most reliable and trustworthy service possible. The Oxford English Dictionary defines reliability as “the quality of being able to be trusted to do what somebody wants or needs.” Trustworthiness is essential to steering our responsibility to you, our valued members.

Our teams works diligently every day, proactively planning to ensure your homes and businesses have the power they need to thrive. While we strive to maintain uninterrupted power, sometimes factors out of our control, such as severe weather, wildlife interference, or other events, may cause temporary outages. In such cases, you can rest assured that our teams are swiftly dispatched to restore power quickly and safely. Our local Call Center is available for questions and concerns, and a whole cast of employees supports restoration efforts behind the scenes.

We recognize that transparent communication and exceptional member service are fundamental to reinforcing your confidence in us. That’s why we actively seek your feedback to continually enhance our service’s efficiency and ensure we meet and exceed expectations.

Looking ahead, SECO Energy is enthusiastic about the future. Our Strategic and Smart Grid Technology Roadmaps prioritize ongoing investments in cutting-edge technology, infrastructure enhancements, and innovative energy solutions to meet the evolving needs of the rapidly growing communities we serve. Our focus on reliability and trustworthiness remains steadfast, ensuring that you can count on us every step of the way. 

Sincerely,

CURTIS WYNN

Chief Executive Officer

Reliability to SECO Energy means consistent, dependable service and being a trusted energy provider that invests in grid-hardening strategies, technological advancements, and services to assist our members to prevent outages, and maintain a stable energy supply to enhance service delivery.

GRID HARDENING STRATEGIES

• Strategic vegetation management schedules
   
• Overhead and underground facility inspections
   
• Conversion to underground facilities in areas with frequent vegetation and reliability issues due to storms
   
• Approximately 90% of new lines installed underground
   
• Balanced and diversified energy portfolio
   
• Routine maintenance to replace damaged and outdated poles and equipment
   
• Upgrading transmission poles to concrete

TECHNOLOGICAL ADVANCEMENTS

• Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI)
   
• Transition from high-pressure sodium (HPS) area lighting to light-emitting diode (LED) area lighting
   
• Conservation Voltage Reduction strategies that reduce demand and energy while lowering wholesale power costs
   
• Utilization of drones for infrared inspections of lines, poles, and structures

SERVICES

• Local call center to serve over 500,000 consumers
   
• Immediate response to power outages and 24-hour response to area lighting outages
   
• SmartHub for monitoring and managing your home’s energy use
   
• StormCenter for quickly reporting outages and checking outage status online
   
• Emails, texts, and voice alerts with outage updates and community alerts
   
• Monthly SECO News with the latest cooperative developments
   
• Regular updates on social media

Stay Connected with SECO Energy! Like us on Facebook, Instagram, X/Twitter, and LinkedIn for the latest updates.

SYSTEM AVERAGE INTERRUPTION DURATION INDEX (SAIDI)

SYSTEM AVERAGE INTERRUPTION FREQUENCY INDEX (SAIFI)

CUSTOMER AVERAGE INTERRUPTION DURATION INDEX (CAIDI)

As a member of SECO Energy, I want to share with you the significant differences between our cooperative and investor-owned utilities. SECO Energy is a member-owned, not-for-profit electric cooperative that operates under a cooperatives business model that uniquely benefits you and our fellow members.

Here are a few differences that make SECO Energy and other cooperatives exceptional.

INVESTOR-OWNED UTILITIES PROVIDE ELECTRIC SERVICE TO “CUSTOMERS”

• Privately owned and operated for profit, primarily focusing on maximizing shareholder returns
   
• Decisions are often centralized and made by corporate executives or distant shareholders
   
• Accountable to shareholders, and financial targets take precedence
   
• Rates designed to not only cover costs of operation but to generate profits for shareholders
   
• Profits are distributed to shareholders outside the local community

SECO ENERGY PROVIDES ELECTRIC SERVICE TO “MEMBERS”

• Owned and governed by members; not-for-profit
   
• Decisions made locally by members elected to serve on the Board of Trustees, ensuring member voices are heard and needs are met
   
• Accountability directly related to membership, fostering transparency and responsiveness
   
• Rates are designed to meet local needs and cover operating expenses and purchased power costs
   
• Profits returned to members in the form of capital credits

Read the full August SECO News.