Members of electric cooperatives express higher than average levels of customer satisfaction. It’s no wonder. Electric cooperatives are different than other forms of business, and member-owners of cooperatives notice this difference. For one thing, co-ops put consumers first because the consumers are the owners. In addition, co-ops are locally owned and operated. When members call the co-op, they are talking with their neighbors. And both of these aspects combine to make co-ops more responsive since members are the owners and they are accountable to their own neighbors and communities.

This section contains stories about electric cooperatives out there in rural America who are carrying through on the cooperative promise every day and show just why electric cooperatives are so unique.

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• Piedmont Electric Giving Members Tools to Lower Electric Bills
  New web portal for consumer-members allows them to track electricity use on a daily basis.
• Minnesota Co-op Receives LEED Gold Certification
  Arrowhead Electric Cooperative LEEDs Cook County with new efficient building.
• Georgia Power Supplier Turning Forest Products into Electric Power
  Planned 100 MW biomass plant offers a carbon-neutral approach to the challenge of growing electricity demand.
• Three Co-ops Make Top Ten Solar Energy Ranking
  Solar Electric Power Association’s 2009 ranking for solar watts per customer includes two co-ops in Arizona and one in Hawaii.
• Sioux Valley Energy Increasing Efficiency on Farms
  Colman, S.D.-based co-op partners with extension service to educate farmers and ranchers on efficiency.
• Co-op Volunteers Transform a School
  Touchstone Energy® service project brings energy efficiency to school.
• Recovered Energy Project brings Carbon Free Generation to Northeastern Colorado
  Highline Electric Association’s new waste heat recovery system projected to produce 27,600 MWh per year.
• Tri-State To Build Largest Cooperative-owned Solar PV Facility
  At 30 MW, Cimarron will be the one of the nation's largest PV solar facilities.
• NOVEC Spotlighted in White House Stimulus Update
  Co-op one of more than fifty cooperatives to receive federal stimulus funds for smart grid development.
• Not Just Another Pretty Home Makeover
  Electric Cooperatives of Arkansas transform the home and reduce the electric use of Aaron and Jerissa Rogers with insulation and a new high-efficiency heat pump.
• Oglethorpe Replants 500 Acres of Fire-Ravaged Wetlands
  Georgia G&T partners with Georgia Forestry Commission to plant red maples, cypress, swamp chestnut oak and water tupelo trees in Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge.
• Department of Energy Ranks Minnkota First in Wind Penetration
  With 25 percent of retail sales powered by wind, Minnkota Power Cooperative leads the electric industry.
• Cass County Electric Cooperative Recognized for Innovative Pricing Program
  Peak Load Management Association bestows “Innovative Application of Technology Award” on North Dakota distribution cooperative.
• Google and White River Valley Electric Cooperative Partnering to Educate Members
  Some White River Valley consumer-members now use a Google “Power Meter” gadget on their desktop to track hourly electricity usage.
• Two Colorado Co-ops Rebate School $190K for Geothermal System
  Co-ops’ rebate is largest to date under state’s Energy Efficiency Credits Program.
• East Kentucky Power Cooperative Burns Switchgrass
  Kentucky G&T and researchers successfully test native grass as a power plant fuel.
• Iowa Co-ops See 3-to-1 Return on $11 Million Investment in Efficiency
  Iowa data spotlights the potential for efficiency gains in the residential sector.
• Missouri Cooperatives Partner with Universities on Carbon Capture Research
  Growing algae using carbon from flue gas gets real-world test in Jefferson City, Missouri.
• Hybrid House Debuts as ‘Oasis’ in Montana
  Solar panels and wind turbine send power back to the grid through interconnection with Park Electric Cooperative
• Maine Cooperative Votes “Yes” for Wind
  Wind turbines could cut monthly rates by about 25 percent.
• New York Co-op Eyes New Hydroelectric Development
  Proposed project would involve building siphons and penstocks on existing dams to channel water to turbine-generators.