CEO October Message - 2022

Fall is a busy time and October is a particularly eventful month with school, community, and sports activities in full swing. October is also when cooperatives everywhere celebrate National Co-op Month. When I say Hill County Electric Cooperative (HCE) celebrates Co-op Month, it really means we are celebrating you! After all, our co-op wouldn’t exist without you, our members.

Our core business purpose is to serve as your electricity provider, but the larger mission of the co-op is to help make our corner of the world a better place. “Concern for community” is one of the seven guiding principles that all co-ops share. Similar to how our wires run through our service territory, concern for our community flows through all of our decisions––because being a co-op means being a responsible partner and good neighbor.

HCE works to help our community thrive through initiatives led by employees and local board members, comprised of invested neighbors who live in the communities we serve. Because we’re local, we understand our communities’ unique needs and strive to help meet them.

We’re proud to support local youth through our Youth Tour and scholarship programs. HCE also contributes funds to assist lowincome members with meeting their energy needs. HCE members may qualify to receive assistance by applying with the Havre District IV HRDC office, who administers the Low- Income Energy Assistance Program (LIEAP).

Contact the Havre HRDC or Rocky Boy LIEAP office to apply.

Above all, as a co-op we put our members’ priorities first. We want to empower you to manage energy use at home. If you haven’t already, I encourage you take a moment and download our SmartHub app from Apple’s App Store or through Google Play. Through the app, you can conveniently monitor your bill and view your energy use. Prepaid Metering and Budget Billing are additional app features available to our members. We are here to help, so give us a call if you have questions about your energy bills. Learn more about the services HCE has to offer on our website, www.hcelectric.com.

The word “cooperative” is close to “cooperation,” meaning people working together towards a common goal—mutually benefitting one another and the larger community. That’s the essence of the cooperative spirit. We were built by the members we serve.

Note: In the November CEO message I will continue the discussion from my September message regarding what a peak is and the answer for sequestering future CO2 emissions while still having a base load available 24/7.