In this month’s message I would like to discuss kW demand and energy. I covered this topic in previous newsletters, but now you should be seeing graphs on your bill statements showing monthly usage and kW demand, so I wanted to review these topics. Energy and demand are two separate things. Energy is the amount of power you consume; it is the amount of electricity used over a period of time and you would see it on your bill as a kWh or kilowatt- hour. Demand measures the maximum amount of electrical power consumed at a given time. How is d...

Last month we reviewed demand of the peak at your home and on our system. We covered how the base load that we reviewed in September makes the peak possible. Now we are going to look to see what produces CO2 and how we either avoid it or sequester for the climate. Nuclear gives off zero CO2 emissions while generating power and energy. Did you know that all nuclear waste in this country can fit in an area less than the size of one football field? The new methods of nuclear power generation are using small modular reactors that are much safer...

In the September magazine I spoke about how renewables help the grid, but are not an answer as a replacement to hydro/coal/natural gas or nuclear provided base load that is needed to ensure 24/7/365 coverage of your power needs. The base load is necessary for reliable and sustained power and energy that is there when we all need it, not just a percentage of the time when renewables are producing power and energy. California is a prime example of what happens when you remove the above listed base load power and energy generation methods. Cal...

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. “Concer...

This month’s note is going to be a little different for me. What a crazy weather year! It seems that we started in a drought, moved to some wet weather, but not enough to take us out of the drought and now we are back to grasshopper weather; hot and covered in grasshoppers. This is the second year in a row where the grasshoppers outnumber everything else. I hope that you all are staying cool in your homes and are winning the battle against the grasshoppers. I am staying cool in the house, but losing the battle against the grasshoppers. To s...

You may have noticed a Demand graph on your June bill. Demand refers to the maximum amount of electrical power that is being consumed at a given time. At this time, Hill County Electric is NOT charging a demand charge. The new graph gives our members an idea of their demand usage each month. The bill example at right includes an explanation of the charges on your monthly bill. Please contact our billing department if you have any questions.

Thank you to the members who joined us in person on Saturday, May 14th at the Student Union Building on the campus of MSU-Northern for Hill County Electric’s 77th Annual Meeting of Members. It was so nice to be able to meet in person this year! Voting for one trustee position and proposed Bylaw Amendments occurred in person at the meeting and via mail. Shane Barrett, trustee for District 1 ran uncontested, and was re-elected as the District 1 trustee. Shane received 315 yes votes and 41 ballots were left blank. The Bylaw changes had 297 yes...

Thank you to those of you who were able to join us on Saturday, May 14th for Hill County Electric’s 77th Annual Meeting of Members. It was nice to be able to meet in person again. I also want to thank all of you who voted by mail. It is always great to see the entire membership being able to participate in the decision making of the cooperative. We were incorporated in 1945 and began providing service to our members in 1947. Like most cooperatives, HCE was created by farmers and ranchers to enjoy the benefits of electricity and providing se...

Voting for one trustee position and proposed Bylaw Amendments occurred in person at the meeting and via mail. Shane Barrett, trustee for District 1 and also the sole nominee, was re-elected as the District 1 trustee.  Shane received 315 yes votes and 41 ballots were left blank.  The Bylaw changes had 297 yes votes and 58 no votes.  HCE’s Bylaw books will be updated soon for our membership or can be found online here. The HCE Board of Trustees remains the same: Shane Barrett, President- District 1 Havre Leslie Smith, Vice ...