CEO Message Safety Tips for Fall Home Maintenance Fall is in the air and with the change in seasons comes fall home maintenance. While fall cleanup is part of owning a home, safety is an essential part of working around the house. Here are a few tips to avoid slips, trips, falls and muscle strains: Ladder Safety. Before using a ladder to clean gutters or trim trees, look it over to make sure there are no defects or loose parts. Ask a friend or family member to hold the ladder while you are working. Keep one hand on the ladder and avoid rea...

Hill County Electric (HCE) is prepared for any kind of weather, and we urge our members to stay safe around electricity when they are working in the fields and when storms happen. Storms can happen during the heat of summer or the middle of winter. Along the Hi-Line in Montana we should be prepared for any kind of weather. After a July thunderstorm blew down a few poles, I wanted to remind everyone to be safe around power lines. One pole blown down during the storm was held off the ground by power lines that were still energized resulting i...

On July 2, 2015, Hill County Electric (HCE) started to receive energy from a 5.3 kW Solar Array that we installed on our campus. Six years later this Solar Array has produced 47,500 kWh or an average of 7,916.6 kWh per year. According to the manufacture this kWh production has avoided 33 tons of CO2 or 5.5 tons of CO2 per year. At HCE’s current net metering retail rate 47,500kWH equates to $4,869 or $812/year. We installed the panels to help our members and employees understand the pros and cons of making the investment in a residential sol...

Isn’t it great to be in summer! As you know, we were unable to hold an annual meeting this year as a result of not finding a location that could hold the number of attendees and allow for social distancing. You should have received the annual update on the cooperative and if you have read it, you know that we continue to have a fiscally strong cooperative. We did hold our Trustee election this year by mail for District 4 (Southern) and District 5 (At-Large). From the board and I, we want to thank all our members who took the time to fill ou...

HCE members should all have received the HCE Annual Update and a ballot in the mail last month. This year, HCE members were asked to vote for Trustees to represent HCE’s Districts 4 (southern) and 5 (at-large). I hope you all had the time to read the nominees’ bios in the update booklet or watch their videos on Facebook. One of the most important Cooperative Principles for a cooperative is Democratic member control. Cooperatives are controlled by their members. The Board of Trustees you elect are members just like you, but now they will be...

By now you should have received an Annual Meeting Update and voting ballot package in the mail from Hill County Electric (HCE). While HCE is not able to host the meeting in person again this year, we will be voting by mail for members to represent District 4 (southern) and District 5 (at large). In the Annual Meeting Update you will find messages from myself, the current Board President and Secretary/Treasurer along with the nominating committee’s nominations to represent the above-mentioned districts. Members were able to nominate members ...

What is the first thing you think of when you think of Hill County Electric (HCE)? Does it provide reliable, safe, and low-cost electricity? That is our goal is every day. However, this goal could never be accomplished without our great employees. Whether it be the linemen, our employees in the office, shop, or warehouse, they are all an important part of the HCE team. The second Monday in April (April 12, 2021) is set aside to celebrate the electric linemen who work around the clock to keep the power on. HCE’s lineman are a group of skille...

In last month’s article I discussed the unique history of HCE and cooperatives in general. This month I am going to delve a little deeper into how and why electric cooperatives came to be. In the mid 1930’s, 9 out of 10 rural homes did not have electricity. They relied on kerosene lanterns for light and wood stoves for heat and cooking. Before the Rural Electrification Administration (REA) was formed, electricity was found mostly in towns where larger populations made it more feasible and profitable for power companies to provide service. I...

Electric cooperatives, including Hill County Electric (HCE), have a unique place in our country’s history. Because we are a cooperative, our business model makes us different from other utilities. HCE follows seven cooperative principles including honesty, transparency, equity, inclusiveness, and commitment to the communities we serve. HCE and other electric cooperatives spread the American dream by bringing electricity to rural areas when there were no other options as for-profit companies considered it too costly to provide service in rur...