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 in…

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 solar…

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 out…

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 p…

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 in…