We Make It Look Easy John L. Sims, NEC CEO
Once upon a time I was given some good advice. It was, “If you make something look easy, you are doing an excellent job.” As we drive down the roads, the power lines, transmission lines and substations are so common in our everyday life that most people don’t pay attention to them. It is very easy to flip on a light switch and have electricity. The reality is the inner-workings of the co-op are very complex. It takes a much more than a village to get the power to your lights switch. The basic idea behind electric generation and distribution has remained consistent for over 120 years. But in 120 years the technological development of our society has exponentially devoured software program after software program. Each time technology advanced, we had to as well. You may have read my article in last months magazine which addressed my 21 years with the Co-op. In it I wrote about how it wasn’t that long ago that members read their own meters and contacted us with their reading so we could bill them. In 21 years, our technology has been the axel of change within the electricity industry. From the time a member contacts us, to your bill each month, technology has impacted the way we operate. When a member calls the co-op, we are able to identify that member using an advanced phone system. Or members log onto our website and download information or contact the co-op using a variety of electronic contact us forms. Members are able to pay their bills online and completely manage their account with their cell phone. 18
Texas Co-op Power NEC September 2015
Every single one of our power poles has GPS coordinates and every piece of equipment on each power pole contains an inventory ID. We have the ability to track every vehicle in our fleet. Laptops and cell phones have become an indispensable tool for our line crew. The majority of our meters electronically send readings to the Co-op each month. We then use a very technical program which interconnects with the ERCOT power grid and sends that reading all over the state to the appropriate power provider. As we deal with accounting, personal information, and distribution monitoring programs, cyber security has become an everyday word and a common topic of discussion. Even the way we are able to manage, route, and reroute electricity has advanced to the point that we are more efficient that ever during times of outages. And when outages do occur, members are able to see restoration efforts first-hand on our website using the outage viewer. In the Co-op’s mission statement, we promise members that we will improve their quality of life and provide reliable and cost efficient electric service. As technology advances we must continuously adjust our process and service for you, the members of the Co-op who are accustom to the ability to flip the switch and have power. Technology has intertwined our community, our state and our nation. With the help of highly trained employees, a strong Board of Directors, and a caring membership ... we make it look easy.
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