RATE INCREASE TAKES EFFECT THIS MONTH

As we’ve been communicating for the past six months, your electric bill at the end of September will include our rate increase. This increase of about $2 6 million total will enable us to continue investing in power reliability.

While the power generation and high-voltage transmission costs have been increasing about 1% per year over the past 10 years or so, this increase will be our first distribution increase since 2010. Electric distribution is the part we do, maintaining the lines from the substation to your home. (See the graphic at right.)

See page 18 of this magazine for a detailed comparison of our current rates versus our new rates.

Our costs of doing business have increased considerably in recent years. We are a capital-intensive business, investing $3 million to $4 million each year in maintenance and upgrades to our electric distribution system. We simply cannot hold off on the increase while continuing to invest in maintenance and reliability.

Even after our rate increase, our electric rates will still be lower than AEP, AES (DP&L), and the Ohio electric cooperative average. And, electricity still costs less than propane to run your water heater and your home heating. Electricity is still a great value.

We hope you’ll take advantage of our many savings programs. These include energy audits; rebates for energy-e cient water heaters, heat pumps, and other appliances; our SmartHub online usage monitoring tools; our online energy calculators; load management to help us save during high peak use periods; bill credits for AutoPay and paperless billing; and more.

Please contact me if you have any questions about our new electric rates. You can email me at mberry@ midwestrec.com or call 800-962-3830.

How Electricity Reaches You

Generation

Electricity is produced at a generation facility either by renewable or non-renewable energy sources. Your co-op uses both.

Transmission

After the electricity is generated, it travels through high-voltage transmission power lines (not owned by us) to our electric substations, where the voltage is lowered.

Distribution

Once the voltage is lowered at our substations, the electricity travels over our distribution power lines, which ultimately deliver the electricity to the homes and businesses of our members.

COMBAT RISING RATES & SAVE

Midwest Electric wants to help our members save!

It’s part of our not-for-profit co-op di erence. Find details for any of the below programs at midwestrec.com or call us at 800

962-

• Contact our o ce to schedule a FREE home energy audit. Our energy advisor can give you custom recommendations.

• Need a new appliance or making home upgrades? We o er rebates for energy-e cient water heaters, heat pumps, and air conditioners, as well as for insulation projects.

• Earn bill credits for enrolling in paperless billing and AutoPay Create a SmartHub account, download the app, visit midwestrec. com/access-my-smarthub-account, or call our o ce to enroll.

• Crunch numbers using our online suite of energy calculators including lighting, heating, electric vehicles, and more.

• See if our Reduced Residential Rate (o -peak) is right for you.