At SECO Energy, our goal goes beyond keeping the lights on. We strive to provide you with the most reliable and trustworthy service possible. The Oxford English Dictionary defines reliability as "the quality of being able to be trusted to do what somebody wants or needs." Trustworthiness is essential to steering our responsibility to you, our valued members.
Our team works diligently every day, proactively planning to ensure your homes and businesses have the power they need to thrive. While we strive to maintain uninterrupted power, sometimes factors out of our control, such as severe weather, wildlife interference, or other events, may cause temporary outages. In such cases, you can rest assured that our teams are swiftly dispatched to restore power quickly and safely. Our local Call Center is available for questions and concerns, and a whole cast of employees supports restoration efforts behind the scenes.
We recognize that transparent communication and exceptional member service are fundamental to reinforcing your confidence in us. That's why we actively seek your feedback to continually enhance our service's efficiency and ensure we meet and exceed expectations.
Looking ahead, SECO Energy is enthusiastic about the future. Our Strategic and Smart Grid Technology Roadmaps prioritize ongoing investments in cutting-edge technology, infrastructure enhancements, and innovative energy solutions to meet the evolving needs of the rapidly growing communities we serve. Our focus on reliability and trustworthiness remains steadfast, ensuring that you can count on us every step of the way.
Sincerely,
CURTIS WYNN CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER
WHAT DOES RELIABILITY MEAN TO SECO ENERGY?
Reliability to SECO Energy means consistent, dependable service and being a trusted energy provider that invests in grid-hardening strategies, technological advancements, and services to assist our members to prevent outages, and maintain a stable energy supply to enhance service delivery.
GRID HARDENING STRATEGIES
• Strategic vegetation management schedules
• Overhead and underground facility inspections
• Conversion to underground facilities in areas with frequent vegetation and reliability issues due to storms
• Approximately 90% of new lines installed underground
• Balanced and diversified energy portfolio
• Routine maintenance to replace damaged and outdated poles and equipment
• Upgrading transmission poles to concrete
TECHNOLOGICAL ADVANCEMENTS
• Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI)
• Transition from high-pressure sodium (HPS) area lighting to light-emitting diode (LED) area lighting
• Conservation Voltage Reduction strategies that reduce demand and energy while lowering wholesale power costs
• Utilization of drones for infrared inspections of lines, poles, and structures
SERVICES
• Local call center to serve over 500,000 consumers
• Immediate response to power outages and 24-hour response to area lighting outages
• SmartHub for monitoring and managing your home's energy use
• StormCenter for quickly reporting outages and checking outage status online
• Emails, texts, and voice alerts with outage updates and community alerts
• Monthly SECO News with the latest cooperative developments
• Regular updates on social media
Stay Connected with SECO Energy! Like us on Facebook, Instagram, X/Twitter, and LinkedIn for the latest updates.
WORLD CLASS OUTAGE RESPONSE
As a not-for-profit electric cooperative, SECO Energy understands that our members count on us to supply reliable, safe, and affordable electric service. Utilities use three metrics to measure their success in providing an uninterrupted power supply.
AVG. System
Duration in minutes an average electric consumer is without power each year. SECO AVG.
The average duration a SECO Energy member went without power in 2023 was 64 minutes. The most recent data shows consumers were out of power for 333 minutes, or 5.5 hours, compared with the national average from 2022*.
System Average Interruption Frequency Index (SAIFI)
SECO AVG.
NATIONAL AVG.
Frequency of electric interruptions per year.
SECO Energy's average frequency of electric interruptions per member in 2023 was less than 1. The most recent data available shows that consumers experienced an average of 1.5 outages yearly, compared to the national average from 2022*.
Number of minutes to restore a power outage.
SECO Energy's average time to restore a member's power after an outage in 2023 was 69 minutes. To compare the national average from 2022*, the most recent data available shows that utilities took over 233 minutes, or almost four hours, to restore power during an outage.
A MESSAGE FROM JOYCE ANDERSON
THE COOPERATIVE DIFFERENCE
| District 2 Trustee
As a member of SECO Energy, I want to share with you the significant differences between our cooperative and investor-owned utilities. SECO Energy is a member-owned, not-forprofit electric cooperative that operates under a cooperative business model that uniquely benefits you and our fellow members.
Here are a few differences that make SECO Energy and other cooperatives exceptional.
INVESTOR-OWNED UTILITIES PROVIDE ELECTRIC SERVICE TO "CUSTOMERS"
• Privately owned and operated for profit, primarily focusing on maximizing shareholder returns
• Decisions are often centralized and made by corporate executives or distant shareholders
• Accountable to shareholders, and financial targets take precedence
• Rates designed to not only cover costs of operation but to generate profits for shareholders
• Profits are distributed to shareholders outside the local community
SECO ENERGY PROVIDES ELECTRIC SERVICE TO "MEMBERS"
• Owned and governed by members; not-for-profit
• Decisions made locally by members elected to serve on the Board of Trustees, ensuring member voices are heard and needs are met
• Accountability directly related to membership, fostering transparency and responsiveness
• Rates are designed to meet local needs and cover operating expenses and purchased power costs
• Profits returned to members in the form of capital credits
