Q: Who can be a member
of the board of directors?
A: Any member meeting the qualifications as set
by the HILCO Electric ByLaws which are on our www.hilco.coop
website.
Q: What is a Credentialed Director?
A: A person becomes a credentialed director on
the first full day after all course work necessary to earn the NRECA
Credentialed Cooperative Directors Certification is completed.
Q: Is a board member compensated?
A: A board member is compensated for the time
spent serving the cooperative. This includes monthly electric board
meetings, Brazos Electric board meetings, San Miguel board meetings,
training sessions required by the HILCO ByLaws or recommended by NRECA,
special committee member meetings, or representing the cooperative at
other cooperative-related functions as deemed necessary by the board
of directors. Based on information provided by NRECA, or national
affiliate, the direcots of HILCO are compensated similarly to other
board members serving cooperatives of HILCO's size.
Q: Can I choose my electric energy provider?
A: Each year on its annual survey, HILCO has
asked the members if they wish to opt into competition. Every year the
overwhelming majority of members indicate they do not wish for their
electric cooperative to enter the deregulated market. Deregulation
just has not proven to save the average residential customer money.
When members judge their cooperative by the results it produces for
them, HILCO members have every reason to be proud of the cooperative's
board of directors, management, and employees as the members
experience competitively low rates, are able to make contributions to
the community, see solid financial strength, and have reliable
electric service. HILCO is the leading force in promoting a strong
economy in our are. Because a cooperative is owned by the local people
and the businesses it serves, rather than far-away shareholders, it is
a not-for-profit operation that returns excess revenues to its
member-customer in proportion to the size of their electric bills. Our
motive is to serve the members, not private profit.
Q: I am hearing a lot in the media about TXU and their
rates. How does my rate with HILCO Electric Cooperative compare and what
are you doing to ensure it remains competitive?
A: Unlike some of the investor-owned utilities,
HILCO Electric Cooperative has had only two increases for its
residential members in the past five years. In May of 2002, the base
rate for a residential account increased from $10.00 per month to
$10.50 per month. The second increase occurred in February of 2007
when the base rate went from $10.50 to $14.50 per month. This base
rate covers the expenses associated with maintaining the lines, poles,
and other equipment like transformers, regulators, and reclosures. In
addition, maintenance expenses, such as clearing right of way, are
performed to ensure service reliability. The base rate also generates
revenue for the cooperative which is used to improve the system. In
recent years, the cooperative has upgraded the customer information
system so that member may have the capability to view and pay their
utility bill from the www.hilco.coop
website, through their bank's website, or at one of the many pay
stations we provide for our members. These payment options are in
addition to the bank account or credit card draft option already
available to our members. For those members looking to smooth out the
high and low bills seen with the extreme Texas weather, budget billing
is available for those who qualify. Below is a comparison of what
1,000 kWh residential bill was for TXU, Texas-New Mexico Power, and
HILCO Electric Cooperative, Inc.
Electric cooperatives operate under a different business model than
do investor-owned utilities such as TXU or TNMP. While TXU and TNMP
must generate a profit for their share holders, HILCO Electric
Cooperative operates solely to provide reliable, affordable power for
its members. Members receive capital patronage for their share of the
cooperative's equality, over and above what it costs to provide the
power. Because HILCO Electric Cooperative is one of seventeen
cooperatives who collectively own the generation and transmission
company where the power is generated, our members receive their power
at cost.
Within the past five years, HILCO Electric Cooperative has worked
extensively to update our ability to monitor our meters. With the
upgrade to the TWACS system, we have been able to significantly reduce
the need for person to manually drive to each member's location and
read the meter. The TWACS system allows us the ability to provide
daily usage reports to our members, as well as monitor the meters for
irregularities. These tools save the member's money by lowering
personnel expenses and mileage expenses.
Q: What can I do to save money?
A: Each home and family is unique. The
insulation level, how well the windows seal, whether the appliances
are energy-efficient or not play into how much energy is consumed. The
habits of the inhabitants also determine the usage. Things like how
often laundry is washed and dried, whether window shades are kept
closed, and the setting on the thermostat also contribute to the usage
level. At HILCO Electric Cooperative, we understand the rising cost of
electricity and provide information to our members on how they can
save money. Whether a member uses the energy calculator off the www.hilco.coop
website, reads the tips published each month in our Texas Co-op Power
magazine, or requests a free energy-savings guidebook to be mailed,
HILCO Electric Cooperative works to find ways to disseminate
information to our members. Additionally, thanks to the capabilities
of our TWACS metering system, we can provide members with daily meter
readings. Many members find this information useful in assisting them
with tracking when their usage increases. Another service the
cooperative provides to the members free of charge is an extensive
one-on-one home energy audit. After completing a short questionnaire,
a representative will meet the member in their home an suggest ways to
help lower their usage.
Q: How can I establish new service?
A: The phones at HILCO Electric Cooperative are
answered twenty-four hours a day. If you are building a home, simply
call the office and speak with a representative. They will set up your
service and arrange for a member of our staff to come to your laction
and discuss options for your new service. If you have any problems
with your existing service, you can call the office and speak with a
representative who will send a serviceman to your location for repair.
All calls are answered by HILCO Electric Cooperative employees whose
offices are conveniently located in Itasca, Whitney, and Midlothian.
During times of high call volumes, such as during an outage, members
are also given the option to leave a voice mail message so that they
do not have to wait for the first available representative.
Q: How reliable is your service?
A: We continually work to ensure our members
have the power when they need it. Our work plans include upgrading
existing services to meet the demands of our growing cooperative, as
well as include plans to maintain clearance through tree trimming. In
2006, our average outage time per member was 2.1 minutes. However, due
to storms, animals, or even vehicle accidents, we do have unavoidable
outages. When outages occur, our focus is on restoring as many members
as possible as quickly as possible. The general guideline is to start
at the substation level. By restoring service to the substation, many
members will have their service restored. The next level would be at
the feeder level, then the phase level, and finally, we work on
restoring power at the individual transformer and service level.
Priority is given to individuals who have a documented medical
necessity for electricity.
Q: How is a cooperative different that an
investor-owned utility such as TXU?
A: Cooperatives are democratically controlled
with the one member/one vote principle. Additionally, cooperatives are
not-for-profit organizations. When surplus margins occur, the members
benefit by receiving patronage dividends.
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