Somerset Rural Electric Co-op, Inc.

2012 Youth Tour

bengorman — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 12:57:37 +0000

Each year Somerset Rural Electric sponsors high school juniors on the National Rural Electric Youth Tour, a weeklong trip to Washington, D.C.

When in Washington, they join over 1400 other students from around the country. They usually have the opportunity to meet with their senators and congressmen and ask questions. It gives them a great opportunity to see how our government really works.

In keeping with our commitment to the communities, Somerset Rural electric is pleased to invest in the youth of our area.

If you are interested in being selected for this trip, please see your high school guidance counselor or contact the cooperative office.

Please direct office inquiries to:

Carline Mitchell
Somerset Rural Electric Cooperative, Inc.,
P. O. Box 270
Somerset, PA 15501
814/445-4106 800/443-4255

2011 Participants
Back row (L-R): Hope Oaks, Raeann Weyant, & Jen Johnson
Front row (L-R): Paula Bittner & Britta Musser

“The 2011 NRECA Youth Tour was an absolutely
incredible experience.”
-Jen Johnson

“I have met students from all over the nation who
have opened my eyes to the world around
me. They have taught me that no matter where
you live, when we all come together we
become one nation.”
-Britta Musser

Photo Gallery - Youth Tour Site

High-speed internet hits a bump

carline — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 14:38:20 +0000

Richard S. Bauer General Manager

Over the past few years, the Cooperative has been talking about providing high speed internet service to our members by partnering with International Broadband Electric Communications (IBEC), a broadband over-power-lines provider to rural areas. Members in our Bando substation area were the first to receive this service, and we were pressing on to begin installation in our Clay Run service area. However, the week after Christmas, Bando substation members received a letter from IBEC informing them IBEC was not going to be providing internet service after January 31^st due to a financial crisis.

Unfortunately, IBEC did not let the Cooperative know of this condition or that it was stopping service. We found out about the situation from our members who brought the letter to our attention. For this situation, I am truly sorry. IBEC was not a fly-by-night company we chose without performing in-depth research. IBEC was supported by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the company’s main goal was to provide high-speed internet in rural areas across the country. In addition to our members in the Bando area, IBEC served over 10,000 accounts in Virginia, Indiana, Washington, Alabama, Michigan and Pennsylvania. Their product worked well and it had great success in our area, but major flooding in Alabama, where they were headquartered, caused them to loose over $3 million, which turned out to be their demise.

This unfortunate turn of events is a problem for our members who had the high-speed internet service or were planning to get this service when it became available to them.

In discussions with the members of your board of directors, it is obvious their goal continues to be to provide the availability of high speed internet access to those members who do not have it. This situation brings back memories of why this cooperative was formed back in 1939. Rural Americans were denied access to electricity because the investor owned utilities believed it cost too much to bring the power lines out to them. By doing this, it put our rural people at a disadvantage over the urbanized areas. That is why this cooperative was formed and our directors believe a similar situation is occurring, only with internet access instead of electricity.

Somerset REC is currently working on options with two other internet-providing entities who serve our area. This may mean that we might string fiber optic lines on our poles to provide the highway for the internet access, because we understand this is a top priority for our membership. As always, we will not subsidize this process from the total membership, so we are carefully looking at all the costs to make this work.

Though we are an electric distribution company, we are first and foremost, a cooperative. As a cooperative, our main goal is to provide the best possible service at the lowest possible price AND to provide a better life to our members by providing them with services they currently don’t have access to.

I will keep you updated with the progress on new high speed internet options as soon as the information is available. As always, please call with any questions, concerns or comments.

Pennies from Heaven – It Just Makes Cents

bengorman — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 18:29:37 +0000

Somerset Rural Electric is launching a year round program to complement the Lights-Onprogram. Lights-On is for co-op members who are genuinely in need or face a crisis situationbeyond their control. These types of problems sometimes prevent them from paying their electricbill. Keeping the Lights-On during stressful times is important and in some cases vital.Pennies from Heaven – It Just Makes Cents Pennies from Heaven is set up for you to make a small contributionmonthly on your electric bill by allowing the co-op to round-up your electric bill.

To read more or download the form click the link below.

Pennies from Heaven Info & Form

Board Candidate Information

bengorman — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 14:41:40 +0000

Somerset Rural Electric Cooperative prides itself on having a committed and knowledgeable board of directors. The cooperative is guided by a nine-member board of directors composed of co-op members. Your directors play a vital role in the decision making required to move your cooperative into the future. The board meets monthly to set policy and develop long-range goals, always safe-guarding the interests of co-op members. They are expected to become knowledgeable about the electric cooperative industry.
Three – three-year terms on the board need to be filled at each year’s annual meeting typically held in May.

Scholarship Information

carline — Tue, 16 Aug 2011 15:21:12 +0000

In a continuing effort to reward outstanding college-bound high school seniors from our area, Somerset Rural Electric is again offering $1,000 scholarships. Competition is limited to the son or daughter of a Somerset REC member. The applicant must be enrolled in an accredited college or university: Since 2002, the cooperative has awarded 64 $1,000 scholarships.

About Somerset REC

carline — Tue, 28 Jun 2011 06:00:53 +0000

The Mission of Somerset Rural Electric Cooperative, Inc., is to provide reliable electric service and seek ways to improve the quality of life of its members and their neighbors.

On May 11, 1935, President Franklin Roosevelt signed Executive Order 7037 establishing the Rural Electrification Administration (REA). The goal was to bring the benefits of electricity to rural America.

It was early 1939 when initial steps were taken that led to the organization of a rural electric cooperative, but it wasn’t until March of 1940 that the first power lines were actually energized.

The actual incorporation was signed on March 8, 1939, and was filed in the Department of State on March 14, 1939. There were nine incorporators. The By-Laws were adopted at a meeting on March 21, 1939.

By April 24, 1939, a total of 867 members were signed with 661 reported as having paid the $5 membership fee. The first employees that were hired included eight men as a right-of-way crew and two clerical workers.

In 1940, the average monthly use per member was 32 kilowatt hours. In 2008, the average monthly use per member was 1,059 kilowatt hours.

There have been many changes over the years, but the Cooperative continues to be operated in the same way as it was at the very beginning.

A nine-member board of directors continues to set the policies for the operation. A General Manager and staff of thirty-nine employees carry out the day-to-day operations of the Cooperative.

Penn Lines

bengorman — Mon, 27 Jun 2011 13:18:29 +0000

2012

JAN |FEB | MAR | APR | MAY | JUNE | JUL | AUG | SEP | OCT | NOV | DEC

If you would like to read prior years please contact us and we would be happy to supply you with a copy if we have it in our archives.

If you would like to read more, click on the link below.

Pennsylvania Rural Electric Association | Penn Lines Online Page

“Electric Shift”

bengorman — Sun, 26 Jun 2011 17:19:51 +0000

Our future electric rates are partially based on how much power you use on hot, humid weekdays between 1 and 6 p.m. this summer. When you hear an anouncement from your local electric cooperative about doing the “Electric Shift,” try these simple steps:

Set air conditioner at 78 degrees and use fans instead.
Close curtains and blinds to keep things cooler.
Operate washers, dryers, dishwashers, stoves, and other major appliances in early morning or evening.
Minimize the number of times you open your refrigerator and freezer.
Cook with an outdoor grill or microwave oven.
Turn off any non-essential lights.
Run pool pumps at night.

Hassle Free Billing

carline — Tue, 29 Mar 2011 15:38:57 +0000

Discover The Convenient Way to Pay Your Electric Bill

Sign up for Hassle Free Billing, the direct payment option from your cooperative and let us do the work.

How Does Hassle Free Billing Work?

Somerset REC will install an automatic meter reading device at your home. Your electric bill will be calculated based on the automatic meter reading. You will receive your electric bill by the fifth of each month. The amount of your electric bill will be deducted from your checking account on the 15th of the month.

Why Sign Up for Hassle Free Billing?

It’s free, there is no cost to sign up or to participate in the program.
Simplify your life by having your meter read for you and we will automatically credit your electric account
No more checks to write, no postage stamps to buy, and you will never need to worry about late fees again.

How Do I Sign Up?

Click on this link to download the form.
Complete the form, attach a voided check, and return both to:

                    Somerset Rural Electric Cooperative, Inc.
                    P.O. Box 270
                    Somerset, PA 15501

E-Bill

carline — Tue, 26 Oct 2010 19:20:04 +0000

Sign-up and pay your bill online with our E-Bill Program!

What is the E-Bill program?

It is a program designed to give Somerset REC members a chance to conveniently view and pay their electric bills.

How does E-Bill work?

When you choose to use E-Bill you will save you and the cooperative time and money. Our E-Bill system gives you access to your account information 24 hours a day and 365 days a year.

E-Bill allows you to see past bills in order to properly budget for the future.

You have several payment options.

Visa MasterCard and Discover
Pay by Checking or Savings accounts

How do I sign up?

Click here to sign up - E-Bill Sign Up

*There are no fees associated with E-Bill. The co-op provides this as a service to it’s membership.