With the new year comes a renewed excitement and purpose here at CHELCO. We understand the vital role we play in enhancing the quality of life for our members. We’re ready to continue providing safe and reliable power while adapting to the economic and technological changes within our industry.
Safety & Service
Safety will continue to remain a focus for CHELCO. While we were proud to accomplish 1,000 days and 1,000,000 hours without a lost time injury in the last quarter of 2024, we do not plan to rest on those achievements. Later this year, CHELCO will roll out our new and improved Live Line demo. Available to schools, organizations, first responders, and large groups, our experts use a life-sized model of power lines, poles, and equipment to show the dangers of electricity and how to stay safe around power lines. Progress continues on our new Member Services & Operations Center located off Hwy. 20 and W. Bay Loop Road in Freeport, Florida. Projections indicate the new facility will be complete at the end of this year or early 2026. To learn more about that building, read my announcement article at CHELCO.com/new-freeport-office.
More Efficiencies Coming to Engineering & Operations
While contact-less communication became popular in 2020 due to the pandemic, its benefits have continued well into 2025. Paperless solutions offer convenience and efficiency, which businesses and customers have embraced. As a utility company, CHELCO has also adopted these innovations. A great example is our use of Futura’s Paperless Workflow system. Futura Systems provides CHELCO staff with state-of-the-art mapping, staking, and outage management technology. And this year, we look forward to expanding that software to include their newest workflow software. Paperless Workflow allows us to dispatch work directly to field representatives via iPads, improving communication and streamlining operations far beyond the office.
Financial Forecast
Self-proclaimed number nerds, our Finance Division takes great joy in regularly assessing your cooperative’s financial well-being. As a member-owned cooperative, we are mindful of our duty to spend cooperative funds responsibly. Over the past 4-5 years, we have seen dramatic cost increases in building and repairing the electric distribution facility, wages and benefits, and the overall cost of doing business. In fact, this year, CHELCO will buy nearly 1.2 billion kilowatt hours from our wholesale power provider. Those hours will cost CHELCO $99 million. That’s a drastic jump from the $42 million we spent 20 years ago. This is why we are working with a rate consultant to understand our fast-growing cooperative’s future needs and ensure that our rates do not force us to ever sacrifice reliability.
Along with crunching our numbers, we like to see how we stack up to other local and regional co-ops. CHELCO ranks favorably across state and county lines regarding rates. As one of the 16 distribution member systems within the PowerSouth family, CHELCO sits at the top for lowest rates. Additionally, we’re in the top 50% for all Florida co-ops. Even more impressive, prior to a modest rate increase in mid-2024, CHELCO had not increased distribution rates for 11 years. In fact, during that time, we decreased rates twice!
Meeting Members & Our Community
Focusing on convenience, value, and connection, we have a variety of great programs and events slated for 2025. Be sure to follow us on social media through our email blast, website, and newsletter for timely news and events. This year, we will roll out incentives for paperless billing to cut down on rising postage costs. As everyone feels the effects on the economy, our Energy Advisors are here to help members save through our rebate programs, load control, value-added services like surge protection, outdoor and decorative lighting, and much more. CHELCO’s community-centered mindset will be evident through our bi-annual Member Appreciation nights, local events and community organizations sponsorship, and charitable giving through the member-funded Operation Round Up and the Drebing Fund, which we discuss in more detail later in this newsletter.
As you see, we have a lot on the horizon, but we are up for the challenge. I will continue to update you as things progress throughout the year. Thanks for your continued support.
