Behind The Celebrations
During this season of celebrations I’d like to take a few words to recognize and thank the people who keep our lights on.
As a magazine published by the electric co-ops, Kentucky Living is especially aware of what it takes to keep the power flowing. It’s an incredibly complex business, converting fuels like coal, natural gas, wind, and solar power into electrons that flow safely through your house, charging your phone and lighting your tree.
That usefulness of electricity motivated the very first electric co-ops in this country, more than 75 years ago. For decades farmers and others living in the countryside could see the glow of the lights in the city. The urban utilities didn’t see a way to make a profit from those far-flung customers. So the men and women banded together to form electric co-ops, dedicated not to making money, but to improving their quality of life through light, washing machines, central heat, and all the other modern conveniences.
Although the co-op mission is not about making money, that mission does require the co-op to be run as a sound business. That means hiring good people and setting up a good organization to accurately and efficiently record and bill for the electricity used. It means engineering and building a system of generation, poles, and wires to deliver that electricity. It means training to stay on top of the state-of-the-art rules and procedures. It means keeping you informed about the business of your cooperative. It means making sure co-op members and employees use electricity safely.
People make all that happen. And nowhere is that more true than when it comes to maintaining and repairing the power lines.
With cold and stormy weather always possible, the linemen and other employees are always ready to make sure your businesses have the power they need to run productively and reliably, and that your home stays merry and bright.
So whether it’s Christmas Day or New Year’s Eve, the people at your co-op are always standing by, to make sure you can enjoy a safe, meaningful, and happy time of the year.
