Service and customer satisfaction

The friendly atmosphere of rural Ohio carries over into the attitudes of the cooperative employees. A customer is seen as an individual with specific needs and cooperative employees respond to you in a personal way. The rates of Ohio's electric cooperatives are, on the average, lower than five of the eight investor-owned utilities in Ohio. In an era of customer choice, you will have every reason to continue to choose a cooperatively-owned power provider.

Electric cooperatives have the technology to compete. With so many changes coming, it is important for you to know that Ohio's 25 electric cooperatives are seeking technology applications to improve upon their industry-leading service. Distribution lines use high-tech voltage regulators to monitor the flow of electricity and maintain the power quality necessary to run sophisticated computer systems and three-phase motors demanded by today's commercial and industrial customers. Honda of America manufacturing plants at Marysville, Ohio, and Anna, Ohio, both depend on electric cooperatives for their electricity.

Computerized mapping systems guide dispatch crews quickly and efficiently. Global Positioning Satellite (GPS) systems are used to pinpoint locations for crews responding to calls. SCADA (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition) systems are capable of automatic and constant reporting of distribution line conditions, including voltage and amperage, among other things. Computerized switching systems provide instantaneous backup for loop-fed substations. Automatic Meter Reading (AMR) is an exciting new area that Ohio's cooperatives are testing. AMR will bring special services to individual consumers, including automatic outage reporting, meter reading and a home security system.