March 2016


SWRE looks to the Future


Our world is changing rapidly. Whether it is the state of the economy, national


and international political affairs, or a myriad of new technologies, businesses must continue to prepare for the evolving future.


The electrical cooperative industry is no different. SWRE management and the Board of Trustees continually plan to better serve our members.


In the coming weeks, managers and trustees will once again hold strategic planning sessions to study where the cooperative is today and what we need to do to prepare for the future. Staff and trustees will sort through a wealth of information so that future options can be discussed.


This year of course, recent storms will be one of


the main topics of discussion. How will the long-term financial effects of the storms affect the cooperative? Did the Emergency Operations Plan serve its purpose? What needs to be changed or tweaked? How did this storm compare to other storms? What did we learn? What can we do better?


On the generation side Western Farmers, our


power provider, is also changing the way SWRE’s power bill is calculated. They are “unbundling” certain areas of our power bill into separate categories like generation, transmission, distribution, and energy. Our staff and trustees are evaluating that unbundled rate to measure the long-term effect on our members’ rates. Also, the value of some demand reduction programs have been lessened, so all of those programs and rates are being re-evaluated.


In the area of distributive generation (power generated by a member) or demand reducing member equipment, we are also evaluating several programs. We are still evaluating the value and infrastructure required for a whole house generator program. We briefly launched a pilot program, but


And last… Our staff and trustees have been preparing for the human side of strategic planning as well. How do we replace valued employees when they retire? How do we recruit and retain employees? What are the employee requirements for the future? How will they be trained for a much more diverse industry?


All of this is to say, as the world and industry changes, we want to respond to the needs of our members. We want to supply whatever energy need our members require. That’s why Southwest Rural Electric was founded in 1937, and through our vision of safety, service, and satisfaction, one member at a time, we want to continue to be your cooperative for the future.


by Mike R. Hagy


were so overwhelmed by the response that we have put that program on hold until we can assure our members that quality installers and warranty service agreements are intact. Also, community solar projects built in conjunction with Western Farmers will be breaking ground in our area. Details and rates will be upcoming this summer or fall.


We have also launched a marketing plan for geothermal heating and air conditioning units. We are studying the feasibility of the cooperative owning the closed loop system and leasing that loop to the member much like our yard light program. Normally the cost of the closed loop systems is what members say prevents them from installing a ground-source heat pump.


We are also evaluating a 4 kW solar kit that will


offer members a limited do-it-yourself solar option. These are panels that would be mounted on ground racks – not roof units.


We are presently monitoring home battery storage units as a viable option for demand control and limited outage response. This technology has great potential, but there are still some issues with availability and reliability.


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