To wrap up 2011, members of Meriwether Lewis Electric Cooperative were chosen at random to participate in a service survey. As expected, results brought to light areas where we were performing
well and areas in need of attention. Now that we know, we can devise a plan for improvement.
One topic covered was price, and as a result, I wanted to share information about the numbers on your
statement. MLEC’s last price increase came in October 2010 when a new rate structure was implemented. Since that time, the monthly per kilowatt-hour fluctuations have been a “pass through” of the Tennessee Valley Authority’s Fuel Cost Adjustment.
MLEC is constantly evaluating expenses to keep them stable while covering the increasing cost of delivering electricity and offering helpful services. We won’t always win the war, but we promise to stay committed in the battle on our side of the meter and arm you with ways to cut use on your side —both of which have a direct effect on the bottom line of your bill.
Another topic was service reliability and outage response time. It’s the “milk and bread” — costly but vital. Keeping the lights on is kind of like a grocery store stocking necessary products. Day-to-day it maintains the freezer and keeps enough milk on hand to keep up with demand — but holds overhead low. Then, when the unexpected storm happens, the store can only sell the milk it has in stock while making arrangements to get more.
Getting lights back on after a storm works in a similar fashion. It would be too expensive on the day-to-day business to keep excess equipment in a building or employees on the payroll to deal with the occasional extreme storm. So, MLEC tries to maintain the necessities and rely on a solid plan of action to help us respond quickly and safely. With other outages tied to squirrels and equipment failure, we conduct regular maintenance and rely on solid business practices to keep this from happening often.
I’m not making excuses for every time the lights go out or the occasion’s members felt we could have responded in a timelier manner. I’m just sharing information and assurance that we will continue in the
quest to exceed your expectations with each call.
For the most part, the survey showed that MLEC members are satisfied with our service. In fact, we received a score of 82 on the American Customer Satisfaction Index, one of the most-recognized
measures of customer satisfaction in the country. The score you gave us is eight points above the national average for investor-owned utilities.
Naturally, we’re honored, but we won’t let it go to our head or keep us from striving to do better. Being a
cooperative is about delivering the cooperative difference to you time after time, year after year.
Believe me; we know there is room for improvement. Like those who set the cooperative spirit in motion, we aren’t afraid to roll up our sleeves and get to work because you’re more than a number, more than a meter; you’re a member.
Hal Womble
President and CEO,
Meriwether Lewis Electric Cooperative