The Cooperative Difference
These poles stand for something. They bring us reliable, affordable electricity.
They also carry a vision that began back before the 2nd world war. These poles rose above the dust of the Great Depression, through blood, sweat, and tears. Cooperatives brought light to darkness, and electrified this country.
Power would no longer be confined to the big city limits. Lines stretched out to farms, ranches and schoolhouses. Appliances came to life. Factories sprouted up.
America spread her wings.
But these poles didn’t just appear out of thin air.
These poles are pillars that were founded on principle by people with principles. Neighbors banded together, and communities came together to share ownership of the electricity that would advance everyone.
Today, these poles belong to our members. They serve with a history. And they serve with a responsibility.
It’s up to all of us, as rural electric cooperatives and our member-owners, to take care of what we have and use only what we need. It’s the cooperative way. It also happens to be the right thing to do.
By using electricity wisely, we can continue to build on a dream that started decades ago. And we can ensure that the spirit on which it was built continues for generations to come. Safe, reliable, affordable, and environmentally responsible electricity, for all.
And that's a powerful thing.
IOWA'S ELECTRIC CO-OPS
Iowa's Electric co-ops maintain enough power lines to wrap around the equator
We serve
80%
of Iowa's land mass
Iowa electric cooperatives serve
4
METERS
per mile of line on average
Electric co-ops power the lives of
650,000
IOWANS
throughout all
99 counties
2.5 TIMES
Power to the People
Owned by the members they serve, Iowa’s not-for-profit electric cooperatives power the lives of 650,000 Iowans throughout all 99 counties and are committed to delivering power that is safe, reliable, affordable and environmentally responsible. Serving primarily rural areas of the state, Iowa’s co-ops own and maintain enough power lines to wrap around the equator two and a half times!
Electric cooperatives aren’t like other types of utilities; we’re locally owned by the members we serve and governed by an elected board of directors who are member-owners of the cooperative. ​
Owned by the members they serve, Iowa’s not-for-profit electric cooperatives power the lives of 650,000 Iowans throughout all 99 counties and are committed to delivering power that is safe, reliable, affordable and environmentally responsible. Serving primarily rural areas of the state, Iowa’s co-ops own and maintain enough power lines to wrap around the equator two and a half times!
Electric cooperatives aren’t like other types of utilities; we’re locally owned by the members we serve and governed by an elected board of directors who are member-owners of the cooperative. ​
Enduring Affordability
Iowa’s not-for-profit electric cooperatives aren’t in business to make profits for out-of-state shareholders; locally owned and governed, we exist to improve the quality of life for our member-owners. Electric co-op households pay $5/day on average for safe, reliable electricity. That’s cheaper than most coffee drinks!
We help our member-owners use energy wisely through energy efficiency programs, rebates and incentives so they can spend their hard-earned money on other things. We work hard to control local costs to keep rates and fees as low as possible. We invest in technology and innovation to improve service, reliability, and efficiency.
Doing More with Less
Electric co-ops serve primarily rural areas with sparse populations, meaning we literally cover more ground than other types of utilities. While investor-owned electric utilities in Iowa serve 27 meters and generate $72,600 of revenue per mile of line on average, electric co-ops serve 4 meters and generate $10,700 of revenue per mile of line on average. Iowa municipalities average 54 meters per mile and generate $129,000 of revenue per mile of line.
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These realities mean that Iowa’s electric cooperatives must maintain more infrastructure with less revenue per mile compared to other electric utilities in the state. To accomplish this task, co-ops structure rates and fees to recover costs and partner with other cooperatives and organizations to create efficiencies of scale for supplies, insurance, financing, technology solutions and more.
Reliability
During the past five years, Iowa’s electric co-ops have kept the lights on 99.97% of the time, despite blizzards, ice storms, tornadoes or other extreme weather events. The average Iowa co-op member-owner experiences one outage per year lasting 112 minutes.
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Reliability is our daily priority, and maintaining a reliable electric distribution system requires hundreds of hours of careful planning, maintenance, inspections and system upgrades. Iowa's electric co-ops proactively test poles for possible deterioration and also adhere to vegetation management plans to minimize damage to infrastructure.
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We constantly prepare for variables outside of our control that could cause outages. If an electric co-op does experience extended outages, they work with neighboring co-ops for aid and assistance in order to restore power as quickly and as safely as possible.
Environmental Stewardship
Iowa’s electric cooperatives are committed to sustainability through energy efficiency efforts and investments in renewable energy. We like to think the greenest kilowatt-hour is the one you never use, which is why we’ve been promoting energy efficiency for decades. During the past 10 years, Iowa’s electric co-ops have invested more than $120 million in energy efficiency measures, saving at least 6 billion kilowatt-hours. That’s enough kilowatt-hours to power more than 600,000 homes for a full year!
As more co-op member-owners consider investing in their own on-site solar generation, we’re committed to helping them make informed decisions based on their energy needs and goals. In Iowa, more than 850 co-op member-owners have interconnected their wind and solar generation to the grid.
Empowering Rural Communities
Iowa’s electric cooperatives are committed to growing economic development in the rural areas we serve, which improves quality of life through local jobs and added tax revenues.
Through our collaboration with Iowa Area Development Group, we’ve helped create and retain more than 50,000 jobs in the past 30 years. IADG has assisted 2,000 companies in investing more than $10 billion in new locations and expansion through rural economic development projects.
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We also support economic development through partnerships with USDA Rural Development and USDA’s Rural Utilities Service (RUS). USDA’s Rural Economic Development Loan and Grant programs provide funding to rural projects through local utility organizations, which often includes not-for-profit electric co-ops. RUS’s Electric Program provides capital and leadership to maintain, expand, upgrade and modernize America’s vast rural electric infrastructure.
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We invest in the next generation through our involvement with the national Youth Tour program, where we send deserving student leaders to Washington, D.C., every summer to learn more about their nation and electric cooperatives. Iowa’s electric cooperatives also support local students through college scholarships.
7 Cooperative Principles
Committed to powering lives and empowering communities, electric co-ops have been guided by seven core principles since the beginning:
