Have you ever wondered where your electricity comes from and how it gets to your home? Today, I want to introduce you to two key players in our energy supply: Southern Illinois Power Cooperative (SIPC) and the Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO).

SIPC is our power supplier. SIPC supplies electricity to seven member distribution cooperatives, including ours, as well as the city of McLeansboro, serving over 84,000 homes and businesses in Southern Illinois. Importantly, our cooperative has a voice at SIPC, with our Manager and several Directors serving on the SIPC Board to ensure local perspectives guide decision-making.

MISO is a not-for-profit organization that oversees electricity transmission across the central U.S. and parts of Canada, delivering reliable energy to over 45 million people, including our members. MISO balances supply and demand in real-time to maintain grid stability, which is especially important as we integrate more renewable and distributed energy resources.

As the energy landscape continues to shift, managing the electric grid is becoming more complex, especially during periods of high demand or extreme weather. To help meet these challenges, SIPC and our cooperative are planning to launch a Demand Response Program. This voluntary program will offer incentives to members who reduce their energy use during peak times. By lowering demand when energy is most expensive, we can help stabilize the grid and reduce overall power supply costs.

Each month, our cooperative receives a wholesale power bill from SIPC. That bill includes something called a Power Cost Adjustment, or PCA. The PCA reflects fluctuations in the cost of generating and purchasing electricity and can cause the energy portion of our bill to go up or down. Understanding how this works is important. Reducing electricity use during high-cost periods, and shifting that use to lower-cost times, helps control expenses and benefits all cooperative members. 

Additionally, Illinois legislation in recent years has accelerated the transition to more renewable energy sources. While renewables offer certain benefits, they also present their own challenges. Higher energy costs and inconsistent power output, especially during severe or unfavorable weather, are some of the issues we face with the push to transition to a higher percentage of renewable energy sources. These changes add both cost and complexity to the task of providing reliable electricity. Tools like our upcoming Demand Response Program are essential in helping us adapt while keeping true to our mission: to provide safe, reliable, and exceptional service to our member-owners.

Thank you for being a valued member of our cooperative. Be sure to keep an eye out for your member number in the center section of this magazine. There are three member numbers hidden within the pages of Clay Electric News. If you spot your number and give us a call, you will win a $5 discount on your next bill!