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Visit Co-op booth at
Northwest Montana Fair
Try out the human generator Safety demonstrations, information on energy issues and friendly smiles will greet you at the Flathead Electric booth at the Northwest Montana Fair, scheduled Aug. 13-17 in Kalispell.
Co-op employees will be there to answer questions, and you can take a turn on the human generator, which demonstrates the amount of pedal power needed to produce electricity. Winning entries from the Youth Electric Fair will be on display at the booth. The Co-op booth will be on the northeast side of the exhibit building under the grandstands. Stop by and visit.
See you at the fair! |
Terri Smiley, left, Flathead
Electric’s Manager of Administrative Services, and Pam Wambach, Credit
Supervisor, prepare sack lunches for volunteers who will be working on
Habitat for Humanity homes in the Flathead Valley. The Co-op is one of a
number of businesses providing volunteer construction workers. Manager predicts stable rates Best-case scenario could mean rate decrease for members Although utility rate increases seem to be
constantly in the news, Flathead Electric’s rates are almost certain to
remain stable or even decline over the next few years, according to General
Manager Dick Heitman. "We’re not all those utilities you’re reading
about," Heitman said. "That’s not us. That’s somebody else. Although there
are no guarantees, my crystal ball shows it is unlikely that there will be
any need for retail rate increases at Flathead Electric Co-op anytime in the
near future — probably through 2011." Bonneville Power Administration has announced that wholesale rates to its customers, including Flathead Electric, probably will increase by about 5 percent as of Oct. 1, 2003. Heitman said that increase will be partially offset by a decrease in the cost of electricity under a contract with PacifiCorp, effective the same date. The cost per megawatt under the PacifiCorp contract goes down by $1.50 in October, to $43. Under the contract, the cost per megawatt will decrease to $41 in October 2004 and the Co-op will pay that rate through the rest of the contract, which expires in 2006. Bonneville originally had proposed a 15 percent rate increase effective in October, but was able to reduce that number because of cost cuts, debt refinancing, an increase in spring runoff and other factors. The reduction from 15 to 5 percent is good news for Flathead Electric, Heitman said. "Most of the increase will be offset by the decrease in the PacifiCorp contract," he said. "The slight difference will be made up by our continuing efforts to keep costs down, continued low interest rates and the Co-op’s rapid growth. If you combine all these factors, it looks like there will be no need for a retail rate increase." Heitman noted that negotiations are going on between BPA and its customers that could actually result in an overall reduction in rates. "If the best-case scenario actually comes to pass — a reduction in both BPA and PacifiCorp contracts — there could even be an opportunity for the Board of Trustees to reduce rates," he said
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