Each year, your Co-op provides you, our members, an Annual Review of the previous year. This is your review of 2023.
Scroll to the bottom of this page to view our financial statements and a PDF of the full Annual Review, which is included in our March Light Reading Newsletter.
Your Co-op At-a-Glance
58,219 members
75,094 meters
5,208 miles of energized line (overhead + underground)
New Electric Services
2023 set a new record of 2,136 new services, including 776 multi-meter dwellings. (For reference, our most recent high was in 2021 with 2,061 new services.)
2,136 new electric services
776 multi-meter dwellings (such as duplexes or apartment buildings)
1,360 other new services
Staff Working for You
Employee Snapshot
161 employees at year-end (in 2022 we had 159)
18 internal promotions
5 retirements
Overhead to Underground Power Lines
- In our entire system, we reduced our overhead lines by 6 miles and increased our underground lines by 91 miles.
- 40% of our power is distributed via overhead (OH) lines, and 60% via underground (UG) lines.
Work Orders
The Distribution Design and GIS departments closed a record 439 work orders in December 2023. (The previous record was 245 in October 2023.)
Call Center
Member Service Representatives answered 62,678 calls in 2023 (over 5,200 average calls per month).
Vegetation Management
We had 2 in-house crews, 5 full-time contract crews, and 12 part-time contract tree trimming crews working on vegetation management in 2023 to improve system reliability and reduce wildfire risk.
Landfill Gas-to-Energy Plant
Your garbage helps produce your electricity!
In 2023, your Co-op added a second engine to the Landfill Gas-to-Energy Plant, effectively doubling its generating capacity.
Combined, the two engines can produce 3.2 MW of electricity, enough to power 1,908 average-use residential homes.
Roundup for Safety
Roundup for Safety is a voluntary program for Co-op members who round up their electric bills to the next dollar. This money is managed by an independent board and goes into a fund for community safety projects.
- 27 years since the Roundup for Safety program started
2023 Stats:
- 81 community safety projects funded in 2023
- $361,596 – funds awarded in 2023
- $282,350 – contributions from members in 2023
- $47,569 – record amount of funds awarded in December 2023
Lifetime Stats:
- 1,409 community safety projects funded since 1997
- $4,938,847 – contributions from members since 1997
Ribeye Raffle
Your Co-op supports local 4-H and FFA clubs by purchasing stock at the Northwest Montana Fair. Steaks are raffled off for cash and the meat is donated to local food banks.
- 8+ years of giving to local food banks
Lifetime Stats:
- 7,000+ pounds of meat, and
- $70,580 donated to local food banks since 2015.
