Outage Texting is now available to Kay Electric Cooperative members. It has been our goal for members to be able to text in an outage from your cell phones. It has also been a goal to have a reply text sent to your cell phone when your outage text was received. The final goal on our wish list was to be able to send a text back when your electricity was restored. All three goals are now possible and available to our KEC!
Step 1. Get your cell phone number into our files. Call KEC and update your files. Make sure the cell phone or phones (up to 5 different cell phones) are on your account. You can call in and ask for help upgrading your phone numbers or you can upgrade your phone numbers, if you use our online SMART HUB.
Step 2. Once you get your cell phone numbers into our files (could take a day or two), you will need to complete installing the cell phone outage registration. This registration will let you, identify exactly which meter that your phone text is referring to. You can assign different accounts and their meters (home, barn, well, all, etc.) for your different services. Click on the following address https://texting.crc.coop/Default.aspx?u=3314 or the text logo.
To sign up for the outage texting. It will ask for an E-mail address and for you to make up a password. Then, enter your cell phone number, upon recognizing your cell phone number you will receive a text message with a verification code, enter the verification code and you will receive another text letting you know that you have joined the KEC Outage Text group. You will now have a list of your accounts with service address, meter ‪numbers and will let you identify what that meter is (home, barn, etc.). Save the information as you identify what the meters are and also as you identify other family member’s cell phones.
Step 3. In the event of an outage, you now can text 55050 (save in your cell phone contacts for future outages as Kay Electric Outage or something you will remember) which is our outage text number and type in outage and the keyword that identifies the meter that is out. (Such as outage home.) It will identify your cell phone # and the exact meter location that you just reported. It will text you back that the outage was reported successfully. When the electricity is restored, it will text you back “outage restored”.
WHAT IS A COOPERATIVE
Cooperatives are...
- Private independent electric utility businesses
- Incorporated under the laws of the states in which they operate
- Established to provide at-cost electric service
- Owned by the members they serve
- Governed by a board of trustees elected from the membership, which sets policies and procedures that are implemented by the cooperatives’ professional staff
- Distribution cooperatives deliver electricity to the member
- Generation and transmission cooperatives (G&Ts) generate and transmit electricity to
distribution co-ops.
How cooperatives work
Electric cooperatives are private, non-profit corporations owned by their consumer-members. They are similar in concept to other consumer-owned businesses; including farm produce marketing co-ops and news gathering and reporting co-ops, like the Associated Press.
Essentially, each consumer of the cooperative is a member, with one vote in the affairs of the cooperative. Bylaws, adopted by the members, set forth their rights and responsibilities and lay out the guidelines that assure a democratic organization. Members elect directors to serve on a Board of Trustees, and an annual meeting is held to conduct the business of the cooperative. Local boards employ a professional manager for the co-op, and the manager then has the duty of hiring trained personnel to perform the work necessary for the co-op to function.
The local cooperative Board establishes rates, based upon what it actually costs to provide dependable electric service, and to meet payment schedules on loans. Rates are designed so that revenues exceed expenses. This “margin” is allocated back to members of the cooperative in the form of capital credits.
Members receive money back based on the amount of electricity they have used during the allocation period. This return of capital maintains the non-profit status of the cooperative.
In addition to electric service, many electric co-ops are involved in community development and revitalization projects, e.g., small business development and job creation, improvement of water and sewer systems, and assistance in delivery of health care and educational services.
Member