Rate Adjustment May 1, 2007
On May 1, 2007, Access Energy Cooperative will implement a rate adjustment. We place a strong emphasis on providing you with exceptional service and we only consider an adjustment when we really have to. To maintain the safety, quality, reliability and integrity of the services we provide, it is necessary for us to adjust our pricing structure.
The average 6 percent increase is based on numerous factors, the largest of which is an increase in the cost of purchased power. Recently, the cooperative’s power supplier announced that as of April 1, 2007, Access Energy Cooperative’s cost to purchase power will go up by $800,000. The largest factors driving this increase in wholesale power costs involve
Delivered coal cost increases
Volatile natural gas prices
Environmental compliance costs
Increased demand for electricity resulting in the need for construction of a new coal-fired power plant.
As our members, we must ask you to share in these costs. Maintaining dependable service at the most affordable price possible remains the cornerstone of our business. To accomplish this goal, we must also protect the integrity and financial stability of our organization.
We want to reassure you that Access Energy Cooperative will remain proactive in planning for your future energy needs. We work hard to anticipate any potential issues that could escalate the costs of energy. Whenever possible, we work to minimize the impact those issues could have on your energy bill. There are times unforeseen circumstances cause change or have the potential to change the stability of our cooperative. This is one of those times where we must adjust our price to cover the costs of doing business. In our recent survey 75 percent of you told us you would prefer to receive smaller consistent rate adjustments in lieu of a large adjustment all at once and we are committed to ensuring this occurrence has the smallest impact possible on you.
We are committed to providing you with safe, reliable, efficient, and environmentally responsible electric service. If you have any questions or concerns regarding the implementation of this rate adjustment, we encourage you to call our office at 319-385-1577 or toll-free at 1-866-242-4232. We will do our best to answer your questions and we look forward to working with you on ways that you may be able to reduce your monthly bill. If you are interested in asking us to assist you in finding ways to save energy in your home by conducting a free energy audit, please contact us. We also offer a budget billing system and auto payment system to help make managing your bills easier.