Delaware Electric Coop celebrates 79 years
Thousands of Delaware Electric Cooperative members gathered in Harrington Aug. 25 for the coop's 79th annual meeting, featuring company updates, a community fair, electrical repair demonstrations and about 5,000 free chicken dinners.
“Delaware Electric Cooperative is having a good year,” said CEO J. William Andrew. He said the member-owned company is about to save $20 million over the next 20 years after a refinancing that will translate to a 3-percent cash back savings for each coop member.
“We're growing faster than any coop in the Mid-Atlantic region,” he said. Specifically in Sussex County, with the boom of residential and small commercial building, DEC is expanding beyond its current 90,000 customers in Kent and Sussex counties.
From DEC's Beat the Peak program to a new power plant near Rising Sun, Md., slated to be operational in summer 2017, Andrew said Delaware's second-largest utility company expects to continue seeing savings for its customers.
“We are different from any other electric utility because we're owned by our members,” he said. “Our rates are the lowest in the region on an annual basis, and our reliability is second to none.”
About 5,000 coop members were expected at the annual meeting, which was held at the Delaware State Fairgrounds in Harrington.
For more information about DEC, go to www.delaware.coop.
