Because your cooperative is a not for profit operation, each owner benefits when SouthEastern has years in which revenues exceed expenses.  Such margins are used by the Cooperative as member contributions to capital, and are eventually returned to the membership when such returns are deemed prudent by the Cooperative’s Board of Trustees. 

Each year at this time, I take the opportunity to thank members for the simple things like reading their meters correctly, and paying their bills promptly, actions that help to ensure the success of SouthEastern.  I’m pleased to report, by the way, that over 95% of our members do an excellent job in these two areas.

Reading your own meter and calculating your own monthly bill is a fairly simple matter, but sometimes paying the actual bill is not.  If you are unable to pay your bill on time, please contact us.  In most cases, we can work out a payment arrangement to help you around those difficult financial situations.

If you read your own meter, it is very important that you submit actual meter readings and not estimations.  Estimated meter readings almost always lead to problems, and in order to keep electric rates as low as possible, the Cooperative periodically reads each meter and compares that reading with readings submitted by the member.  All meters will be read again in 2001 and should it be apparent that energy has been used which has not been paid for, the Cooperative may demand full and immediate payment for all amounts due.

Members, who cannot or simply do not want to read their own meters and calculate their own bills, can opt to have SouthEastern read their meters and mail out an invoice type bill.  The charge for this service is $5.00 per month, and in most instances, the meter can be read remotely by using the member’s phone line, thus avoiding the need for someone to drive to the member’s meter every month.