Last month, I reported to you that some 95% of our members do an excellent job of reading their meters and paying their bills promptly.  In addition to those folks, there’s another two percent or so, who for a variety of reasons, have problems paying their bills from time to time, but this month I need to address the impact the remaining 3% has on your Cooperative.

Imagine, if you will, that you own a self-service gas station that has no inside register to determine how much gasoline is being pumped by its customers, but instead relies on the customers to read the pump and pay for the proper number of gallons of gas that has been placed into their vehicles.

Now consider the impact on your business if 2% of your customers pumped 200 gallons of gasoline each month, but just paid for 100 gallons. 

Next factor in the effect of 1% of your customers pulling into your station and pumping gasoline right out of your storage tanks, bypassing the pump register all together, and driving off without paying you a cent.

Certainly the two above scenarios would result in higher prices for your remaining customers.

At SouthEastern, each member is an owner of the Cooperative, and approximately 19,000 of us read our own meters and calculate our own electric bills, resulting in a situation that is remarkably similar to owning the above described self-service gasoline station.

When members under read their meters and under pay their power bills, they are in effect, stealing from other members.  Likewise, when members bypass their meters or tamper with their meters to lower "their" electric bills, they are, in essence, increasing their neighbor’s bill.  Without question, the actions of dishonest members result in higher energy costs and lower patronage capital returns for all other members.

It is the responsibility of your Trustees to protect the ownership interest that each member has in this Cooperative, and in that regard the Board has established policies to address the issue of theft.

In general, these policies provide for full and immediate payment for all energy used but not paid for, and in addition, the Cooperative will charge a minimum penalty of $1,000 when theft of service is discovered.

SouthEastern may also disconnect, without notice, any member who continues to tamper with or bypass metering equipment.  The Cooperative may also file a criminal action against any and all perpetrators involved in the theft of electric energy.

Thanks once again to the overwhelming majority of the membership, who realize the benefits and responsibilities of ownership, and who are doing things right.