North Central Electric Cooperative held its 89th Annual Meeting on Tuesday, June 10, at 6 p.m. This year's meeting was held virtually via Zoom.

During the meeting, Calvin Staib, a resident of Seneca Township, was announced as the new District 6 representative on the NCE board of directors following an all-member election held in May. Staib will be replacing former board member Michael Scherger, who officially completed his term as the annual meeting. Additionally, Rodney Snavely, representing District 4, and Andrew Brose, representing District 7, were both re-elected to the Board of Directors following an uncontested race.

This year's annual meeting had a strong focus on looking to the future, with both Board Chair Snavely and NCE President/CEO Ed VanHoose discussing the vision for the cooperative moving forward.

Missed the meeting? The recording is available online at www.ncelec.org/annual-meeting or click the button below.

NCE attends local fairs

Over the next few weeks, NCE will be attending local county fairs. These include:

• Seneca County Fair, July 22
• Attica Independent Fair, August 7

And we loved seeing all of our members at Crawford County Fair earlier this week!

Make sure to stop by the NCE tent to chat with our staff, grab some swag, or just say hi. We look forward to seeing our members!

NCE celebrates National Freezer Pop day

This past week NCE decided to beat the heat by celebrating National Freezer Pop day. We hope everyone is having a safe and fun summer while enjoying the warm weather!

Monthly survey reminder

In an effort to continually improve our member services and ensure we are doing everything we can to provide you with the safe, reliable, at-cost power you expect, NCE has begun launching a monthly online member satisfaction survey for our membership. We kindly ask that if you receive one of these surveys, you take five minutes to provide us with your feedback to help us grow.

How the survey works:

• Click on the orange box in the email to take our short survey.
• Your ANONYMOUS answers will be recorded and sent back to the cooperative, where they will be compiled with all other NCE survey responses.
• This data will be used to improve processes and help us grow.
• If you would like a follow-up, you will have an opportunity at the end of the survey to provide contact information. This is not required to complete the survey.

Please note: The survey will be dual-branded at the top with our sister cooperative, Lorain-Medina Rural Electric, but your responses will only be logged as experience with NCE.

FAQ: What is the Power Cost Adjustment (PCA)?

North Central Electric members can see this number just above their kWh used near the top of their bill. In short, the PCA is a mechanism used to calculate the actual costs versus budgeted amounts of the wholesale power costs of electricity (which fluctuates monthly based on supply and demand, as well as fuel prices). 

It can also increase due to extra reliability measures instituted by PJM, the regional transmission organization that operates the electric grid across 13 states, including Ohio, during extreme weather conditions, like those seen in January of this year.

As a not-for-profit cooperative, NCE does not have control over how the PCA is calculated each month. This rate is passed directly on to the cooperative and will vary month-to-month. So, while you may use roughly the same amount of electricity from one month to another, the costs can fluctuate based on the demand and costs associated with its generation. For a more in-depth explanation of the PCA, please see the May 2025 issue of Ohio Cooperative Living.

Outage Report

In June NCE experienced 29 outages. The longest outage, lasting 18 hours and 10 minutes, was caused by a storm. Crews cleared downed trees and fixed torn lines to restore power during the widespread outages.

Power Line Safety tip

Always assume any downed power line is live (electrified), call 9-1-1, and NCE if you come across downed lines or damaged equipment.

• Do not attempt to move a downed line or anything in contact with it. Even using a broom or stick can lead to injury or worse.
• If you encounter an individual in direct or indirect contact with a downed line or damaged equipment, do not attempt to move them- you could be the next victim.
• Remain 50 ft. away from downed lines & anything touching them.
• Never drive over downed power lines.
• Be careful of any water near downed power lines, as water is a very conductive material.

A look inside this month's Ohio Cooperative Living

The July issue of Ohio Cooperative Living is now available online! NCE-specific information begins on page 19, and highlights include:

• Key Co-op Topics with Ed: Many Cooperatives, one strong voice in Washington
• Co-ops on Capitol Hill: Advocating for rural electric members in Washington D.C.
• Power line safety: Staying safe around downed lines
• Powering the community by giving back: NCE's Operation Round Up and People Fund
• April board meeting highlights

Check out the digital issue here!