Up and Running at Koloa Substation - Kauai Island Utility Cooperative
Up and Running at Koloa Substation - Kauai Island Utility Cooperative Up and Running at Koloa Substation - Kauai Island Utility Cooperative
A Matter of PRINCIPLES 20 KIUC CURRENTS You might be surprised by the number of coops around you. Coops have been formed to sell produce and electricity, offer financial and banking services, provide housing and health care, and much more. So where did the bright idea for coops come from? It’s a matter of principles—seven, to be exact. The modern movement traces its roots to a store started by weavers in the town of Rochdale (pronounced Rotchdale) in northern England in 1844. The group was guided by a set of principles drawn up by one of its members, Charles Howarth. When introduced into the United States by the National Grange in 1874, these “Rochdale Principles” fueled a cooperative explosion. Although stated in many ways, the Rochdale Principles require that a cooperative be open for anyone to join. Every member retains one voice, one vote. Electric coops hold member business meetings annually, allowing members to elect fellow consumers to guide the coop and have a say in how their utility is run. There also have to be real member benefits. For example, members of electric coops often get money back (called capital credits or patronage refunds) when the coop is in good financial shape. More than $9.5 billion has been returned to members by electric coops since 1988— nothing to sneeze at. Education remains another big focus. Electric coops provide safety information in schools, share ideas on how to make your home more energy efficient to keep electric bills affordable, and make sure elected officials and opinion leaders know about the coop business model. Because there is strength in numbers, coops tend to stick together when tackling regional and national issues. Perhaps most important of all, coops are independent and communityfocused, not tied to the purse strings of farflung investors. Coops help drive local economic development, fund scholarships, support local charities, and work to make life better in the areas they serve—the heart of the cooperative difference. Learn more about cooperatives and the principles that define them at www.go.coop. Source: NRECA
KIUC Honored for Community Service By the Contractors Association of Kaua‘i In ceremonies held as part of the Contractors Association of Kaua‘i’s 54th Annual Meeting and Installation Dinner December 1, the association presented the Robert H. Rask Spirit of CAK award for community service to Kaua‘i Island Utility Cooperative. Accepting the award for KIUC was former Safety Manager Randy Alcott and Fred Pascual, KIUC’s member representative to CAK. The Robert H. Rask award is named in memory of the longtime electrical contractor who was an active member of CAK, in which he held many leadership positions. Rask had a long history of community service that included decades on the boards of the Salvation Army, Lihu’e Corp, Hale Opio and Lihu’e United Church. He also served on the board and in various leadership roles of the Kaua‘i Chamber of Commerce and a variety of construction industry organizations. KIUC was cited for its wide range of community service by not only the company, but many of its staff and employees—ranging from the AdoptA Highway project the company has participated in Photo by Shelley Paik for years and helping string the lights on the lawn fronting the county building in preparation for the holiday season to helping sponsor or participate in a range of youth and educational projects around the island throughout the year. The company also was cited for its partnership with CAK in providing safety training services to employees and staff of KIUC, CAK and many other companies in the island’s construction and business sector. KIUC has made working safely and providing a safe workplace for their employees and staff a priority. More than 100 KIUC employees and staff participated in safety trainings in 2011, including in these areas: fork lift certification and recertification; aerial lift safety; flagging; fall protection and ladder safety competent person training; excavation and trenching competent person training; driver improvement program training for licensed commercial drivers; and driver improvement program training for employees who drive company vehicles. CAK President Matt Taba, KIUC’s Fred Pascual and Randy Alcott. DECEMBER 2011 21
- Page 1 and 2: 3-Time Award-Winning December 2011
- Page 3 and 4: Table of Contents Light Up A Life .
- Page 5 and 6: By Paul Daniels A Picture’s Worth
- Page 7 and 8: At the end of September, the Hawai
- Page 9 and 10: Get Smart About The Smart Grid Lear
- Page 11 and 12: Photos by Shelley Paik KIUC’s ele
- Page 13 and 14: California No-Crust Quiche and Then
- Page 15 and 16: KIUC’s program to generate at lea
- Page 17 and 18: Bissell completed his report with a
- Page 19: “As a member, you have a voice in
- Page 23 and 24: In late October, groups of children
- Page 25 and 26: The KIUC Board of Directors appoint
- Page 27 and 28: New Member Guide
- Page 29 and 30: What is an Electric Cooperative? Se
- Page 31 and 32: • Diverse Energy Solutions. It is
- Page 33 and 34: National Rural Electric Cooperative
- Page 35 and 36: Kaua‘i Smart Grid Initiative The
- Page 37 and 38: Radio Frequency Comparison of Commo
- Page 39 and 40: How will the co-op read the meters?
- Page 41 and 42: Service Activations and Disconnects
- Page 43 and 44: Storm Sense Hurricane season runs f
- Page 45 and 46: Low-Income Home Energy Assistance P
- Page 47 and 48: Social Media Reaching More Members
- Page 49 and 50: 2012 Calendar of Student Art Judges
- Page 51 and 52: Electric cooperatives are different
- Page 53 and 54: Call it Cost-effective Economical P
- Page 55 and 56: Simple Pleasures Joe Fontanilla rec
A M<strong>at</strong>ter of PRINCIPLES<br />
20 KIUC CURRENTS<br />
You might be surprised by the number of coops<br />
around you. Coops have been formed to sell<br />
produce <strong>and</strong> electricity, offer financial <strong>and</strong><br />
banking services, provide housing <strong>and</strong> health care,<br />
<strong>and</strong> much more.<br />
So where did the bright idea for coops come<br />
from? It’s a m<strong>at</strong>ter of principles—seven, to be<br />
exact. The modern movement traces its roots to a<br />
store started by weavers in the town of Rochdale<br />
(pronounced Rotchdale) in northern Engl<strong>and</strong> in<br />
1844. The group was guided by a set of principles<br />
drawn up by one of its members, Charles<br />
Howarth.<br />
When introduced into the United St<strong>at</strong>es by the<br />
N<strong>at</strong>ional Grange in 1874, these “Rochdale<br />
Principles” fueled a cooper<strong>at</strong>ive explosion.<br />
Although st<strong>at</strong>ed in many ways, the Rochdale<br />
Principles require th<strong>at</strong> a cooper<strong>at</strong>ive be open for<br />
anyone to join. Every member retains one voice,<br />
one vote. Electric coops hold member business<br />
meetings annually, allowing members to elect<br />
fellow consumers to guide the coop <strong>and</strong> have a<br />
say in how their utility is run.<br />
There also have to be real member benefits. For<br />
example, members of electric coops often get<br />
money back (called capital credits or p<strong>at</strong>ronage<br />
refunds) when the coop is in good financial<br />
shape. More than $9.5 billion has been returned<br />
to members by electric coops since 1988—<br />
nothing to sneeze <strong>at</strong>.<br />
Educ<strong>at</strong>ion remains another big focus. Electric<br />
coops provide safety inform<strong>at</strong>ion in schools,<br />
share ideas on how to make your home more<br />
energy efficient to keep electric bills affordable,<br />
<strong>and</strong> make sure elected officials <strong>and</strong> opinion<br />
leaders know about the coop business model.<br />
Because there is strength in numbers, coops<br />
tend to stick together when tackling regional <strong>and</strong><br />
n<strong>at</strong>ional issues.<br />
Perhaps most important of all, coops are<br />
independent <strong>and</strong> communityfocused, not tied to<br />
the purse strings of farflung investors. Coops<br />
help drive local economic development, fund<br />
scholarships, support local charities, <strong>and</strong> work to<br />
make life better in the areas they serve—the<br />
heart of the cooper<strong>at</strong>ive difference.<br />
Learn more about cooper<strong>at</strong>ives <strong>and</strong> the<br />
principles th<strong>at</strong> define them <strong>at</strong> www.go.coop.<br />
Source: NRECA
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