York Electric Cooperative, Inc.

Q&A

Co-op A’s to your Q’s Where do we get the power we distribute to members?

Paul Basha, YEC President and Chief Executive Officer
Paul Basha, President and Chief Executive Officer

A good question came up recently on York Electric’s Facebook page: Where does YEC get the power it distributes to members?

A member queried us in late February, on a day when we had approximately 500 members without electricity due to a Duke Energy transmission problem. As we told our followers on Facebook—which, by the way, is a great way to communicate with members in real time—we worked with Duke Energy to resolve the issue as soon as possible.

Some members thought that YEC only purchases power from Duke Energy. We actually have a long-standing relationship with the investor-owned power company, as well as another power provider, the state-owned utility Santee Cooper.

Long-standing ties

The South Carolina Public Service Authority, as Santee Cooper is formally known, is now our chief power provider. YEC and the other 19 independent, consumer-owned distribution co-ops in South Carolina constitute Santee Cooper’s largest customer. The 20 distribution co-ops co-own a power supply aggregator, Central Electric Power Cooperative, headquartered in Columbia. Central has the wholesale supply contract with Santee Cooper, a long-term contract designed to hold down power costs and ensure we have reliable, affordable electricity for our members for the foreseeable future.

Through Central, the 20 co-ops also contract with Duke Energy to purchase approximately 25 percent of their power. Previously, before Santee Cooper was able to provide power to all of South Carolina, YEC and four other Upstate co-ops purchased most of our power from Duke. So, our ties to Duke’s system are long-standing.

No, YEC does not generate power. Never has. Our job for the last 74 years has been to distribute power to communities where other utilities could not reasonably serve and make a profit.

Up to the task

Today, South Carolina’s 20 electric co-ops serve more than 739,000 accounts in the state—more than 1.5 million citizens. As a group, co-ops serve more S.C. consumers than any other utility. No longer strictly rural, we serve homes, businesses and industries mostly in suburbs, small towns as well as rural areas.

Co-ops build and maintain three times the miles of power line of any other utility. Our distribution systems cover 70 percent of the state’s land area with more than 72,000 miles of power line. Co-ops offset the expense of maintaining their systems by operating on a not-for-profit, costof- service basis. Savings gained by eliminating profits are passed on to members in the form of capital credits.

If that seems like a complicated answer to a simple question, please understand that the job of delivering electricity to almost 49,000 accounts over 3,600 miles of line is, by its nature, a complex task. We have consistently proven we’re up to the job for almost 75 years. We look forward to another 75.

 

Paul Basha

Paul Basha
President and Chief Executive Officer

Related Topics:
Frequently Asked Questions

Member wins $25

YEC Member Q&ACongratulations to AnaMaria Garcia-Solis of Sharon, whose question was selected to be answered this month, and she received $25.

Question: Is it possible to pick and choose your electric supplier? How is it that some homes are served by YEC and others on the same street are served by another provider?

Answer: Electric cooperatives were first formed in the 1930s when it became evident that established power companies were not ready to supply power to people living in rural America. YEC was founded in 1941 by a group of farmers and businessmen who realized that the only way to bring electric power to rural York County was to do it themselves. Over the years, the population growth significantly increased, making the lines between territories for electric companies much closer. Territories for each utility were determined by the Public Service Commission of South Carolina to plan for this growth and, in some cases, the line that determines this territory may now be right across your street. That’s why you may be served by YEC and your neighbor by another provider. Today, territorial assignments continue to be monitored and governed by the Public Service Commission of South Carolina. The electric provider is determined by the area in which you live.

YEC services portions of Cherokee, Chester, Lancaster and York counties and is one of 20 electric cooperatives in South Carolina.

To enter the contest, submit your question by emailing it to or by mailing it to YEC, P.O. Box 150, York, SC 29745, Attention: SCL Q & A.
Related Topics:
What is a Co-op
Frequently Asked Questions

Member Wins $25

YEC Member Q&ACongratulations to Edward Bielicki of Clover, whose question was selected to be answered this month, and he received $25.

Question: As members of YEC, do we build equity in the co-op, and if we leave the area do we get a payout?

Answer: Capital Credits are a benefit of membership in a member-owned utility. Each year, YEC uses the revenues that exceed operating costs as equity. These funds and borrowed capital allow YEC to serve a growing number of members while implementing the latest technology to provide the best possible service. As a not-for-profit utility, YEC later returns these revenues to the members who originally paid them in his/her electric bills.

Each year, our members receive Capital Credit checks. This month YEC will retire $800,000 in Capital Credits to people who were members in 1989, 1990 and 2011. Members will receive Capital Credit checks in the mail unless the amount due to them is less than $15. If the member’s refund is less than $15, the amount will be distributed and printed on their utility billing statement as a line item credit. The amount of Capital Credits returned is determined by total revenues received over expenses for the cooperative and your total energy billings for the year. They are paid periodically with board approval after review of YEC’s financial status.

If you leave YEC’s service area, your Capital Credits remain in your name and member number until they are retired. Therefore, you need to make sure YEC has your current mailing address.

To enter the contest, submit your question by emailing it to or by mailing it to YEC, P.O. Box 150, York, SC 29745, Attention: SCL Q & A.
Related Topics:
What is a Co-op
Frequently Asked Questions

Member Wins $25

YEC Member Q&ACongratulations to David Lawrence of Fort Mill. Lawrence’s question “What is a brief history of how YEC was formed?” was selected to be answered this month, and he received $25.

Answer: Electric cooperatives were first formed in the 1930s when it became evident that established power companies were not ready to supply power to people living in rural America. The federal government established the Rural Electrification Administration (REA) to lend money for the construction of power lines outside population centers. Farmers and other rural residents formed cooperatives to borrow money from the REA and construct the needed lines.

YEC was founded in 1941 by a group of farmers and businessmen who realized that the only way to bring electric power to rural York County was to do it themselves. In March of 1941, 553 strong, these citizens began an endeavor that would change rural living in this area forever.

YEC’s capacity to supply dependable and affordable electric power also opened our rural areas to commerce and industry. New and diversified businesses came to the countryside, providing jobs, products and services.

Since 1941, YEC has been an active community partner and a dynamic force in the area’s economic development. We continue to serve the homes, farms, and small businesses in our rural areas, but we now also serve a growing number of residential, commercial, and large industrial accounts in York County’s expanding population centers.

The cooperative’s active accounts now total 45,122 and electric power is delivered across approximately 3,500 miles of line. YEC operates 24 substations that have been planned and placed to achieve maximum operational efficiency for current and future usage requirements.

To enter the contest, submit your question by emailing it to or by mailing it to YEC, P.O. Box 150, York, SC 29745, Attention: SCL Q & A.
Related Topics:
What is a Co-op
Frequently Asked Questions

Member Wins $25

YEC Member Q&ACongratulations to Leo Smith of Fort Mill. Smith’s question: “How much insulation do you need in your ceiling to get effective insulation protection?” was selected to be answered this month, and he received $25.

Answer: Answer: The minimum requirement for ceiling insulation is R-30, but the recommendation is R-38-49. Proper insulation can cut energy costs by as much as half! Also, consider insulating outside walls, attics, spaces between floors, around heating ducts and pipes that are exposed to the elements. Insulate nooks and crannies such as wall outlets, gaps in siding and around the foundation and holes around pipes, ducts and exhaust fans.

To enter the monthly contest, submit your question by emailing it to or by mailing it to YEC, P.O. Box 150, York, SC 29745—Attention: SCL Q & A. The deadline for receiving questions is the first of the month, but questions that come in after the deadline will be considered for the following month.
Related Topics:
Continuous Improvement
Frequently Asked Questions

Member wins $25

YEC Member Q&ACongratulations to Tom Carico of Clover. Carico’s question: “Has YEC ever considered offering Internet service to their members?” was selected to be answered this month, and he received $25.

Answer: YEC participated in a small pilot program with other electric cooperatives in the state and determined that it was cost prohibitive to offer Broadband Over Power Lines (BPL) at this time. YEC will continue to follow the research for this offering and will investigate any new advancements in this technology.

To enter the monthly contest, submit your question by emailing it to or by mailing it to YEC, P.O. Box 150, York, SC 29745—Attention: SCL Q & A. The deadline for receiving questions is the first of the month, but questions that come in after the deadline will be considered for the following month.
Related Topics:
Continuous Improvement
Frequently Asked Questions