Stable Rates
and Solar Power
I
Jerry Sorenson,
General Manager
indicated in my message in the annual report that we
will have no rate increase this year and that we are
continuing to work on our community solar power
project. Here I will touch on those two topics in a little
more detail.
No Rate Increase for 2015
I’m pleased to announce that for the second year in
a row, Riverland Energy will not have a rate increase. Stable wholesale power prices are the main driver to stable
retail electric rates. Wholesale power is nearly 62 percent
of the cooperative’s total expenses. This is the reason why
rates have always increased over the years. Now, with
steady power prices, rates to members can be stabilized.
We know the price to generate and distribute energy
is rising here in northwestern Wisconsin and throughout
the country, but we’re working hard to keep your electric
bills affordable.
Our goal always is, and always has been, to provide
you with quality electric service at a price that is very
competitive with other utilities and sources of energy in
this region. We place very high importance on controlling
our costs and will continue to work towards our goal of
rate stability as we proceed forward and work with our
power supplier, Dairyland Power Cooperative, to make
that happen.
Thanks for your continual support.
Community Solar Project
A growing movement in the electric utility world is
creation of community solar projects. Riverland Energy is
becoming part of that movement.
The idea in a nutshell: Riverland Energy builds a
power generating facility that uses solar photovoltaic
(PV) panels to generate electricity and invites its members to voluntarily participate in the project’s costs and
benefits. Members who choose to become part of the project make a financial commitment.
4 • Wisconsin Energy Cooperative News
Right now, Riverland Energy is trying to determine
the best way that involvement can work. Currently, we
are sending out requests for proposals to determine costs.
We will then hold public meetings sometime this summer
in hopes that members who attend can learn about the
co-op’s efforts up to that point and some of the issues and
challenges that have to be addressed before the project
can move forward.
No Recycle Drive this Year
W
e’re sorry to inform you that we will not
host a recycle drive this spring. Recycling
vendors have started charging fees, so we are unable to offer free recycling for members.
For the last five years, Riverland Energy offered a recycle drive in the spring where members
could drop off old TVs, computers, electronics,
and appliances. This was a free service for members and was highly attended. During those years,
the recycling companies did not charge the co-op
or its members a fee. Unfortunately, these companies now charge for these services. As a result,
we have decided not to host a recycling event this
year. Our priority is holding co-op expenses down
for our members.
The co-op still offers
$25 rebates for recycling
refrigerators, freezers, and
window air conditioning
units, good through
December 31, 2015, or
until funds are depleted.
Check our website at
www.riverlandenergy.com
for more information.
Community
Connection
Riverland Energy
Cooperative
Sponsors Coulee
Conference Classic
F
or the tenth year in a row,
Riverland Energy Cooperative,
along with Jackson Electric Cooperative, Vernon Electric
Cooperative, Tri-County Electric
Cooperative, and Dairyland Power
Cooperative, sponsored the Coulee
Conference Basketball Classic at the
La Crosse Center.
“We’re proud we have an opportunity to be a part of this great
event. It’s an exciting family event
that showcases great high school
basketball,” said Jerry Sorenson,
Riverland Energy general manager.
“The classic is one way Riverland
Energy reaches one of its core values
— Commitment to Community.”
The Coulee Conference Classic
is an event organized to help raise
funds to support the annual conference scholar-athlete recognition banquet held in the spring. The banquet
honors scholar-athletes involved in
any of the sports programs of the
Coulee Conference who have exhibited extraordinary academic achievements in the classroom.
All the sponsoring cooperatives
are partners of Touchstone Energy®,
a co-brand used by cooperatives
all over the nation to market what
local electric cooperatives stand for:
Integrity, Accountability, Community
Involvement, and Innovation.
Riverland Energy Cooperative • 5
Riverland Energy Cooperative
The youth ambassadors for 2015 include, l–r: Henry Hilmanowski,
Julia Branger, Callie Rae Long, Rachel Hovey, Wil Loewenhagen,
Whitney Rud, Michael Sonsalla, Megan Johnson, Sam Weinzierl,
Emily Burton, Riley Ruehmann, Jordan Kaczorowski, Andy
Dunham, Mariah Filla, and Gabe Gullicksrud. Missing from photo
are Michael Bestinger and Michaela Pronschinske.
The 2015
Youth Ambassador
Program Begins
T
he Riverland Energy Cooperative youth ambassadors are a group of motivated high school
juniors who meet throughout the year to learn
about electric cooperatives and the cooperative business model, gain leadership skills, and more. The 2015
youth ambassadors met in February and
received presentations from cooperative
staff on the electric industry and renewable energy. They also had some fun playing a game of Pictionary and were treated
with pizza for lunch.
The Youth Ambassador Program was
implemented in 1969 and is open to all
high school juniors from each of the 15
schools in our service territory. This year,
10 schools are represented by 18 students.
The program also offers the students a
chance win a trip to Washington, D.C.,
attend youth leadership conferences, and
scholarship opportunities.
28 • Wisconsin Energy Cooperative News
Join our Evergreen
Program!
Tim Brown
C
Jackson Boehm
Two Youth Ambassadors
Selected for Youth Tour
ongratulations to two youth ambassadors who were
selected as the 2015 NRECA Youth Tour delegates.
In June, Jackson Boehm, a senior at Arcadia High School,
and Tim Brown, a senior at Holmen High School, will
join 1,500 other students from 44 states on a trip to Washington, D.C. They will visit museums, monuments, and
memorials and learn about the United States government
firsthand. They were selected through an essay contest,
open to REC youth ambassadors. We are honored to offer
them this opportunity.
Evergreen is a renewable energy (green power)
program available to your home, farm, or business through our power provider, Dairyland Power
Cooperative. Evergreen is for you if you are willing
to pay a little bit more to purchase a portion or all
of your electricity from renewable energy sources.
In addition to your normal monthly electric bill,
you volunteer to pay a small, additional charge each
month to offset the additional cost it takes to support
renewable energy.
There’s no limit on the number of blocks that
can be purchased. You pay $1.50 for each block of
100 kilowatt-hours monthly. The payments are used
to cover the additional costs required to provide
energy from renewable energy sources. You can
sign up, change your
participation level, or
discontinue your participation at any time.
Riverland Energy Cooperative
Yes! I want to participate in
Evergreen Renewable Energy.
Your Touchstone Energy® Partner
N28988 State Road 93 • P.O. Box 277 • Arcadia, WI 54612
608-323-3381 • 1-800-411-9115
www.riverlandenergy.com
District Offices
1472 Hwy. 35
P.O. Box 276
Onalaska, WI 54650
608-783-2238
1-800-411-9115
1225 S. Main St.
P.O. Box 248
Alma, WI 54610
608-685-4440
1-800-685-4415
Jerry Sorenson,
General Manager
Beth Alesch, Editor
Outages & Emergencies
Call 1-800-927-6206
24 hours a day
Office Hours
Arcadia: 7:30 a.m.–4:00 p.m.
Onalaska: 7:30 a.m.–4:00 p.m.
Alma: 7:30 a.m.–4:00 p.m.
Officers of the
Board of Directors:
Mark Vinz, Onalaska, President
Dan Filla, Arcadia, Vice-President
David Anderson, Trempealeau,
Secretary/Treasurer
Please sign me up at the following level:
Number of blocks of energy:
o 1 block (100 kWh)................................................. $1.50
o 2 blocks(220 kWh)................................................ $3.00
o 3 blocks (300 kWh)............................................... $4.50
o 4 blocks (400 kWh)............................................... $6.00
o 5 blocks (500 kWh)............................................... $7.50
o Other: Please specify number of blocks ________.
Name
Address
Phone
Signature
Acct. No.
Date
Return to Riverland Energy Cooperative, P.O. Box 277, Arcadia, WI 54612
Riverland Energy Cooperative • 29