Every month, CEO/General Manager Tony Mallory has a message for our members in Your Co-op Connection in Rural Missouri.
December 2024
Electricity provides value for the money
No one wants to be known as a Scrooge at this time of year.
Holiday gift-giving is a tradition in many families. We want to see youngsters smile in delight as they open presents under the tree on Christmas morning. As gift-givers, we want to find just the right items to fulfill our family’s wishes.
The last thing we want to do is disappoint.
In these times of higher prices, though, there’s nothing wrong with seeking the best value for your hard-earned dollars.
As we all look for ways to save money these days, I began to think about my typical routines and how much value they provided me compared to the money I spend.
Just to have an abundance of TV channels costs me about $125 per month. I have a gym membership that costs another $50 or so. Having fast food lunches two or three times per week can total $30 or more, which can add up to more than $100 a month.
All told, I fork out almost $300 a month for these things. And what’s the real value? Some short-term entertainment channel surfing, a “fitness” routine I don’t follow like I should, and some less-than-healthy meals.
Then I started thinking about something that brings much more value to my daily life.
Crawford Electric has one of the lowest rates in the state, so our consumer-members spend an average of just $4.60 a day for their electric service. The average monthly bill for members of Crawford Electric is $140, less than half of what I spend on those other less-than-necessary things.
Electricity provides benefits that we often take for granted. It goes well beyond short-term satisfaction by allowing us to charge devices and have cold food and hot water, all in a comfortable indoor climate. Besides the privilege it affords, electricity has also remained relatively cost-stable even as other prices rise.
As a member-owned cooperative, Crawford Electric does everything in our power to ensure your costs stay reasonable. We’re proud of the fact that we were one of the few Missouri co-ops that did NOT raise rates this year. We always want to make sure that electricity remains a great value for our consumer-members. It’s not easy, as there are several factors beyond inflation that impact the price of electricity—some within our control but most beyond it.
The cost of electricity can fluctuate due to supply and demand, infrastructure investment, maintenance and operational expenses. Weather patterns also contribute, affecting both demand and generation capabilities, with extreme conditions leading to heightened energy use or disruptions. Government policies, such as subsidies for renewable energy or taxes and regulations on emissions, shape electricity costs as well.
We know that our power suppliers, Associated Electric Cooperative and Sho-Me Power Electric Cooperative, are both planning to raise our wholesale power cost in 2025, just as they did in 2024. As I write this in late October, we’re still working on our budget, and it’s still too soon to know whether your local co-op will need to adjust rates in the new year. I want you to know that we always take seriously our commitment to delivering you the best possible service at the least possible cost.
As our community continues to rely on electricity for nearly everything in our homes, schools, hospitals and businesses, we need it to be reliable and affordable. You can be assured, Crawford Electric always puts you top of mind and works each day to ensure electricity remains the best value for your money.
So, always look for long-term value and don’t say “Bah Humbug!” this holiday season.