Phone: 889-3301
Email:
info@lincolnelectric.coop
Web site www.lincolnelectric.coop
Address:
500 Osloski Road Eureka
For over 60 years, Lincoln Electric Cooperative has known who comes first – its member owners. As a cooperative, LEC exists for one reason: to provide its members with reliable electric service at the lowest possible cost. Unlike large investor-owned utilities, which try to maximize profits for stockholders, Lincoln Electric provides essential goods and services at cost.
 |
“We’re one of the lowest cost providers of electricity in the state,” said Tim Engleson, manager of member services at the co-op. “We’re here to work for our members.”
The cooperative works hard to see that its members use electricity efficiently. In conjunction with BPA, Lincoln Electric offers a variety of programs and services to make homes, businesses and industry operate with less energy. Some of the more popular programs include rebates for heat pumps, ENERGY STAR appliances, energy efficient manufactured homes, efficient water heaters, electronic thermostats, a commercial lighting program for new and existing businesses, and the recent compact fluorescent light (CFL) giveaway where the co-op mailed nearly 48,000 CFL’s to residential members. Although new construction numbers are down considerably from last year, LEC’s membership has grown by more than 3 percent each year, for the last 10 years.
Members are able to use an online billing feature on the cooperative’s Web site allowing them to pay their bill online with a check or credit card, a feature that has been very well received.
Early this year, LEC teamed up with PNGC Power, a Portland, Ore., based generation and transmission cooperative owned by cooperative utilities from seven western states. PNGC will start providing power to LEC in October 2011, when LEC’s existing contract with BPA expires.
As a part of the community, Lincoln Electric Co-op is irreplaceable. It is a corporate sponsor of many events in the area, including the Eureka Montana Quilt Show, Tobacco Valley Rodeo, the Bull Thing, Co-op Day at the Fair, and others. LEC has been active in the community and economic development and, for the last 17 years, has sent students to the Washington, DC Youth Tour. This year the co-op will be offering several “Luck of the Draw” scholarships for students planning to continue their education at college or trade schools.
Lincoln Electric Cooperative continues to grow alongside the community, and it seeks to give the highest quality of service and support that its members have come to expect.