When I wrote our 2015 reliability report last year, I knew Mother Nature had been overly kind. The majority of our outages most years stem from weather-related events. 2015 was, by all accounts, a very weather-neutral year in our service area. In 2016, our total member minutes out was about 33 percent higher. However, the difference (40 percent) came from just two summer storms.

Take the 2017 survey

Toward the end of February, approximately 2,500 randomly selected Tipmont members will receive a member satisfaction survey in the mail and will ultimately provide the crucial information needed to guide future decisions for your cooperative.

Did you know that when you use electricity often matters as much as how much electricity you consume?

What a year it’s been for Tipmont and its members.

Since January 1, 2016 Tipmont has hooked up 361 new membership service locations. That may not sound like much, but at a time when many rural electric cooperatives are experiencing flat or declining growth, we are acutely aware of how lucky we are to have a thriving local economy.

An increasing amount of questions are being asked about Tipmont’s fiber implementation, so let me use this opportunity to describe the project and its many benefits.

I want you to buy less of what Tipmont has to sell. I am not kidding, joking or teasing you. I truly want to help you lower your monthly energy bill from Tipmont.

When you sign up for electric service with Tipmont, you became a member and a part-owner of a non-profit electric cooperative. Capital credits are your piece of Tipmont’s success, both today and in the future.

For the second year in a row, Tipmont REMC co-sponsored The Energy Academy at Purdue, a week-long program for high-achieving students and outstanding science teachers. These partnerships are crucial to preparing tomorrow's energy leaders as they will be entering a world even more complex than today’s.

Last month, we looked at Tipmont’s borrowing strategy and how it helps maintain stable rates. We also showed how good borrowing decisions have kept Tipmont’s interest rates well below the median for cooperatives across the country.

Last month, we examined Tipmont’s reliability and found that 2015 was one of Tipmont’s most reliable years to date, reducing our outages by 41 percent from 2014.