How your electric cooperative works to save you money and empower member communities
April 2026
by Jeff Caldwell, Staff Writer
In last month’s Grid Watch, we looked at the impact of rising costs and how that translates into your power bill. Your cooperative — which is member-owned and managed by boards elected from your community — knows that rising prices are a significant concern for you and your family, because they are to our families too. That is why we work to reduce costs, return any profits made back into the wallets of member-owners, and foster economic development and jobs in the communities we serve.
For the nearly 2 million people served by Virginia, Maryland and Delaware’s 16 electric cooperatives, examples abound where co-ops are leaning into affordability issues.
Electric cooperatives are working on behind-the-meter tools that empower members to reduce energy use and lower bills, including:
- Promoting energy efficiency programs
- Partnering with businesses and other co-ops to offer discounts on smart thermostats, energy efficient appliances and other home improvements that can reduce energy costs
- Developing load-control programs to reduce energy use, especially during peak demand hours
Visit your co-op’s website to learn more about the money-savings programs available in your area.
Your co-op is also working to control costs on the front end of the system by:
- Combining buying power with other co-ops to drive down raw materials costs
- Investing in distributed energy resources, such as community solar battery storage and microgrids
- Advocating for fair policies that ensure data centers and other large-load customers are paying their fair share of infrastructure costs needed to power their facilities
Co-ops provide capital credits — the return of any profits collected by your electric cooperative back to its members.
One of the cooperative principles that guides our operations is Concern for Community. In some communities, electric cooperatives provide broadband internet access to spur economic opportunity and more active participation in the modern economy. Many of our cooperatives also sponsor grant programs and awards that give back to the communities they serve and recognize individuals who are giving their time and energy to improve their communities.
Even the Virginia, Maryland & Delaware Association of Electric Cooperatives is investing in the communities we serve to enhance future economic and job opportunities. The association sponsors:
- VMDAEC Education Scholarship Foundation awards, giving $1,500 grants to graduating high school seniors who live in co-op service territory
- Girl Power® Camps in Palmyra, Va., and Salisbury, Md., to train the next generation of energy technicians at no cost to participants
Your co-op shares your concern about rising prices and is dedicated to driving down costs wherever possible to save you money.
To learn more about the charges that appear on your electric bill and how your individual power costs are accounted for, visit your co-op’s website.