Here in the High Country most of us get our electricity service from Blue Ridge Energy. Blue Ridge Energy is a coop owned by the customers which are called members. The reality of energy here in the High Country is that many simply cannot afford it.
I grew up in Ashe County and have dealt with Blue Ridge Energy for many years. I come from a family that has had to depend on energy assistance in some form or fashion many times throughout the years due to low wages and high costs of living that simply do not afford a family the extra funds to cover electricity. However, many things have changed over the years with regard to how that assistance is obtained and how often it is available. Blue Ridge Energy has a co-op principle on their website that states, “Cooperatives are democratic organizations controlled by their members, who actively participate in setting policies and making decisions”.
I don’t know about you, but I have never been asked to help set policy or make decisions regarding my energy that I am paying for. I mention all of this, with the belief that perhaps Blue Ridge Energy could work a little harder on serving its members rather than building large extravagant headquarters offices in multiple counties, paying a CEO salary of over $1,000,000 a year, and increasing the financial burden on those already suffering financially. Appalachian Voices released scorecards examining how electric cooperatives in North Carolina measured up across a number of areas, including governance, transparency, energy efficiency, member access to clean energy and other factors.
Included in those scorecards was Blue Ridge Energy, which serves Ashe County. One of the scores was for member services, and this included things like energy efficiency financing, community and distributed solar policy, fixed fees, medical priority, etc. They scored 19 which appears good considering only one other co-op scored higher, but I believe member services have decreased at a time when they are likely needed the most. For example, you could use Operation Roundup energy assistance twice a year previously, but now it is only available once a year.
Additionally, I know of several people who were disconnected despite having a medical condition that required they have electricity to their home. The cost of the energy itself has increased making the removal of services even more of a crunch on those that desperately need the help. Those that really need the help need to speak up and go to board meetings and make their voices heard because if not we will continue to see much needed services sacrificed without so much as a whisper of input from the members it directly affects.
Thanks to modern technologies, you and more people are reading the Watauga Democrat than ever before. Freedom of the press is essential to preserving democracy: But a free press isn't free. It takes significant resources for Mountain Times Publications' 8 full-time reporters and editors to provide credible, fact-based and ethical journalism in the High Country. So, we are asking you to join our advertisers and print subscribers in supporting local journalism with your dollar. Your financial support will help sustain these services that you use to inform your decisions and engage with your community.
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Thanks to modern technologies, you and more people are reading the Watauga Democrat than ever before. Freedom of the press is essential to preserving democracy: But a free press isn't free. It takes significant resources for Mountain Times Publications' 8 full-time journalists and editors to provide credible, fact-based and ethical journalism in the High Country. So, we are asking you to join our advertisers and print subscribers in supporting local journalism with your dollar. Your financial support will help sustain these services that you use to inform your decisions and engage with your community.
Your financial support will help sustain these services that you use to inform your decisions and engage with your community.
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