Congress Honors Delaware Electric Cooperative

The United States Senate in October passed a bipartisan resolution honoring Delaware Electric Cooperative and its “Beat the Peak” Program for saving Co-op members millions of dollars. The resolution was sponsored by Democratic Delaware Senator Chris Coons and Republican Colorado Senator Cory Gardener.

The resolution praised Delaware Electric Cooperative for being the first co-op in the nation to offer a “Beat the Peak” program. “Beat the Peak” alerts are issued by DEC when the cost to generate or purchase power is extremely high. When members voluntarily conserve energy during peak periods of energy use, the Co-op is able to lower the cost of power for all members. So far in 2018, the program has saved members nearly $2 million.

According to Senator Chris Coons, “We are extremely proud that the Delaware Electric Cooperative was the first electric cooperative in the nation to offer a ‘Beat the Peak’ program, which to date, has saved Delaware members $27 million over the past ten years. It is my hope that raising awareness of the many benefits provided by these voluntary energy reduction programs will result in more electric cooperatives adopting and offering those programs across the country.”

More than 55,000 Delaware Electric Co-op members are now participating in the program. “Beat the Peak” is a registered trademark of DEC. Over the past decade, Delaware Electric Cooperative has also helped more than 90 other not-for-profit electric co-ops across the country launch their own “Beat the Peak” programs.

 “We are incredibly proud to have been able to save our members nearly $30 million,” said DEC President and CEO Bill Andrew. “We’re also thrilled to be able to help consumers across the nation lower their electric bills. These types of programs that save consumers money are one of the many ways co-ops are different from the for-profit utilities. We’re focused on what’s best for those we serve – we’re not in business to make money for shareholders,” he added.

 Members who would like to learn more about “Beat the Peak” can visit www.beatthepeak.coop.