News Archive

Jeremiah 33:6, a not-for-profit with the mission to provide preventative maintenance health education to community members in rural east central Illinois, is the most recent recipient of the Sharing Success grant program from Eastern Illini Electric Cooperative, the local electric cooperative, and CoBank, a cooperative bank serving vital industries throughout rural America.  Jeremiah 33:6 received $5,000 to help fund a produce pantry which offers nutritional food and education to people who can’t afford healthy food.  “We are member driven and community focused, “said Mike Wilson, Vice President of Member and Community Relations for Eastern Illini. “When I heard about the amazing work being done by Jeremiah 33:6, it just made sense to find a way to help support them as they combat disease and illness through proactive health measures.”  “We are grateful to Eastern Illini and CoBank for their commitment to supporting Jeremiah 33:6,” said Dr. Valerie Wright, Founder and President. “As a result of this grant money, we are able to continue promoting a holistic approach to wellness and empower individuals to take charge of their health and well-being.” Eastern Illini’s $2,500 donation was matched by CoBank through its Sharing Success program. Sharing Success was established in 2012 to celebrate the International Year of the Cooperative. Since the program’s inception, CoBank and its customers have together provided more than $86 million in support to charitable organizations. CoBank has increased the annual matching fund to $5 million, which is beneficial to communities served by electric cooperatives across the nation. Eastern Illini Electric Cooperative is a member-owned business providing electric service to over 13,000 meters in ten counties throughout east central Illinois. EIEC operates and maintains more than 4,500 miles of energized lines. Eastern Illini provides members with safe and reliable energy solutions and exceptional service. Follow Eastern Illini on Facebook and visit eiec.coop for more information. 

We want to thank Eastern Illini members who attended the Annual Meeting events in Tuscola, at the Ford County Fairgrounds and at the Iroquois County Fairgrounds. It was great to be able to enjoy a sit-down fried chicken meal and talk with members, friends and neighbors. We hope everyone enjoyed the meal and music. Hats off to our employees who went above and beyond to ensure everything ran smoothly. The final Annual Meeting event at the Iroquois County Fairgrounds culminated with the Eastern Illini Electric Cooperative business meeting with began at 6:00 p.m. in the 4-H Building. Kevin Moore, Chairman of the Eastern Illini Board of Directors, confirmed the notice and proof of mailing for the meeting. The meeting minutes and Treasurer's report were approved. Members heard an update from President/CEO, Bob Hunzinger. He provided information about the new meter installation project and the rate restructuring that was implemented earlier this year. Guy Hall, attorney for Eastern Illini Electric Cooperative, determined that quorum had been achieved. He announced that three members of the Board of Directors ran uncontested and were reelected for three year terms. District 3: Steve Meenen, Melvin District 4: Bruce Ristow, Cissna Park District 6: Bradley J. Ludwig, Fithian Since there was no unfinished business or new business, Chairman Moore thanked members for attending and adjourned the meeting. The EIEC Board held a reorganization meeting following the annual meeting and elected officers. Chairman: Kevin Moore Vice Chairman: Bruce Ristow Secretary/Treasurer: Steve Meenen Asst. Secretary/Treasurer: Chad Larimore

In 2022, EIEC began an extensive cost of service and rate study. That study showed us that while the cooperative was doing okay financially, we weren't quite collecting enough to properly maintain our distribution system. It further showed that a 2.5 percent rate increase was necessary to maintain system reliability and help cover the rising costs we've all seen in recent years. As we continued analysis, we determined that many of our fixed costs were being collected through kWh sales. If we have a milder summer or winter, our kWh sales could drop and could lead to reliability issues with our service. After all options were considered, the EIEC Board of Directors decided that our rate structure needed to be adjusted to ensure these fixed costs are met. Our new rate structure consists of 3 major changes. First, there will be an increase in the base charge of most rates. Second, we will be adding a demand component to our bill. Demand refers to the maximum amount of power (measured in kilowatts or kW) that is being consumed at a specific time. It is related to, but different than, kWh, which is the amount of power used over a period of time. EIEC will be measuring each member's demand every 15 minutes and the highest demand value of each month will be factor used to charge you for your demand each month. Lastly, since we are making demand its own charge, we will be lowering our kWh charge. We anticipate most members that are on our general single phase service (80% of our members) will see a 2-3% increase on their bill. These changes will be effective on your April bill for your March usage. If you would like more information on our new rate restructuring or how to manage your demand, please visit the links below. https://www.eiec.org/2024-rate-restructuring  https://www.eiec.org/demand-information If you have questions about the new rate structure or would like to know how it will impact you, please call us at 800-824-5102 or email us at info@eiec.coop

Eastern Illini Electric Cooperative will be changing the rate structure for members of the cooperative in March of 2024. We want to invite members to an informational meeting that provides background details, explains the new rates, and answers questions. Please join us for any one of these six meetings being held throughout our service territory.