KVREMC Meter Technician Joel Metcalf works on a member’s meter. For your safety, employees from the co-op need access to your property at times to perform routine checks or maintenance on its equipment.

Sometimes, the phone in our office rings, and the caller at the other end is concerned. The member on the line isn’t happy that one of our employees entered onto his/her property without asking permission. He doesn’t have the right to do that, does he? Isn’t that trespassing or invasion of privacy?

For your safety, our employees at times need to visit your property to check, repair, or replace electric meters or to inspect or test your service. Even though it may be on your property, the meter and other facilities belong to the REMC, and we need to be able to access them.

Our employees aren’t in your yard to cause mischief or see what you’re doing. They’re just making sure your electric service is operating safely and your meter is recording your power use accurately. We read meters remotely these days, but at least once each year we have to verify that the meters are operating correctly and that the seals are intact.

Some members have asked us to make courtesy calls before visits, but that’s not practical. For one thing, our employees aren’t always sure who owns which land, or when they’ll need to check a particular area. In addition, we just don’t have enough staff members to make all those calls. Our employees carry identification and drive marked vehicles with the Kankakee Valley REMC logo. If you are ever concerned, you can ask our employees to present identification confirming they are employees of the cooperative.

If you prefer our employees not access your property, you have the option of moving the meter base closer to the road. Call our office for additional information concerning this option. You can find more details in our “Rules & Regulations,” which is available on our website, kvremc.com, under the “About Us” tab.