Rob Schwartz

Do you remember coming into the Miami-Cass REMC office with your parents and grandparents to pay the light bill? Whether you do that in person, by mail or online today, paying your monthly bill does a lot more than just keep the lights on.

Electricity keeps us connected to our modern world. Consider all the necessities and conveniences we enjoy in part because of the power lines running to the electric meter outside your home.

Count up your televisions, desktop, laptop and tablet computers, printers, your gaming consoles, music and video players and personal assistant devices. Whether they get used every day or just occasionally, the electricity that keeps them working comes from Miami-Cass REMC.

You use electricity to run all these devices, and we still keep the lights on. You can aslo use the stove, heating and air conditioning, and get hot water from tap. The good news — electricity is still a bargain, especially compared to other things we pay for regularly.

Since 2011, medical care, residential rental rates and education have increased at rates of 3 percent or more per year. Butter, meat and egg costs have been up by more than one to 2 percent annually, and even bread costs have risen better than a half point on average.

Electricity costs rise about 1 percent a year, but co-ops across the country have reported a decline in average residential use per household since 2010. That means we’re doing more things with less energy.

When it comes to value, electricity is a clear winner, and we’re always looking for ways to work with you to make it even better. That’s why we promote energy efficiency. The co-op encourages using ENERGY STAR® appliances and promotes technology designed to give members more control over their electricity use.

Energy performance dashboards, smart thermostats and power strips, and appliance settings that shift most water heating, laundry and dishwashing outside of peak rate periods help reduce the co-op’s overall power demand. They also give you opportunities to control or even trim your monthly utility bills.

That’s good for families, couples and individuals trying to live within their budgets. And it’s going to become even more important as digital devices and internet-connected technologies become even more important in our lives.

That’s why we’re always working to provide service that’s reliable, affordable, and a value to our members.

ROB SCHWARTZ
CEO