POWERING LIVES & EMPOWERING COMMUNITIES
IAEC serves, supports and advocates for our members by providing expertise and collaborative leadership.
IAEC works to unify and strengthen the voice of our member cooperatives in an evolving industry through leadership, integrity and expertise centered around the cooperative principles. We are committed to serving our members as they strive to provide safe, reliable, affordable and sustainable electricity for their member-consumers.
Integrity
We build relationships based on trust and honesty.
Leadership
We work as a unified team and lead by example.
Excellence
Our work is performed with excellence and empowered through innovation.
Service
We aim to support our members with superior service in a timely manner.
$688 MILLION
$29 MILLION
$300 MILLION
$4.7 BILLION
Owned by the members they serve, locally governed electric cooperatives power the lives of 650,000 Iowans throughout all 99 counties every day. Co-ops are committed to delivering power that is safe, reliable, affordable and sustainable while also investing in rural economic development.
The employee benefits department manages the IAEC Health Care Plan and the plans sponsored by the Hawkeye Insurance Association (HIA). The department also provides human resources and payroll services for IAEC staff.
The communications department is responsible for public relations, digital communications, IAEC's member directory and for providing support to our member cooperatives. The department also publishes Iowa Electric Cooperative Living magazine each month.
Our education and training department identifies needs and organizes training and educational opportunities for the employees and directors of Iowa's electric cooperatives. Each year, IAEC offers more than 50 educational and training events.
IAEC's policy & advocacy team manages issues and relationships involving Iowa's policymakers and elected officials. The department also handles legislative affairs at the state and federal levels and organizes grassroots efforts through Iowa Rural Power.
Our safety & loss control department conducts safety training, general work procedures training and accident investigations for our members. IAEC's safety team also administers the Rural Electric Safety Achievement Program (RESAP) to promote a proactive safety culture and coordinates mutual aid requests.
Iowa's electric cooperatives are committed to helping their member-owners use energy wisely. If you're considering a solar generation system, do your homework and contact your local electric co-op early in the process for information you can trust.
Electric cooperatives are local power providers, owned by the member-consumers they serve. Each electric co-op is governed by an elected board of directors who are members of the co-op. When the local board determines it is financially feasible, excess co-op margins are returned to the members over time as retired capital credits. Due to their organizational structure, electric cooperatives are accountable and accessible utility organizations that also support their local communities and invest in economic development efforts to improve quality of life. Iowa's electric cooperatives are committed to providing power that is safe, reliable, affordable and sustainable.
Every electric cooperative is governed by a local board of directors, who must be members of the co-op and are elected by members of the co-op. Additionally, electric co-ops adhere to the 7 Cooperative Principles:
1. Voluntary and open membership
2. Democratic member control
3. Members' economic participation
4. Autonomy and independence
5. Education, training and information
6. Cooperation among cooperatives
7. Concern for community
Back in the 1930s, there was an electric divide in America. 90% of town and city dwellers had access to electricity while 90% of rural citizens were left in the dark. The investor-owned utilities at that time saw no profit in serving sparsely populated areas. President Franklin D. Roosevelt created the Rural Electrification Administration (REA) in 1935 as part of the New Deal and the Rural Electrification Act of 1936 provided official status to the REA as a lending agency to serve rural areas. With low-interest financing in place, REA representatives helped rural citizens band together to form not-for-profit electric cooperatives for access to safe, reliable and affordable power. Most of Iowa's electric cooperatives were formed in the 1930s and 40s as a result of this effort.
Electric co-ops power the lives of 650,000 Iowans throughout all 99 counties every day, representing about 15% of the state's population. Electric co-ops serve primarily rural areas and we cover more than two-thirds of Iowa's land mass. We maintain about 62,000 miles of power lines, which is enough to wrap around the equator 2.5 times!
Yes - collectively, Iowa's electric cooperatives pay almost $29 million in local and state taxes each year. These taxes help fund local emergency services, road maintenance projects, healthcare services and schools throughout rural Iowa.
March 21, 2025
December 09, 2024
October 07, 2024
Are you passionate about making a difference in your community and serving members? Iowa's electric cooperatives are always seeking talented and dedicated people to embrace our mission of powering lives and empowering communities. Electric co-ops offer dependable careers with competitive wages and quality benefits in an exciting industry.
Iowa electric co-op meters without power
