Press Release

For many Iowa families, the COVID-19 pandemic isn’t just a public health crisis – it’s also a financial crisis. To ease the financial burden on those who are experiencing decreased or lost income, Iowa’s locally owned electric cooperatives have temporarily suspended disconnections for nonpayment during the health emergency.

It’s important to note, however, the disconnect suspension is not a bill waiver or bill forgiveness. If you’re unable to pay your bill on time and in full, please contact your local electric cooperative as soon as possible to make payment arrangements.

Iowa’s locally owned electric cooperatives have put plans and processes in place to protect member-consumers and employees as they continue to provide safe, reliable power during the COVID-19 pandemic. Electric co-ops regularly practice and review emergency preparedness plans and have implemented their business continuity and pandemic response plans in response to COVID-19.

“Electric cooperatives have been taking steps to prepare for the evolving COVID-19 challenges while maintaining their commitment to the member-consumers and communities they serve,” remarked Chuck Soderberg, EVP of the Iowa Association of Electric Cooperatives. “Electric co-ops have a strong track record of preparing for many kinds of emergencies and scenarios. Processes are in place to continue providing safe, reliable electricity to power members’ lives in these uncertain times.”

More than 140 directors from Iowa's locally owned electric co-ops attended the Iowa Association of Electric Cooperative's annual Directors' Update at the West Des Moines Marriott in early February.

IAEC Board President Steve Seidl explains, "We know that for directors to be most effective, they must be knowledgeable about the challenges and issues that could impact their electric cooperative. The local board guides the cooperative in providing electricity that is safe, affordable, reliable and sustainable in addition to playing a crucial role in determining the strategic direction and priorities of the co-op."

More than 200 building industry professionals and Iowa electric co-op staff attended the 2020 Momentum is Building conference, held Feb. 6-7 in West Des Moines.

Sponsored by the Touchstone Energy Cooperatives of Iowa, the annual conference promotes residential energy efficiency building concepts and provides valuable CEU training for electricians, plumbers and HVAC professionals. This year, 20 vendors and exhibitors attended the conference to share new trends and products related to residential energy efficiency. The conference also serves to educate the next generation of professionals as several construction students from Indian Hills Community College and Iowa Central Community College attended.

Nearly 200 directors, managers and employees from Iowa’s electric cooperatives discussed priorities with more than 80 state legislators on January 14 during the annual Welcome Back Legislative Reception in downtown Des Moines.

With the theme of “The Power of Cooperative Commitment,” the Iowa Association of Electric Cooperatives (IAEC) conducted its 2019 annual meeting in West Des Moines with more than 400 attendees on Dec. 5 and 6. Board directors and senior staff from Iowa’s locally owned rural electric cooperatives attended the one-and-a-half day meeting, where they had an opportunity to hear from IAEC Board President Steve Seidl and IAEC Executive Vice President and General Manager Chuck Soderberg.

Twelve volunteer linemen from electric cooperatives in Iowa, Illinois and Wisconsin recently returned from an international project called “Partners for a Brighter Tomorrow.” The group worked for 16 days to build out infrastructure to electrify 42 households, a school, a health outpost and a church in a rural north-central Guatemalan village. The team worked in conjunction with the NRECA International foundation which has implemented electrification programs across the globe for over 50 years.

Earlier this week, 37 electric cooperative representatives flew to Washington, D.C. to participate in the Iowa Association of Electric Cooperatives annual Fall Legislative Fly-In. Iowa electric cooperative managers, directors and employees spent three days sharing the electric cooperative story with legislators and policymakers.

More than 70 linemen from Iowa’s electric cooperatives are heading north to help neighboring electric co-ops as they work to restore power following Winter Storm Wesley. The storm delivered substantial ice accumulations and high winds along Iowa’s northern border and throughout Minnesota, causing broken poles and ice-packed conductor wire to fall to the ground. Overburdened branches and broken trees have also caused outages. High winds have made progress difficult today as linemen battle the elements to restore power as quickly and safely as possible.

As of 4:00 p.m., just over 4,400 meters served by Iowa’s electric cooperatives are without power, with most being located along the state’s northern border. View live outage updates from Iowa’s electric cooperatives at https://www.iowarec.org/outages/.  For those who are without power, contact your local electric cooperative or power utility directly to report your outage and to receive progress updates. Find photos of damage and updates on our Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/IowaElectricCooperatives/. 

Iowa’s electric cooperatives thank the Iowa Legislature for passing Senate File 2311, and we applaud Governor Kim Reynolds for signing the legislation into law earlier today. The legislation includes several sections which are beneficial to cooperative member-owners, especially with regard to rate affordability.