Members like service, but they and employees are displeased about management
Note: We wonder if the survey asked if anybody's happy with their eye-popping electric bills lately. Our power co-op unfortunately continues to score near rock bottom in providing members with the incentives needed to convert their homes and businesses to renewable energy systems. For starters, PEC should look at revamping its net metering policies to allow for far more customer-avoided costs (click here and type in net metering in the search box . . . more info here). More broadly, PEC would do well to enthusiastically embrace the movement towards energy independence for all its members.
Take a look at one of the fascinating possibilities in this video segment from a recent CBS "60 Minutes" report on the Bloom Box: http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=6228923n&tag=api
Send your comments and news tips to online.editor@valleyspringcomm.net, to PEC board president Larry Landadker, larry.landaker@gmail.com, or click on the "comments" button at the bottom of the story
Read the complete story here: http://www.statesman.com/news/local/pec-scores-low-on-trustworthiness-273579.html
By Patrick George / pgeorge@statesman.comAMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF
Published: 8:41 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 23, 2010
A survey of Pedernales Electric Cooperative members and employees reveals that although about three-quarters of the co-op's members are satisfied with their electrical service, many co-op employees remain critical of management's openness, leadership and treatment of personnel.
Among the findings: Only 1 in 3 employee respondents agree that "PEC's leadership can be trusted to do what it says it is going to do."
Even fewer — 26 percent — think that their pay is linked to performance, and only 28 percent feel confident that management is working to serve members or that the board is doing a good job.
The low numbers might seem surprising, given the avowed determination of the co-op's leadership to turn over a new leaf after the tumult of recent years, when disclosures of questionable practices forced out many top officials. But they also reflect a common criticism of Pedernales employees: Many distrusted managers who were part of the co-op's old culture remain at their jobs.
The survey, compiled by Austin-based research firm SomersetGuild, was released at Monday's regular meeting of the co-op board of directors. It took about nine months to survey or interview 900 co-op members, 700 employees, local officials, a co-op watchdog group and all but one board member.
6 comments:
You hired a consultant to perform this report? What a waste of money.
This is old news. We all know this and it is obvious. PEC service overall has been consistently good; however, management sucks. For many years they got away with ripping-off customers and making a fortune in vacations and other perks.
If PEC is a "cooperative", management may want to look up this word in Webster's Dictionary since they have no idea in the world what it means. Why aren't the members managing the company?
We keep hearing about the better deals PEC has purchased electricity for itself, but it is not being passed along to consumers.
Some of us received one-time "rebates" of $30 or so.
Does this make up for years of high costs and profiteering?
Old news, buddy, let's get something new going on. Let's get some consistency on lower costs of electricity.
perhaps Patrick Cox needs to give more money to Pinocchio Ro$e so he can solve this problem too, should be easy enough for him as he's done solved the problems of healthcare and education, cured breast cancer and lord knows terrorism (by standing next to a guy with a cowboy hat in a photo).. Fuelberg didn't give enough to Pinocchio to protect him and the PEC from the constituents.... Landecker and Linebarger should give more to Pinocchio Ro$e or we're all doomed.... Saving us all @ $157 an hour since 2002.
Aren't many of the PEC Directors simply there because they need jobs in a high unemployment or low real estate sales economy?
I know when I was growing up I always dreamed of being a utility company director.
My last 2 months electric bills have been higher by $100 than my highest bills a year ago. What are they doing to make the price so high? It's an outrage and it's killing my budget! I would convert to solar, wind, whatever, if PEC would make it worth my while. Paying these ridiculous electric bills certainly is not worth my while, always stuck between too cold and a little bit warm. We just can't be comfortable anymore without it costing us an arm and a leg. I appreciate the coops reform efforts. I'd appreciate affordable energy and energy independence a whole lot more.
Anon 3 your statement, “My last 2 months electric bills have been higher by $100 than my highest bills a year ago.” probably says you heat your home with electricity, likely a heat pump. Many of us do not have access to natural gas so that is our only option. That coupled with the coldest winter on decades, equals high electric bills. Our last winter was very mild in comparison. My bills have been about the same as yours and that is to be expected. There is nothing nefarious going on here.
I don’t understand what you mean by, “I'd appreciate affordable energy and energy independence a whole lot more.”. Energy costs money and will only cost more as time goes on. The Federal and State governments are the cause. Energy independence is not relative to the cost of electricity from the P.E.C. You would better be served by being mad at the taxing authorities, especially the property tax thieves.
I think the main thing to remember is that electric cooperatives like PEC do offer lower cost for electricity than electric companies, but the cost still is higher than it should be.
The same holds true for other energy, e.g., gas and oil.
Even in the solar industry, where the cost of the very thin solar panels are not as affordable as their thicker panel counterparts.
The government has NOT provided incentives for solar that were promised during the two terms of the Bush administration nor in the current Obama term.
All energy increases directly due to supply & demand, cost of manufacturing or refining and delivery charges.
It is also driven by OPEC's regulation of daily output, which is raised or lowered according to that entity's whim and determination.
It's the energy reality.
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