Every dollar matters. We know families and businesses across our communities are paying more for many of the essentials they rely on every day. At REC, our responsibility is to provide the safe, reliable electricity you count on while keeping costs as low as possible.
That responsibility means even more as the cost of providing electric service continues to rise. The equipment REC uses every day to maintain the electric system costs considerably more today than it did just five years ago. From 2020 to 2025, transformer prices increased 177%, crossarms 144% and some conductor more than 161%.
While we can’t control every cost, we can control how we respond. That means looking for savings, finding other sources of funding and protecting members from costs they shouldn’t have to bear.
What is REC doing to manage costs?
Bringing in outside dollars. Since 2024, REC has secured more than $45 million in grant funding to support projects and investments.
Creating revenue from assets we already have. Leasing space on utility poles and access to fiber, along with earnings from REC expertise, generated approximately $8 million in revenue and earnings in 2025 and 2026.
Reducing the cost of power. REC’s Summer Savings Plan delivered approximately $302,000 in net savings in 2025 and paid more than $33,000 in rebates to participating members. Battery storage used to reduce power needs at times of peak demand when power costs rise has also produced more than $1 million in wholesale power cost savings since 2021.
Protecting members as the system grows. Data Center members are required to fully cover 100% of the cost of the infrastructure needed to serve them. By the end of 2025, REC collected $345 million in infrastructure costs, helping protect existing members from costs associated with servicing these new loads.
REC is also investing proactively in reliability, including more than $30 million in vegetation management in 2025 and 2026, while continuing to pursue efficiencies and opportunities to avoid future costs.
No single strategy can offset all the rising costs the energy industry is experiencing. But managing what we can control and sharing the savings with REC member-owners is part of how we work to keep reliable electricity as affordable as possible.
And that work continues every day.
