Recognized as one of the leading material supply organizations serving the rural electric market, United Utility Supply (UUS) is owned by member cooperatives in 17 states. As a full line stocking distributor, UUS supplies a complete line of materials critical to the electric utility industry:
Anchoring
Poleline Hardware
Conductors Grounding
Protective Equipment
Guying
Insulators
Lighting
Poles and Switches
Switches
Tools
Safety Supplies
Transformers
Underground Accessories.
Headquartered in Louisville Kentucky, United Utility Supply’s Cooperative Distribution Center (CDC) is located within a 1-2 day delivery area of almost half of the U.S. population. United Utility Supply maintains its own truck fleet with additional warehouse locations in Ohio, Alabama, Pennsylvania, and Illinois.
Kentucky Living magazine and KentuckyLiving.com celebrate the energy of your community.
Kentucky Living is published to improve the quality of life for a community of people who take pride in thinking of themselves as Kentuckians and knowledgeable electric co-op members.
Kentucky Living’s monthly circulation of more than 475,000 homes and businesses is the most of any publication in the state, connecting readers, co-ops and advertisers.
Read by more than one million people each month and countless more online, Kentucky Living is an efficient and attractive way for Kentucky’s electric cooperatives to effectively engage with consumer-members. Most readers receive a magazine customized with information from and about their local electric co-op.
Originally published in 1948 as Kentucky Co-op News and later as Rural Kentuckian magazine, Kentucky Living complements energy information with popular feature articles, recipes, travel reviews, gardening tips, inspiring photography, an events calendar and more.
The Rural Cooperatives Credit Union is a member owned, federally insured financial institution.
Our mission is to promote thrift and provide the best possible financial services to all members at competitive rates while maintaining the Credit Union’s long term financial stability.
Rural Cooperatives Credit Union has been serving members as a not-for-profit, member owned and operated financial cooperative since 1964. Earnings from loans and investments are returned to members in the form of dividends. It is this common-bond, teamwork concept that makes credit unions unique in the world of finance. Credit Unions are the only financial institutions operating for just one purpose – to serve the needs of their member/owners.
Annually, the Credit Union’s membership elects individuals from its own members who have agreed to serve designated terms on the Board of Directors. The Board represents the membership and governs the Credit Union by establishing policies and procedures that reflect the best interest of the members. Board members volunteer their time and talents. Without this dedicated group, the Credit Union could not offer the full-range of services and programs members enjoy.
Rural Cooperatives Credit Union is a full-service financial institution. We offer a variety of products and services such as low rate loans and convenient checking accounts.
Who Can Join?
Employees, members, patrons, contractors and family members of Electric Cooperatives in Kentucky, Ohio and Tennessee. Also the statewide electric cooperative associations of Kentucky, Ohio and Tennessee, employees of National Information Solutions Cooperative, Western Kentucky Energy, Paradise TVA Steam Plant, Warren County Water District and other employer-based croups. Please contact us for additional details.
Kentucky Electric Cooperatives Government Affairs Department represents the legislative and regulatory interests of Kentucky’s electric cooperatives before the state legislature and state agencies. Our government affairs staff cooperates and coordinates with member cooperatives to maintain a unified message.
The primary responsibility of this department is to ensure that legislation and regulations will not adversely affect the ability of member cooperatives to provide safe, reliable and affordable electricity to more than 1.5 million consumer-members. Our staff and membership educate lawmakers about electric co-ops, monitor legislation that affects our members, and make efforts to influence legislation when necessary. Kentucky Electric Cooperatives has also developed a grassroots organization to strengthen its effectiveness by educating and involving co-op members.
When electricity goes out, most of us expect power will be restored within a few hours. But when a major storm causes widespread damage, longer outages may result. Co-op line crews work long, hard hours to restore service safely to the greatest number of consumers in the shortest time possible. Here’s what’s going on if you find yourself in the dark.
High-Voltage Transmission Lines : Transmission towers and cables that supply power to transmission substations (and thousands of members) rarely fail. But when damaged, these facilities must be repaired before other parts of the system can operate.
Distribution Substation : Each substation serves hundreds or thousands of consumers. When a major outage occurs, line crews inspect substations to determine if problems stem from transmission lines feeding into the substation, the substation itself, or if problems exist down the line.
Main Distribution Lines : If the Problem cannot be isolated at a distribution substation, distribution lines are checked. These lines carry power to large groups of consumers in communities or housing developments.
Tap Lines : If local outages persist, supply lines, called tap lines, are inspected. These lines deliver power to transformers, either mounted on poles or place on pads for underground service, outside businesses, schools, and homes.
Individual Homes : If your home remains without power, the service line between a transformer and your residence may need to be repaired. Always call to report an outage to help line crews isolate local issues.
Get energy-efficient appliances : When it’s time to replace appliances in your home, look for energy-efficient models, such as ENERGY STAR. In general, ENERGY STAR-qualified appliances use up to 50 percent less energy than standard appliances. Want to know how much you could save by replacing your old refrigerator? Visit Energystar.gov and search “refrigerator calculator” to get an estimate. Do you currently keep an old fridge running in the basement or garage? Ditch it, and you might even make some money: many co-ops have a recycling program, while others offer incentives to switch to ENERGY STAR appliances.
Switch to energy-efficient light bulbs : Did you know that a 12-watt LED light bulb could last 25 times longer than a 60-watt traditional incandescent bulb? It’s true—plus it costs approximately 80 percent less per year to operate. Even if you can’t make the switch to LEDs just yet, CFLs (the spiral-shaped kind) also provide a significant savings. Compared with the same incandescent bulb, a 15-watt CFL could last 10 times longer and cost about 75 percent less per year to operate.
Update your water heater : Heat pump water heaters offer the best service for your money. “If your family needs a large water heater, a heat pump water heater is the most efficient choice,” says Josh Littrell, Demand Side Management program manager for East Kentucky Power Cooperative. “Heat pump water heaters are about 70 percent more efficient than conventional electric water heaters. You’ll not only see energy savings for years to come, but you could also receive a $300 ENERGY STAR appliance rebate from your participating Kentucky Touchstone Energy Cooperative. Plus, you could claim a $300 federal tax credit for your purchase through the end of 2016.”
Conserve water : Conserving heated water in your home can help you save on your electric bill, as well. Consider installing low-flow showerheads and faucets. Take shorter showers instead of baths—in a standard-size tub, a bath uses approximately twice the volume of hot water as a five-minute shower. You can also save when doing the laundry. “One of the easiest ways to save in the laundry room is to wash laundry in cold water,” says Barbie Goodwin, energy advisor at Shelby Energy Cooperative. “This will cut back on the energy used by your water heater dramatically. You should also wash full loads whenever possible. Washing one large load uses much less energy than two or three smaller loads.”
Flip the switch to off : Whether it’s a light switch, a television, or a coffeepot, turning the switch to the off position can save you in the long run. Many of these small appliances and electronics can draw some power even when they’re turned off, so save even more by unplugging them when not in use or plugging them into a power strip that can be turned on when needed and off when not. Some advanced power strips can even be remotely controlled.
If your lights go off during a storm, be prepared for the power outage. Assemble supplies to have on hand rather than rushing around when the storm is coming and waiting in long lines for milk or bread. Rotate your supplies to keep them fresh and use the following checklist to prepare for power outages:
Have Plenty of Food
Keep a 3- to 5-day supply of drinking water in plastic bottles. Plan on at least 1 gallon of water per person, per day.
Store a manual can opener with enough nonperishable foods for 3 to 5 days. Canned meats, tuna fish and peanut butter are good foods to store. Don’t forget pet foods!
Conserve water by using paper plates and plastic utensils.
Have a camp stove or grill for outdoor cooking.
Stay In Touch
Have a portable,battery-powered radio and alarm clock.
Have one non-portable phone that will work even if power is interrupted.
Plan where to meet and how to communicate with family members if separated.
Keep essential family member contact information near your phone, in your wallet, and in your glove compartment.
Keep Things Going
Keep plenty of gas in your car.
Keep extra batteries, matches, propane, charcoal and firewood.
Stay Happy, Healthy and Warm
Coordinate with neighbors for care of the elderly and disabled living alone.
Maintain a supply of prescriptions, nonprescription drugs, vitamins and special dietary foods.
Playing cards, books, drawing and writing supplies, and board games help pass the time. If you have a video camera and tapes, your family can make a storm documentary.
Keep sanitary and personal hygiene supplies replenished. Premoistened cleansing towelettes are useful and help conserve water.
Use plastic trash bags and ties for garbage.
Put first-aid kits in your home and car.
Make sure you have cold weather clothing, foul weather gear, blankets and sleeping bags.
Consider purchasing alternative UL-approved heating devices. For example, a fireplace insert or woodstove will keep the heat in your home instead of up the chimney.
Use flashlights and other battery-operated lighting instead of candles.
Keep fire extinguishers fully charged.
Fill your bathtub with water for bathroom use before the storm (if you have a well).
Protecting the nation’s electric power grid and ensuring an affordable, reliable and secure supply of energy are top priorities for electric cooperatives. The North American power system is an incredibly complicated machine. System owners and operators, who have the greatest expertise in responding to and mitigating threats and vulnerabilities in this complex system, are engaged across the industry and with government to plan and prepare for existing and potential threats to the reliability of electricity in our nation.
The electric sector’s strategy to protect critical assets is known as defense-in-depth, and is designed to address a wide variety of hazards to electric grid operations, including severe earth and space weather, cyber incidents, vandalism and other natural and manmade events. The electric power sector continuously monitors the bulk electric system and responds to events large and small. Consumers are rarely aware of these events primarily because the sector successfully executes its defense-in-depth strategy every day. In cases where an event impacts the consumer, this strategy combined with experience from decades of lessons learned maintaining and supplying power to the country have resulted in more efficient restoration of power.
As member-owned, not-for-profit utilities, electric cooperatives make protection and security of their systems and consumer-members’ assets a high priority. KAEC works with its co-op members, industry partners and government agencies to develop and implement effective approaches to protecting systems.
KAEC, UUS and RCCU host and support conferences and meetings around the state designed specifically to help enhance electric co-op service to their members and benefit cooperative employees.
The KAEC President’s Office staff coordinates about 100 meetings and events annually, supporting the KAEC board and its committees, co-op associations, receptions and national and regional conferences.
KAEC also facilitates training in a variety of disciplines, including for safety and customer service personnel. Some training is in concert with the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association.
KAEC highlights the strength of the cooperative business model and positions our members as leaders in the modern energy economy. As the statewide voice of Kentucky’s electric cooperatives, KAEC builds recognition and understanding of cooperative issues, supports policy positions, and engages policymakers, journalists and other key stakeholders in the cooperative story. We also provide turnkey resources to assist members with their communications efforts.
Innovation is a key ingredient to the electric cooperative business model. Through direct consultation, information-sharing, conferences and workshops, the statewide association is both a resource and facilitator for local co-ops to be educated on professional standards.
Local co-ops consult KAEC professional staff for recommended standards and advice on a variety of business questions, including matters related to human resources, accounting, internal controls, and interpretation of federal and state requirements.
In the human resources field, examples of available expertise include recruitment, employee relations, compensation structure, employee development, and benefits. KAEC also provides advice on policies, procedures and processes.
Statewide finance and accounting professionals offer insights into recommended practices and specific updates on laws and codes to help local co-ops with rate filings, depreciation studies, interest rates and internal controls.
Of the many ways Kentucky’s electric cooperatives demonstrate commitment to community, perhaps none is more appreciated than youth tour activities.
Both the Kentucky Rural Electric Frankfort Youth Tour and Washington Youth Tour are coordinated by the statewide association.
Frankfort Youth Tour
February 21, 2024
Each spring, more than 100 high school juniors representing participating electric cooperatives across Kentucky spend a day in Frankfort learning about state government, Kentucky history and leadership. Typical activities include tours of the state capitol and governor’s mansion, and discussions with political leaders.
Washington Youth Tour
June 17-22, 2024
The Washington Youth Tour is an annual, week long, all-expenses-paid trip to Washington, DC, that is open to select high school students whose homes are served by electric cooperatives.
Twenty-two of Kentucky’s 24 electric cooperatives participate in the Kentucky Rural Electric Washington Youth Tour.
Although all participants must be between their junior and senior years in high school and no older than 18 at the time of the Washington trip, each electric co-op has a unique method of selecting students for the trip. Some co-ops hold essay contests; some rely on personal interviews; some administer qualifying exams.
Students interested in the Washington Youth Tour trip must apply through the electric co-op that serves their area of the state. For example, students living in the Hopkinsville area may only apply through Pennyrile Electric Cooperative while students living in the Somerset area may only apply through South Kentucky RECC.
Kentucky Electric Cooperatives have been coordinating the tour for Kentucky co-ops since 1972, when 18 students and four chaperones made the trip.
Among Kentucky’s WYT alumni are business leaders, elected officials, journalists, and many engaged co-op members and citizens.
