Throughout the years, you\u2019ve heard why and how Peninsula Light Co. is different\u2014because we\u2019re a cooperative. Our business model sets us apart from other utilities because we adhere to seven guiding cooperative principles that reflect core values of honesty, transparency, equity, inclusiveness, and service to the greater good of the community.<\/p>\n
Electric cooperatives, including PenLight, have a unique and storied place in our country\u2019s history. We democratized the American dream by bringing electricity to rural areas when for-profit electric companies determined the effort too costly. Back then, cities were electrified, and rural areas were not, creating the original rural-urban divide. Newly established electric lines helped power economic opportunity in rural areas. Today, that spirit of equity and inclusion is a vital part of our co-op DNA.<\/p>\n
When our electric co-op was founded, each member contributed an equal share to gain access to electricity that benefited individual families as well as the larger local community. Each member had an equal vote in co-op matters. That sense of equity and inclusion is still how we operate today. PenLight was built by and belongs to the diverse communities and consumer-members we serve. Membership is open to everyone in our service territory, regardless of race, religion, age, disability, gender identity, language, political perspective, or socioeconomic status.<\/p>\n
By virtue of paying your electric bill each month, you\u2019re a member of the co-op. Every member has an equal voice and vote when it comes to co-op governance. This ties back to our guiding principles of equitable economic participation and democratic control of the co-op.<\/p>\n
We encourage all members to vote in PenLight\u2019s director elections every spring. We invite all members to participate in co-op meetings to weigh in on discussions that set co-op policies and priorities, such as energy assistance and rebates, community solar, and educational programs.<\/p>\n
We know members of our community have different needs and perspectives. We welcome diverse views on all issues under consideration by the co-op. The more viewpoints we hear, the better we are able to reflect the needs of all corners of our community.<\/p>\n
While our top priority is providing safe, reliable, and affordable energy, we also want to be a catalyst for good in our community. Because we are your local electric cooperative, co-op revenues stay here in our community. In turn, we invest in our diverse community base through scholarship programs, charitable giving, educational programs, and more. We strive to make long-term decisions that improve and enrich the communities we serve.<\/p>\n
While today\u2019s world is radically different than it was when Peninsula Light Co. was founded, our cooperative values have stood the test of time and remain just as relevant today.<\/p>\n
Day in and day out we put the members we proudly serve first.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Throughout the years, you\u2019ve heard why and how Peninsula Light Co. is different\u2014because we\u2019re a cooperative. Our business model sets us apart from other utilities because we adhere to seven guiding cooperative principles that reflect core values of honesty, transparency, equity, inclusiveness, and service to the greater good of the community. Electric cooperatives, including PenLight, […]\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":35111,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[375,374],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.penlight.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35832"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.penlight.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.penlight.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.penlight.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/24"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.penlight.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=35832"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.penlight.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35832\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.penlight.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/35111"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.penlight.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=35832"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.penlight.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=35832"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.penlight.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=35832"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}