Sam Houston Electric Cooperative

You may wonder why we encourage you to use your electricity more efficiently through energy conservation. After all, we are in the business of selling kilowatt-hours. Why would we encourage our members to use less electricity?

Sam Houston Electric Cooperative isn't in business to make a profit; we're in business to serve you in the most efficient, reliable and cost-effective way possible. Sam Houston EC is collectively owned by you - our members - and shares your interest in keeping costs down.

We strongly encourage energy conservation for a number of reasons. First, it's good common sense. Although fossil fuels are still relatively abundant, they are a fixed quantity. Depleting these natural resources means there will be less fuel for future generations.

Conserving energy saves you money in two ways: (1) Your lowered usage saves money on your monthly electric bill; and (2) When many members lower their usage, it saves the Co-op money as well. Sam Houston Electric must keep enough power (capacity) on hand to supply all of our members' highest usage (demand). If that demand can be managed effectively, new power sources may not have to be tapped as soon as they would otherwise, and the construction of costly new generating plants can be postponed. As our electric system continues to grow, we must maintain an adequate supply of power; your conservation efforts, when combined with others', can ensure that the Cooperative's growth remains stable.

At Sam Houston Electric Cooperative, we are trying to keep your electricity affordable by automating operations where possible and by setting reasonable budgets that do not sacrifice reliability and service. We have no control, however, over the market price of fuels needed to generate electricity. The cost of fuels such as natural gas and coal are increasing steadily, and many factors affect those prices.

Do we need to conserve electricity? Of course.

Will that alone solve the energy crunch? Absolutely not.

Conservation of energy is just one avenue for managing energy costs. We must all conserve energy in other ways. Does this mean we should all get rid of our SUVs? Not necessarily, but we can save fuel by avoiding unnecessary trips, combining errands, and sharing rides to work.

We'll continue to offer tips for conserving electricity, even though we're in the business of selling it. You can count on Sam Houston Electric Cooperative to continue looking out for you. Just remember that we all need to conserve energy of all types - from gasoline to natural gas to propane. Many types of fuel make up our nation's energy picture and affect our pocketbooks. You can help us keep costs affordable by looking for ways to conserve all types of energy, not just electricity.