About Hart EMC

What is a Co-op?

Hart EMC is an Electric Membership Cooperative. That means we are owned by the people we serve.  An electric co-op is a private, non-profit company whose purpose is to deliver electricity to its members or customers.  As a cooperative, we are required to fulfil two requirements including reinvesting revenue into our service area through stable rates and infrastructure or returning it to members through patronage capital.  Cooperatives are also required to operate using the model of democracy.

Cooperative membership is a powerful thing.  It means you have an energy source you can trust to look out for you and your community’s best interests, not its own bottom line.  We exist to meet our members’ needs.

Today, Americans rely on electricity more than ever to power their lives. Without a reliable electric grid, we’d all be left in the dark, and once our cell phones ran out of battery life, most of us would be cut off from family and friends.
The electric grid is a complex system of power plants, transmission lines, substations and distribution lines that transmit electric power from the place where it’s generated, all the way to consumer-members at the end of the line.

Here’s a breakdown of the path electricity takes to get to your home:

GENERATION:
Electricity is generated at a power plant. (Nuclear, wind, solar, hydro, coal or gas)
TRANSMISSION:
It is converted to a high voltage to be transmitted to your neighborhood.
DISTRIBUTION:
Electricity is then distributed to homes, businesses and other facilities.
CONSUMER MEMBER:
Electricity powers phones, computers, and appliances and heats, lights and cools homes.

Cooperative Difference

The Cooperative Difference is how we treat our members, how we collaborate and how we support community.  The difference is clear.  We take pride in offering electricity to our members.

In other words, people who receive their electricity from us own our company. This makes us a very unique company, and it makes your participation in our growth extremely important. The leadership you elect sets policies that put you first. Because we are owned by the people we serve – you, our valued member, receive local, personal service from your friends and family. More  

Our History

In the 1930’s electrification was a dream for most rural residents of Hart, Stephens, Franklin, Madison, Banks, and Elbert Counties. Their dream was realized when Hart County EMC’s charter was obtained on November 20, 1937. The first Hart County EMC board meeting was held December 4, 1937. In 1938, the first 123 miles were built at a total cost of $100,000. In the following months and years up to the beginning of World War II, the cooperative continued to expand its services. In 1948, ten years after the first electric lines were energized; the cooperative had invested well over $1,000,000 to build 1,155 miles of line to bring electric service to 5,232 members. More

Corporate Documents

• Click here to download an electronic version of the Hart EMC Bylaws. These were amended September 16, 2021.
• Click here to download an electronic version of the Hart EMC Service Rules and Regulations. These rules and regulations were adopted on April 22, 2022.
• Click here to download an electronic version of the Hart EMC Statement of Nondiscrimination.