{"id":185,"date":"2015-06-22T14:08:00","date_gmt":"2015-06-22T18:08:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/hartemc.com.208-70-162-36.ruralitehosting.com\/about-hart-emc\/"},"modified":"2023-12-13T08:58:15","modified_gmt":"2023-12-13T13:58:15","slug":"about-hart-emc","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.hartemc.com\/about-hart-emc\/","title":{"rendered":"About Hart EMC"},"content":{"rendered":"

What is a Co-op?<\/h3>\n

Hart EMC is an Electric Membership Cooperative. That means we are owned by the people we serve.\u00a0 An electric co-op is a private, non-profit company whose purpose is to deliver electricity to its members or customers.\u00a0 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.\u00a0 Cooperatives are also required to operate using the model of democracy.<\/p>\n

Cooperative membership is a powerful thing.\u00a0 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.\u00a0 We exist to meet our members’ needs.<\/p>\n

Today, Americans rely on electricity more than ever to power their lives. Without a reliable electric grid, we\u2019d 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.
\nThe electric grid is a complex system of power plants, transmission lines, substations and distribution lines that transmit electric power from the place where it\u2019s generated, all the way to consumer-members at the end of the line.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s a breakdown of the path electricity takes to get to your home:<\/p>\n

GENERATION<\/strong>:
\nElectricity is generated at a power plant. (Nuclear, wind, solar, hydro, coal or gas)
\nTRANSMISSION<\/strong>:
\nIt is converted to a high voltage to be transmitted to your neighborhood.
\nDISTRIBUTION:<\/strong>
\nElectricity is then distributed to homes, businesses and other facilities.
\nCONSUMER MEMBE<\/strong>R:
\nElectricity powers phones, computers, and appliances and heats, lights and cools homes.<\/p>\n

Cooperative Difference<\/h3>\n

The Cooperative Difference is how we treat our members, how we collaborate and how we support community.\u00a0 The difference is clear.\u00a0 We take pride in offering electricity to our members.<\/p>\n

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\u00a0\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n

Our History<\/h3>\n

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\u2019s 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<\/a><\/p>\n

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Corporate Documents<\/h3>\n