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811 Before You Dig
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2024 News Releases
1/5/24 | CVEC Mourns the Loss of Director Gloria W. Vest
2023 News Releases
10/3/23 | Central Virginia Electric Cooperative Members to See Small Rate Increase Effective First of October
6/10/23 | Five Area Students Earn Electric Co-op Scholarships
6/9/23 | Seven Central Virginia Electric Cooperative Apprentices Compete in Gaff-n-Go Rodeo
2022 News Releases
11/10/22 | Applications for 2023 VMDAEC Education Scholarships Open January 30, 2023
8/9/22 | CVEC’s Director, George Goin, Elected for Electric Cooperatives New Leadership Team
5/20/22 | Inaugural Roberta I. Harlowe Scholarship Award Presented to Appomattox Graduate
5/12/22 | Seven Area Students Earn Electric Co-op Scholarships
1/4/22 | Electric Cooperatives Restore Power in Wake of Winter Storm
2021 News Releases
12/20/21 | Local Cooperative Gives Back $321,390 to its Member-Owners
11/17/21| Applications for 2022 VMDAEC Education Scholarships Open February 1, 2022
11/10/21 | Goochland County Celebrates Accelerated Plans for Universal Broadband
10/31/2021| Electric Cooperative Training Center Receives Garden Club Award
1/4/2021| Electric Cooperatives Form New Broadband Association
5/27/21 | Four Area Students Earn Electric Co-op Scholarships
2020 News Releases
12/16/2020 | Local Cooperative Gives Back $1.1 Million to its Member-Owners
10/26/2020 | Local Co-op Encourages High School Seniors to Apply Now for 2021 VMDAEC Education Scholarships
10/12/2020 | Two CVEC Lineworkers Graduate to the Next Level
6/16/2020 | Goochland County Announces Broadband Partnership with CVEC and Firefly Fiber Broadband
4/22/2020 | Five Area Students Earn Electric Co-op Scholarships
2020 Podcasts
CVEC was featured in a podcast from Community Networks Broadband Bits. Listen to the CVEC discuss the fiber project on the podcast here.
CVEC was featured in a podcast from Newsradio WINA to discuss $28.6 Million to Central Virginia Services. for Rural Internet. Listen to the podcast here.
2020 Legal Notices
Streamlined Rate Case Rules - Notice of Proposed Rulemaking Case No. PUR-2020-00023
Newsletters
The Current Communicator
CVEC produces several newsletters each year, offering upcoming news about services and power supply, as well as account and payment information and energy saving tips. You can view the last year of newsletters below:
- 2024 March
- 2023 Winter
- 2023 Annual Report
- 2023 July
- 2023 Winter
- 2022 Fall
- 2022 Annual Report
- 2022 Winter
- 2021 Fall
- 2021 Annual Report
- 2021 February
- 2020 Annual Report
- 2020 Summer
- 2020 Spring
- 2019 Owner's Manual
About Us
In 1937 only about 10% of Central Virginia's citizens in rural areas had electric service. In order to meet the need for rural access to electricity, a group of citizens in the Rockfish Valley area of Nelson County decided to explore the possibilities of forming an electric cooperative. They borrowed funds from the newly established Rural Electrification Administration (REA) to construct their own electric service system. Strong interest and rapid growth resulted in the formation of a county-wide organization. The application for a cooperative charter was executed at a well-attended meeting on September 20, 1937, at Lovingston High School. L.C. Dawson, S.T. Rodes, G.H. Whitehead, James Sites, F.R. Moon, and Fred Schilling were early proponents of the effort, and their leadership was rewarded when the State Corporation Commission granted the charter on September 22, 1937. Central Virginia Electric Cooperative was formed.
The directors of the new cooperative held their first board meeting an October 28, 1937, where they adopted the first Bylaws and authorized the signing of a contract to buy power from the Virginia Farm Power Board, Inc. Also at this meeting the board members signed applications for service and paid their $5 membership fees, thus becoming the first applicants for service from the Cooperative.
CVEC serves homes and businesses in portions of 14 counties in Central Virginia.
- Albemarle
- Amherst
- Appomattox
- Augusta
- Buckingham
- Campbell
- Cumberland
- Fluvanna
- Goochland
- Greene
- Louisa
- Nelson
- Orange
- Prince Edward
Cooperative Principles
Cooperatives worldwide generally operate using the same principles as adopted in 1995 by the International Cooperative Alliance. The principles are part of a cooperative statement of identity, which also includes the definition of a cooperative and a list of cooperative values.
Definition: A cooperative is an autonomous association of persons united voluntarily to meet their common economic, social, and cultural needs and aspirations through a jointly-owned and democratically controlled enterprise.
Values: Cooperatives are based on the values of self-help, self-responsibility, democracy, equality, equity, and solidarity. In the tradition of their founders, cooperative members believe in the ethical values of honesty, openness, social responsibility, and caring for others.
All cooperative businesses adhere to these seven guiding principles:
1. Voluntary and Open Membership - Cooperatives are voluntary organizations, open to all persons able to use their services and willing to accept the responsibilities of membership, without gender, social, racial, political, or religious discrimination.
2. Democratic Member Control - Cooperatives are democratic organizations controlled by their members, who actively participate in setting policies and making decisions. The elected representatives are accountable to the membership. In primary cooperatives, members have equal voting rights (one member, one vote) and cooperatives at other levels are organized in a democratic manner.
3. Members' Economic Participation - Members contribute equitably to, and democratically control, the capital of their cooperative. At least part of that capital is usually the common property of the cooperative. Members usually receive limited compensation, if any, on capital subscribed as a condition of membership.
Members allocate surpluses for any or all of the following purposes: developing the cooperative, possibly by setting up reserves, part of which at least would be indivisible; benefiting members in proportion to their transactions with the cooperative; and supporting other activities approved by the membership.
4. Autonomy and Independence - Cooperatives are autonomous, self-help organizations controlled by their members. If they enter into agreements with other organizations, including governments, or raise capital from external sources, they do so on terms that ensure democratic control by their members and maintain their cooperative autonomy.
5. Education, Training, and Information - Cooperatives provide education and training for their members, elected representatives, managers, and employees so they can contribute effectively to the development of their cooperatives. They inform the general public, particularly young people and opinion leaders, about the nature and benefits of cooperation.
6. Cooperation Among Cooperatives - Cooperatives serve their members most effectively and strengthen the cooperative movement by working together through local, national, regional, and international structures.
7. Concern for Community - While focusing on member needs, cooperatives work for the sustainable development of their communities through policies accepted by their members.
From its modest beginning in 1937, Central Virginia Electric Cooperative has become one of the major businesses in rural Central Virginia, serving 38,000 members on almost 4,600 miles of line. The Cooperative employs over 110 employees to operate the business and to provide dependable low-cost electric service throughout its 14-county Central Virginia area.
The utility business has changed rapidly since 1937, but your Cooperative is still working to provide the most reliable service at the most affordable price to our members. If you tend to take your Co-Op for granted, then that means that the company is fulfilling its mission:
"Connecting our members and communities through reliable power and broadband services."
CVEC purchases more than $54 million in wholesale energy annually. Of that, we lose about 6-7 percent of the energy on the distribution lines between CVEC substations and the members’ meters. National utility data tells us that 3-4 percent of that is attributable to “line loss” where energy dissipates due to heating or inefficiencies along the 4500 miles of distribution line.
That leaves a possible 2-3 percent of the $54 million of wholesale energy purchased annually being lost due to current diversion, where members have found a way to bypass or to defeat the meter on their home or business. While CVEC is constantly working to reduce the amount of line loss, the Co-op is activating an enhanced Loss Prevention Program to reduce the amount of energy that is lost due to theft. The program will help CVEC identify the location on the distribution system where a member has bypassed the meter to avoid paying for energy.
There are three important reasons to reduce current diversion.
- Current diversion involves tapping into the CVEC service lines and bypassing the meter. This act is dangerous and potentially fatal. It jeopardizes the safety of the misguided member during the diversion effort and puts others at risk who may happen upon the bypass wiring at a later date.
- The theft of electricity is unfair to other members. CVEC was formed to allow rural citizens to purchase wholesale energy and have it delivered where no for-profit utility wished to serve. The premise of the Cooperative is that all members pay their fair share, and current diversion shifts costs to other members.
- It is illegal. When CVEC discovers the theft of electricity, the member is responsible for the costs, penalties, and the energy usage as determined by the Co-op. In addition, it is a chargeable offense and CVEC will work with law enforcement personnel to investigate whenever current diversion is discovered. It is potentially a felony depending on the amount of power stolen.
While this is a difficult subject, CVEC is committed to reducing energy theft as a matter of safety and fairness between members. Your Co-op thanks you in advance for your assistance in reducing the cost of energy for all members. Help us where you can and advise your friends and neighbors that current diversion is unfair at best, illegal, and can be deadly.
Meter Seals
CVEC has a number of ways to detect current diversion. One of the low-tech methods is for CVEC to inspect meter seals. CVEC service people attach a small wire ring that has a plastic lock to the meter base and CVEC employees are the only ones authorized to break the seal. Please alert CVEC if your meter seal is broken so that we can replace it. According to CVEC’s Terms and Conditions, anyone cutting the seal to enter the meter base is guilty of meter tampering.
CVEC Procedures
- No persons, other than CVEC employees, are authorized to cut the meter seal on a service, or to disconnect the meter. This restriction includes both electricians/contractors and homeowners.
- If a service needs to be disconnected for a breaker change out, a CVEC meter technician or serviceman will be sent at no charge. The electrician/contractor or homeowner should call CVEC to arrange the service.
- If the meter seal is cut by an electrician/contractor or homeowner, CVEC will remove the meter and send it into CVEC for testing.
- If an electrician/contractor or homeowner reconnects themselves after they have been disconnected, the service will be disconnected from the transformer or the transformer disconnected, and the meter will be removed.
- In either situation, the member will be charged fees.
Be Safe, Not Sorry! Contact Virginia 811
Virginia 811? It's the new name for Miss Utility. But all the same details apply!
- ALWAYS contact 811 before you dig ... it is the LAW! To enter a ticket or to check on an existing one, dial "811" ... or you by clicking the shovel icon on the left side of this page. If you want to read more, download "The 811 Process" as a PDF or go online to va811.com.
- Allow required time for marking. Call Virginia 811 two business days in advance ... not including weekends and holidays. Hours: weekdays 7 am - 5 pm
- Excavate carefully. Hitting a live power line is life threatening to you and to your contractor. Plus, you will be held responsible for damages if you do not dial 811 prior to breaking ground.
- Respect and protect the marks. Wonder what they mean? See the chart below.
- Hired a contractor? It is technically the contractor's responsibility to call VA811, but be insistent to have it done. The homeowner will be held responsible for damage, besides being inconvenienced and endangered if a utility line is hit.
View the 811 process for homeowners here.
What do the markings mean?
Many people call us wondering why grass near their home is marked or what the markings mean.
Utility color codes are used to identify existing underground utilities in construction areas with the intent of protecting them from damage during excavation. This is done through flags or a special spray paint, neither of which will cause long-term harm to your lawn.
The American Public Works Association (APWA) Uniform Color Codes for temporary marking of underground utilities are listed below: