Community Electric Cooperative

10/22/2026

Don’t let the application period for our 2027 Youth Program slip past you as the business of the holiday season creeps closer. It is now open but closes on December 31st. This is a great opportunity for high schoolers in Suffolk, Southampton or Isle of Wight to get some financial help to continue their education, learn about potential career paths AND forge new friendships with other ambitious young people.

The program consists of four unique events:
* Legislative Day in Richmond (Feb. 11)
* Virginia Institute on Cooperative Education (March 18-21)
* Day in the Life of a Lineman (April 6)
* CEC Annual Meeting (Aug. 10)

Students who are selected and complete the program receive a $1,000 academic scholarship and an opportunity for a $500 donation in his or her name to a local nonprofit organization, with the check presentation occurring at the annual meeting. Find complete details for this excellent leadership and educational experience on our website: https://www.comelec.coop/community/youth-programs/

10/20/2026

Did you know you can receive your monthly issue of Cooperative Living magazine electronically? It's not just a rumor; it's true! And it helps Community Electric save money on printing and postage -- potentially lots of money as more of our members opt to go digital. It's only takes a minute to make the switch. Here's the link to the spot on our website where you can subscribe to a digital copy of the magazine. We encourage you to do so, because our savings become your savings. https://www.comelec.coop/community/news-events/cooperative-living-magazine/

10/18/2026

It's still Energy Awareness Month! Here's a quick checklist of helpful practices: Wash full laundry loads and clean out the lint filter; turn out the lights when you're the last to leave a room and replace incandescent bulbs with high-efficiency LED bulbs; adjust the thermostat overnight and when no one's home; unplug chargers and electronic devices when you're not using them; strive to take shorter showers and reduce the water flow when brushing your teeth.

These all are good ways to use energy more efficiently. They save you money and, in turn, as more of our members implement them, they reduce the demand for power that the cooperative needs to supply, enabling even greater savings.

10/16/2026

Did you know that a significant percentage of late fees incurred by bill payers happens simply people can’t find their bill? There are plenty of benefits to paperless billing – saving paper, saving time to mail them off, saving on stamps – but avoiding just a single month’s late fee can make it well worth the transition to paperless billing. Community Electric encourages you to enroll in paperless billing because it helps you directly – and it helps the co-op hold down costs – which actually helps you again! You can enroll on your mobile device via the SmartHub app, and on our website at this link: https://comelec.smarthub.coop/ui/ #/login.\ You’ll be glad you did.

10/14/2026

Ready to blow some leaves? ... Well, ready or not as the saying goes. They'll sure enough be falling by the bagful soon. Before that time fully arrives, you may want to switch to a cordless leaf blower. Cordless models offer better mobility, often a lower purchase cost, and they're lighter to carry around the yard. Those advantages do have to be weighed against the greater power that corded blowers typically have, as well as longer run times. But they are a worthwhile option to consider. Either way, enough the beauty of the season!

10/12/2026

October is National Cooperative Month. It is an excellent time to learn more about the cooperative business model and celebrate the important role that rural electric cooperatives continue to play in the United States all these decades after their creation. You are invited to learn more about our history and values on our website at the link that follows. You might also want to know more about the organization to which electric co-ops nationwide belong -- the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association. Type electric.coop into your browser to find NRECA information. And here's the link to learn more about Community Electric. Remember, we are hear -- and proud -- to serve you! https://www.comelec.coop/our-cooperative/our-mission-history/

Learn about America's electric cooperatives, their trade association NRECA, and how the cooperative business model creates community-focused organizations.

10/09/2026

Heavy rain and thunderstorms are forecast for Sunday as the result of Hurricane Isaias. Please prepare accordingly. Declutter drains and gutters; keep your cell phone charged; make sure you have supplies just in case power outages occur, and check with neighbors or senior citizens who may benefit from additional assistance. In the event an outage occurs, we ask that you report all information via your SmartHub account or app. The Outage Map on our website shows the location of service interruptions. Here's the link: https://comelec.outagemap.cloud.coop/ #/ Stay safe!

10/08/2026

Did you know that cooking is the primary cause of home fires in the United States? The National Fire Protection Association reports that roughly 160,000 home structure fires occur annually as the result of cooking. "Unattended cooking was the leading factor contributing to cooking fires and casualties," NFPA states. With that cautionary lesson in mind, let's review five fundamental fire safety tips for the home: 1) Stay nearby when you're cooking food on the stovetop or oven, and use a timer. Keep flammable items away from the stovetop. 2) Keep a fire extinguisher available. 3) Install certified smoke alarms on every level of your home, and test them regularly. 4) Check electrical cords to make sure they're not frayed and don't overload outlets. 5) Develop a fire escape plan and practice it with your family.

Fires can be costly and deadly. Reduce the risk of one ever happening in your home.

10/07/2026

UPDATE: Everything is restored! If you encounter any issues, please let us know. Thank you for your support.

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Community Electric Cooperative is currently experiencing a system-wide technology outage that is preventing our team from accessing member account information.

This issue does not impact electric service and should have a limited impact on most members. At this time, the outage primarily affects:

1. Members scheduled to receive a bill today, October 7, 2026. The system outage may delay the processing or delivery of those bills.

2. Members who contact CEC with questions about their account. Our Member Services team currently cannot access member account details, including balances, billing information, payment history or other account-specific information.

Our payment systems are also temporarily unavailable. Online and automated phone payments cannot be processed, and we cannot accept credit or debit card payments in the office. At this time, payments can only be accepted in person by cash or check.

We apologize for the inconvenience and appreciate your patience while the issue is being resolved. We will provide an update as soon as member account access and payment services have been restored.

Thank you for your understanding.

10/06/2026

Strike while the iron is hot -- or more precisely while the discounts are deep. Participating manufacturers are providing additional discounts to co-op member owners on an array of energy-saving products through Wednesday October 7 -- which (not coincidentally) is Energy Efficiency Day. The place to find the discounted products is right at your digital fingertips on Community Electric Marketplace (link below). This is a limited-time opportunity to take advantage of EXTRA discounts on some fantastic products that already are offered to members at reduced prices. We're talking discounts on some products of more than $100. You already know that energy prices are up, and we're inching toward winter and higher electricity bills due to increase demand for power and heating. So strike now -- Energy Efficiency Day ends at midnight tomorrow!

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