The questions below were among those asked at this year’s UEC Annual Meeting. We will continue to update the questions below as new questions come our way.
Please call our main line at (541) 567-6414 or report the area online here and we will work with our vegetation management crews to evaluate the line.
UEC has a robust vegetation management system where we trim back vegetation in our right-of-way on every mile of line in our service territory on a four-year rotation. In cases where vegetation growth is faster, those sections of line may be trimmed more regularly.
We appreciate our members that report danger trees and overgrowth to the cooperative, helping to ensure the safety of our system and our communities.
Overall, the security of our members' information and our system is of extreme importance to us. The Umatilla Electric team works hard to ensure our security measures at our substations and switchyards are top-notch, protecting our members and the electric grid of the northwest. In addition, our Information Technology team works intricately with our vendors to ensure your personal information is held in top security, protecting you. These processes continue to be evaluated, ensuring we stay up to date with the latest security measures, safe against new potential threats.
At UEC, we appreciate the various forms of power generation. Solar has gained popularity in recent years and we're seeing a trend of local homeowners installing rooftop solar in our service area. We encourage renewables, but recognize that the cost associated with these systems may outweigh the benefit to your electric bill. Please consider using our solar calculator and working with UEC's Energy Efficiency team before making your decision whether or not to invest in solar at your home.
In 2023, our average monthly usage in a residential home was 1,300 kilowatt hours. That amount of energy costs a homeowner just shy of $125.00 per month. If a member of the cooperative is interested in saving energy, our Energy Efficiency programs offer a variety of benefits to save you energy - and money - on your electric bill.
As our cooperative continues to grow, we are looking for new staff. Our Careers Page offers information about open jobs, benefits offered, and opportunities to learn more about employment. The following positions are currently available:
In some cases, UEC will install iron or steel poles, rather than wood, for transmission or distribution projects. Many variables factor into these choices including: wildfire mitigation, pole longevity, engineering of the structure and project and more.
Overall, the life of a steel or iron pole is nearly double that of a standard wood pole and weighs about half the weight, making them more manageable for UEC crews during installation and repairs.
Determining if solar is right for your home is a decision only you can make. Our Energy Efficiency team at UEC is happy to meet with you and provide information on your historical usage and review estimates from installers.
You can view more about solar options and UEC energy efficiency programs here.
All funds collected above the cost of operation (called margins) are annually assigned to our members in the form of Capital Credits. Each year the board of directors, which are elected by the members, review our financial position and determines the most financially prudent amount of capital credits to pay out.
Since it began Capital Credits refunds in 1960, UEC has returned more than $110 million to members.
You can view more details about our Capital Credits program here.
Incidents of vandalism, tampering, arson and gunfire involving substations, powerlines and other structures have been reported nationwide. Several incidents have occurred in Oregon and Washington.
You can help in our efforts to secure and protect our grid by reporting any suspicious activity.
What is suspicious behavior? It might be hearing an unusual noise or seeing people in or around structures or areas who do not appear to be conducting legitimate business.
It might be people who change their behavior when they notice they have been seen, or a vehicle parked in an unusual location.
To report immediate threats or emergencies, call 911. In other cases, please contact our call center at 1 888-465-5701 day or night and let us evaluate and respond to the information you provide.
Our goal is to limit the number and longevity of outages. Our crews and system operations team work quickly and diligently to determine the cause of the outage and restore power as soon as it is safely possible. The continued system upgrades that UEC has been investing in have decreased our number of outages and improved our response times. We work to continually improve service to our members.
We are ready to respond quickly if we have an incident. On a daily basis, we have access to information clearinghouses on potential threats that help keep us aware, on guard, and prepared. Our physical property is a public asset, and we encourage anyone who sees suspicious activity around a substation or other plant to call police or our 24-hour call center.
If you have a question for UEC’s General Manager, submit it by email.