Umatilla Electric Cooperative (UEC) wants to make your experience as a customer as easy as possible. Here are some of our most frequently asked questions, as well as an additional menu for SmartHub specific topics.
You can access your account right here on UEC’s website. Just click on Bill Payment on the home page. You can also call the UEC office to get your current billing information or any other information connected with your member account. We’ll be happy to assist over the phone or in person.
Electric rates are based on the cost to purchase power on the wholesale market and cost of system operation. Umatilla Electric purchases most of its power from The Bonneville Power Administration, a federal marketing agency in charge of hydropower generation in the Pacific Northwest. Hydropower is the least expensive source of power generation, but prices can change depending upon many factors, including supply and demand.
There is no set time for rate adjustments. Increases or decreases in electric rates are determined by the UEC board of directors, after analysis of future power-need projections, system operation costs, and prices. Rates are based on cents-per-kilowatt hour of usage. The average residential usage is about 1,400 kWh per month.
You can sign-up for existing service under a new account simply by stopping at a UEC office and applying for membership. You will be asked to fill out a membership application, pay a $5 membership fee, and a $250 deposit to begin service in your name. If you wish to waive the deposit, you must have a co-signer with a satisfactory letter of credit history to qualify for the waiver. Deposit requirements for non-residential members are based on the amount of energy needed.
You can call (888) 465-5701 any time day or night to report an outage, or download the SmartHub app to report it directly from your account. Emergency calls will be forwarded to a UEC outage duty representative, who will ask questions about your location and situation. That person then dispatches a line crew to fix the problem. It is helpful to keep the “grid plate” numbers or nearest cross street location handy and provide that information. Each pole has a grid plate with numbers and letters describing its exact location. The grid plate numbers help line crews to quickly find the precise location of the problem. Meter numbers, street address, or account information are also helpful.
Visit our Outage Center for more tips and information.
Get started by contacting the UEC Energy Efficiency Program Coordinator at (541) 567-6414 or by email. We will ask questions about your home and what you want to do to improve the energy efficiency of your home. A free energy audit from UEC is the first step in the process. The audit determines how much heat or cooling air is lost from the structure and offers recommendations on how to improve your home’s efficiency.
Among the solutions are weatherizing your home to seal it from energy loss, or by installing a year-around heat pump. UEC offers rebates and low 1.99% on-bill financing through our Energy Saver Loan Program for qualified heat pump and weatherization installations.
