Contact: NOVEC Public Relations, 1-888-335-0500, customerservice@novec.com
NORTHERN VIRGINIA – Northern Virginia Electric Cooperative President and CEO Stan Feuerberg told Virginia legislators on Dec. 4, 2012, that NOVEC customer-owners are paying nearly 15 percent less for electricity than they were in 2009. Feuerberg provided the information at an end-of-year meeting with state senators, delegates, legislative aides, NOVEC board directors and employee-officers in Manassas, Va. The comparison was for an average residential customer who uses approximately 1,500 kilowatt-hours per month.
Feuerberg said the Co-op assumed responsibility for its power supply in 2009 because wholesale costs from its prior provider had risen 60 percent during the previous six years. “After we stabilized costs, we drove them down, first by reducing overall rates in late 2010. This year we gave customers a power-cost-adjustment credit for the entire year and a CashBack capital retirement in December. In addition, NOVEC has asked the State Corporation Commission to allow us to increase the PCA credit in 2013. Combined, these measures have lowered what our customers are paying by nearly 15 percent.”
‘Astonishing’ reliability brings high customer satisfaction
Feuerberg reported that the Co-op kept the lights on for its 150,000 customers 99.98 percent of the time in 2012. He said, “NOVEC has had the best reliability record in the Washington, D.C., metro area for 13 consecutive years. We’ve maintained this astonishing record because we design and build our power-distribution system to be robust – better than industry standards.”
Feuerberg explained that despite the Co-op’s hardy system, powerful winds during the sudden derecho storm on June 29 and Hurricane/Superstorm Sandy on Oct. 29 knocked out power to thousands of customers. He showed photos of trees that slapped down power lines and sliced through area homes. Feuerberg reported that each storm cost NOVEC approximately $2 million to remove trees from power lines, replace broken poles, and repair circuits.
Feuerberg said the hurricane tested NOVEC’s ability to restore affected customers quickly and safely. “We restored power to more than 90 percent of the 30,000 customers who lost service within the first 24 hours.”
Feuerberg said customers apparently approve of what NOVEC is doing. He noted that in the J.D. Power and Associates’ 2012 Electric Utility Residential Customer Satisfaction Study℠ NOVEC ranked highest in customer satisfaction among midsize electric utilities in the South region and scored highest among the 126 largest United States electric utilities surveyed. He said NOVEC scores reflected the Co-op’s commitment to reliability, price, energy conservation, renewable energy, and community service.
Northern Virginia legislators who attended the meeting:
- Sen. Charles Colgan
- Sen. David Marsden
- Sen. J. Chap Petersen
- Delegate David Bulova
- Delegate Charniele Herring
- Delegate Bob Marshall
- Delegate Jackson Miller
- Delegate Thomas Rust
