Welcome to Kay Electric Cooperative!

You are now one of over 6,000 member-consumers that own Kay Electric. Own? You might ask. Being a cooperative makes us a little different than other utilities. We are actually owned by every person or business that pays a membership fee to Kay Electric. No member may hold more than one membership in the Co-op. The statement, all "men are created equal" is a true one. Everyone's vote and voice are equal, regardless of how big or small your electric bill is.

In 1935, less than 11% of the farms in the United States had electric service. Commercial power companies couldn't foresee the possibilities of providing electricity to Rural America. They were not interested in serving rural areas. Municipal systems had taken the stand that it would not be profitable for them to serve Rural America, because of the sparsely populated areas. Thus, Rural Electric Cooperatives were born.

Kay Electric was organized in 1937 by a group of area farmers. These community leaders had a vision. They knew if Rural America was to grow and prosper that electricity was vital to their progress. They also knew the potential membership - neighbors and friends - just like you. Their foresight, and the foresight of many others, has brought Kay Electric to where it is today.

And where are we today? Kay Electric's objective is providing dependable, quality electrical service at competitive prices to our member-owners. Today, KEC provides electricity to the rural areas in all or parts of Kay, Grant, Noble, Osage and Garfield counties.

Kay Electric's service territory spans over 2,682 miles of line and services more than 6,000 meters from Medford to Perry to Shidler and to the Oklahoma-Kansas state line.

We're a service organization. And we're just a phone call away. Call us anytime you have a question about your bill, an electrical outage or need help or information. If your electricity goes off, we have a 24-hour-a-day answering service. In Blackwell call 363-1260; outside of Blackwell, call us toll-free at 1-800-535-1079. As soon as that phone call is received, you can rest assured that steps are being taken to mend your service interruption.

Kay Electric is divided into nine districts. Each district holds District Meetings on a three-year rotating basis, where you and your neighbors select two candidates from your district to be on the ballot at the Annual Meeting.

The Annual Meeting is held in April each year. Annual Meetings are fun and business mixed together. At the Annual Meeting, the membership at large elects three Trustees to serve on the Board of Trustees for a three-year period. These Trustees govern the operations of your Cooperative, and hire a General Manager, who in turn, hires employees to work at your Cooperative.

Trustees represent their respective District much in the same way a Representative represents his constituents in State and National Government.

Member-owners have selected nine of the best Board Members in Oklahoma to make policies and oversee the general operation of Kay Electric.

KEC is one of 26 rural electric cooperatives in Oklahoma. These cooperatives formed a statewide organization called the Oklahoma Association of Electric Cooperatives. This Association works on lobbying efforts, job training and safety programs, insurance programs and many other amenities.

When you flip on the light switch, the electricity that you are using is sold to Kay Electric by Western Farmers Electric Co-op. Yes, another Cooperative formed by Oklahoma rural electric cooperatives. WFEC transmits electricity to KEC and other cooperatives at cost.

Even though we own part of Western Farmers, power cost is the largest single expense of Kay Electric. We are always looking for ways to hold down power costs, much in the same way you look for ways to hold down your electric bill.

Kay Electric is also a member of the National Association of Rural Electric Cooperatives. This Co-op does on a national level what the Oklahoma Association does on a state level.

Your cooperative is very active in civic and community affairs, and sponsors many youth programs, such as the Youth Tour Contest, Youth Power Energy Camp Contest and the Be Safety Smart safety program.

Kay Electric has an electric water heater rebate program. Kay Electric members who are building a new home or addition and purchase an electric water heater for the new home or addition, or who are converting from a gas or propane heater to an electric water heater may quality for a rebate of up to $300. (Sorry, tankless water heaters do not quality.) Call the business office at 580-363-1260 or 1-800-535-1079 for more details.

KEC also stocks and installs meter socket surge protectors (to protect items with motors). And for just pennies a day, a dusk-to-dawn light can light up your life!

Welcome to Kay Electric Cooperative. We are glad you’re here!