Switch it Up! puts thousands back in members’ pockets OPALCO is now offering on-bill financing for members who want to Switch it Up! and install super-efficient ductless heat pumps, heat pump water heaters and electric vehicle chargers. These upgrades can cut energy spending in half for heating and transportation, compared to fossil fuels (propane, gasoline),  Continue Reading

OPALCO has hired three new linemen apprentices – one for each of the crews on Lopez, Orcas, and San Juan Island. These local linemen will keep the lights on for the next generation of islanders! “With some of our linecrew hitting the 25-, 30- and even 40-year mark in their careers with the Co-op, we  Continue Reading

OPALCO Annual Meeting: Saturday, April 13th FREE Lunch, Prizes and Co-op Q&A If you pay your power bill to OPALCO, you’re a member of the Co-op and this fun-filled annual meeting is all about YOU! OPALCO holds its annual meeting on the inter-island ferry so it’s easy for everyone to come aboard. Lunch will be  Continue Reading

OPALCO’s Nourdine Jensen Cooperative Youth Scholarship Program is accepting applications from high school sophomores and juniors of OPALCO member households. Up to five scholars will receive a $1,000 scholarship from OPALCO and the family of Nourdine Jensen, as well as an all-expenses paid trip to the Youth Rally, a co-op leadership camp at the College  Continue Reading

Candidate Forums Scheduled March 4-7TH OPALCO’s Elections & Governance Committee has interviewed and approved a slate of candidates for the 2019 Board of Directors election. There are seven board members representing four districts and 20 islands. Everybody votes in all elections regardless of their home district. The Candidates are: Two open positions in District 3  Continue Reading

Candidates Named for OPALCO Election; Nominations by Petition Due Feb 13th The volunteer member Elections & Governance Committee has selected candidates for the OPALCO Board of Directors election in District 3 (Lopez, Decatur, Center and Charles islands) and District 4 (Shaw, Bell, Canoe and Crane islands). The following were nominated by a vote of the  Continue Reading

WSF: Electrify the San Juan Islands Ferry Routes FIRST Don’t delay protection of the Salish Sea The current WS Ferries Long range plan for deploying electric ferries puts the San Juan routes last on the list. Why lose decades in our efforts to protect the Salish Sea – and all of the species who depend  Continue Reading

Need help? Get Monthly Bill Credits with Energy Assist When OPALCO members open their bills in January, they will be, on average, $9.50 higher. OPALCO is raising rates as a necessary part of providing power to our 20-island archipelago. This increase is driven by the loan expense (capitalization) for the submarine cable replacement (George), inflation  Continue Reading

Bills are Going up in January – 2019 budget includes a 5.2% revenue increase Pending board approval at the December 20th board meeting, OPALCO members will see a rate increase when they open their bills in January. The bills will be on average, $9.50 higher. OPALCO is raising rates as a necessary part of providing  Continue Reading

Capital Credit Checks Coming – Your Co-op Dividend! In December, capital credit checks will be sent out to members who were active in 1993, plus some from 1994 as OPALCO continues to smooth its 25-year cycle for capital credit distributions. Capital credit allocations represent members’ equity in the Co-op. Each year, our non-profit cooperative allocates  Continue Reading

OPALCO is seeking nominations for board candidates from Districts 3 (Lopez, Decatur, Center and Charles islands) and 4 (Shaw, Bell, Canoe and Crane islands). To nominate a candidate (including yourself), go to www.opalco.com/elections and use the nominations online portal to fill out the candidate application forms. Why run for an OPALCO Board Position? To participate  Continue Reading

Let’s talk about YOUR electric co-op Join the OPALCO board for town hall style listening sessions. Have some feedback to share with OPALCO leadership? Stop by one of these sessions to ask questions or engage in conversation with your elected co-op board. November 12: Lopez Library @ 5:30 pm November 13: Shaw Community Hall @  Continue Reading

All of San Juan County will be affected by a second planned outage tonight, necessary for BPA to replace a section of one of the two main power lines that feeds the San Juan Islands from Fidalgo Island. The outage will begin at 12:30 am in the wee hours of Tuesday, October 23rd and is  Continue Reading

The following is a guest post from Neil Stawski with Climate Wise… There are nearly 7 billion humans on the planet, with more being born every day. And each person comes with their own ecological footprint. When you add up the ecological footprints of 7 billion people, you begin to understand the enormous environmental effect  Continue Reading

Early Tuesday morning September 25 from 12:30 am (half past midnight tonight) until 2:30 am all of San Juan County will be affected by a planned outage. Another outage is planned for Tuesday, October 23. These outages are necessary for BPA to replace a section of one of the two main power lines that feeds the  Continue Reading

Co-op members understand the power of the vote – it’s in our DNA. With Americans holding more than 350 million co-op memberships and rural electric cooperatives serving 75% of our country’s land mass: we have the power! OPALCO, the Orcas Food Co-op and San Juan Island Food Co-op encourage you to register to vote, cast  Continue Reading