NEW LONDON — Fireland Electric Cooperative and Ohio’s Electric Cooperatives have been in discussions with state officials to resume disconnects for nonpayment, which will resume on July 13.
“We understand that many of our members have experienced financial difficulties during the COVID-19 pandemic,” says General Manager Dan McNaull. “Our electric cooperative immediately complied with the PUCO recommendation to temporarily suspend disconnects for nonpayment beginning in March, and waived late payment fees for three months (March, April, and May) to assist those negatively impacted.”
Firelands Electric Cooperative helped members to weather the crisis by implementing flexible payment plans and temporarily suspending service disconnections until restrictions were lifted.
“We understand that navigating through the ever-evolving pandemic has proven difficult. We are here to assist our members with keeping their account in good standing, as we forge a path through a new environment,” McNaull added.
Not-for-profit electric cooperatives, like Firelands, purposely operate on thin margins so that we can keep its costs as low as possible. The cooperative is responsible for paying its energy bill and keeping its accounts current, which allows the co-op to deliver reliable and affordable power to all of its member-consumers.
The cooperative is providing support to its member-consumers and helping them to keep their electric account manageable, while developing plans to pay deferred invoices.
Members needing assistance with their Firelands Electric bill are encouraged to contact the cooperative’s billing department at 1-800-533-8658 or email them at billing@firelandsec.com. Firelands Electric’s drive-thru and night drop remain open at 103 Industrial Drive, New London. Service support is also available online at www.firelandsec.com and on the cooperative’s SmartHub app.
Firelands Electric Cooperative, a Touchstone Energy Partner, is a member-owned, not-for-profit electric utility serving more than 9,100 homes and businesses in rural areas of Ashland, Huron, Lorain, and Richland counties that ranks among the highest energy utilities in the country for customer satisfaction.
Visit the cooperative’s website, www.firelandsec.com, Facebook page and Twitter feed, to learn more about reliable and affordable power.
