Washington Electric Cooperative

What Washington Electric Cooperative does

Washington Electric Cooperative, Inc. is a member-owned, not-for-profit electric distribution cooperative founded in 1940 by a group of farmers who obtained a Rural Electrification Administration loan to bring electricity to rural southeast Ohio. Headquartered at 440 Highland Ridge Road in Marietta, Ohio, the cooperative distributes electricity across 1,760 miles of power lines to more than 10,500 member-consumers across six counties (Washington, Noble, Monroe, Morgan, Athens, and Guernsey). Its core operational technology consists of conventional distribution infrastructure including substations, reclosers, sectionalizers, and advanced metering systems, supplemented by the SmartHub digital account management platform and a community solar array under the OurSolar brand.

The cooperative's product and service portfolio centers on electricity distribution and member account management. SmartHub provides web and mobile-based bill payment, usage tracking, outage reporting, and customer service. Additional offerings include prepaid electricity (Prepay Program), levelized billing, VanillaDirect Pay cash payments through retail partners, the Load Management demand response program, OurSolar community solar, energy efficiency rebates (water heaters, ENERGY STAR appliances, geothermal), outdoor LED lighting rental, new construction service, service upgrades, and outage management. Marketing and member engagement occur through the Ohio Cooperative Living magazine, the weci.org website, Facebook, YouTube, and youth scholarship programs.

As a not-for-profit cooperative, Washington Electric sets rates to cover operating costs, loan repayments, and emergency reserves, with margins returned to member-consumers annually as capital credits reflecting their ownership stake. Revenue derives primarily from monthly electricity sales to residential and small farm members, with no public revenue disclosure. Wholesale power is sourced through Buckeye Power, Inc., and the cooperative participates in the Touchstone Energy alliance of 700+ cooperatives and Ohio's Electric Cooperatives network for shared resources, mutual aid, and best practices. Governance is exercised through a seven-member Board of Trustees elected by member-consumers in annual elections. Recent capital activity includes an $11.2M USDA infrastructure funding round in December 2024 and $130,667 in FEMA disaster recovery funding in 2026 for repairs following 2024 floods.

Name

Washington Electric Cooperative

Legal name

Washington Electric Cooperative, Inc.

Website

https://weci.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1940

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Washington Electric Cooperative is a member-owned, not-for-profit electric distribution cooperative founded in 1940, serving more than 10,500 rural residential and small farm accounts across six counties in southeast Ohio through 1,760 miles of distribution lines.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Electric Distribution Utility Services

NAICS

Electric Power Distribution (221122)

SIC

Electric Services (4911)

akta.pro primary industry

Electric Cooperatives (Rural/Member-Owned Utilities) (EUADABAC)

Keywords

• Electric distribution services
• Rural electric cooperative
• Residential electricity supply
• Energy efficiency rebates
• Community solar programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Marietta

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Electric Distribution Service: As a not-for-profit electric cooperative, Washington Electric generates revenue through monthly electricity sales to member-consumers. Rates are set to cover operating costs, loan payments, and emergency reserves, with any surplus returned to members as capital credits.
2. Prepay Electricity Program: Pay-as-you-go option allowing residential members to prepay for electricity in advance, with no deposits, monthly bills, or late fees required.
3. Capital Credits Distribution: Not-for-profit margins are returned to member-consumers annually as capital credits based on their electricity purchases, reflecting their ownership stake in the cooperative.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Washington Electric Cooperative distributes electricity across 1,760 miles of lines to more than 10,500 rural member-consumers in six southeast Ohio counties. As a member-owned not-for-profit cooperative, it sells electric service, returns margins to members as capital credits, and provides supporting programs such as SmartHub digital account management, prepaid and levelized billing, OurSolar community solar, load management demand response, and energy-efficiency rebates.

Product overview

Washington Electric Cooperative is a member-owned electric distribution cooperative serving 10,500 rural customers across six counties in southeast Ohio. The cooperative offers a unified product portfolio centered on electricity distribution and member services. The core offerings include SmartHub (account management platform for bill payment, usage tracking, and outage reporting), prepaid and levelized billing options, VanillaDirect Pay (cash payment at retail stores), the OurSolar community solar program, and Load Management for peak demand reduction. Add-on services include rebates for energy-efficient appliances and geothermal systems, outdoor lighting rental, new construction and service upgrades, tree trimming, youth programs (scholarships and Youth Tour), and outage management. The cooperative returns margins to members through Capital Credits, reflecting member ownership in the not-for-profit utility.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• OurSolar: A community solar initiative from Washington Electric Cooperative featuring a solar array at their Marietta office, allowing community members to have more control over a portion of their power supply through renewable energy.

Products and services

• SmartHub Web and mobile account management platform for member-consumers to pay bills, view billing history, track energy usage, set usage alerts, report service issues, and contact customer service.
• Prepay Electricity Program Pay-as-you-go residential electric service allowing members to prepay for electricity in advance with no deposit, no monthly bill, and no late fees; real-time usage monitoring via SmartHub.
• OurSolar Community Solar Program Community solar initiative featuring a solar array at the Marietta office that lets members participate in local solar generation without installing panels on their own properties.
• Load Management Program Demand-side management program allowing the cooperative's wholesale electricity supplier to remotely cycle off enrolled members' water heaters and air conditioners during peak demand periods to reduce wholesale costs.
• Outdoor LED Lighting Service Rental program for LED outdoor lights installed on a member's transformer pole or alternative location, with a $125 installation fee and $10.75 monthly rental fee.
• New Construction Electric Service Establishment of electric service for locations without existing facilities, including field engineering consultation, permitting, easements, line construction, and meter installation by Washington Electric Cooperative crews.
• Electric Service Upgrades Capacity upgrade service for existing members, covering mast, entrance cable, and meter pole specifications and installation performed by Washington Electric Cooperative crews.
• Outage Reporting and Live Outage Map Outage management service providing SmartHub-based outage reporting, phone-based outage reporting (877.544.0279), and a live outage map showing current outages across the service territory.
• Capital Credits Distribution Annual member ownership program that returns margins left over at year-end to member-consumers based on their electricity purchases, reflecting each member's equity stake in the cooperative.
• VanillaDirect Pay Cash Payment Service Cash bill payment service enabling members to pay electric bills at participating retail stores (Dollar General, Family Dollar, CVS Pharmacy, 7-Eleven, GoMart, Speedway, Walgreens) using a barcode on their bill.

Quantifiable outcome

• More than $1.7 million returned to member-consumers in capital credits since inception
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Touchstone Energy CooperativecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWashington Electric is a member of Touchstone Energy Cooperative, an alliance of more than 700 cooperatives in 46 states delivering power to more than 16 million consumers. Benefits include shared resources, best practices, and national brand recognition.
• Ohio's Electric CooperativescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAlliance of 25 electric cooperatives across Ohio. Washington Electric participates in this organization which supports idea-sharing, cost reductions, and backup support during large power outages.
• Buckeye Power, Inc.coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGeneration and transmission cooperative formed in 1959 and based in Columbus, Ohio. Owned by Ohio's electric distribution cooperatives, it supplies power to all of Ohio's electric co-op consumers. Operates diverse portfolio including coal, natural gas, and renewable resources.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Buckeye Power, Inc. Generation and transmission cooperative formed in 1959 that supplies wholesale power to all of Ohio's electric distribution cooperatives including Washington Electric. Operates a diverse coal, natural gas, and renewable portfolio — directly comparable as upstream G&T counterpart serving the same cooperative network.
• Ohio's Electric Cooperatives: Statewide alliance of 25 Ohio electric distribution cooperatives including Washington Electric. Direct peer as a sister-organization providing shared services, advocacy, and storm mutual aid across the same regulatory jurisdiction.
• Touchstone Energy Cooperative: National alliance of 700+ electric cooperatives in 46 states serving 16M+ consumers. Washington Electric is a member; directly comparable as the umbrella brand providing shared IT (SmartHub), training, and national marketing to member co-ops.
• AEP Ohio: Investor-owned electric utility serving much of Ohio including areas adjacent to Washington Electric's southeast Ohio territory. Comparable as a regulated Ohio electric distribution utility, though much larger (IONY) and operating outside Washington Electric's exclusive service territory.

Direct peers

• South Central Power Company: Ohio-based member-owned electric distribution cooperative serving similar rural Ohio customers. Direct peer — same cooperative model, same Touchstone Energy affiliation, same Buckeye Power wholesale supplier, and overlapping geographic footprint in southeast/central Ohio.
• Holmes-Wayne Electric Cooperative: Member-owned electric distribution cooperative serving rural northeast Ohio. Direct peer — same cooperative governance model, similar customer scale (thousands of rural accounts), same Touchstone Energy membership, comparable product set including SmartHub and community solar.

Regional players

• Consolidated Electric Cooperative: Member-owned electric distribution cooperative serving rural north-central Ohio. Direct structural peer under the same Buckeye Power umbrella; comparable scale, customer mix, and rural Appalachian-adjacent service profile.
• Midwest Electric Cooperative: Member-owned electric distribution cooperative serving rural northwest Ohio. Direct structural peer with similar Touchstone Energy affiliation and Buckeye Power wholesale arrangement, though operating in a different Ohio region.

Others

• National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA): National trade association representing 900+ electric cooperatives across the U.S. Comparable as the umbrella organization that provides Washington Electric with federal advocacy, RUS coordination, and cooperative governance standards — not a direct competitor but a defining ecosystem participant.
• SmartHub (National Information Solutions Cooperative - NISC): Information technology cooperative that builds and operates the SmartHub platform used by Washington Electric. Comparable as the technology and software backbone provider enabling Washington Electric's digital account management, billing, and outage reporting capabilities.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCMsxHmWoboXlbSkhYyUCj-w
• Facebookfacebook.com/WashingtonElectricCoop
• Xx.com/washelectcoop
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/washington-electric-cooperative-inc.

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Washington Electric Cooperative