CHELCO

What CHELCO does

CHELCO (Choctawhatchee Electric Cooperative, Inc.) is a member-owned, not-for-profit electric distribution cooperative founded in 1941 and headquartered in DeFuniak Springs, Florida. The cooperative distributes electricity to residential and commercial members across Walton and Okaloosa counties in northwest Florida, a territory that encompasses Eglin Air Force Base and the Destin/Fort Walton Beach tourism corridor. CHELCO operates the physical distribution infrastructure (power poles, lines, transformers, outage management systems) and delivers service through local offices, an online billing portal (billing.chelco.com), a mobile app (CHELCO Connect), retail payment locations, and a real-time outage map.

The cooperative's product set is anchored by core electricity distribution for residential, commercial, and new-construction customers, augmented by a layer of member-facing energy services including EV rebates, heat pump rebates, manufactured home rebates, water heater programs, energy audits, outdoor lighting, surge protection, and renewable energy resources. Underlying technology consists of conventional utility distribution assets supplemented by digital member-facing tools and a partnership with Osmose Utilities Services for pole inspections.

CHELCO operates on a regulated, recurring revenue model: members pay monthly service charges and consumption-based electricity rates, with any margins allocated back to members as capital credits rather than retained as profit. The cooperative is affiliated with Touchstone Energy Cooperatives, NRECA, CFC, and Utility Capital Solutions (formerly NCSC), embedding it within the U.S. rural electric cooperative ecosystem. Leadership comprises CEO Steve Rhodes and Senior Vice President of Member Services and External Affairs Emily Cowan, with the cooperative holding consecutive ACSI Customer Satisfaction Awards for Co-op Energy Utilities in 2023 and 2024.

Name

CHELCO

Legal name

Choctawhatchee Electric Cooperative Inc.

Website

https://chelco.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1941

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

CHELCO (Choctawhatchee Electric Cooperative) is a member-owned, not-for-profit electric distribution cooperative founded in 1941, serving residential and commercial members across Walton and Okaloosa counties in northwest Florida through owned distribution infrastructure and digital self-service channels.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Defuniak Springs

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Electric Utility Service: CHELCO generates revenue through electricity distribution to residential and commercial members. As a cooperative, any margins are allocated back to members as capital credits. Revenue is derived from monthly service charges and consumption-based electricity rates.
2. Energy Services: Additional revenue streams include EV rebates, heat pump rebates, manufactured home rebates, water heater programs, outdoor lighting, and energy audit services.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

CHELCO distributes electricity to residential and commercial members in Walton and Okaloosa counties in northwest Florida through a member-owned cooperative model. Its services include electric service connections, new construction service, outdoor lighting, energy audits, energy-efficiency rebate programs (Heat Pump and EV rebates), renewable energy options, and capital credits returned to members, supported by online account management and a mobile app.

Product overview

CHELCO (Choctawhatchee Electric Cooperative) is a member-owned electric utility cooperative providing electricity distribution services to residential and commercial members in Walton and Okaloosa counties, Florida. The company operates as a single unified cooperative with multiple service offerings including core electricity distribution (Residential Service, Commercial Service, New Construction), digital member services (Online Account Management via Meridian Customer Portal, CHELCO Connect mobile app, Outage Reporting & Map), and member benefit programs (Capital Credits, Members Helping Members, EV Rebates, Heat Pump Rebates). Additional services include Energy Audits, Outdoor Lighting, and Renewable Energy Options. The cooperative leverages digital platforms including a customer portal, mobile app, and outage mapping system alongside traditional utility infrastructure.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Residential Electric Service

Named customers2 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration7 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core and moderate.

• National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNRECA organizes the annual 'Legislative Conference' where co-op leaders from across the US gather in Washington, D.C. CHELCO participates in these advocacy events. NRECA also organizes the Florida Regional Defense Summit which CHELCO co-hosted in May 2026.
• Touchstone Energy CooperativesmoderateStrategic or Co-development PartnerCHELCO is affiliated with Touchstone Energy Cooperatives, a national brand representing electric cooperatives committed to providing safe, reliable, and affordable energy.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Suwannee Valley Electric Cooperative: North-central Florida distribution cooperative serving a rural member base. Comparable cooperative business model, rate-regulated revenue, and member services portfolio including energy audits and surge protection.
• West Florida Electric Cooperative: Panhandle-area distribution cooperative serving Holmes, Washington, Jackson, and Calhoun counties. Comparable as a rural Florida electric co-op with similar residential/agricultural load profile, Touchstone Energy branding, and reliance on Seminole Electric Cooperative for generation.
• Talquin Electric Cooperative: North Florida electric cooperative serving Leon, Gadsden, Wakulla, Liberty, and Franklin counties. Comparable member-owned distribution utility with similar digital member services, broadband subsidiary, and hurricane exposure.
• Escambia River Electric Cooperative: Neighboring Florida Panhandle electric distribution cooperative serving rural Escambia and Santa Rosa counties. Directly comparable as a Touchstone Energy-affiliated co-op with similar residential/commercial mix, member-owned structure, and exposure to Gulf Coast hurricane risk.
• Gulf Coast Electric Cooperative: Northwest Florida electric cooperative serving Walton (overlap with CHELCO) and surrounding counties. Directly comparable in service territory, cooperative governance, and member services portfolio including broadband, EV, and energy efficiency programs.

Broad incumbents

• Duke Energy Florida: Major investor-owned electric utility serving northwest Florida including parts of the panhandle. Comparable as a regulated distribution utility serving overlapping geography, but with generation assets and a much larger rate base.
• Seminole Electric Cooperative: Generation-and-transmission cooperative that supplies wholesale power to CHELCO and most other Florida distribution co-ops. Comparable as a Touchstone Energy-affiliated cooperative in the same ecosystem, but at a much larger scale and focused on generation rather than retail distribution.
• Florida Power & Light Company: Largest investor-owned utility in Florida operating in adjacent and overlapping Florida Panhandle service territory. Comparable as an electric distribution utility in Florida, but at vastly greater scale with generation, transmission, and distribution assets across the state.

Others

• Osmose Utilities Services: Infrastructure services provider that performs pole inspections for CHELCO. Comparable as a vendor and adjacent ecosystem participant supporting electric distribution utility maintenance, not a direct competitor.

Regional players

• Withlacoochee River Electric Cooperative: Central Florida distribution cooperative serving Citrus, Hernando, Pasco, Polk, and Sumter counties. Comparable member-owned electric co-op with similar EV, solar, and energy efficiency programs, but operating in a different (more suburban/Central Florida) geography.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/mychelco
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@CHELCO1941
• Facebookfacebook.com/mychelco
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/chelco
• Instagraminstagram.com/mychelco

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 CHELCO