Wood County Elec Co-op

What Wood County Elec Co-op does

Wood County Electric Cooperative (WCEC) is a not-for-profit, member-owned electric distribution cooperative incorporated in 1938 under the Texas Electric Cooperative Corporation Act. Headquartered at 501 S. Main St. in Quitman, Texas, WCEC distributes electricity to over 42,000 meters across 5,354+ miles of line in 9 Northeast Texas counties: Camp, Franklin, Hopkins, Rains, Smith, Titus, Upshur, Van Zandt, and Wood. Service is provided to residential, commercial, agricultural, and large-power members under tiered rate schedules (Rate A, GS, LP, OL) adjusted monthly by a Power Cost Recovery Factor (PCRF). The cooperative is governed by a 7-member board elected from geographic regions of the service territory.

WCEC's core technology stack centers on Advanced Metering Infrastructure (digital meters with remote disconnect/reconnect, outage detection, tamper detection, and usage viewing), a real-time Outage Management System refreshing every 3 minutes with crew assignment tracking, and the My WCEC mobile application supporting outage reporting, bill payment, and usage analytics. Member-facing billing options include standard post-pay, the SmartPower Prepay system (no deposit, no late fees), and Levelized Billing (12-month averaged budget payments). Wholesale power is procured through membership in East Texas Electric Cooperative (ETEC), the generation-and-transmission cooperative that supplies WCEC's distribution load. Operational ancillary programs include vegetation management, an Energy Saving Center with solar information, and community engagement initiatives such as Operation Round Up, youth leadership programs (ETREYS, Youth Tour), and scholarships.

WCEC's revenue model is recurring monthly distribution and energy charges on metered service, augmented by one-time connect fees ($30), line extension and new construction charges (per-foot overhead/underground costs), and security deposits. As a cooperative, annual margins are not retained as profit but allocated to members as capital credits and periodically retired. Marketing and member engagement are conducted through a multi-channel mix including the wcec.org website, Facebook, the monthly Texas Co-op Power magazine, the On The Wire e-newsletter, the mobile app, and an annual member meeting. Accessibility compliance is maintained to Section 508 and WCAG 2.0 AA standards.

Name

Wood County Elec Co-op

Legal name

Wood County Electric Cooperative, Inc.

Website

https://www.wcec.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1938

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Wood County Electric Cooperative is a not-for-profit, member-owned electric distribution cooperative serving 42,000+ meters across 9 Northeast Texas counties from its Quitman headquarters, operating since 1938 with digital metering, mobile outage reporting, and community programs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Electric Utility Distribution

NAICS

Electric Power Distribution (221122), Electric Power Transmission, Control, and Distribution (22112)

SIC

Electric Services (4911), Electric, Gas & Sanitary Services (4900)

akta.pro primary industry

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

akta.pro secondary industry

Electric Distribution System Owners (Wires-Only Companies) (EUADABAI)

Keywords

• Electric distribution services
• Rural electric cooperative
• Power distribution
• Outage management
• Energy billing

Headquarters

HQ city

Quitman

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Electric Distribution Service: Core revenue from electricity distribution to over 42,000 meters across 9 counties. Members pay monthly charges based on rate schedules (Rate A for single-phase residential, Rate GS for three-phase commercial, Rate LP for large power, Rate OL for outdoor lighting) plus energy charges per kWh and Power Cost Recovery Factor adjustments.
2. Connect Fees and Deposits: One-time $30 connect fee for new service applications. Security deposits may be required based on credit checks. Non-standard meter opt-out fees: $120 enrollment + $30 monthly.
3. Line Extension Charges: Charges for new construction service including overhead/underground line extension per foot, bores, right-of-way clearing, and switchover fees to recover infrastructure costs.
4. Capital Credits: As a not-for-profit cooperative, margins are allocated to members as capital credits. Board authorizes periodic retirements (payments) to members based on financial condition and previous year margins.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Wood County Electric Cooperative distributes electricity to more than 42,000 meters across nine Northeast Texas counties through 5,354+ miles of line. The cooperative offers tiered rate schedules (Rate A residential, Rate GS commercial three-phase, Rate LP large power, Rate OL outdoor lighting) along with multiple billing options, advanced metering infrastructure, vegetation management, and community programs. It is a member-owned, not-for-profit cooperative returning margins to members as capital credits.

Product overview

Wood County Electric Cooperative is a not-for-profit electric distribution cooperative offering electricity service to over 40,000 meters across nine counties in East Texas. The cooperative provides a portfolio of products and services centered on electricity distribution, including digital advanced metering infrastructure with remote disconnect/reconnect capabilities, multiple billing options (standard billing, SmartPower prepay, and Levelized Billing), real-time outage management tools (outage map, mobile app, outage texting), energy conservation resources, vegetation management services, and community programs (Operation Round Up, youth scholarships). The core product is electricity distribution, supported by digital meters and the My WCEC mobile app for account management and outage reporting.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Residential Electric Service (Rate A)

Quantifiable outcome

• 42,000+ meters served across 9 counties
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• East Texas Electric Cooperative (ETEC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerETEC is WCEC's generation and transmission (G&T) cooperative that provides wholesale power. As a member of ETEC, WCEC participates in larger-scale power planning and purchasing, allowing economies of scale that benefit all member distribution cooperatives and their consumers.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Houston County Electric Cooperative: East Texas electric distribution cooperative serving rural counties with comparable meter count and line mileage; directly comparable peer in member-owned rural distribution.
• Trinity Valley Electric Cooperative: Member-owned electric distribution cooperative serving parts of East Texas, providing residential, commercial, and agricultural service with similar rate classes and member programs—directly comparable in scale and operating model.
• Cherokee County Electric Cooperative: East Texas distribution cooperative serving rural and small-town members with analogous meter counts, line mileage, and AMI/billing programs; operates under the same Texas cooperative regulatory framework.
• Panola-Harrison Electric Cooperative: East Texas electric cooperative serving Panola and Harrison counties with similar rate classes, capital credits program, and member/community engagement model.
• Rusk County Electric Cooperative: East Texas distribution cooperative operating under the Texas Electric Cooperative Corporation Act with directly comparable member-owned utility structure and service territory profile.
• Deep East Texas Electric Cooperative: Distribution electric cooperative serving members across multiple East Texas counties, structurally and operationally comparable to WCEC as a Texas member-owned rural electric cooperative with AMI, prepay/levelized billing, and member programs.
• Lamar County Electric Cooperative: Northeast Texas distribution cooperative with similar member base, geographic profile, and operating model; comparable in scale, regulatory treatment, and member service offerings.
• Sam Houston Electric Cooperative: East Texas electric cooperative serving a multi-county rural territory with comparable residential/commercial/agricultural rate structure, AMI deployment, and ETEC/G&T wholesale power arrangement.

Broad incumbents

• Bluebonnet Electric Cooperative: Large Texas electric distribution cooperative serving a multi-county territory outside the Austin/Brenham corridor; shares WCEC's member-owned cooperative structure, AMI deployment, and rate class design but operates at materially greater scale.
• Pedernales Electric Cooperative: Largest electric distribution cooperative in Texas serving a much broader Central Texas territory; same cooperative business model and regulatory framework but substantially larger scale, serving as a broad-incumbent benchmark for governance, AMI, and member programs.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/WoodCountyElectricCooperative
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/wood-county-electric-cooperative

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Wood County Elec Co-op