Reliability

At the Iowa Association of Electric Cooperatives (IAEC), the start of a new year also means the start of a new legislative session as we advocate for our member cooperatives and the member-consumers they serve. Protecting electric service territory is our top legislative priority this session.

Across the U.S., people use a growing amount of electricity at work, home, and with the growth of electric vehicles (EVs), even on the road. The demand for electricity increased by 2.5% in 2024 and is expected to grow by 3.2% this year. 

Iowa's 2025 Legislative Session will begin on Jan. 13, 
and IAEC electric cooperatives will prioritize efforts to ensure Iowa’s law regarding defined service areas is not undermined. Learn why this law has been so crucial to our mission to serve co-op member-consumers.

We’ve all had firsthand experiences with supply chain issues in recent years. Parts and components electric co-ops use every day are also in short supply.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently released its long-anticipated final rules aimed at existing coal and new natural gas power plants. The four new rules to regulate power plants represent the wrong approach at a critical time for our nation’s energy future.

Whether you want to plant a tree, a decorative shrub or something else, it’s helpful to consider how it will grow over the next 20 or 30 years. Consider the eventual height and how wide the canopy of branches is likely to spread.

Learn what several experts view as industry trends, best practices and issues of interest for utilities, including electric cooperatives.

From the earliest days of electricity, weather has presented the biggest challenges to reliability and safety. Severe thunderstorms, tornadoes, derechos, heat waves, heavy snowfalls, flooding and ice events have long put power lines and co-op crews to the test, including those in Iowa.

Electric reliability across America is in serious jeopardy, and frankly, it’s unacceptable.

American families and businesses expect the lights to stay on at a cost they can afford. But that’s no longer a guarantee. Nine states saw rolling blackouts last December as the demand for electricity exceeded the available supply. And unless policymakers change course, it’s going to get worse.