Boone Electric Cooperative
Latest News
Help Your Neighbors - Donate to the C.A.S.H. and H.E.L.P Programs
This winter a growing number of our neighbors will not have the money to pay their utility bill. You can help by donating to the C.A.S.H. and H.E.L.P. programs.
The programs are a joint effort with the City of Columbia. However, all money donated by cooperative members goes to help other cooperative members.
C.A.S.H., which stands for Citizens Assisting Seniors & Disabled, specifically assists low-income elderly and low-income disabled members who have exhausted other resources. The Heat, Energy & Light Program, or H.E.L.P., provides aid to low-income families with children in one-time emergency situations.
You can make a one-time donation to either or both programs. Or signify a monthly donation. The amount will automatically be place on your monthly utility bill. All donations are tax deductible.
Members must qualify to receive the funds, which are administered through the Boone County Health Department. The C.A.S.H. and H.E.L.P. programs began in the early 1980s and have helped 7,000 member families.
Rate Increase Set to Take Effect in April
The Cooperative members will see a small rate increase on their electric bills beginning with March usage and reflected on April electric bills. Members will see an average increase of 4.58 percent, based on the use of 1,000 kwh. In addition, the service availability charge for each meter on the system rises from $19.70 to $20 per month.
| Previous Rate Structure | New Rate Structure | |||
| Residential | Residential | |||
| Service Availability | $19.70 | Service Availability | $20 | |
| First 600 kwh @ | 8.7¢/kwh | First 600 kwh @ | 9.1¢/kwh | |
| Next 1,400 kwh @ | 7.7¢/kwh | Next 1,400 kwh @ | 8.2¢/kwh | |
| Excess kwh @ | 7.0¢/kwh | Excess kwh @ | 7.6¢/kwh | |
| Dual Fuel Home Heating | Dual Fuel Home Heating | |||
| Submetered Heating | 5.3¢/kwh | Submetered Heating | 5.4¢/kwh | |
| Dusk-to-Dawn Lighting | Dusk-to-Dawn Lighting | |||
| 100 watts HPS @ | $7.10/month | 100 watts HPS @ | $7.35/month | |
| 400 watts HPS @ | $14.75/month | 400 watts HPS @ | $15.12/month |
Increases in coal prices, additional environmental regulations and construction costs for future generation to meet demand are all factors in driving electricity rates. Fortunately, our power supplier, Associated Electric Cooperative Inc., has been proactive over the past several years, securing additional generation and updating power plants in anticipation of upcoming regulations. Thus, the rate increase is less than anticipated.
Changes for DIRECTV Customers
Effective August 16, Boone Electric Cooperative will no longer be able to process satellite programming payments. To make a payment following August 16:
- Remit payment to the address shown on the bill:
DIRECTV
P.O. Box 9001069
Louisville, KY 40290-1069
- Visit www.directv.com with your account number to pay online.
- Boone Electric Cooperative can no longer accept and process DIRECTV auto payments. To continue with auto pay, you must contact DIRECTV at (800) DIRECTV (800-347-3288) to set up the auto pay features.
- If your bank releases the funds each month from your account and you wish to continue this feature, you must change the recipient from Boone Electric Cooperative to DIRECTV.
- Call (800) DIRECTV to pay your bill over the phone (a $5 fee is charged for payments over the phone).
If you have any questions, please call Boone Electric Satellite Systems at (573) 876-1266 or (800) DIRECTV.
Newest Additions to Co-op Connections Card Program 
CD Tradepost, 573-256-1200, Columbia
www.cdtradepost.com
10% off any used CD, DVD, Vinyl Record or Video Game
Gutter Brothers, 573-424-3559, Columbia
www.wix.com/gutterbrothers/gb
10% off any services.
EnergyLink, 573-777-4811, Columbia
www.goenergylink.com
$25 off whole house assessment fee. One $25 discount per customer.
Assisted Living by Americare
www.americareusa.net
$500 off first month's rent
applies to the following locations:
Ashland Villa, 573-657-1920, Ashland
Hartmann Village and The Cottages, 660-882-9933, Boonville
Churchill Terrace, 573-642-5222, Fulton
Westport Estates and The Arbors at Westport Estates Alzheimer's Assisted Living, 660-886-5500, Marshall
Ravenwood Terrace and The Cottages Independent Living, 660-263-8004, Moberly
Westbrook Terrace and The Arbors at Westbrook Terrace Alzheimer's Assisted Living, 573-635-2600, Jefferson City
Highland Crest and The Arbors at Highland Crest Alzheimer's Assisted Living, 660-627-8004, Kirksville
Teal Lake and The Arbors at Lakeview Bend Alzheimer's Assisted Living, 573-581-7800, Mexico
Click here to go to the Co-op Connection website and see more local and nationwide businesses.
We've Been "Spoofed!"
You may have heard about this latest scam in the news recently. BEC was notified late last week that our phone number had been used to “Caller ID Spoof” a member. Luckily the message was ridiculous enough to let the member know it was a prank call. The robo-caller even fessed up and told the member they had just been pranked. But not every spoof will be that obvious. If you receive a call from BEC and you are questioning its authenticity, don’t hesitate to ask the caller for their name, then hang up and call us back to verify we made the call.
For more information on Caller ID Spoofing, check out this news story:
http://www.connectmidmissouri.com/news/story.aspx?id=681514
Sweepstakes Scam Targets MO Co-op Members
We’ve also been notified by a few neighboring co-ops that their members had received counterfeit capital credit checks with bogus sweepstakes letters claiming to be the “Canadian Sweepstakes,” “Mega Million Sweepstakes” or Publisher’s Clearinghouse.” Recipients are asked to deposit the bogus capital credit check and then write a check from their personal account for a similar amount to a foreign authority to claim their sweepstakes winnings. THIS IS A SCAM. Please notify us immediately if you receive one of these letters. These co-ops are working with the FBI and the U.S. Postmaster General to put a stop to the scam, but that’s not a simple task. So far we have no reports of this scam in the Boone Electric Cooperative service area.