ERECutility
Your Monthly Newsletter
ISSUE 12 |SEP 2026 www.erec.com
escambiariverelectric
CARE OVER CAPITAL; PEOPLE OVER PROFIT Ryan Campbell, P.E.
JAY OFFICE 3425 Highway 4 P.O. Box 428 (mail) Jay, FL 32565 850-675-4521 or 800-235-3848
We know that a rate increase is never easy news. No one wants to pay more for electricity, especially when families and businesses are already dealing with higher costs in almost every aspect of life.
WALNUT HILL OFFICE 4950 Highway 99A Walnut Hill, FL 32568 850-675-4521 or 800-235-3848
But after careful consideration, EREC’s Board of Directors has determined that a modest rate adjustment is necessary to help us continue providing the safe, reliable and resilient electric service our members depend on.
OFFICE HOURS 7:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday - Thursday 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. every other Friday Closed on alternating Fridays Walnut Hill is closed from 12:00 - 1:00 p.m.
A Careful Look at Our Rates This spring, EREC completed a comprehensive rate survey to evaluate our current rates, financial position and the increasing costs of providing electric service.
STAFF Ryan C. Campbell, P.E., CEO Sonya Dooley, Director of Finance and Administration Lanie Sells, Director of Engineering Glenn White, Director of Operations Cortney Owens, Manager of Marketing Communications Derek Bridwell, Manager of Information Technology Crystal George, Manager of Accounting
The results showed that a modest adjustment is needed to keep pace with those rising costs and maintain the financial strength necessary to serve our members today and for years to come.
TRUSTEES Escambia County Brian Davis (President) James E. Hall Ernie Hester Sam Walker Gary Wiggins
Seventeen Years Without an Energy Rate Increase EREC has not increased the cost of energy since 2009. Think about that for a moment: Is there anything you regularly buy today that costs the same as it did in 2009? The cost of nearly everything has drastically increased over the past 17 years, including many of the goods and services EREC needs to provide electricity to our members.
Santa Rosa County Mickey Diamond (Vice President) Rick Hunsucker Philip Marshall Wesley Scott Dale Westmoreland (Secretary/Treasurer) The board of directors meets at 5 p.m. the third Monday of each month at the cooperative’s Jay office. FOR POWER OUTAGES Call 877-OUT-EREC or 877-688-3732. For emergency conditions, call 911. Contact Cortney Owens (cowens@erec.com) regarding this monthly publication.
Following that study, the EREC Board of Directors met on August 17 to review the findings and discuss the cooperative’s financial needs. After careful consideration, the Board was able to keep the increase to just a penny per kilowatt-hour effective October 2026.
The Cost of Serving You Has Increased From the fuel in our trucks to the postage needed to mail power bills, the cost of doing business has increased. The same is true for the materials that make up our electric system. Wire, poles and transformers have all increased substantially in cost. Vehicles, equipment, technology and other supplies needed to maintain the system and restore power have also become more expensive. With the cost of energy and other operating expenses continuing to rise, we also need to adjust the monthly cost of yard lights by 50 cents per month. (continued on next page)