About Vernon Electric Cooperative
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Vernon Electric Cooperative provides electricity and other services to approximately 10,000 members in Southwestern Wisconsin. Besides Vernon County, we also serve parts of La Crosse, Monroe, Juneau, Sauk, Richland and Crawford Counties. Our service territory consists primarily of the rural areas and the Village of Readstown.
There are many advantages to being a member of an electric co-op, but one of the best advantages is that we are service driven. Since we are a cooperative, we operate as a not-for-profit organization and you, as a member, have our margins allocated back to you as Capital Credits.
VEC has been serving this area since 1938 when rural residents took advantage of low-interest loans from the federal government (Rural Electrification Administration) to start their own electric utility. Prior to 1938 no investor-owned utilities would build power lines out to rural areas because there was not enough profit to be made. Now, with their own electric utility, rural residents not only have electricity to help them with their chores, but they also have a say in how their utility is run.
Power for VEC comes from Dairyland Power Cooperative. VEC and 24 other distribution cooperatives own Dairyland Power Cooperative, which provides service over a large geographic area of the Midwest including Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, Illinois and the U.P. of Michigan. Together, we are committed to quality service and innovative ways to improve the quality of life for our members in Southwestern Wisconsin. As you will see, we're much more than electricity.
