Capital Credits
Consumers Power Capital Credits
As a cooperative, Consumers Power, Inc. is a not-for-profit, member-owned electric utility. We do not exist to make money for shareholders – we exist only to provide low-cost, reliable electricity to you, our members.
One benefit of being a member of a not-for-profit co-op is that you share in any excess revenue.
When there is a positive net margin, present and former members receive allocation letters announcing their share of that net margin from previous years.
In November 2023, the CPI Board of Directors authorized the return of $1 million in patronage capital. This represents a portion of the capital credits for 1993. Checks will be mailed in December to members who received service from CPI during that year.
To date, CPI has returned patronage capital of more than $25 million to CPI members.
Read on to learn more about capital credits.
What are capital credits? –
CPI tracks the amount of electricity used and what members pay for it throughout the year. At the end of the year, the company’s financial statements show whether or not revenues exceeded costs resulting in a net margin (profit). A portion of these margins are allocated to members as capital credits based on their electricity usage. The allocation is recorded in a capital account by CPI until funds are distributed to members who qualify for capital credit payments.
What are capital credits used for? –
The capital fund helps finance a variety of long-term capital needs including trucks, inventory, equipment, transformers, and power line construction.
Why are capital credits important? –
By combining capital credit funds with money borrowed from other sources (on which CPI does pay interest), this allows the cooperative to lower its overall cost of capital.
Will I receive payments every year? –
The cooperative’s bylaws authorize the board of directors to retire and pay capital credits to members whenever the financial condition of the utility is not impaired by such payments. The goal of the cooperative is to retire capital credits every year.
What if a member moves out of the service area? –
If you have any changes in your mailing address, inform CPI. It is the member’s responsibility to ensure their information is updated. CPI also tries to reach out to those members for whom it doesn’t have current addresses.
How do I update contact information –
Please assist us in updating our records by calling our main office at (541-929-3124 or emailing [email protected]
If the named payee on the account is deceased, please have the estate representative call, or email us so that we can update the account.
Be sure to include the name and customer number when contacting us.