People often ask me what makes cooperatives like Kankakee Valley REMC different from large investor-owned utilities. At a time when state regulators are responding to customers’ affordability concerns from other utilities, it’s worth taking a moment to remind our members of the key differences. The biggest difference is mostly about profits. Big utilities are under… Continue reading.

Concern for community is one of the guiding principles of electric cooperatives. Members of two classes of Kankakee Valley REMC’s Junior Board of Directors are taking that concern to the next level by sponsoring events to help others in the community. Join us on May 30 at the Porter County Fairgrounds (215 Division Road, Valparaiso)… Continue reading.

Each April, we recognize the dedicated individuals who keep the lights on — our lineworkers. Kankakee Valley REMC’s 27 lineworkers serve our community every day, restoring power, maintaining lines, and keeping life running smoothly for all our members. When storms strike and outages occur, lineworkers leave family dinners and work long hours in challenging conditions to… Continue reading.

If you’ve ever heard a loud bang during a storm and thought a transformer exploded, it was likely a cutout doing its job. A cutout, also called a fuse cutout, is a protective device mounted high on a power pole near transformers or along primary distribution lines. Its purpose is to protect electrical equipment from… Continue reading.

Interested in helping guide KV REMC’s future? Now is your chance. Director petition packets for the upcoming board election are available online. Two positions are open: District 4 and one At-Large seat. District 4 represents Oregon, Washington, North Bend, Davis and Center townships in Starke County, along with Union and West townships in Marshall County. The At-Large… Continue reading.

KV REMC hosted its third annual Trades Camp, bringing together 63 students from 15 schools to explore nine trade professions. Trade participants included electrical journeyman linemen, plumbers, carpenters, pipefitters, sprinkler fitters, operators, electricians, fiber optic installers, and laborers. Students engaged with professionals to learn about daily responsibilities and educational requirements. “Skilled trades are important to… Continue reading.

If you opened your January electric bill and thought, “That seems high,” you weren’t alone. When bills jump, it’s natural to ask what changed. One question I’ve heard quite a bit lately is whether data centers and large energy users are driving up electricity costs. Here’s what I can tell you. In February, we announced… Continue reading.

Last fall, our directors and leadership sat down to review Kankakee Valley REMC’s strategic plan and develop a new one. We do that roughly every three years, and it’s one of our most important responsibilities. Nobody knows exactly what’s ahead for our communities and our cooperative, but there are several things that we know for… Continue reading.

The Kankakee Valley REMC Junior Board of Directors program — which offers high school juniors opportunities to connect with community leaders and gain a real- world perspective on leadership — recently visited the Indiana Statehouse to witness the heart of the legislative process. The Junior Board participants who attended the trip included Juliana Cook, Luke… Continue reading.

Tyler Wherrett and Tim Morgart, both five-year employees of Kankakee Valley REMC, were two of 30 lineworkers who graduated earlier this year from the Indiana Electric Cooperatives’ Rural Electric Apprenticeship Program (REAP). REAP is a four-year program that professionally trains apprentice lineworkers from across Indiana. Wherrett and Morgart were both required to complete 576 hours… Continue reading.