August 17th, 2018 by Danny Orbin, Manager of Technical Services 

Let’s talk about outages. We all know, living in the central part of this great country, that Missouri is going to see its share of spring storms, as well as winter weather. We also know that, sometimes, during this time our power is going to go out. Please rest assured that Macon Electric Cooperative employees are doing everything possible to ensure that our members have uninterrupted electric service. We are aggressively working on improvements to our lines by conducting regular maintenance through our pole change out and brush control programs. However, even these things cannot guarantee that your lights will not go out. When they do, time is everything.

In the last couple of years, MEC has been working to put in place solutions, such as Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI), to recognize when a power outage occurs and to alert the appropriate people at the cooperative. This system will also alert our new outage program, so that our dispatchers can see an outage, sometimes as quick as you see it.  With these new technologies in place, MEC is becoming more efficient when it comes to outages; and quick response means the lights will again shine in a reasonable time.

We want you to know that, even with these technologies in place, do not hesitate to call when your power goes out. But remember, you may not be the only ones calling in, so please be patient and leave a message when prompted. Rest assured that our dispatchers are working as hard as they can to provide the best service possible.

Now, I like my electricity as much as the next guy; and, when it goes out, I want it back on as quickly as possible. With MEC’s new technology, we can more accurately determine the size and scope of an outage, which can lead to a much faster restoration time. This advancement is just one of the ways that we have been working to improve our services to you, our members.