Our Cooperative
Our History
It all began with the Rural Electrification Act and President Franklin D. Roosevelt in the 1930s. The Act put funds in place for farmers to begin building their own electric lines to farms and homes in the rural areas. These areas had not seen the expansion of privately-owned utilities and municipalities who felt the profit potential was not worth the investment needed to set poles, string wires, and deliver electricity.
So, the federal government financially backed the people in the rural areas allowing them to organize into cooperatives to buy and supply electric power to themselves. As cooperatives, the people buying the electricity would also own the provider of the electricity.
Now Southern Indiana Power is one of 17 cooperatives in southern Indiana generating and buying electricity as a unit known as Hoosier Energy. Hoosier Energy is located in Bloomington, Indiana.
Southern Indiana Power supplies electric power to over 8,500 homes and businesses in the rural areas of Perry, Spencer, southern Dubois, and eastern Warrick counties. We maintain over 1,600 miles of power line.
We’ve gone through some significant changes over the years. One of the most recent was our name change. On June 20, 2008, Southern Indiana Rural Electric Cooperative, Inc. became Southern Indiana Power.
How We’re Organized
There are four main departments at Southern Indiana Power: Office, Engineering, Operations, and Member Services (Marketing). The employees that make up these four departments have been trained to provide you with the exceptional service you expect and deserve.
Office
This department includes some of the staff you see upon entering our office. The team communicates with members who visit or call, processes payments, corrects billing issues, manages internal records and finance work, and handles day-to-day administrative operations required to run the cooperative.
Engineering
When a member installs or adds a new electric service, they work with the engineering department. This team gathers information, plans, and coordinates new service installations. The department includes a system engineer, a staking technician, and an administrative assistant.
The system engineer maintains data related to line sections, substations, loads, and system performance. The staking technician evaluates project sites to determine required equipment and work needed to bring new services online.
Operations
The operations team works in the field maintaining electric lines and infrastructure. They operate specialized equipment and can be identified by company-branded uniforms and vehicles.
Whether installing new services, adding security lights, or restoring power during outages, this team works around the clock in all weather conditions to ensure reliable electric service.
Member Services
This department provides information about electrical services, programs, rebates, and energy efficiency initiatives. They also manage communications such as bill inserts, Indiana Connection magazine, direct mail campaigns, and distributed generation resources.