Linn County Rural Electric Cooperative

Linn County Rural Electric Cooperative is a not-for-profit, member-owned electric distribution cooperative based in Linn County, Iowa, in the United States. It distributes electricity to residential and commercial accounts across rural and suburban areas of eastern Iowa. According to its official materials, the cooperative serves more than 33,200 members in portions of six counties, with its core membership concentrated in Linn and Johnson counties and line extensions reaching into Jones, Cedar, Iowa and Benton counties. As a distribution cooperative, it does not generate most of its own power; instead it purchases wholesale electricity from Central Iowa Power Cooperative (CIPCO), a generation and transmission cooperative, from which it obtains 100% of its electric power. The cooperative is governed by a seven-member Board of Directors, one elected from each of seven districts. Directors are members of the cooperative, elected by the membership through a balloted election held in September, and they serve three-year terms. The board sets policy and oversees the cooperative's strategic direction, including its commitment to reliability, technology adoption, environmental leadership and returning capital credits to members. The organization has rebranded as Corridor Energy Cooperative (CEC), a name intended to reflect its service area in the Iowa City–Cedar Rapids corridor and a forward-looking identity. Under the CEC brand it continues to offer the same core services: safe, reliable, cost-effective and sustainable electricity, member service, outage reporting and an outage map, online account management through the SmartHub portal and mobile app, energy-efficiency rebates for homes and businesses, safety education, and billing and rate information. It also provides community and economic development support, including rate and equipment incentives for local businesses. Its energy portfolio emphasizes fuel diversity. CIPCO supplies power from a mix of coal, solar, hydro, landfill gas, wind and natural gas resources. The cooperative states that this balanced mix supports reliability, reduces regulatory risk and incorporates low-emission resources. It also notes that additional revenue is generated by selling renewable energy certificates (RECs) associated with wind and solar resources rather than retiring them, with the proceeds contributing to lower energy costs for members. As a cooperative, Linn County Rural Electric Cooperative is not publicly traded and is owned by its members rather than shareholders. Its mission, as stated in its own materials, is to provide members with safe, reliable, cost-effective, sustainable electricity and excellent member service.

Linn County Rural Electric Cooperative is an electric distribution cooperative rooted in Linn County, Iowa. Like many rural electric cooperatives in the United States, it was organized to bring electricity to rural areas that were not served by investor-owned utilities. Its official materials describe it as a not-for-profit, member-owned electric distribution cooperative serving more than 33,200 members in portions of six counties in eastern Iowa, with membership including residential and commercial accounts in rural and suburban areas of Linn and Johnson counties and line extensions into Jones, Cedar, Iowa and Benton counties. The cooperative has been governed for decades by a member-elected Board of Directors organized into seven districts, with one director per district. Board members serve three-year terms and are elected by the membership through a balloted election in September. Long-serving directors such as Kenny Squires, first elected to the board in 1977, illustrate the cooperative's tradition of member governance and continuity. Directors hold credentials such as Credentialed Cooperative Director (CCD), Board Leadership Certificate (BLC) and Director Gold (DGC). As a distribution cooperative, Linn County Rural Electric Cooperative does not own major generation. It obtains 100% of its electric power from Central Iowa Power Cooperative (CIPCO), a generation and transmission cooperative. CIPCO meets the cooperative's energy needs with a diverse fuel mix of coal, solar, hydro, landfill gas, wind and natural gas resources. The cooperative has emphasized fuel diversity as a way to support reliability, reduce regulatory risk and incorporate low-emission resources, while also generating additional revenue by selling renewable energy certificates (RECs) associated with wind and solar resources rather than retiring them. In the 2020s the organization rebranded as Corridor Energy Cooperative (CEC), adopting a new name intended to reflect its location in the Iowa City–Cedar Rapids corridor and a bright future. Under the CEC brand, the cooperative continues to provide the same services to its members, including electricity distribution, outage reporting and an outage map, online account management through the SmartHub portal and mobile app, energy-efficiency rebates, safety education, and billing and rate information. It also supports economic development through rate and equipment incentives for local businesses. The cooperative remains member-owned and not-for-profit, with a mission to provide safe, reliable, cost-effective, sustainable electricity and excellent member service.

• Kenny Squires first elected to the Board of Directors (District 1).

• Kirk Hiland first elected to the Board of Directors (District 2).

• The cooperative rebrands as Corridor Energy Cooperative (CEC).

A member-owned, not-for-profit electric distribution cooperative focused on safe, reliable, cost-effective and sustainable electricity, with a rebranded identity as Corridor Energy Cooperative serving eastern Iowa.

• Electricity distribution

  Distribution of electricity to residential and commercial members in eastern Iowa.

• SmartHub

  Online portal and mobile app for monitoring and comparing energy use, receiving billing notifications, reporting service issues, and staying up to date with news and promotions.

• Outage Center

  Resources including an outage map and how to report an outage.

• Energy-efficiency rebates

  Rebates for efficient electric equipment that helps homes and businesses save energy and money.

• Economic development incentives

  Rate and equipment incentives for local businesses.

1. 1Corridor Energy Cooperative: CECcorridorenergy.coop
2. 2About CEC - Corridor Energy Cooperativecorridorenergy.coop
3. 3Leadership - Corridor Energy Cooperativecorridorenergy.coop
4. 4Energy Portfolio - Corridor Energy Cooperativecorridorenergy.coop
5. 5Linn County Rural Electric Cooperative - Wikidatawikidata.org