In this episode, we visit with Sioux Valley Energy General Manager and CEO, Tim McCarthy, along with Bob Sahr, East River Electric CEO and General Manager, and Curt Dieren, General Manager of L&O Power Cooperative about the reasons for the upcoming 2025 rate adjustment.

The Sioux Valley Energy Board of Directors approved an overall average increase of 4.9%, effective January 1, 2025. Members will see the increase with their February billing which reflects January energy usage. Rate adjustment percentages will vary depending on members’ specific energy (kWh) usage. This rate increase is an overall rate increase across all rate classes. 

https://www.siouxvalleyenergy.com/2025-rate-change 

South Dakota's Day of Giving is on #GivingTuesday, December 3, 2024. It’s the one day of the year where nonprofits across the state come together to raise funds, build awareness, and have a little fun along the way.

In this episode, we visit with Dan LaRock from Rock Ranch in Minnesota, Sioux Valley Energy's VP of Public Relations, Carrie Vugteveen, and Culture and Training Development Strategist, Chinelle Christensen, on how Sioux Valley Energy and its employees give-back to non-profits and communities.

In June, Sioux Valley Energy journey lineworker Steve Dvergsten was part of a crew of 14 lineworkers from Iowa, Minnesota, and South Dakota who traveled to Las Peñas, Guatemala, to help electrify the village of 35 homes in a mountainous area east of Jalapa, Guatemala. The endeavor was a project of National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA) International, which has been working in Guatemala since 2011.

Sioux Valley Energy was recently awarded the 2024 Leroy Vanderpool Excellence in Safety Award at the Minnesota Rural Electric Trust (MRET) annual meeting held on June 13 at Breezy Point, Minnesota.

The cooperative was recognized for its culture which centers around the safety of employees, members, and the public along with Sioux Valley Energy’s work to move that culture to a new level of excellence. 

On the podcast, several members of the Safety Steering Committee discuss how each department collaborates and provides unique input on SVE's safety culture.

This month, Sioux Valley Energy's Manager of Dispatch, Sharla Haugen, and Manager of Safety, Terry Ebright, discuss safety reminders such as Call Before You Dig, 811, farm, construction, and road side safety. 

SVE's new Roadside Safety Campaign coincides with the Department of Transportation's Work Zone Safety week April 15-19, 2024.

This month, Sioux Valley Energy's Chief Financial Officer, Jason Maxwell, and General Manager & CEO, Tim McCarthy, talk about the upcoming rate adjustment. The Sioux Valley Energy Board of Directors approved an overall average rate increase of 6.38 percent as of April 1, 2024.

We discuss the need for a rate increase to address the rising costs for material, equipment, operations, financing, and power supply. Please visit Sioux Valley Energy's rate change page or call 1-877-511-8062 to learn how the new rates will affect your account. 

This month, Sioux Valley Energy's Chad Williams and Chris Graff discuss how the cooperative "Keeps the Lights On" (PG 10-11). Special guest, Jacob Slaathaug from Smart Grid Solutions also provides an update on the Department of Energy's Energizing Rural Communities grant. Four Sioux Valley Energy communities received wireless fault indicator devices to help improve reliability and outage response times.

This month Sioux Valley Energy's Member Services and Billing Supervisors Toni Kruger and Molly Burmeister discuss how the new paper bill and Smarthub redesigns can help members access, view, understand and pay for their electric usage. 

This month Sioux Valley Energy celebrates National Cooperative Month with Board Chairman Gary Fish and Vice-Chair Dan Leuthold. They discuss why cooperatives are important and their perspectives from the board room.

This month Sioux Valley Energy's Manager of Beneficial Electrification, Ben Pierson and Jay Buchholz talk with residential member Susan Kruse about her electric vehicle experiences and how the public can learn more about "going electric" at the 3rd Annual EV Expo on Tuesday September 19th from 4-7PM at the W.H. Lyon Fairgrounds in Sioux Falls, SD.