A record-breaking week spanned from Tuesday, Sept. 24, until Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2024, when Basin Electric’s Security and Response Services (SRS) added nearly 94,000 new utility meters, which measure electricity usage, in one week alone. According to Chad Reisenauer, Basin Electric director of Community and Member Relations, the average growth for the SRS call center over the past five years is approximately 26,000 meters per year.
SRS allows members 24-hour access to their electric cooperative while taking pressure off cooperative employees. Dispatchers communicate with linemen via push-to-talk radios and cell phones, tracking linemen from the time they leave the shop until the outage has been restored, and they have returned to the co-op.
Between Sept. 24 and Oct. 1, SRS incorporated two new members: Yampa Valley Electric Association, located in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, a non-member of Basin Electric; and Mountain View Electric Association, situated in Falcon, Colorado, a Basin Electric Class C member. The incorporation of these two new members played a crucial role in the record-breaking week.
The SRS team is constantly working to support cooperative operations, something Jolene Johnson, Basin Electric manager of Security and Response Services, said is simply business as usual. “This stability is a direct result of the exceptional support, preparation, and teamwork that occurs behind the scenes to ensure that the addition of growth to our current structure does not adversely affect the services we provide.”
Johnson said the team’s commitment to lineman safety, which is their foremost priority, coupled with their dedication to exceptional customer service, were the primary factors contributing to this record-breaking week.
