Overview of York Electric Cooperative

Since 1941, York Electric Cooperative has been an active community partner and a dynamic force in the area’s economic development.

We continue to serve the homes, farms, and small businesses in our rural areas, but we now also serve a growing number of residential, commercial, and large industrial accounts in York County’s expanding population centers. York Electric’s service territory continues to be one of the fastest-growing areas in the United States.

There have been a lot of changes since the creation of York Electric Cooperative back in 1941, but one thing that has not changed is our commitment to serve the best interests of our membership and our community.

Modern two-story building with large windows and green roof, surrounded by a well-maintained lawn and pathway, under a partly cloudy sky.

What is a Co-op?

Cooperatives are not-for-profit, consumer-owned businesses. Electric cooperatives were formed in the 1930s with the specific task of electrifying rural America.

South Carolina’s electric cooperatives now serve over half a million members, or nearly one-third of the population of our state. Together, that makes them larger than any other utility in the state in the total number of members served.

There are other advantages to cooperatives as well, starting with this: Co-ops put members first.

Not-for-Profit

Cooperatives build and maintain three times the miles of power line of other utilities and do so at comparable rates despite fewer revenues. They do this by operating on a not-for-profit, cost-of-service basis. The margins are given back to the members, in the form of capital credits, to reduce their electric costs.

Annual Meeting

The bylaws of all cooperatives require that they hold an annual meeting of members once a year. It is also at the annual meeting that YEC’s nine-member board of directors is elected from the membership by the members. Three board positions are voted on at each annual meeting.

More Responsive

This all adds up to mean that cooperatives are more responsive to their members’ needs. Whether this means the need for a new substation to serve a neighborhood or a new program to make members’ lives easier, YEC will always be your local connection.

Member-Owners

Once a member pays the $5 membership fee, they become a part owner of the cooperative. They have a voice in how the cooperative is operated and influence this process through casting their vote at the annual meeting.

Locally Owned & Operated

Because the members of the cooperative are also the owners this means the cooperative is locally owned and operated. Employees of the cooperative are also local residents who are familiar with the needs of the communities they serve.

Cooperatives are guided by a set of seven core principles

LEARN THE SEVEN PRINCIPLES

Bylaws

The rules by which York Electric Cooperative, Inc. is governed are spelled out in its Bylaws. The bylaws, and any amendments, are approved by the membership. The documents are available to read online or download in both English and Spanish.

Bylaws in English

Estatutos en Español

Our History

York Electric was founded in 1941 by a group of farmers and businessmen who realized that the only way to bring electric power to rural York County was to do it themselves. In March of 1941, 553 strong, these citizens began an endeavor that would change rural living in this area forever.

On the farm, in neighborhoods and on main street in rural communities, electric power worked for the benefit of everyone in nearly every aspect of daily life. At home and at work, rural York County steadily became fully electric.

York Electric’s capacity to supply dependable and affordable electric power also opened our rural areas to commerce and industry. New and diversified businesses came to the countryside, providing jobs, products and services.

The Electric Cooperative Purpose

YEC’s 75th Anniversary (2016)

Service Area

York Electric serves portions of Cherokee, Chester, Lancaster and York Counties. We are one of 20 electric cooperatives in South Carolina.

Our Invaluable Relationship with Touchstone Energy®

The Touchstone Energy® co-branding program joins York Electric’s name and local identity with the Touchstone Energy® name and symbol. The designation lets members know that we’re a preferred energy provider, maintaining high standards and strong ties to member-owners and the community. It also means we’ve joined hundreds of other co-ops across the country in rededicating ourselves to our core values of accountability, integrity, innovation, and community commitment — the four Touchstone Energy® values.

York Electric has a competitive edge because of our relationship with our members. The Touchstone Energy® brand helps us to communicate this.

Visit the Touchstone Energy® Website

More Invaluable Partners

A person in a lift uses a long pole to work on a utility pole's electrical equipment against a cloudy sky.

Electric Cooperatives of South Carolina

The Electric Cooperatives of South Carolina, Inc. (ECSC), is the statewide service and trade association for electric cooperatives in the state. Members are 20 consumer-owned electric cooperatives, three wholesale power supply cooperatives and one materials supply cooperative.

Streetlights illuminated against a colorful sunset sky with scattered clouds, casting a serene urban atmosphere without visible landmarks.

National Rural Electric Cooperative Association

NRECA is the national service organization for more than 900 not-for-profit rural electric cooperatives and public power districts providing retail electric service to more than 42 million consumers in 47 states and whose retail sales account for approximately 12 percent of total electricity sales in the United States.