BEC Membership

At Bandera Electric, you are more than one of our customers … you are a member. That means that in addition to quality electric service, you are also entitled to benefits such as capital credits, discounts and direct involvement in the business of the cooperative. Bandera Electric now offers a payable on death membership option.
 

Seven Reasons to Love Your Co-op


1. We’re member owned. That means you, the consumer, are an owner of this business. And as a member-owner, you have a say in how the organization operates, can run for the board of directors and are eligible to receive capital credits when the co-op retires them.

2. We’re local. You don’t have to call a faraway customer service representative to receive help. When you call us, you call our office right here locally. You might even speak with someone you know because we employ people who live right here.

3. We have a strong foundation. We have been providing affordable, reliable electric service since our founding in 1938 and fiber internet since 2017. We formed with a mission of serving our rural area with a commodity that would ensure we could keep up with our urban neighbors. How we deliver service might look a little different today, but we still aim to improve the quality of our members’ lives.

4. We provide energy-saving tips. We routinely help you save money by offering tips, special programs and rates, and information on how to reduce your electricity consumption. You can find articles about energy conservation in Texas Co-op Power and on our website and social media.

5. We support our community. Our employees volunteer for meaningful causes in the area. The BEC Foundation is the philanthropic arm of the cooperative, providing grants to local nonprofits that make a positive impact in your community. The foundation raises money in various ways and you, our members, can contribute by rounding up your monthly electric bill or make a donation. These funds stay within the community.

6. We’re innovative. We consistently implement new technologies upgrade infrastructure to ensure electric service reliability. We also provide fast and affordable fiber internet with our 100% fiber-optic network to more than 55% of members, a service that we are working hard to make available to as many members as possible.

7. We have affordable rates. Electric rates at BEC are lower than the national and state averages and lower than neighboring for-profit utilities. We also offer many payment options like Time-based Usage, Pre-pay and paperless billing.

Thanks for being part of the electric cooperative family. We hope that as a member-owner you feel the love from BEC.

Capital Credits

As a member-owned, not-for-profit organization, your Bandera Electric annually allocates margins back to each member who had electric service during designated years, based on their total electric bill. The Co-op then pays capital credits, above what is required to operate the Co-op, back to each member based on their share of patronage capital. Since the inception of BEC, your directors have approved and returned over $21.8 million to members as of 2020.

Patronage capital is retained in order to maintain a sufficient level of equity that will enable your Co-op to continue effective and efficient operations, until the board of directors determines the financial condition will allow for a refund. Their goal is to authorize maximum refunds consistent with maintaining the financial soundness of your electric cooperative.

  • CLICK HERE to find out if you have unclaimed capital credits.

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