Answering Member Satisfaction Survey Questions and Concerns
Lane-Scott Electric recently conducted a member service satisfaction survey through a third-party contractor. The survey was designed not just to provide a score, but to help us better understand your concerns and identify the information you would like to receive from us. Below are answers to some of the most common questions and concerns shared by members. As your cooperative, we are here to serve you. If you have additional questions or concerns at any time, please contact us directly—we are happy to help. You can also visit our website at www.lanescott.coop for more information.
69% of respondents said they want to receive power outage information by text.
Lane-Scott Electric offers outage texting options through SmartHub. To initiate text messages, YOU HAVE to opt-in through SmartHub-Settings to receive the text. Detailed instructions for either the website or app can be found at: https://www.lanescott.coop/signing-smarthub-notifications
39% of members want to have a better understanding of how the electric system works and where their power comes from.
Lane-Scott Electric receives our wholesale power from Sunflower Electric Power Corporation who maintains a well-balanced, diverse portfolio of generation resources including; 1 coal plant, 1 solar facility, and 9 natural gas facilities totaling a nameplate capacity of 1,095 megawatts. Sunflower also has purchase power agreements for 350 megawatts of wind, solar and hydroelectric power.
Sunflower’s capacity mix by generation type is: 57.2% natural gas, 26.2% coal, 13.4% wind, 3% solar, and 0.2% hydroelectric.
For more information about the wholesale power Lane-Scott Electric receives, visit www.sunflower.net/generation
Several members expressed interest in “selling electricity” back to Lane-Scott electric through distributed generation (DG) sources such as behind the meter wind and solar.
Lane-Scott does pay our members who are interconnected to our system for any excess generation produced for behind-the-meter (DG) systems like solar or wind.
Through our Parallel Generation Rider tariff effective July 2025, that follows the KS House Bil HB-2149, and as published on our website at www.lanescott.coop/rate-schedule. Lane-Scott will pay/credit your electric account monthly what we pay for our wholesale power when more power is generated than consumed that billing month.
Important information to note:
- Applies to member-generators who are interconnected to our system.
- Excludes members who have a new or expanded facility receive electric service at a voltage of 34.5 kV or higher. (larger transmission lines)
- Lane-Scott can purchase excess generation from members on a first-come, first-served basis until the total export capacity from all DG Systems equals or exceeds 7% of the cooperative’s historic retail peak demand. Beginning July 2027, 8%.
- The export capacity of the member’s DG system must be appropriately sized to primarily offset part, or all, of the member’s anticipated electrical load requirements. (i.e. over-sized systems can’t be installed)
- Lane-Scott will pay per kWh of excess generation at 100% of the cooperatives avoided cost of energy and calculated monthly with the normal billing cycle. (We pay you what we pay for wholesale power.)
- The DG system can only serve one electric meter.
Several members commented about not having a choice of electric utility providers.
We understand this may be frustrating for some not to have a choice of a utility provider. The electric system is built this way. Distribution utilities whether cooperatives, independent operating utilities (IOU’s), or municipal systems, are responsible for the building and maintaining of their equipment (poles, lines, meters, etc.) that provide you with power. Each electric utility and their equipment serve designated areas.
Electric rates are always a concern.
The average U.S. residential electric bill is about $150 a month. Lane-Scott Electric’s average residential based on our 2025 audited Form 7 Part O, is only $123 a month. That is 18% lower than the U.S. average.
Of every dollar you pay to Lane-Scott Electric, approximately 45% goes to us. The additional 55% is the cost for wholesale power, as described above in “Where Does Your Power Come From.” The 45% we bill to each member covers the approximately 2,450 miles of power lines, poles, electric equipment, and operating expenses to provide you with reliable power.
Concern over frequent changes in General Managers.
It takes years, often decades, to gain the experience needed to become a qualified General Manager / CEO in the electric cooperative utility business. So, it is not uncommon for most GMs to be in the last 10 years of their career.
Since 1947, The Lane-Scott Electric Cooperative has had 10 GM / CEOs, for an average tenure of about 8 years. This matches the current Kansas electric cooperative General Managers’ average tenure of 7.9 years.
Our current Manager has over 13 years’ GM/CEO experience with over 7 years’ experience at Lane-Scott.
What may appear frequent is the standard. The more important and consistent thing to remember is that electric cooperatives are governed by a Board of Trustees who are elected from (and by) our members. Our current trustees have a combined 82 years of electric cooperative governance experience.