May 2026
April 30, 2026
Annual Meeting
When: Thursday, May 14
Where: Friendship Office (401 E Lake St, Friendship, WI)
Time: Registration begins at 4:00 p.m., meeting begins at 5:00 p.m.
Your voting participation is highly encouraged for the upcoming director election. For more details on the Annual Meeting, visit our website at www.acecwi.com/annual-meeting.
How you can keep rates stable
When evaluating our rates, we look at internal and external costs to determine what’s in our control (department budgets)
and what’s out of our control (our power bill from Alliant Energy and other external factors). Our members have the power to help us control our spending when it comes to bill and newsletter printing and mailing. Paperless billing is an opportunity for members to help save the co-op money, which ultimately contributes to keeping your co-op and rates financially stable.
Looking At The Numbers
We currently have about 11,900 accounts enrolled in paperless billing, which is about 30% of our accounts. That leaves about 27,500 bills and newsletters being printed and mailed monthly. It costs us about $8.40 per account to print and mail a bill and newsletter for a year. For the 27,500 accounts that receive their bill and newsletter in the mail, it costs about $231,000 a year.
If we could get 5,000 accounts to enroll in paperless billing, that would save your co-op approximately $42,000 annually!
The Impact You Could Make
With your help, we could cut our bill and newsletter printing budget drastically, just by having members enroll in paperless billing. Instead of receiving a paper bill and newsletter in the mail, your bill and newsletter would be delivered to your email inbox, reducing paper clutter and costs.
How to Enroll in Paperless Billing
- Step 1 – Paperless billing requires an email address. This allows members to sign up for SmartHub and receive a message to your inbox that your bill is available digitally.
- Step 2 – Log in or create a SmartHub account. If you’re new to SmartHub, our team of customer service representatives can help you create an account and walk you through the process. Give us a call at (800) 831-8629 if you’d like assistance.
- Step 3 – Once you’re logged into SmartHub, go to Settings, then Paperless Billing to enroll.
How to Access SmartHub
In a web browser, visit acecwi.smarthub.coop, or search for “SmartHub” in the App Store or Google Play Store to download the app on your mobile device.
Youth Leadership Conference
July 14-16 @ UW-Stout
Teens who attend YLC can expect to step out of their shell, build leadership skills, listen to memorable speakers, participate in engaging activities, meet students from around the state, and most of all, have fun! The conference is coordinated by teens elected to the Youth Board at the 2025 YLC event.
We’re proud to sponsor students to attend YLC for free, including meals, transportation, and staying in college dorms.
Meet Dillan Sztuczko, who started his leadership journey in 2024 when he first attended YLC. At 2024’s event, he was elected to the Youth Board and invited back to 2025’s event to run the program with his peers.
He also attended Youth Tour in Washington, D.C. as a perk of being on the Youth Board in June of 2025. Most recently, Dillan was on the main stage of National Rural Electric Cooperative Association’s Annual Meeting in Nashville in front of thousands of attendees from around the country.
“You never know how good the opportunities you once had were until time has passed. I can’t even begin to express how good this program has been to me and all the good it has done. Y’all were some of the nicest people I have ever met, and this will never be forgotten. YLC 2026, I wish you all the best of luck, and I hope I have the opportunity to see each one of you once again.” – Dillan Sztuczko, 2026 Wisconsin State Representative
Teens can register to attend YLC by visiting www.acecwi.com/ylc. The deadline to register is June 5. For questions, contact Haley Melby at (800) 831-8629 or hmelby@acecwi.com.
New Programs with Major Rebates!
As part of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), Wisconsin has been allocated $149 million for Home Energy Rebates. Focus on Energy was chosen by the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin to deliver IRA Home Energy Rebate Programs. Both the Home Efficiency Rebates (HOMES) and Home Electrification and Appliance Rebate (HEAR) programs are NOW AVAILABLE and ready to pay out money towards your energy projects.
Low-income households may qualify for free home energy assessments and up to 100% of project costs covered!
- Complete Income Qualification
- Select your IRA Registered Contractor or Qualifying Equipment
- Begin your project
Check out this IRA Home Energy Rebates overview video to hear a basic program explanation, income qualification, participation, and more.
Cooperative Principle #7 – Commitment To Community
Supporting our communities goes beyond providing reliable electricity. Last month, our staff donated money and items to assemble 16 Easter baskets for assisted living facilities throughout our service area.
Our Operation Round-Up program recently awarded $2,275 to the Montello Joint Fire District to purchase new pagers. We thank our members enrolled in the Operation Round-Up program; your spare change is making a big difference in the communities we serve!
How to Report an Outage
- Call our 24/7 power outage line at (855) 957-3881.
- Report the outage in your SmartHub account.
Helpful Tips
- Keep your contact information up to date on your account. We may need to contact you about your service.
- Make sure your most current phone number is on file. When calling in an outage, our system can recognize your phone number and assign the outage to your specific location.
- Visit www.acecwi.com/power-outages to learn more about power outages, how we restore power, safety tips, and more.
Energy Tip
May is Electrical Safety Month
Keep these tips in mind to ensure your home and family are safe:
- Kitchen: Clean refrigerator coils, store appliances away from the sink, and keep cords off counters.
- Bedroom: Place and test smoke and CO detectors on every level and near sleeping areas.
- Basement: Remove dryer lint after each use, and set water heater to 120°F or lower.
- Bathroom: Keep appliances away from water, unplug appliances when not in use, and use and test GFCI outlets.
- Living Room: Avoid overloading outlets, power strips, and surge protectors, and ensure electronics have space for airflow.
- Garage: Inspect cords for cracks or damage, and unplug tools when not in use.
Safety Message
- Before using a campground hookup, do a visual inspection of the area. If a hookup appears to be damaged, put safety first and request a new spot.
- Be sure to have the proper cord. Never plug more than one camper into a single hookup.
- As with a generator, plug your camper in before turning appliances on.
Recipe
Low-Gluten Banana Bread
Recipe from John McCormick of Mt. Morris, WI
INGREDIENTS:
- 3 medium-sized ripe bananas
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/3 c melted butter
- 2/3-1 c maple syrup, honey, or brown sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 1/2 c of spelt flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- Dash of salt
- 3/4 c semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 3/4 c chopped walnuts or pecans
INSTRUCTIONS:
- Blend bananas, vanilla extract, butter, egg, and syrup, honey, or brown sugar together.
- In a separate bowl, blend flour and baking soda together. Add the dry mixture to the wet mixture. Add chocolate chips and nuts of your choice.
- Pour into a bread pan and bake at 325 degrees for 45 minutes.