Who is Kit Carson Electric Cooperative? Kit Carson Electric Cooperative is a private nonprofit organization - a rural electric cooperative - owned by its members-consumers. It is incorporated under New Mexico state law and owned by its members. Members are accepted upon application and receipt of electric service. The Cooperative is guided by an eleven member Board of Trustees, with each Trustee representing one of the Cooperative's five service districts. Each trustee is elected to a four year term by the members residing in the service district the Trustee represents. It is this grass roots origin and support that fosters the kinds of policies and objectives at Kit Carson Electric Cooperative that help maintain and improve the quality of life in our region.

 What are Capital Credits and How are they paid?  Any profit over and above the actual cost of operation in any given year is divided among the consumers of record of that year based on the consumers' kilowatt hour usage. These profits are called Capital Credits, and they are accrued each year to an account set up in each consumers' name. Capital Credits are refunded as a cash payment to the consumer and can only be paid to settle the estate of a deceased person, or when general retirement is made to all consumers during a given year. General refunds of Capital Credits have been made through the year 1979.

 Where does Kit Carson get its power?  Kit Carson Electric Cooperative buys wholesale electric power from Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association Inc., headquartered in Denver Colorado which is comprised of 12 New Mexico Cooperatives and 32 out of state cooperatives for the purpose of purchasing wholesale electric power at generally lower bulk rates for its members. The New Mexico distribution cooperatives which are members of Tri-State service about 70% of New Mexico's land area and about 800,000 people. Most of the power Tri-State wholesales to its member cooperatives comes from the following generating Stations: Craig Station (623.4 MW), Nuclear Station (100 MW), Escalante Station (250 MW), Laramie River Project (1660 MW), Springer Ville Station (1178 MW), Burlington Station (100 MW), San Juan (41 MW), Rifle Station (85MW), Pyramid Station (40 MW), Knutson Station (140 MW) and Limon Station (140 MW).

 What to do when your power is off?  If your lights go out, first check lights and appliances in other rooms. If  you still have power in some areas, most likely a fuse has blown or a circuit breaker has opened. This indicates a warning of overloaded wiring or a defective appliance. If all the lights are off, check to see if your neighbors have power. This will help the Cooperative to determine how widespread the outage may be. Telephone the Cooperative and report the outage. The person who takes your call will record your name, address, telephone number and ask for directions to your house. When there is a widespread power outage, Kit Carson Electric Cooperative's telephone lines will likely get a busy signal. We answer calls as fast as possible-one after the other. We can only ask that you keep trying. Our emergency numbers are staffed 24 hours a day. Let us know anytime your service is interrupted and we will assist you in checking your power supply. Please keep in mind that if the trouble is on your side and a crew is called out there is a service charge for the call out. Also, please let us know of any other emergency situations you observe, such as a damaged or fallen utility poles,damaged lines or insulation, trees on lines, or accidents involving Kit Carson Electric Cooperative's lines or equipment. If you live in the Taos area, telephone 758-2258. If you live out of the Taos area, call toll free 1-800-688-6780. Please use these lines to report outages or emergencies.