Oconto Electric Cooperative

Oconto Electric Cooperative
P.O. Box 168
Oconto Falls, WI 54154-0168

(920) 846-2816 | (800) 472-8410

Office Hours:
Monday through Friday
7:30 AM - 4:00 PM
Wednesday (lobby service only)
4:00 PM - 5:00 PM

OEC Newsdesk

If “The Sting” was back in theaters and The Sonny and Cher Show was once again a popular variety show, it would look a lot like 1973 all over again.

Some of our members will remember the energy crisis of the 1970s. Some are too young to remember. But it’s important to recall the lessons of 1973, because we are experiencing another energy crisis today.
Here are the similarities:
• Prior to both 1973 and 2005 we enjoyed periods of low-cost energy, and our high usage levels reflected that.
• In 1973, gas-guzzling vehicles were standard on our nation’s roads. In 2005, low-efficiency SUVs crowd our highways.
• In both 1973 and 2005, we experienced an increasing dependence on foreign oil imports.
• In 1973, the world was experiencing political unrest and economic instabilities across the globe. In 2005, the situation is much the same. Only the locations are different.
• Low cost and high availability of energy made us complacent about conservation in the early seventies and in the first years of the 21st century.
With the similarities of these two eras, more than 30 years apart, it might do us good to examine the lessons we learned from the 1973 energy crisis and apply and adapt them for today.
In the 1970s, low fuel costs and high availability lulled us into a false sense of security. Energy conservation was not a priority, because an energy crisis was inconceivable. In 2005, we know that an energy crisis is indeed possible, and so we must all work together to use energy more wisely. This responsibility extends to everyone – from the lawmakers who set energy policy to the utilities, such as your cooperative, who plan to meet your long-range energy needs, and to individual businesses and consumers. We all have an important role to play.
In the decade or two following the energy crisis of the 70’s, automobile manufacturers turned out high fuel-efficiency vehicles, and Americans, fresh from the deprivation of the gas-rationing period, purchased these vehicles in droves. And it worked. The availability of gasoline rose. But we humans have short memories, and before long, we once longed to indulge our travel experience with roomier and more powerful vehicles. Thus was born the SUV, which dominates our roadways today.
Here at Oconto Electric Co-op, we are doing everything possible to keep your electricity affordable, by automating operations where possible and by setting reasonable budgets that do not sacrifice reliability and service. We have no control, however, over the market price of fuels needed to generate electricity. The cost of fuels such as natural gas and coal are increasing steadily, and many factors affect those prices. Do we need to conserve electricity? Of course. Will that alone solve the energy crisis? Absolutely not. Conservation of electricity is just one avenue for managing energy costs. We must all conserve energy in other ways.
Does this mean we should all get rid of our SUVs? Not necessarily. But we can save fuel by avoiding unnecessary trips, combining errands and sharing rides to work.
Just remember, we all need to conserve energy of all types – from gasoline, to natural gas, to propane. Many types of fuel make up our nation’s energy picture and affect our pocketbooks. Oconto Electric will continue looking out for you. You can help us keep costs affordable by looking for ways to conserve all types of energy, not just electricity.