Category: News

Claiborne Electric uses specialized contract companies to help complete parts of our annual construction and right-of-way maintenance program in an efficient and cost-effective manner.

Several of those companies are currently working throughout Claiborne Electric’s service territory on different projects. These workers are each doing important work to keep the cooperative functioning as safely and efficiently as possible. We ask members to be courteous and respectful as they come into contact with representatives of these contract companies.

Currently, Claiborne Electric has contractors working on projects in these areas:

• Superior Forestry Services is working to spray rights-of-way near Bernice and Farmerville in Union Parish, as well as areas of Claiborne and Lincoln Parishes.
• Koppers is working on pole inspections near Heflin, Regency, and Farmerville.
• Good Hope will be working on right-of-way trimming near Shongaloo and Ruston.
• Shelton Energy Solutions has multiple crews working on system upgrades throughout the Homer district.
• LineTec Services has multiple crews working on system upgrades throughout the Homer district.
• Toth and Associates is completing engineering work on several of Claiborne Electric’s feeder circuits, including Ruston and Trussells.

If a member ever has questions about a vehicle or contractor representatives in their area, we ask them to contact their local Claiborne Electric office at (318) 927-3504 or (318) 368-3011.

Each year, Claiborne Electric Cooperative awards college scholarships to area high school seniors.

In 2026, the Co-op is able to award twenty $2,000 scholarships. The scholarship drawing is open to high school seniors who are Claiborne Electric members or whose parents or guardians are members of Claiborne Electric.

Claiborne Electric’s 2026 college scholarship winners are:

India Hill, Farmerville

Caden Chandler, Marion

Briley McGuire, Ruston

Ivy Collinsworth, Ruston

Logan Canales, Farmerville

Madison Scallan, Farmerville

Andrea Grier, Spearsville

Patrick Byrd, Farmerville

Kimora Thompson, Ruston

Emily Cook, Athens

Baylee Bonsall, Minden

Lydia Billups, Shongaloo

Kensley Smith, Downsville

Virginia Hoolan, Bernice

Kennedy Klimkiewicz, Heflin

Ashari Davis, Marion

Leyla Slaughter, Homer

Nylani Whitaker, Homer

K’ylah Adams, Homer

Tucker Harris, Homer

Congratulations to our recipients and all 2026 graduates!

In the electric utility rate comparisons released by the Louisiana Public Service Commission (LPSC) for the month of April, Claiborne Electric has some of the lowest electric rates among all providers in the state.

In April, Claiborne Electric members using an average of 1,000 kWh per month were billed $128.11. In comparison, the same bill would be $154.83 for an Entergy customer, $141.94 for a SWEPCO customer, and $157.19 for a CLECO customer.

One kWh is equal to using 1,000 watts of electricity for 60 minutes. At Claiborne Electric, each kWh costs members about 12.8 cents. Claiborne Electric’s members are only paying a few cents more for a kWh of electricity than 20 years ago. In comparison, think about the cost of eggs, bread, coffee, medicine, gasoline, or a vehicle 20 years ago compared to today. Where other goods and necessities have doubled, tripled, or even more in price, electricity has held its value and remained similar in price per kWh for decades.

The cost per kilowatt-hour (kWh) of electricity has risen slower than any other household commodity for decades, making electricity an excellent household value. With electricity required for heating, cooling, lighting, cleaning, cooking, refrigeration, working, entertainment, transportation, and communication, there is barely a part of life that does not require electrification. We encourage members to remember the value electricity holds with each flip of a switch, press of a button, and charge of a phone. Claiborne Electric’s free SmartHub app is a great resource for monitoring electric usage.

At Claiborne Electric, we are always looking out for members by working to keep electric bills affordable and service reliable. For more information on lowering electric consumption and using energy more wisely, please contact a local Claiborne Electric office.

As a member-owned, not-for-profit electric cooperative, Claiborne Electric’s goal is open and transparent communication with our members.

To better serve you, the members and owners of the Co-op, we are asking members to submit topics they would like to see discussed in upcoming member communications and future member meetings. Please access a QUICK SURVEY to let us know the topics you would like to see discussed.

Thank you for your membership and your participation in this survey!

Claiborne Electric’s drive-through Annual Membership Meeting will be held June 6, 2026.

The theme for this year’s meeting is “Powering Progress.” With our eyes clearly focused on the future, Claiborne Electric is working towards streamlined processes that work better and faster for our members. Our goal is to be known as one of the most progressive utilities in the state; we believe 2026 will be a benchmark year for the Cooperative as it continues to move into the digital era.

The Co-op will host the meeting between two sites – one at Claiborne Electric’s headquarters office (12525 Hwy. 9 in Homer), and one at D’Arbonne Woods Charter School (9560 Hwy. 33 in Farmerville). The meeting will run from 9 a.m. until noon in each location.

Members’ Official Registration cards will arrive in mid-May. They will contain a section for members to approve the minutes of the 2025 Annual Meeting, which are printed on the card. Members are asked to have cards marked upon arrival to help the registration process to flow smoothly.

All members who participate in the meeting will receive a gift from the Co-op and be entered for several cash and gift card prizes. Prizes will include:

• $5,000 cash grand prize
• $4,000 cash prize
• $3,000 cash prize
• $2,000 cash prize
• $1,000 cash prize
• 50 $100 gift cards

Claiborne Electric and its employees donated just under $16,000 to the Minden St. Jude Auction, held February 5-8.

The Minden St. Jude Auction began more than 40 years ago as a small, local radio auction in Minden. Today it has grown to become a four day event that takes place annually on Super Bowl weekend. Since it’s inception, the auction has raised more than $20 million to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Per capital, Minden raises more money for St. Jude annually than any other town or city in the United States.

The 2026 event raised a record-breaking $2.7 million. For about 15 years, Claiborne Electric has partnered with the auction as a corporate sponsor. Several years ago, the Co-op offered employees the opportunity to get involved through payroll deduction. Employees can opt to have any amount deducted from each pay check, and the accumulated donations are taken each year to the Minden St. Jude Auction. Additionally, the Co-op matches donations dollar-for-dollar. This year, employee donations totaled just under $8,000, making the total Claiborne Electric donation nearly $16,000 for the children of St. Jude.

Operation Round Up is a community service program that gives Claiborne Electric members the option to allow their bills to be rounded up to the next whole dollar.

The difference in the actual bill and the rounded amount is deposited into the Operation Round Up Trust Fund. The funds accumulated are dispersed to charitable causes in the communities served by Claiborne Electric.

Recent grants approved by the Trust Board pushed the organization’s donated total to more than $2.3 million since the first grants were dispersed in 2007. The year-end 2025 Operation Round Up report is below.

View more information on Operation Round Up.

Most members have now received bills which include their electric usage during Winter Storm Fern.

We would like to remind members that in times of extreme cold, heating systems run for much longer periods to maintain the temperature set on a thermostat. This results in significantly higher usage.

During Winter Storm Fern, our area saw 60 to 80 hours of sustained below freezing conditions with low temperatures in the teens. Much of our service area was covered in ice for more than a week. In these conditions, heating systems were running nearly constantly, fighting against outdoor weather elements to keep heated areas warm. This significant increase in electric usage results in significantly higher billing.

Members can monitor their daily electric usage in our free SmartHub app. We also have a fantastic team of Member Service Representatives to help members with questions about usage and billing. We are here to help. We also offer payment plans for members who cannot pay their bill in full.

Homer: 318-927-3504

Farmerville: 318-368-3011

Read more about winter electric usage.

Claiborne Electric’s automated outage reporting number is changing next month!

On March 30, the automated outage reporting number will change to 855-937-1782. This number is the same as the automated payment number. Members may report an outage by pressing “2” in the menu after dialing the new number. This will allow members to report the outage directly to the dispatch center’s outage system.

Beginning March 30, please save this new number in your mobile phone, or write it down where important numbers are saved. In the coming days, members will receive a letter with a new outage number magnet, so watch for that in the mail.

The fastest and most efficient way to report a power outage to Claiborne Electric is to download and use our free SmartHub app on a mobile device.

As always, members may report an outage directly to a live Member Service Representative by calling a local office. However, when reporting an outage by calling an office directly, office lines become overwhelmed and congested during widespread outages, sometimes resulting in long wait times to speak directly to an MSR. If possible, SmartHub or the automated outage system should be used.