By Morgan Pitts and Scott Whittemore 1/30/2019
Consumer co-ops leverage the power of their membership to help members save money and have greater control over the procurement of whichever product that cooperative focuses on – be that energy, food, or even outdoor gear.
The Energy Co-op was originally formed to make home heating oil more affordable. Energy consumers – particularly users of heating oil – were seeing their budgets strained by years of high prices in the 1970s. Members of the Weavers Way Food Co-op in Philadelphia’s Mt. Airy neighborhood decided to apply cooperative principles to procuring heating oil and thus, The Energy Co-op was born.
Over the past forty years, we have grown and expanded our energy services in order to help people buy, use, and understand energy better. Energy options and markets have changed over time and so have our offerings – in addition to helping our members purchase affordable home heating oil, we now use the same cooperative principles to provide renewable electricity and renewable natural gas to our membership.
We maintain our focus on providing transparently priced, affordable heating oil to this day. We work with heating oil suppliers on behalf of our members to provide an easy, affordable way to keep your home warm. Our members save an average of $0.15 – $0.30 per gallon* which can add up to hundreds or even thousands of dollars per year in savings.
The larger our membership grows, the more options we are able to offer. We have thousands of heating oil members spread across Philadelphia, Berks, Bucks, Montgomery and Delaware counties in Pennsylvania as well as New Castle County, Delaware. But, there are many more people who could benefit from our program: almost 1 in 5 homes in Pennsylvania rely upon heating oil. As our membership grows, we are working to add suppliers and diversify the options available to our members – including a variety of delivery schedules and fuel offerings such as Ultra Low Sulfur and Bioheat.
Many people join The Energy Co-op after hearing about us from their friends and neighbors. Our members are our best ambassadors and we encourage them to get out and talk about how being a part of a cooperative helps you save money and access better sources of energy. If you’re a current member, please spread the word to your friends and neighbors. If you would like brochures or materials to take to your local library or community center, please let us know and we’ll be happy to send you some.
And, if you’re not yet a member, give us a call at 215.413.2122 or head to http://www.theenergy.coop to learn more.
*Based on 2017/2018 heating season. Exact savings may vary.
