Not-For-Profit Cooperative

About Flint Energies

Incorporated in 1937, Flint Energies is a not-for-profit member-owned electric cooperative that provides energy services to residential, commercial, industrial and agricultural members in parts of 17 central Georgia counties. Flint has 215 employees and serves more than 250,000 Georgians through more than 97,000 meters. Flint’s physical plant consists of 7,026 miles of distribution line and 50 substations located within Bibb, Chattahoochee, Crawford, Dooly, Harris, Houston, Macon, Marion, Monroe, Muscogee, Peach, Schley, Sumter, Taylor, Talbot, Twiggs and Upson Counties. The system also includes the Museum of Aviation at Robins Air Force Base and the Fort Benning military post. Flint is the eighth largest of Georgia’s 41 EMCs and the 38th largest of the nation’s nearly 1,000 rural electric cooperatives.

Flint Energies is also a Touchstone Energy Cooperative, part of a nationwide family of electric cooperatives exhibiting the core values of integrity, accountability, innovation and commitment to community. Flint’s members give their cooperative an American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) score of 86, which rates higher than most investor-owned utilities in the country.

What Is a Member?

A consumer-member is any individual or entity that uses electricity from Flint Energies. They are entitled to participate in cooperative elections and vote and to share in patronage capital allocations.

What Are Capital Credits?

The retained margins left over at the end of the year at a not for profit electric cooperative. Capital credits are the most significant source of equity for most cooperatives. Capital credits are somewhat similar to the dividends that investor-owned utilities pay to their shareholders. The difference is that the Cooperative’s “shareholders” are also the people that it serves and the “dividends” (capital credits) are distributed to those member/consumers. Capital credits reflect each member’s ownership in the cooperative. It is also called patronage capital or equity capital.

The Seven Principles that distinguish cooperatives from other electric suppliers

Cooperatives are democratic organizations controlled by their members who actively participate in setting their policies and making decisions. Men and women serving as elected representatives are accountable to the membership. In primary cooperatives, members have equal voting rights (one member, one vote) and cooperatives at other levels are organized in a democratic manner.

Members contribute equitably to, and democratically control, the capital of their cooperative. At least part of that capital is usually the common property of the cooperative. The members usually receive limited compensation, if any, on capital subscribed as a condition of membership. Members allocate surpluses for any or all of the following purposes: developing the cooperative, possibly by setting up reserves, part of which at least would be indivisible; benefiting members in proportion to their transactions with the cooperative; and supporting other activities approved by the membership.

About Flint Energies

What Is a Member?

What Are Capital Credits?

The Seven Principles that distinguish cooperatives from other electric suppliers

Voluntary and Open Membership

Democratic Member Control

Member Economic Participation

Autonomy and Independence

Education, Training and Information

Cooperation Among Cooperatives

Concern for Community