A Message from the CEO

More Than a Flip of a Switch

If you’ve ever stopped to think about it, electricity is pretty remarkable.

With the flip of a switch, lights come on, coffee makers start brewing, air conditioners cool our homes, and businesses keep running. It’s something most of us rely on every day without giving it much thought. But getting electricity from where it’s generated to your home or business takes a lot of planning, equipment, and people working behind the scenes.

At Jones-Onslow EMC, we’re proud to be part of that journey.

One of the things that makes electric cooperatives unique is that we’re a distribution cooperative. Simply put, we don’t generate electricity ourselves. Instead, we purchase power from large generation facilities and then deliver it safely and reliably to our members across our service area.

The process begins at power plants, where electricity is generated using a variety of energy sources, including natural gas, nuclear energy, solar, hydroelectric power, and other resources. From there, electricity travels across high-voltage transmission lines before reaching substations closer to our communities.

That’s where Jones-Onslow EMC takes over.

From our substations, electricity moves through thousands of miles of power lines, transformers, and other equipment that make up our distribution system. Our crews maintain this system every day, ensuring power reaches more than 71,000 members throughout Onslow County and surrounding areas.

As our nation celebrates its 250th anniversary this year, it’s worth remembering that reliable electricity wasn’t always available. Many rural communities across America waited decades before electric cooperatives helped bring power to farms, homes, schools, and businesses that other utilities chose not to serve.

That same cooperative spirit continues today. Recently, North Carolina cooperative lineworkers traveled to Guatemala and helped bring electricity to villages that had never had power before. For those families, something as simple as turning on a light switch became a life-changing moment.

Whether it’s a family receiving electricity for the first time or a member here at home charging a phone, running a business, or keeping food cold in the refrigerator, electricity improves lives every day.

At Jones-Onslow EMC, we’re committed to providing safe, reliable, and affordable electricity while continuing the mission that electric cooperatives have carried forward for generations: improving lives through the power of connection.

Thank you for allowing us to serve you.