Frequently Asked Questions

Osage Valley Electric Cooperative is a member-owned, not-for-profit rural electric distribution cooperative. Unlike investor-owned utilities, OVEC is governed by its members and operates according to seven cooperative principles. Its primary goal is to provide reliable energy at cost, reinvesting excess revenue into infrastructure or returning it to members in the form of capital credits.

OVEC was officially incorporated on August 9, 1938. It was founded during the Great Depression following the Rural Electrification Act, which allowed rural communities to band together to bring electricity to areas that urban power companies deemed unprofitable. The first lines were completed in May 1940, serving 177 original members.

The cooperative manages over 17,500 meters across a 3,750-mile network in West Central Missouri. Its service area includes portions of the following counties: Bates, Benton, Cass, Henry, Johnson, St. Clair, and Vernon.

The mission of OVEC is to provide safe, reliable, and affordable electric service in an effort to improve the quality of life for its members and to have a positive impact on the communities it serves.

OVEC offers a comprehensive suite of utility and community-focused services related to energy, connectivity, and community aid.

Primary and target industries in Osage Valley include agriculture, manufacturing & logistics, retail, and technology.

OVEC coordinates with: Associated Electric Cooperative, Inc., our wholesale power supplier; local cities and counties to provide site-selection data, infrastructure quotes, and a Revolving Loan Fund for qualifying business projects; social services organizations to facilitate payment assistance for members in need.

You can reach OVEC by phone at 1-660-679-3131 or through the contact form on our website.

You can pay your bill online via the SmartHub app. You can download the SmartHub app (iOS or Android) or access it via your web browser to pay your bill, view usage history, and manage recurring payments.

Yes. You can pay anytime using the automated phone system at 1-855-939-3689. This service is available 24/7, and payments are applied to your account instantly.

The Prepay Program is a "pay-as-you-go" plan that functions similarly to a prepaid cell phone or a tank of gas. You deposit funds into your account in advance. As you use electricity, the cost is deducted from your balance.

A service availability charge is a flat monthly fee that covers the fixed costs of providing power (the maintenance of 3,800 miles of line, poles, transformers, and 24/7 dispatching) regardless of how much electricity you actually use.

A demand charge is a fee based on the highest amount of electricity your household used during a single hour within a peak time window. It reflects the cost OVEC incurs to maintain infrastructure capable of handling your maximum power draw. 

Report outages via the SmartHub app or call 1-660-679-3131 or 800-889-6832. Once reported, our crews are automatically alerted to the location of the fault.

Please do not report outages on Facebook. Social media is not monitored for real-time dispatching.

You can find the OVEC Outage Map here.

If you rely on life-sustaining medical equipment, you must submit a Medical Alert form signed by your physician. This flags your account in our system. However, it does not guarantee immediate power restoration. We strongly recommend having a backup generator or an emergency relocation plan for severe weather events.

Any revenue left over after all expenses is allocated back to our members as capital credits. These credits represent your equity in the co-op. Every spring, you receive an allocation notice showing your share based on your previous year's usage.

When the Board of Directors determines the co-op is in a strong financial position, they refund a portion of these credits. The refunds are delivered in the form of a bill credit on the August 1 bill statement to active members and checks are typically mailed to the address on file for former members that no longer receive a bill from us.

To update your information, you should contact the member services team at 1-660-679-3131 or submit a written request via our online contact form.

Yes. For a $125 fee, a professional auditor will use specialized tools to find energy leaks in your home.

We support net metering for systems up to 100 kW. Before installing, you must submit a net metering agreement for engineering approval. Once installed, a technician will inspect the system and install a bidirectional meter. 

Yes. Through a partnership with Conexon Connect, high-speed fiber internet is now available to all OVEC members. The network offers multi-gigabit speeds with no data caps or throttling.