Aiken Electric Cooperative, Inc.

The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021 established new Federal standards under Section 111(d) of the Public Utilities Regulatory Policy Act (PURPA) which the Cooperative is required to consider. Our Cooperative must make a determination whether or not to implement the new standards based on evidence collected from the public after notice and hearing. If you would like to provide comments on the standards you may do so in writing by sending them to the following address:

PURPA HEARING COORDINATOR
CENTRAL ELECTRIC POWER COOPERATIVE, INC.
20 COOPERATIVE DR, COLUMBIA, SOUTH CAROLINA 29210
Attn: Sharon Kirkland

The new standards are described here.

Beware of Check Washing Scams
You trust that once you mail a check, no one would alter the payee or amount on it. But check washing/alteration is a common fraud tactic used by scammers. Learn how the check washing scam works from this example.

If you believe you are the victim of check washing, contact your bank and the local
authorities. When in doubt, call AEC to confirm we received your payment.

In rural areas across the state, Aiken Electric and other not-for-profit cooperatives spend -thousands of dollars per year repairing equipment, power lines and fiber optic cables that have been struck by a stray shot. Repairs can be very costly and we strive to keep operating expenses down for all members by making every effort to recover costs from any party responsible for facility damages. We need your help – please join us in this collaborative effort to keep “unplanned” maintenance and repair costs for our members as low as possible. Read More.

Aiken Electric Cooperative (AEC) has received reports that scammers are making calls across their service territory pretending to be representatives of AEC. These fake callers are threatening to disconnect service if immediate payment isn’t received. These calls ARE NOT from AEC, even though the caller ID text may show "Aiken Electric Cooperative".

The scammer may even use threatening language in order to frighten you into offering your credit card or bank account information. Don’t fall victim to these tricks. AEC wants to make sure you avoid any and all types of scams that could put you or your financial information in jeopardy. Here are some tips to keep in mind when trying to determine if you are communicating with an Aiken Electric employee:

Things AEC employees do:

• Travel in vehicles clearly marked with an AEC logo
• Require employees to carry a co-op photo ID
• AEC field employees wear issued uniforms (blue or tan) or shirts with AEC logo

Things AEC employees do not do:

• Call and request account information or a full SSN
• Conduct electric work inside your home (Except for H2O Select PLUS 2 members with water heater timers)
• Ask for credit card information over the phone
• Require prepaid debit cards as the ONLY method of payment (AEC authorized payment options can be found at aikenco-op.org)
• Charge additional fees to process payments (We recommend members make payments with AEC authorized payment options)
• Operate business outside of www. aikenco-op.org

Remember, there are legitimate third-party processors, not directly associated with AEC, who may charge a fee to process a payment. These payments may take several days to post to your account. If you suspect a scammer pretending to be an AEC employee has visited or contacted you, call the co-op at 803-649-6245 to verify and, also, report any suspicious activity to local law enforcement.