Connexus Energy Blog

Connexus Energy is focused on reliability

It’s difficult to imagine your life without electricity. You use it to open your garage door, heat and cool your home, refrigerate and cook your food, charge your phone, and even power your car. Fortunately, Connexus members only experience an unplanned outage once every 3.6 years on average. 

A resilient grid design

The grid is the system we use to move electricity from where it is produced to where it is used in your home or business. You see much of our equipment each day.

Look at the graphic above for a simple breakdown of how electricity is generated, carried by interconnected wires and equipment, and safely delivered to your outlets and switches. We prioritize reliability when planning how to modernize and restore aging portions of our distribution grid because we know how much your life depends on it.

Know what’s happening

Customize how and when you receive alerts and updates. Pick the information that you want to receive by logging into your online account at connexusenergy.com. Choose from:

• Billing reminders & payment confirmations  
• Customized daily consumption thresholds
• Weekly usage summary
• Program enrollment 
• Power outage updates

Our employees make us strong

Maintaining Connexus Energy’s industry-leading distribution system reliability is a daily focus for employees. Educated and experienced employees build and manage our distribution system so that you can work from home, prepare dinner, and relax while watching a favorite program. 

Seven core values drive how our 200+ employees operate and make decisions, both individually and as a cohesive team. Those core values are safety always, service driven, collaborative, empowered, innovative, integrity, and respect all. 

“Last May, we experienced unprecedented storm-driven outages, the most in your cooperative’s 85-year history. Thanks to our resilient grid design and the dedication of our experienced team, we were able to manage the system and promptly restore power,” explained Connexus CEO Greg Ridderbusch. During unplanned outages like this, power is always restored to all members as safely and efficiently as possible. 

We have a variety of careers at Connexus. Our divisions and some of their roles include:

• Electric Operations – Linework, field support, warehouse & fleet services, engineering, design, geospatial services, and system operations
• Power Supply & Business Development – Data analytics, commercial account support, marketing, and communications
• Technology – Cyber security, hardware, software, and network support
• Members – Member services support, metering, and economic development
• Employee Services – Human resources, safety, and facility services
• Finance – Accounting, financial planning, and billing & collections

What it takes to be a lineworker

Lineworkers construct and maintain our overhead and underground electrical distribution lines in a safe, reliable, and timely manner. They work hard and are committed to keeping your power on. 

You (or someone you know) could be a lineworker if you enjoy:

• Climbing poles to elevated heights
• Operating bucket trucks & power tools
• Working outdoors in all weather elements
• Working as a team

Join us! Visit conneusenergy.com/careers to view our current openings, benefits, and company culture. 

This article appeared in our Winter 2023 newsletter.

New challenges are impacting us all—the global pandemic, price increases on essentials like food and gas, and supply chain shortages affecting everything from vehicles, to transformers, to wire. Accountable for your electricity, we are managing the economic and operational impacts of these challenges.

You, your family, your community, and your cooperative are resilient. Connexus has successfully navigated our economy with no general rate increase over the last five years. We maintained our grid and made smart and necessary investments for electric reliability in the top 5% of the nation’s utilities.* The remarkable inflation is a force for which we have moderated the impact on Connexus members. Our continued commitment to affordability has enabled the Connexus Energy Board of Directors to adopt a 2023 budget with one of the lowest general rate increases among Minnesota’s electric utilities: 2.9% for residential members, which includes a $1 basic service charge increase.

A key contributor has been the successful completion of a two-year renegotiation of our legacy power supply arrangements. Information on this change is available on our home page. New customer contracts between Connexus and Great River Energy (GRE):

• Create savings
• Unleash technology and business flexibility
• Enable us to arrange future power supply for growth
• Innovate to help members to save energy while also benefiting from modern all-electric transportation, home appliances, and heating and cooling building innovations

Looking ahead, your board of directors and staff will continue to act in the membership’s interest, being relentless in our service to you.

Thank you for being a member-owner,
Greg Ridderbusch
President & CEO

This article appeared in our Winter 2023 newsletter.

* U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), 2016-2021.

Organizations Worked Closely and Collaboratively on Contracts that Transition Connexus Energy to be a GRE Customer; Connexus members will continue to receive reliable, affordable, sustainable, and resilient electric service.

Connexus Energy Members,

The Boards of Directors of Connexus Energy, Great River Energy (GRE), and GRE member cooperatives have voted to adopt new wholesale power and transmission services agreements between Connexus and GRE. The innovative and forward-looking agreements enable Connexus Energy to maintain our long-run affordability and reliability, while also opening additional options to green the grid.

For our Members, Connexus has been working hard to have more flexibility to meet the needs of the more than 330,000 people living in the eight suburban and rural counties we serve. On behalf of our elected board of directors, staff, and members, we thank Great River Energy’s membership, board, and staff for working with us to create a new working model which enables Connexus flexibility and innovation—a great example of cooperatives working together for members.

Under the power supply and transmission services agreements, effective January 1, 2023, Connexus will transition to being a GRE customer. 

Direct perspectives from organizational leaders

“These agreements are a leading example of cooperatives working together. We appreciate Great River Energy’s membership, board, and staff for working with us to create a new model that enables Connexus flexibility and innovation.”

Greg Ridderbusch, president and CEO, Connexus Energy

“We have a strong ethic of serving our members. Our board sees this transition to a customer as being on the path to creating new options in service to our members.”

Fran Bator, Board Chair, Connexus Energy

“Great River Energy and Connexus Energy worked collaboratively to develop a customer arrangement that accomplished Connexus Energy’s goals with minimal impact on Great River Energy’s member-owner cooperatives. This is a unique arrangement that displays the collaboration and innovation among electric cooperatives.”

David Saggau, president and CEO, Great River Energy

Additional details of the two agreements are available from both Connexus and GRE.

In the coming years Connexus envisions using its flexibility to provide new options for members to save energy while also benefitting from modern all-electric transportation, home appliances, and heating and cooling building innovations.

Just as our founding members in 1937 sought to modernize life with the early grid and first electric devices, we look forward to modernizing our power supply — working For the Members — to adapt to changing technologies like electric vehicles and battery storage, as well as variable market conditions while providing affordable and reliable electric service.

Members who have additional questions may contact our communications lead, Rob Davis, rob.davis@connexusenergy.com or 763.218.7656.

Thank you for being a member-owner of our cooperative.

Respectfully,

Fran Bator
Chair, Connexus Energy Board

Greg Ridderbusch
President and CEO, Connexus Energy