Contact REA Energy

Member services

1-800-211-5667

Monday to Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. ET. Local line: 814-472-8570.

Power outage (24/7)

1-800-211-5667

After-hours calls route automatically to the on-call dispatcher.

Downed wire / life-threatening

911

Call 911 first if anyone is hurt or a wire is on the ground, then REA Energy at 1-800-211-5667.

Ebensburg headquarters

127 Municipal Road, Ebensburg, PA 15931

Mailing: PO Box 70. Lobby is open weekdays for in-person payments, member sign-ups and account questions. Drop box available 24/7.

Co-op fact sheet

Type
Rural electric cooperative (REC)
Ownership
Member-owned, not-for-profit
Members
~21,000 accounts
Counties served
Cambria, Indiana, Jefferson, Clearfield, Westmoreland
Retail choice?
No (co-ops are exempt)
Rate-setting
Member-elected board of directors
Wholesale supplier
Allegheny Electric Cooperative
PUC oversight
Safety only

What you can do here

  • 1

    Become a member or transfer service

    Call 1-800-211-5667 or visit the Ebensburg office. New members sign a membership application and pay the one-time membership fee.

  • 2

    Pay your bill

    In person at the Ebensburg lobby, by phone, mail, online portal, auto-draft or the drop box. Cash, check or money order accepted at the office.

  • 3

    Vote in the annual board election

    Each member-account has one vote. The elected board sets the cooperative's rates, capital plan and capital-credit retirement policy.

REA Energy member portal

About REA Energy Cooperative

REA Energy Cooperative was incorporated in 1937 under the federal Rural Electrification Act, when investor-owned utilities had little interest in stringing wire to the scattered farmhouses of central Pennsylvania. Today it is one of 14 rural electric distribution cooperatives in Pennsylvania, organized under the umbrella of the Pennsylvania Rural Electric Association (PREA), and a member of the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA).

REA Energy serves about 21,000 member-accounts across roughly 4,200 miles of distribution line in Cambria, Indiana, Jefferson, Clearfield and Westmoreland counties. The 127 Municipal Road office in Ebensburg is the cooperative's headquarters and the main member-services counter; field crews work out of additional outposts in the service territory. The cooperative also operates fiber-to-the-home broadband subsidiaries in parts of its footprint.

Because REA Energy is a not-for-profit cooperative, any margin left over at year-end is allocated back to members as capital credits, in proportion to how much each member paid in electricity bills that year. The board periodically retires older capital credits, returning that cash to current or former members. This is a structural difference from any investor-owned utility, which exists to return a profit to outside shareholders.

Why co-op members do not shop suppliers

Pennsylvania's 1996 retail-choice law applies to investor-owned utilities only. Rural electric cooperatives were exempted on the principle that the members already own and govern their distribution company, so there is no shareholder margin to compete away.

Investor-owned utility (IOU)

PPL, FirstEnergy (Penn / West Penn / Penelec / Met-Ed), PECO, Duquesne Light

  • Owned by NYSE shareholders
  • PA PUC regulates rates and service
  • Retail choice: shop any licensed EGS or stay on PTC
  • Wires utility is also the outage contact

Cooperative (REC)

REA Energy, Claverack, Tri-County REC, United, 10 others in PA

  • Owned by member-customers (one account, one vote)
  • Rates set by member-elected board, PUC for safety only
  • No retail choice: cooperative is both the wires and the supply
  • Margins returned as capital credits, not dividends

Why it matters

As a co-op member you do not shop suppliers, but you vote for the people who set your rate. Co-op residential rates in PA have averaged roughly 10 to 15 percent lower than nearby investor-owned utility territories in 2024 to 2026 EIA Form 861 data, primarily because there is no shareholder return baked into the tariff. The trade-off is no third-party offers and no retail-choice marketing.

Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, Form 861 utility-level retail sales of electricity; Pennsylvania Rural Electric Association (PREA).

How to pay your REA Energy bill

Auto-draft (free)

Recurring bank draft set up through the member portal. No card fees.

Member portal online

One-off web or app payment by bank account or card. Login uses your account number.

By phone

Call 1-800-211-5667 to pay by bank draft or card.

In person or drop box

At the 127 Municipal Road lobby (cash, check, money order) during business hours, or the drop box 24/7.

Frequently asked questions

Can I switch to a cheaper supplier as an REA Energy member?
No. Pennsylvania's 1996 Electricity Generation Customer Choice and Competition Act applies to investor-owned utilities only. Rural electric cooperatives like REA Energy are exempt and own both the wires and the supply. As a member you do not have third-party suppliers to shop, but you do vote in the annual board election that sets your rates.
Where does REA Energy buy its electricity?
Wholesale power comes from Allegheny Electric Cooperative (Allegheny), the generation and transmission cooperative jointly owned by PA's 13 distribution co-ops plus New Jersey's Sussex REC. Allegheny owns a stake in the Susquehanna nuclear station and hydro and solar resources, and buys additional power from the PJM Interconnection wholesale market.
Who do I call for a downed power line in REA Energy territory?
Call REA Energy 24/7 at 1-800-211-5667. If a wire is on the ground or anyone is hurt, dial 911 first. Never approach a downed line; assume it is energized even if it looks dead.
What are capital credits?
Because REA Energy is not-for-profit, any margin left over at year-end is allocated back to members in proportion to how much each one paid in bills that year. The board periodically retires older capital credits, mailing the cash back to current and former members. Keep your forwarding address current with the cooperative even after you move; otherwise the check has nowhere to go.
Is help available if I cannot pay my bill?
Yes. Call REA Energy at 1-800-211-5667 to discuss a deferred payment arrangement. Cooperative members can also apply for LIHEAP (Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program) and Dollar Energy Fund hardship grants, the same programs IOU customers use. Reach out before disconnection; the cooperative has more flexibility when contacted early.
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