Capital credit refunds
In a cooperative like Wright-Hennepin, you are a member-owner of the business. One major difference between a cooperative and an investor-owned utility is that you see an ownership in the business through capital credits.
Capital credits are the money or margin that is left over after all bills associated with doing business have been paid. Each member is entitled to these capital credits, or a share of the refund based on your energy use. Before returning these capital credits back to members, WH uses this capital to offset the cost of debt for the construction and maintenance of the electric distribution system. This working capital represents your ownership equity in WH.
Per cooperative bylaws, WH’s member-elected board determines the amount of margins retired each year based on the cooperative’s financial condition and other considerations. Capital credits are paid out in December each year. Currently, any members who have a refund of $10 or more will receive a check. Anyone with a refund of $9.99 and under will receive a bill credit.
Some members prefer to have their refund directly applied to their invoice instead of receiving a check. If you would prefer to receive your capital credit refund on your invoice, you may fill out this form to have that preference applied to your account. Learn more about applying your capital credit refund to your bill.
Since the first capital credit refunds were made by WH in 1957, WH has returned more than $90 million to its members. The board has distributed capital credit refunds to WH members for 43 consecutive years as of December 2023.