Annie Terracciano, General Manager, Northern Lights
Our members count on us every day for the energy they need. We recognize our responsibility to work to keep bills as low as possible. We work diligently to control costs and only adjust rates when necessary to recover increases in the cost of providing electric service.
Bonneville Power Administration, which supplies wholesale power to Northern Lights, Inc., has increased its rates by 7% this year. The increase is primarily due to higher costs associated with maintaining the region’s hydroelectric system.
This increase requires Northern Lights to implement an overall rate adjustment of 3.6% for our members. The new rate will be reflected on your bill mailed at the end of September.
Northern Lights is a not-for-profit electric cooperative. This means we don’t raise rates to generate profits. We raise rates simply to cover the cost of doing business, and only when necessary. Providing you with safe and reliable electricity is our priority. Our dedicated employees work around the clock to keep the lights on while properly maintaining and improving our system.
Rate increases are tough for everyone, but this allows your cooperative to continue to keep electric service safe and reliable.
Annie Terracciano, General Manager, Northern Lights
You’ve heard me mention Public Safety Power Shutoffs before. My past three manager messages have discussed why a PSPS may be necessary during extreme wildfire conditions.
But hearing and reading about a PSPS is very different from experiencing one. We know that losing power, especially with limited notice, can create real hardship, stress and uncertainty for our members.
At Northern Lights, Inc., we take our wildfire mitigation responsibility seriously. You depend on us for reliable power and leadership in helping safeguard the communities we call home.
Together, we experienced our first PSPS. On Thursday, July 16, the Bonneville Power Administration—which supplies transmission power to Northern Lights—notified us that they planned to implement a PSPS.
Although Northern Lights was not the entity activating the PSPS, we were responsible for notifying and responding to our members.
Like you, we were concerned—and frustrated—by the short notice. It limited our ability to communicate in the timely and complete way we strive for, and we understand how upsetting that was. At the same time, we know BPA makes these decisions with careful consideration and only when necessary to reduce the risk of wildfire.
We understand that losing power can create serious challenges for families, businesses and those with medical or other critical needs. Unfortunately, when power is not delivered to our substations, we cannot deliver power to your homes and businesses.
During future extreme fire weather conditions, Northern Lights may also need to implement Public Safety Power Shutoffs as a last resort. We are prepared to shut off power in high-risk areas to help protect our communities. We take this responsibility seriously.
The buttons below provide links to pages where Red flag warnings and PSPS are explained in more detail. We also have links to a video explaining why PSPS is part of our wildfire mitigation efforts and tips for preparing for an outage, along with checklists for creating emergency plans, which are especially important for households with medical needs.
Many of you shared feedback about the PSPS and notification process. We appreciate your input and take it seriously. We read your comments, we see your concerns, and we will use your feedback to improve future communications and education.
Thank you for your patience, understanding and being the most important part of Northern Lights.
If you didn’t receive any communication about the PSPS, it might be time to update your contact information. Call 208-263-5141 during business hours, use your SmartHub app or update your contact information online and ensure we have a current mobile number on file for you.
Annie Terracciano, General Manager, Northern Lights
Wildfire season has arrived in our service territory. Neighboring utilities have already experienced high-fire-risk conditions, leading to a Public Safety Power Shutoff in June.
In the event of extreme fire weather conditions, we also have a plan in place to implement a PSPS as a last resort. While these will only be used if absolutely necessary, we’re prepared to temporarily shut off power in high-risk areas.
Wildfire season’s unpredictability can make you feel helpless. Being informed and prepared puts you back in control—even in a worst-case scenario.
What to Expect
Red Flag Warning: When weather conditions indicate risk is high for wildfire ignition and rapid spread, the National Weather Service will issue Red Flag Warnings and fire weather watches. These conditions include warm temperatures, very low humidity, strong winds, drought, and dry vegetation. When these types of extreme conditions exist, Northern Lights will consider activating our wildfire-prevention procedure, which reduces fire risks but can result in more frequent and longer power interruptions.
Public Safety Power Shutoff: Northern Lights collaborates with wildfire experts and emergency responders to determine when power shutoffs are needed for public safety. While shutting off power reduces the risk of sparks from tree branches hitting power lines, it is our last resort.
Communication: We will do our best to notify our members of the possibility of a PSPS. We understand that losing power can create hardships and make receiving notifications more difficult. We will send updates about outages and power restoration via text messages and/or phone calls, along with posts to our website and social media channels.
Update Your Contact Information
At Northern Lights, we’re always thinking about safety. Again, shutting off power is a last resort, and we will always do our best to notify you if there’s potential for a planned outage.
Make sure Northern Lights has your current contact information for safety alerts. Call (208) 263-5141 during business hours, use your SmartHub app, or visit our website to update your contact information and ensure we have a current mobile number on file for you.
Annie Terracciano, General Manager, Northern Lights
Our annual meeting serves as our chance to connect with you, our Northern Lights members. With record attendance, I was pleased to see so many of you at our April 27 meeting.
In addition to enjoying the camaraderie, it’s a time for us to share how we are managing and investing in your cooperative. Northern Lights remains financially strong, supported by solid equity levels and responsible financial management. In 2025, our total utility plant increased by $9 million, reflecting continued investment in infrastructure to support reliability.
More people are choosing to live in the rural communities we serve, increasing demand for electricity. To meet demand, we are strategically investing in our infrastructure through substation improvements. We are currently upgrading 4 substations located in Priest Lake, Laclede, Samuels, and Naples. These upgrades will increase capacity and reliability, ensuring we can continue to provide reliable power as our communities grow.
We also replaced more than 400 poles and upgraded miles of overhead and underground lines. These upgrades include fire mitigation components to help lower risk.
The conditions Northern Lights operates in today are different from those they were even 5 years ago. The hotter, drier summers and more extreme weather have significantly increased wildfire risk in our region. Our responsibility is not just to provide reliable power but to do it safely.
Because of the increased fire risk, we have made 2 important operational changes. First, during times of increased wildfire hazard, we will adjust our power line settings. In simple terms, that means our system will be set to shut off more quickly when it detects a problem. The downside is that you may experience more frequent or longer outages in the summer months.
Secondly, utilities in the Pacific Northwest, including Northern Lights, are implementing plans for a Public Safety Power Shutoff. A PSPS is when a utility temporarily deenergizes power lines in an area where wildfire risk is extremely high to reduce the chance of the utility’s system contributing to a wildfire. This is something we would use only in the most severe conditions, when we have high winds, low humidity, and extreme fire danger.
We will continue to invest in our system, improve our technology, and refine our processes to balance safety and reliability as best we can.
I shared at the annual meeting that what truly sets Northern Lights apart is our people. You are served by dedicated employees and a committed board of directors who care deeply about this cooperative and the communities we call home. We are proud to serve you, and we are grateful for your trust and support.
Thank you for being the most important part of Northern Lights. If you could not attend this year’s annual meeting, I hope you will join us next year. We would love to see you there.
Annie Terracciano, General Manager, Northern Lights
Across the United States, especially in the Western states and here in Northern Lights’ service territory, we’re seeing longer, drier, and more worrisome fire seasons. Combine this with population growth in rural areas and the wildland-urban interface, and wildfire prevention demands action from all of us.
At Northern Lights, protecting our members and the communities we serve is our highest priority. As we recognize National Wildfire Awareness Month in May, I want you to know wildfire mitigation is not seasonal work for us. It is a year-round commitment embedded in how we operate, invest in our system, and continue to strengthen our wildfire mitigation efforts.
1 of the most effective ways we reduce wildfire threats is through our comprehensive vegetation management program. Throughout the year, Northern Lights crews proactively trim and remove vegetation that could come into contact with power lines. This work requires careful planning, coordination with property owners, and ongoing inspections.
In addition, Northern Lights leverages advanced technology to strengthen our system. I encourage you to read Kristin’s Corner on Page 8 to learn more about how Northern Lights invests in modern technologies to help us identify wildfire risks early so we can address them before they become emergencies.
In the event of extreme weather conditions, we also have a plan to implement Public Safety Power Shutoffs. While this strategy is only used if absolutely necessary, we’re prepared to shut off power in high-risk areas if needed to fulfill our responsibility to protect the communities we serve and our cooperative’s infrastructure.
While we are committed to doing our part, wildfire prevention is a shared responsibility. There are important steps each of us can take to protect our homes and neighborhoods. Properly extinguish fires, avoid outdoor burning on windy, dry, or restricted days, and, importantly, maintain a defensible space around your home.
Wildfires are becoming more complex and widespread, but through proactive system management, smart investments, sound policy, and community partnership, we can reduce risks and strengthen resilience.
At Northern Lights, we take our wildfire mitigation responsibility seriously. Our members depend on reliable power and leadership that safeguards the communities we call home.
Annie Terracciano, General Manager, Northern Lights
As general manager of Northern Lights, Inc. (NLI), I see firsthand the dedication and effort it takes to keep the power on for our members. Each April, we celebrate Lineworker Appreciation Day and express our gratitude for the commitment and service of our linemen, who truly are the backbone of our cooperative.
As I prepare this message, our crews are working through the night to repair widespread infrastructure damage from a severe windstorm that struck our region. With memories of December 2025’s storm still fresh, our team remains steadfast, working until every member’s power is restored.
When storms impact our communities and outages occur, many people experience the inconvenience, but our linemen see a call to action. They are always prepared to leave family gatherings, work overnight, and face tough conditions to restore power as quickly and safely as possible. This readiness stems from ongoing training, years of experience, and a shared commitment to serving others.
Our linemen are restoring power to more than a system—they’re restoring power to their own communities. They live here and raise their families here. They understand electricity is essential to daily life, local businesses, schools, farms, and emergency services. Powering the places we call home is personal.
Outages are frustrating and disruptive. We are grateful for your patience and support during these times. Linework is demanding and, at times, it can be dangerous. Our crews approach every job with a focus on safety and pride in the trust you place in them.
During our annual meeting on Monday, April 27, our linemen and most Northern Lights employees will be in attendance. I encourage you to attend the linemen’s safety demonstration, meet our team, thank a lineman, and enjoy a free Wood’s Smokie and cookies. Then attend the annual membership meeting. It’s a wonderful opportunity to learn more about your member-owned, not-for-profit electric cooperative and connect with the team that keeps it running for you.
Annie Terracciano, General Manager, Northern Lights
Most of us rely on electricity all day, every day—often without even thinking about it. With just the flip of a switch, it’s there when we need it, making it easy to take for granted.
According to the Energy Information Administration, the typical U.S. household uses more heating, air conditioning, appliances, and consumer electronics than ever before. The average home also contains 17 or more internet-connected devices.
Considering everything that is powered by electricity, it’s no wonder we occasionally might wince at our monthly bills. But keep in mind, it is no longer just “the light bill.” Electricity powers our quality of life. Your energy bill covers so much more than lighting. It powers the infrastructure of your home and virtually everything in it: appliances, water heater, HVAC system, smartphones, computers, TV, the Wi-Fi router and more.
Considering all the ways we depend on electricity, it remains a great value.
The next time you are enjoying your favorite podcast, TV series, or movie, consider the value of electricity and how it enhances your quality of life.
We care about you, the members we serve, and understand electricity is more than a commodity. It is a necessity. That’s why Northern Lights, Inc. will continue working hard to power your life with clean electricity—safely, reliably, and affordably.
Annie Terracciano, General Manager, Northern Lights
In December, flooding and severe windstorms in our region caused widespread power outages for our cooperative and neighboring electric utilities. Many across our region were without electricity for days as we were reminded of the importance of power in our daily lives.
For Northern Lights and its many members who experienced weather-related outages, we were also reminded of the power of cooperation.
With nearly 3,000 miles of lines and equipment stretching out across rural, rugged landscapes in Northern Idaho and Western Montana, supplying our homes and businesses with reliable electricity is a challenge. When Mother Nature sends severe weather, those challenges are magnified.
Already saturated terrain and heavy precipitation caused flooding on December 11 in the Troy, Montana area and threatened Northern Lights’ Lake Creek Dam. Keeler Creek Bridge washed out along with a nearby double-circuit transmission line. We waited several days for water levels to recede and then replaced this critical power pole.
Then on Dec. 15, we experienced the first of what would be several days of high winds in our area. On December 17, gusts exceeded 55 mph. The extremely wet soil and high winds toppled trees, downed power poles, and caused damage to infrastructure. Many of our lineworkers had just begun recovering from a 24-hour shift restoring power when approximately 15,000 of our 24,000 accounts were impacted by the second storm. We needed help to ensure the lights were on before Christmas, so we called for mutual aid and contract crews.
From then until December 22, Northern Lights’ line crews and employees—assisted by utility and contracted crews—worked together on restoration efforts. Day after day, crews began in the early morning hours and worked into the night, tirelessly through the weekend, until power was restored to all our members.
That’s the power of cooperation. The dam is holding strong, our system is stabilized, and power is restored to all our members, something we couldn’t have done as quickly on our own. We appreciate the collective support and resilience of our members, lineworkers, employees, cooperative partners, and contracted crews.
Annie Terracciano, General Manager, Northern Lights
A few years ago, during storm restoration, a Northern Lights lineman had an electrical contact. He was in the process of checking an individual service that was out of power, which had an improperly installed backup generator. The generator backfed electricity onto our equipment and shocked the lineman. Thankfully, he was able to quickly release his hold and get to the ground.
He is extremely lucky and experienced only minor injuries, but he could have died.
What is generator backfeed? Backfeed occurs when power travels from the generator back through the utility lines and reenergizes them, creating a very dangerous and potentially deadly situation for lineworkers.
To prevent backfeed, permanent or portable generators should never be plugged into a home’s wiring or directly into the circuit breaker panel. Instead, a transfer switch should be installed. A transfer switch ensures your household wiring—or selected circuits supplied by the generator—can’t be connected to the power grid and the generator at the same time, eliminating any chance of backfeed. It also protects your generator from damage if the power is restored while it’s connected. Make sure a qualified, licensed electrician installs the transfer switch for you.
NLI’s responsibility for electric service ends at the meter. We do not know when, or if, you installed a generator, and we do not know if the installation complied with the National Electrical Code.
When the power goes out, having a generator means you can keep the heat, light and many other conveniences we’ve come to enjoy. Please make sure you aren’t creating unnecessary danger. Have your generator properly installed, and operate it safely to prevent backfeed. It could save a life!
December Delivery: Capital Credit Checks Are on the Way!
Annie Terracciano, General Manager, Northern Lights
Happy holidays from all of us at Northern Lights, Inc.!
I am happy to announce that the NLI Board of Directors has authorized a total of $1,730,000 of capital credits from 2002 and 2003 to be returned to our members this year. This means if you were a member of Northern Lights in those years, you will receive a check in the mail this month. Your check amount is determined by your energy use during those years.
We work hard to serve our members by providing safe, reliable, and affordable electricity. As a not-for-profit cooperative, NLI is owned by its members. One benefit of being a member-owned cooperative is that money left over at the end of the year is returned to the members in the form of dividend checks in the future. Meanwhile, the funds are used to improve and maintain our infrastructure, ensure reliable service, and offset the need to borrow money, which helps us keep rates low.
Capital credit retirements from years past that go unclaimed are held by the cooperative. A list of all members with unclaimed capital credit distributions is available on our website. If you find your name on the list, call us at (208) 263-5141.
As another option, you can donate your capital credit checks to the Northern Lights Community Trust, which distributes funds to local charities in our service area. Please see the insert enclosed with your check for instructions on how to do this.
Feel free to contact our office if you have any questions.
All of us at NLI wish you safe and happy holidays. We hope you enjoy the time with family and cherish the holiday spirit.
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