In many electric cooperative service areas, consumers are more spread out along the power lines than in large cities. The number of consumers per mile of line is an important figure to any electric utility. Densely populated areas with more customers per mile of line help offset the cost of serving sparsely populated areas. And population growth helps cooperatives operate more efficiently and hold down costs to their consumers. Supporting their communities is fundamental to South Carolina's electric cooperatives because all of their owners live in those communities.
Cooperatives are among the largest taxpayers in the state.
Community Support Cooperative volunteer organizations award academic scholarships and help families in need. The co-ops' state association also awards a college scholarship to one participant in the annual Washington Youth Tour each June. The Rural Development Act, passed by the legislature in 1996, provided economic development incentives for rural areas. In 1988, the electric cooperatives and Santee Cooper, the state-owned utility, formed Palmetto Economic Development Corporation. It has helped bring more than two billion dollars in capital investment to the state.