At a time when most industries are reeling from the nationwide credit crunch and the economic downturn that followed, Valley Electric Association is both outperforming other power companies and using the changing financial landscape to make previously put-off improvements to its system.

In an annual analysis that compares the VEA's performance figures to those of other providers across the nation, management found the co-op beat the national average in both consumer growth and revenue.

The association's consumer growth came in at 1.9 percent, said Finance Manager Brian Fickett. Although that number is down from recent years -- consumer growth was around 5 percent last year -- it still beat the 1 percent national average.

Consumer growth is measured by the number of new electric meter hook-ups, of which there have been 326 in the last 12 months.

"It's a combination of people moving in, moving around the community or ... moving out when they were living with someone else," Fickett said of the number.

VEA's revenue, despite being down 1.8 percent, also outshone the national decrease of 2.1 percent. This year, the association made $229 million, as opposed to last year's $234 million.

Both figures are tracked on a year-to-date basis. The most recent numbers run from January through June.

Although the economy may have much to do with the VEA's lower-than-normal performance, Fickett said there's more to it.

"What it means is, if you're comparing last year we had some really high heat and a really harsh winter," he said. "Normally our revenue beats our previous year because of consumer growth and the weather." But Fickett said there's not much the co-op can do to improve the statistics. In recent years, operating costs have been kept to a minimum, he said, leaving little room for cutting expenses.

For now, management plans to ride out the economic storm and use manpower normally reserved for new hook-ups to perform some system maintenance and improvements, he added.

"There are some things we can do and some things we can't do," Ficket said. "But when the economy's in a downturn, there's very little you can do."

As for why the association performed better than other power suppliers, the finance manager said despite a slowdown, Pahrump is still growing more than other communities.

"Even though the economy has hit Las Vegas really hard -- and it's hit us real hard, too -- we're still in a high-growth area," he said.