An email survey will be sent to members soon to gather valuable feedback. The survey will be conducted by Inside Information, and member participation is greatly appreciated. Your input helps inform future decisions and ensures we continue to meet the needs of our community.

If you receive this survey, please be assured that it is legitimate and is being conducted by Inside Information at the request of United Power. Information and responses gathered through this survey will be used by the cooperative to shape future programs and make decisions about rate policies. Your information will not be shared with outside parties.

Every utility person I have known for nearly three decades is concerned with the critical mission of safely keeping the lights on in the most cost-effective manner possible. It may not feel that way to the public sometimes, as we must deal with everything from weather and equipment shortages to critters getting into lines and vehicle accidents causing the power to go out.

The wild windstorms in mid-December were extreme, and the intensity of the winds unprecedented. However, we prepare for these severe weather events, and in so doing, ensuring the safety of our employees, our members, and our communities is our priority.  The lengthy outages that affected many United Power members during this windstorm were the result of the cooperative operating in protective mode for wildfire safety during the back-to-back windstorm events that impacted our mountain territory. In this operating mode, lines are placed in the most sensitive settings, and power is immediately shut off if anything is detected on the system. Before power can be safely restored, crews must complete physical inspections of all power lines and equipment. These inspections are critical for public safety and can take time — particularly when outages are widespread and restoration can be delayed when damage is found.

We know the loss of power means an interruption in our day-to-day routines and our ability to work or go to school. However, it is important also to understand that when a transmission provider opts to shut off power (public safety power shutoff) or when the transmission provider loses power due to a weather event (e.g., damage to lines), United Power’s members may also lose power. The cooperative operates a distribution system, which includes the wires to homes and businesses in our service territory, but United Power does not control the interstate and intrastate transmission lines carrying electricity from faraway places. This is one of the reasons we are focused on hyper-localizing our resources whenever we can to stay off the “big wires.” It is another reason why we have added so many distributed batteries to the system and plan to add more.

We cannot restore service to the local distribution system until transmission has been re-energized. It is important to realize that after outages occur due to storms, we must visually inspect every line on the distribution system. Our brave crews worked for several days to make sure trees were out of the wires. Sometimes our crews would inspect and restore power only to have new branches blown into lines after they had moved on. We must maintain a careful balance between restoring power to homes and businesses and mitigating the threat of wildfires.

We continue investing heavily into our distribution system, deploying the most practical and innovative technology we can. This involves installing coated cables in the mountain territory, and special fusing and sensors systemwide to be able to understand what is happening on our grid in real time. We can only see what is taking place on the distribution side of the United Power system. We do not have visibility to what is occurring on the transmission side — we only know whether power is flowing or not. 

The United Power system is one of the most reliable in the nation, and that is one of the reasons outages seem so out of the ordinary. When we do have “normal” outages, they are usually quite short, which makes extended outages seem even more unusual and frustrating to members.

I am so proud of the team at United Power for the work they did during the December wind event and continue to do every day to benefit our members. Our management team has spent time looking at what worked well, what did not work so well, and what we can do to improve when another event occurs. 

Every morning when I get up, the first thing I check is whether we kept the lights on for our members and if everyone is safe. Power outages will occur — that is the reality of the system dealing with nature. But we will always be here for our members, ready to get the lights back on.

As always, feel free to reach out to me personally with any questions or comments.

Understanding the Seven Principles that Guide United Power and Other Cooperatives

All cooperatives operate according to the same seven principles. These principles articulate the reasons cooperatives exist, which is for the good of their members, their communities, and one another.

1. Open & Voluntary Membership

Membership in a co-op is open to all people who can reasonably use its services and are willing to accept the responsibilities of membership.

United Power members include anyone who receives power on its lines within its defined service territory. 

2. Democratic Member Control

Co-ops are democratic organizations controlled by their members, who actively participate in setting policies and making decisions.

United Power members elect the co-op’s 11-person Board of Directors. Directors serve four year terms and are elected at the Annual Meeting held in April. The Board is the policy making arm of the cooperative and acts on behalf of its members. 

3. Members’ Economic Participation

Members contribute equally to the capital of their co-op. At least part of that capital remains the common property of the co-op.

United Power members pay not just for the electricity they use, but also for the infrastructure required to distribute power and the resources necessary to maintain the system of poles, lines, and equipment. The cooperative’s rates are designed so that members share the burden relative to their demand on the system and so that no one pays for more than they use. 

4. Autonomy & Independence

Co-ops are autonomous organizations controlled by their members. If they enter into agreements, they do so on terms that ensure democratic control as well as their unique identity.

United Power operates as an independent electric utility, most evidently demonstrated by its recent power purchase agreements. 

5. Education, Training, & Information

Education and training for members, elected representatives, CEOs, and employees help them effectively contribute to the co-op’s development.

United Power’s Board members obtain and renew credentials that help them effectively govern the cooperative. Employees are also encouraged to attend continuing education and training conferences that better equip them to perform their jobs. 

6. Cooperation Among Cooperatives

Co-ops improve services, bolster local economies, and deal more effectively with social and community needs through cooperation in local, national, and regional structures.

United Power partners with other cooperatives and regional and national groups to advocate for policy that benefits electric cooperatives and their members. The co-op is a member of the Association of Large Distribution Cooperatives, where ideas and best practices are shared. 

7. Concern for Communities

Co-ops work for the sustainable development of their communities through policies supported by the membership.

United Power is an advocate for the communities it serves, both as an economic development partner and proud supporter of local events, fairs, festivals, and more.