Co-op Employees Raise More Than $5,000 to Support Veterans Through Allegiance Ranch

Cooperatives are driven by a spirit of service and the desire to give back to the communities that built and shaped us, the same motivating factors that inspire our military heroes. United Power is proud to celebrate veterans working in our offices, living in our communities, and throughout the country. Veterans Day allows us to take a moment to appreciate and thank our military veterans. The cooperative is honored to power those who have bravely served our country. 

Many United Power employees have felt the impact of a family member who answered the call to protect our country. Some fought in the most important conflicts in world history. Some employees have known this call firsthand from enlisting in one of our military branches themselves. The cooperative wants to recognize these employees not only for their service to the country, but also their commitment to the cooperative values and principles that drive us to serve members better every day. 

“Please join me in extending a special thank you to all United Power employees who are veterans and all our members who served our country both in peace and conflict,” said United Power President and Chief Executive Officer Mark A. Gabriel. “Thank you for your patriotism, love of country, and willingness to sacrifice for the common good.”

As part of United Power’s recognition of Veterans Day in November, co-op employees led an effort to raise funds for Allegiance Ranch and Equine Rescue in Erie. Allegiance Ranch is a nonprofit that provides a safe and welcoming place for veterans, active-duty military, first responders, and their families. It provides services free of charge thanks to the support of community members and donors.  

Employees raised more than $5,000 for Allegiance Ranch in less than 48 hours through an online auction featuring themed baskets donated by each United Power department. Many departments and several United Power employees also donated additional items for the auction. Allegiance Ranch will use the funds to complete projects that allow them to better support veterans. To learn more about Allegiance Ranch, go to www.allegianceranch.org.

Thank you again to all our military veterans. You inspire us each day to do our best to serve our members and our communities with pride and commitment. Thank you for your service. 

When Compared to Other Expenses, Electricity has a Surprisingly High Value

Electricity is a commodity we always expect to be available when we need it. We use it to power almost everything in our lives to some extent – from the alarm clock that wakes us up for work or school, to the television that helps us wind down at night, or the cell phone that keeps us connected with our loved ones. It is so readily available and easy to access we do not often realize it has a surprisingly high value when compared to many of our other daily or monthly expenses. 

As a commodity people use frequently and pay for monthly, we are acutely aware of differences in our monthly billing statements. We may be even more mindful of our electric cost when rate increases make headlines. Given the regular information you receive about utility rates, you might be surprised to learn that electricity rates have one of the lowest cost increases over time when compared to other budget items like rent and education. In fact, when adjusted for inflation, electricity rates have been steadily decreasing since 1980 despite how increasingly reliant we are on the resource in our daily lives (source: U.S. Bureau of Statistics).

The average United Power family uses approximately 22-32 kWh per day, which is roughly equivalent to $3. Now think about your daily routine. Do you grab a coffee on your way to work or order food at a local restaurant during lunch? The average cup of coffee now costs just under $5, and for special blends or add-ons it could cost more. Fast casual meals at restaurants like Chipotle or Panera can cost more than $10. That means for the cost of a single cup of coffee, you could leave an LED TV on for more than 35 days or charge your phone more than 300 times on our standard residential rate. For just $5, you can do about 20 loads of laundry. If you were to shift your usage off-peak on our time-of-use rate, you could save even more.

To put it another way, most United Power members spend more on their cell phone plan ($4-5/day) than they do on electricity (as little at $2/day). The time you spend on your mobile device, which is probably a lot, is incomparable to how frequently you require reliable electric service. Many routines and daily tasks are becoming electrified with the introduction of new electronic devices, which means we are also using far more energy now than ever before.

The best way to capture the value of electricity is to make your home more energy efficient. You could make the transition to ENERGY STAR® appliances that require less energy, install a smart thermostat to monitor and adjust heating/cooling when you are away from home, or look into our rates that reward you for switching use to off-peak hours.

Our Cooperative Roadmap (Roadmap) is United Power’s functional plan for the future, and focuses on four specific pillars the cooperative views as essential to strengthening its position as a leader in the electric industry. In previous newsletters, we have highlighted our commitment to pursing affordable and sustainable power, optimizing our distribution system, and our commitment to member and community engagement. The final Roadmap pillar focuses on our information technology (IT) and operational technology (OT) systems strategies, which allow us to be efficient and functional in maintaining our distribution system.

Advancing technologies play a critical role in how United Power responds to and prevents outages. Without the insight computerized systems provide, the cooperative would not be able to see in-depth information about grid performance and conduct targeted maintenance. In a way, this pillar is foundational for meeting the requirements of grid optimization.

“United Power has taken an approach of embracing IT,” said Rex Webster, an infrastructure engineer at the cooperative. “It’s where they integrate us into decision making that allows us to shape and guide workflows, processes, and systems.”

United Power’s Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) is a computerized system that provides the cooperative with information about energy usage. It helps guide grid construction and improvements and ensure sufficient power is delivered where members need it. In many cases, we can use this system to identify and respond to outages before members may even be aware. It is the availability of this infrastructure that also allows us to offer Power Portal to our members, where you can view energy usage in 15-minute segments and make energy-saving habit changes. 

The implementation of informational technology strategies would not be complete without factoring in the ever-increasing threat to cybersecurity. 

“We’ve implemented many state-of-the-art cybersecurity tools and monitoring services on both our field devices and our corporate networks,” Webster said. 

Technology is advancing rapidly, and new technology may be on the horizon that offers even greater insight into our distribution system. While we have no way of knowing what may be available tomorrow, our systems are built to adapt as changes take place. We are constantly looking for advantageous options that enable us to better serve our members. 

“Our Cooperative Roadmap is looking ahead over the next 10 years as we become a more fully functional distribution system operator,” said Reliability Engineer Tyler Bain. “But in reality, we’re already down that path, and we’re already deploying and utilizing the systems that are going to make some of those futuristic thoughts possible today.”

NOTICE

NOTICE OF CHANGE IN THE TARIFFS OF UNITED POWER, INC.
Date of Notice:  November 15, 2022

You are hereby notified that UNITED POWER, INC. (United Power) proposes to introduce a new rate tariff schedule for Electric Vehicle Charges to become effective on or after January 1, 2023. The rate structure includes a Charging-as-a-Service monthly rate, company owned charging station rates for DC fast charging and for level 2 charging.

The present and proposed tariff provisions are available for examination at the headquarters office located at 500 Cooperative Way, Brighton Colorado; the Coal Creek Branch Office, located at 5 Gross Dam Road, Golden, Colorado; and the Carbon Valley Branch office at 9586 E. I-25 Frontage Road, Longmont, Colorado.

Anyone who desires to comment about the proposed changes shall file either an informal complaint or a formal complaint with United at 500 Cooperative Way, Brighton, Colorado 80603 at least 10 days before the proposed effective date. 

An informal complaint shall be in writing and shall contain such facts and other information to adequately state the reason(s) for the complaint.  An informal complaint shall be considered by United Power, in regard to the proposed tariff changes, but will not require that a hearing be held.

Anyone who desires a hearing must file a specific and formal complaint to the proposed changes and a request for hearing at least 10 days before the proposed effective date. A formal complaint shall be in writing in the form prescribed by United Power’s Regulations Governing Consumer Complaints and Related Matters. Upon request, a copy of said regulations is available from United Power.  

United Power may hold a hearing to determine what changes will be authorized, regardless of complaints.  If proper formal complaints and request for hearings are timely filed, the Board shall schedule a hearing.  The changes ultimately authorized may or may not be the same as those proposed and may include changes different than those tariffs proposed or currently in effect.  Anyone who desires to receive notice of hearings, if any, shall make a written request therefor to United Power, at the above address at least 10 days before the proposed effective date.

UNITED POWER, INC

By: Mark A. Gabriel, Chief Executive Officer

9.4 Electric Vehicle Charges