Cooperative Committed to Providing Accessible EV Charging Infrastructure

Brighton, CO – United Power announced a partnership with the National Electric Highway Coalition in January. The Coalition is a collaboration among electric utilities committed to providing an accessible electric vehicle charging infrastructure. Expanding the available charging network will allow electric vehicle drivers to travel with confidence along corridors throughout the country. It has set a goal to achieve a sufficient electric vehicle charging infrastructure by the end of 2023.

This past year, United Power energized its second electric vehicle fast charger at the Market Street Mart in Keenesburg, located along Interstate 76 northeast of Denver. The charger filled a gap in available charging options for rural electric vehicle owners between Brighton and Fort Morgan. The cooperative installed its first charging station at its Coal Creek office in 2019. A third is planned for its office location in Carbon Valley along Interstate 25.

“United Power serves more than 100,000 members living in some of the fastest growing communities in the country,” said Mark A. Gabriel, United Power’s President and Chief Executive Officer. “We also serve several transportation corridors running through those areas. We have seen a proliferation of electric vehicle owners in our territory and in Colorado in recent years. Joining the National Electric Highway Coalition reinforces the cooperative’s commitment to its members and the changing nature of the electric industry.”

Cooperative leadership continues to look at the electric vehicle landscape and consider what programs provide the most benefit for members, including expanding its existing charging network. As a partner in the National Electric Highway Coalition, United Power will seek to accomplish an efficient and effective deployment of electric vehicle fast charging stations within its service territory that complements existing and planned charging stations along its transportation corridors.

It is estimated that more than 100,000 fast charging ports will be necessary to meet the needs of more than 22 million electric vehicle drivers by 2030. The National Electric Highway Coalition represents the largest group of electric utilities aligned to meet those charging infrastructure needs. More than 50 electric utilities throughout 47 states have joined as partners in the coalition’s mission. United Power joins Xcel Energy as the only other Colorado utility in the Coalition and the second cooperative nationwide.

United Power is a member-owned, not-for-profit electric cooperative, delivering electricity to homes, farms and businesses throughout Colorado’s northern front range. The cooperative is one of the fastest-growing electric cooperatives in the nation, and in June joined the elite ranks of cooperatives serving more than 100,000 meters. The 900 square mile service territory extends from the mountains of Coal Creek and Golden Gate Canyon, along the I-25 corridor and Carbon Valley region, to the farmlands of Brighton, Hudson and Keenesburg. United Power is also a founding member of the NextGen Cooperative Alliance, dedicated to expanding the power supply and procurement options and reforming the traditional Generation and Transmission (G&T) business model. For more information about the cooperative, visit www.unitedpower.com or follow them on social media Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube and Instagram.

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United Power President and Chief Executive Officer, Mark A. Gabriel, recently joined co-op CEOs Brian Heithoff, of Trico Electric Cooperative, and Eric Hobbie of Prairie Power, Inc. in a panel discussion about electric cooperatives’ role as Distribution System Operators (DSO) at the NRECA CEO Close-Up Conference in Phoenix, Arizona. The conference is attended by hundreds of cooperative CEOs and General Managers and held annually to provide CEOs with insight into industry trends and best practices for managing key challenges. 

A growing number of electric cooperatives, including United Power, are moving toward a DSO model, which allows the utility to enhance its relationships with members, provide added services and proactively manage the grid with automation and smart technology. At United Power, continued projected growth and an opportunity to purchase cleaner and more affordable power from a variety of resources combined with the desire for more member-owned and locally generated renewable energy puts the cooperative in a position to take a more integrated and dynamic approach to delivering electricity.

“The energy landscape is undergoing a dramatic shift and the relationship that cooperatives like United Power already have with their member communities has us primed to lead this energy transition,” said Mark A. Gabriel, United Power President & CEO. “A locally-owned cooperative is nimble, innovative and responsive—and is exactly how utilities will need to operate in order to manage a resilient distribution system, efficiently integrate local micro-grids and facilitate the local exchange of energy.”

Gabriel discussed United Power’s 10 Year Working Plan and the strategic considerations the cooperative is undertaking as they move toward a DSO model. The working plan was developed by key staff at the cooperative and it serves as a comprehensive guide to align the board, employees, and members through this dramatic operational shift. By leveraging new technology, expansive energy resources, and updated operations, and new technology, United Power is actively advancing the local distribution system to adapt to the new ways it will provide value and reliable power for members.

“The 10 Year Plan is our playbook outlining the allocation of people, resources, and leadership attention as we drive toward an increasingly dynamic, sustainable, and complex energy future,” said Gabriel. “While we are working to deliver reliable power today, we are planning for the utility of tomorrow. We have started the conversations with our board and our members about what the future of energy will look like and the opportunities that lie ahead.”

Slidedeck from 2022 CEO Close-Up by Mark A. Gabriel

Fugate Brings Wealth of Utility Marketing and Community Affairs Experience

Brighton, CO – United Power announces Trista Fugate as its new Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer in January. Fugate comes to the cooperative after spending the past two years with Platte River Power Authority in Fort Collins and more than twelve years with Pedernales Electric Cooperative, the largest cooperative utility in the country. At United Power, she will be responsible for directing all phases of the cooperative’s member marketing and new program initiatives, including residential, commercial and industrial programs, products and services.

“I’m excited to join the United Power team at such a pivotal time,” Fugate said. “The cooperative model is ideal for today’s changing energy environment, and I look forward to helping shape our future while continuing the tradition of providing true benefits to our members.”

Before joining United Power, Fugate served as Platte River’s Director of Community and Government Affairs, where she led strategic outreach efforts to build and strengthen relationships with stakeholders, community partners and organizations within the utility’s owner communities of Estes Park, Fort Collins, Longmont and Loveland. She also directed the communications and marketing team, responsible for developing all internal and external communications, including promotional materials for energy efficiency offerings, and oversaw the Efficiency Works^TM programs, providing technical and financial support to help customers use energy more wisely.

Fugate has nearly 20 years of experience working across the spectrum of the electric utility industry, holding positions at a municipal electric utility, a distribution cooperative and a generation and transmission utility. She has worked for CPS Energy in San Antonio, the nation’s largest municipal utility, and held leadership roles with Pedernales Electric Cooperative, which serves more than 365,000 active accounts in Texas. During her career, Fugate has focused on strategic communications and marketing, community and economic development, community engagement, conservation and energy efficiency, corporate social responsibility, local government relations and public affairs.

“United Power is proud to welcome Trista to the United Power family,” said Mark A. Gabriel, United Power’s President and Chief Executive Officer. “Her experience in member and community engagement and program planning will be critical in the cooperative’s next chapter as we prepare to separate from our longtime wholesale energy supplier and begin navigating the path toward more energy autonomy with new providers. Her insight with one of the nation’s largest cooperatives will also be invaluable to United Power as we continue to grow and seek the best ways to serve our members.”

United Power is a member-owned, not-for-profit electric cooperative, delivering electricity to homes, farms and businesses throughout Colorado’s northern front range. The cooperative is one of the fastest-growing electric cooperatives in the nation, and in June joined the elite ranks of cooperatives serving more than 100,000 meters. The 900 square mile service territory extends from the mountains of Coal Creek and Golden Gate Canyon, along the I-25 corridor and Carbon Valley region, to the farmlands of Brighton, Hudson and Keenesburg. United Power is also a founding member of the NextGen Cooperative Alliance, dedicated to expanding the power supply and procurement options and reforming the traditional Generation and Transmission (G&T) business model. For more information about the cooperative, visit www.unitedpower.com or follow them on social media Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube and Instagram.

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Residential & Business Rates Will Not Increase for Second Consecutive Year

United Power has announced that there will not be a scheduled rate increase for residential or business members in 2022. This marks the second consecutive year rates have not been increased for members. The cooperative’s Board of Directors made the decision in November upon approval of the 2022 budget.

Over the course of the past several months, United Power has focused its efforts to reduce spending where possible and control cooperative costs. It has also continued to monitor the pandemic’s economic impact on the communities it serves and the members on its lines. While there has been a slow transition to normal functions, the result of the cooperative’s cost control measures has enabled it to once again avoid a rate increase, providing a little additional relief for members who continue to feel the pandemic’s affects heading into the holiday season.

“We are proud to announce that members will not have to worry about how a rate increase will affect them this upcoming year,” said Mark A. Gabriel, United Power’s President and Chief Executive Officer. “As a cooperative, we don’t answer to corporate shareholders or investor interests, but are here to serve each of our members. We have the flexibility to shift directions quickly, like we had to over the past year, to drive better results for you, our members.”

Continued growth also played a significant role in the cooperative’s ability to maintain its current rate structure. Growth this year has exceeded expectations, and United Power became just the second Colorado co-op to surpass 100,000 meters earlier this summer.

United Power understands its members have different needs and use electricity in vastly different ways. The cooperative’s residential rates are designed so members have the option to choose one that most closely fits how they use energy. When the demand rate debuted, it separated the energy and demand components and allowed the cooperative to more fairly charge members for both their energy use and impact on the grid. Residential members have four different rates to choose from, each designed with slight variations that allow you to review your energy usage and pick a rate that works best for you and your family.

However you use your energy, the flexibility of the cooperative’s residential rates should meet most members’ needs.

You can compare the demand and energy charges of each rate and choose one that most closely fits how you and your family use energy here.

Members who are curious how home electronics and appliances may impact their demand charge can use the cooperative’s Demand Calculator on the Understanding Demand page.