Our Cooperative Roadmap leads a list of amazing accomplishments in 2021. United Power took a different, and slightly longer, view of our actions and investments over the next decade. This was essential as we embrace the dramatic changes and tremendous opportunities taking place in the most critical infrastructure of all – electricity.

It is important to put the Roadmap in the context of our innovative history and community involvement. United Power pioneered technologies, installing the first cooperative community solar project, capturing methane gas from the Erie landfill to generate electricity, and installing the largest battery storage project in Colorado. We have expanded our electric vehicle (EV) charging network, examined how blockchain can facilitate member-to-member transactions, and partnered on a geothermal project with oil and gas operators to generate power in the field for use on site. 

Our Roadmap has four priorities: empower and engage our membership and communities; provide flexible, affordable, sustainable power and services; continuously optimize our electric distribution system; and achieve and maintain business agility and resilience through information technology and operational technology (IT/OT) and system operations. 

Engaging our members and communities means making programs available so you have a more active role in managing your electric bills while helping us manage the system more efficiently. What does this look like? Simply put, managing connected energy resources to avoid peaks, lower demand, and provide a benefit for all members. 

We want to help our member communities grow into their vision of an ideal town or city. We want to be the power behind the spaces you call home. But with all our growth, it is important we also continue to perform well as a business.  Optimizing our system promotes more efficiency, shorter outages, and better wildfire protection. 

And what about your power? Should it be less expensive? Should it be generated closer to home? How can we be an active voice in the discussion about where energy is going in the next decade? 

Flexibility in our power supply has many layers. First and foremost, United Power is seeking a new source for wholesale power. We can no longer live in an expensive, constrained generation environment. We must be in position to take full advantage of coming power markets. This is truly about economics – keeping dollars in our communities, lowering rates, and being able to work with members and others who want to generate more cost-effective electricity. If you want to learn more about how we are planning for these future changes, join us for our Power Supply Forum on June 7 (Details here). 

Underlying all these initiatives is the need for technology that will allow us to move to the next level. We need to collect and analyze information about our system and provide automated solutions that give members control over their energy usage. Events of the past couple years have tested and confirmed our ability to deliver these solutions to people working beyond the office. 

There are other utilities fighting the future and trying to keep inefficient generation on the market, failing to embrace technology, markets, and member engagement opportunities. Holding onto the past, be it business models or technologies, has never worked. 

What does the future look like for United Power? Abraham Lincoln is to have said, “the best way to predict the future is to create it.” We are doing just that thanks to the tremendous support of your Board of Directors and the employees who work with phenomenal dedication every day. Bottom line: we must continue providing a robust network so that every member behind every meter has every option to engage in the way they desire. 

We need to do this while ensuring high quality, high reliability, and reasonably priced power. Engagement is key, and I encourage all members to reach out to me as we execute Our Cooperative Roadmap.   

Date: 4/29/2022
United Power filed a non-conditional Notice of Intent to Withdraw from our power supplier in compliance with a recent Federal Energy Regulatory Commission ruling. This changes our previously announced Tri-State exit date of Jan. 1, 2024 to May 1, 2024.

United Power hosted a hybrid Annual Meeting on April 13, allowing members to gather in person for the first time since 2019. The cooperative was pleased to return to an in-person format this year. Nearly 450 members and guests attended the meeting either in person or online. The meeting included a video recap highlighting the cooperative’s accomplishments over the last year, an annual financial report, and the certification of the director election.

Voting in the director election was conducted via mail-in and electronic balloting. The cooperative introduced electronic balloting this year to provide members with a fast, secure and convenient way to submit ballots and avoid delays in mail handling. More than 6,000 member ballots were cast in the election. East District incumbent, Elizabeth “Beth” Martin, retained her seat, receiving 2,728 votes. Steven “Steve” Douglas received 2,536 votes and Naptali A. Lucks received 700 votes in the race for the East District. Ursula J. Morgan, West District, and Keith Alquist, South District, ran unopposed and will retain their seats with 5,341 and 5,337 votes, respectively.

Ursula J. Morgan, Board Chairman and Mark A. Gabriel, President and CEO, summarized the cooperative’s performance in 2021 with a video presentation. The cooperative surpassed 100,000 meter connections, improved operational efficiencies, and implemented several innovative projects all in the last year.

The addition of more than 4,600 new meters pushed United Power beyond 100,000 meters early last summer. It became just the 31st electric cooperative nationwide to surpass this mark and only the second in Colorado. While more meters were being added, the operations team conducted targeted maintenance, which reduced outage times to nearly half the national average.

United Power also expanded its electric vehicle charging network, installed a diesel generator in Gilpin County, and deployed its first hybrid bucket truck. The cooperative’s second charging station at the Market Street Mart in Keenesburg filled a gap in available charging infrastructure along Interstate 76. The generator project provided an outage solution and emergency backup to members located at the ends of the co-op’s lines where it can be difficult to restore power quickly due to isolation and mountain terrain. 

Most significantly, United Power announced its intentions to pursue a change in its wholesale power supplier effective January 2024. Wholesale power costs account for approximately 75% of member rates and attempts to negotiate the cooperative’s existing contract have failed. Based on the broader economic landscape, leadership believes it is in the best interest of members to find an alternate supplier moving forward.

“This was not a decision that was reached without exhaustive research and deliberation,” said Morgan. “We considered the impact on rates and reliability, as well as the flexibility of our power supply. The Board believes this is the right direction for our cooperative.”

The cost of power under the current contract is nearly 20-25% higher than market levels. The availability of self-generation and storage options combined with existing contract limitations no longer meet the needs of United Power members.

“Our goal is to provide both lower-cost power and more options for our members,” Gabriel said. “We are confident we can craft a new future for our members, and we are excited to bring the opportunities to you.”

United Power anticipates far-reaching change and innovation to come to the electric utility industry in the years ahead. One of the cooperative’s biggest accomplishments last year was developing Our Cooperative Roadmap, a long-term action plan to maintain United Power’s strength and competitiveness in the evolving industry.

“What does the future look like for United Power?” Gabriel asked. “We need to continue to provide a robust network so that every member behind every meter has every possible option and opportunity to engage in the way they desire. Bottom line: we need to do this while ensuring high quality, high reliability, and reasonably priced power.”

Keith Alquist, United Power’s Board Treasurer, presented the cooperative’s financials and reported the cooperative is in good fiscal shape. The finance team at United Power continues to receive compliments from auditors for their professionalism, completeness and accuracy in preparing financial statements at year-end and on a monthly basis.

Videos and information presented at the 2022 Annual Meeting, including the cooperative’s 2021 Annual Report, are available here.

Round-Up Grant Helps Habitat for Humanity Provide Homes for Two Families

St. Vrain Habitat for Humanity presented two Carbon Valley families with keys to their new homes alongside friends, family, volunteers, and community organizations at a ribbon cutting in January. Among the organizations present at the event was United Power’s Operation Round-Up Foundation.

Habitat for Humanity provides newly constructed homes to families who are positioned for home ownership but are unable to qualify for traditional financing. The organization builds homes from the ground up and sells them at cost to selected families thanks to support from community volunteers. Round-Up awarded Habitat for Humanity a $5,000 grant to help with home construction costs.

“Without the help of community partners like Round-Up, we wouldn’t be able to do what we do for these families,” said Rebecca Shannon, community engagement manager for St. Vrain Habitat for Humanity.

Round-Up is funded entirely by members who voluntarily “round up” their monthly statements to the next whole dollar. The average contribution is approximately $.50 per month. Those funds are then redistributed to nonprofits in various parts of the service territory to ensure as many members receive help as possible.

“We are proud to support community organizations meeting the needs of vulnerable members,” said Joan Kniss, a Round-Up board member. “Habitat for Humanity has a strong track record of lifting people up and lets us see our grant dollars in action.”

Home ownership allows families to put down roots and begin contributing to their local community, Shannon said. Homes are not only built to meet all safety requirements, but are also energy efficient, which lowers the cost of ownership. Selected families are required to demonstrate commitment to their new home by returning volunteer hours helping with the construction of their future homes. Having a hand in building your own home develops a sense of pride in it.

Habitat for Humanity broke ground on a new home in Carbon Valley on March 7. To volunteer, visit www.stvrainhabitat.org.

More than 20% of United Power members voluntarily round up their bills. To enroll in Operation Round-Up, click here.