United Power Just the 31st Cooperative Nationally to Reach 100,000 Meters

United Power in June became one of just a handful of electric cooperatives nationwide to surpass 100,000 meters. The achievement highlights a period of sustained growth for the Brighton-based co-op that began in the early 2000s and continued even this past year despite a historic pandemic. United Power had anticipated reaching the meter mark in 2021 but did so much earlier than expected due to an increase in growth early this year.

By surpassing 100,000 meters, United Power becomes just the second Colorado electric cooperative to reach the mark, joining Intermountain Rural Electric Association, headquartered southwest of Denver in Sedalia.

“It is truly a historic accomplishment to reach this meter milestone,” said Mark A. Gabriel, United Power’s President and Chief Executive Officer. “United Power has long had a reputation for excellence among its cooperative peers, and it now joins a select few who serve more than 100,000 meters. Our size and reputation will amplify our voice in helping shape the future of the electric industry.”

Like all electric cooperatives, United Power was established to serve a largely rural population in an area that was considered too inconvenient or unprofitable for large electric utilities. Today, there are more than 800 electric cooperatives serving members throughout the country. Many have remained small because of the sparsely populated areas they are serving, but others, like United Power, have found themselves in rapidly growing areas close to large metropolitans.

Few cities are experiencing the growth surge that began in Denver several years ago. While much of the cooperative’s service territory is still rural, it now also serves some of the fastest growing communities in the country as more people are relocating to the Denver area. Maintaining control of the area has not always been easy. United Power had to survive an aggressive buyout attempt from the Public Service Company of Colorado — now Xcel Energy — which no longer saw the cooperative’s service territory as either unprofitable or inconvenient.

United Power was established by a group of farmers in and around Brighton in 1938 with only a couple hundred original members. It took the cooperative nearly 40 years to surpass 10,000 meters. When United Power reached an agreement with Public Service Company to forgo the buyout in the mid-1980s, growth had come to the area, but not like it would in the years to follow. By 2004, it had reached 50,000 meters, and a decade later in 2015 surpassed 75,000. During its largest growth year in 2004, the cooperative gained approximately 5,000 new meters, more than it gained during a twenty year stretch from 1950-1970 combined.

The cooperative has already experienced record growth again this year, and is on pace to add several thousand more meters to its system before the end of the year. The continued growth has United Power now setting its sights on the next meter mark.

“We are adding new meters at an unprecedented rate,” said Gabriel. “But more importantly, we are adding members. Each new meter represents a new family on our lines or a new business helping shape the economy of the communities we serve. Our members make us stronger, and they make our communities stronger. As your cooperative, it is our privilege to be able to serve each and every one of our members.”

United Power invites members to join in celebrating this meter milestone with the cooperative and with each other at our 100,000 Meter Open House celebration at the Carbon Valley Service Center on August 28. The events will provide members with an opportunity to learn more about the cooperative and see how its newest facility and office location are effectively serving members on the west side of the service territory.

United Power has partnered with the Carbon Valley Help Center and encourages event attendees to bring a canned food item or cash donations to assist the Help Center in meeting the needs of others in the area.

Join us!

United Power 100,000 Meter Open House Celebration
Saturday, August 28

The Adams County Fair, August 4-8, will be packed with family friendly entertainment, and as the presenting sponsor, United Power is giving away ticket packages to some lucky members. Enter to win one of four prize packages below by completing the entry form. 

Contest Entry Form

Friday, August 6 | 7 p.m.
4 Tickets, Demolition Derby & Fireworks (x2)
2 Unlimited Carnival Arm Bands
$25 Concessions Gift Card

Saturday, August 7 | 7 p.m.
4 Tickets, NSPA Truck Pull
2 Unlimited Carnival Arm Bands
$25 Concessions Gift Card

Sunday, August 8 | 3 p.m.
4 Tickets, Dia de la Familia
2 Unlimited Carnival Arm Bands
$25 Concessions Gift Card

To learn more about the fair, go to www.adamscountyfair.com. 

To enter by mail, mail a postcard with your name, address, phone and email to: 

United Power
Attn: Adams County Fair Ticket Package Giveaway
500 Cooperative Way
Brighton, CO 80603

Entries must be received by July 28, 2021 to be eligible. United Power is not responsible for lost or misdirected mail.

June is here and summer is just around the corner. With many people still working from home as we approach summer, electricity usage is going to be important to watch.

Your air conditioning is one of the most demand intensive appliances in your home, accounting for more than 15 percent of your total energy usage. This means members will begin to see their demand charge rise to include the use of this additional appliance. However, United Power was able to prevent rates from increasing this year, which means summer electric bills should remain fairly similar to bills from a year ago, depending on the weather.

United Power provides free member tools to assist in monitoring and controlling your energy usage. The Power Portal, for example, provides a custom dashboard detailing energy usage patterns and identifying peak demand allowing members to determine what behaviors are driving their demand. The cooperative’s custom demand calculator can give members an idea of what appliances are consuming the most energy and are the greatest contributors to demand charges. With air conditioning being the main driver of summer energy usage, United Power also starting offering rebates on ENERGY STAR A/C units this past summer.

The majority of summer energy efficiency tips revolve around creative ways to keep your home cool without overburdening your air conditioning, which has already been difficult during the early part of the summer. 

You can find some of these energy saving tips on our website. For these tips, information about demand, available rebates and more, please visit the Understanding Demand page. For quick and simple energy tips, visit our Energy Savings page. 

United Power members who have enrolled to receive text message notifications from the cooperative about their account may have received a text this afternoon. This message was to alert members about a change in now notifications are delivered.  

Text messaging is an important method for us to communicate with. From billing alerts to service updates, text messaging is an effective way for us to help keep you updated on your service and news regarding United Power. 

We wanted to let you know of a small change to our text messaging. When you receive a text message from United Power it has previously come from a short code. Starting today, text messages from the cooperative will come from a new toll-free number, 844-980-3030. We're making this change to help ensure we continue to communicate with you effectively through text. 

This change will not affect your service or communication from us in any way. If you have questions, please contact a member services representative at 303-637-1300. 

To change your notification preferences, login to your SmartHub account and select Manage Contacts from the Notifications menu. From there you can add, edit or delete voice, email and text notifications. 

Co-op Expects to Reach 100,000 Meter Milestone Before End of Summer

United Power recently topped 99,000 meter connections thanks to record-setting growth in April. The cooperative connected more than 550 new meters throughout the month, accelerating its path toward 100,000 meters. Leadership within the cooperative now project reaching that number before the end of the summer.

“If growth continues at the rate we have experienced so far this year, we are in tremendous shape to reach 100,000 meters very soon,” said Mark A. Gabriel, United Power’s President and Chief Executive Officer. “Reaching the mark is a significant achievement for the cooperative.”

There are more than 800 electric cooperatives nationally. United Power would become just the 31st co-op to reach the 100,000 meter milestone. It would also join Intermountain REA as the only other Colorado co-op to reach the milestone.

Year over year, United Power has ranked among the fastest growing cooperatives nationwide, due to consistent development in the area it serves, which includes several fast-growing suburban communities. Growth continued even as United Power braced for a slow down amid the pandemic. Instead, another strong year enabled United Power to keep rates the same as it entered 2021.

United Power is planning a special member celebration for surpassing 100,000 meters later this summer. Watch our social media for updates about upcoming events and contests.

“I am grateful to arrive in time to recognize and celebrate this accomplishment with the cooperative,” said Gabriel. “We cannot wait to celebrate it with our members, too.”