National Work Zone Awareness will be Recognized April 26-30, 2021

United Power would like to remind our members of the importance of staying aware when entering and exiting roadside work zone areas for both your safety and our crews’ safety. Transportation accidents are one of the leading causes of on-the-job deaths nationwide.

As an electric utility, our work is fundamentally different from most highway construction work zones. When United Power conducts roadside construction work, it usually involves small crews working for short periods of time when compared to major highway and road construction. This poses challenges to keeping our lineworkers safe.

Major traffic construction will warn drivers in advance with signs posted hundreds of feet or even miles prior to the beginning of work. However, because the nature of our work is different, our crews use different warning techniques when preparing for roadside work. Traffic cones are typically used to delineate our work, which are quicker and easier for our crews to haul and set up when work near roadways is required. Much of our electrical infrastructure is located in high traffic areas, such as shoulders and right-of-ways, intersections and road medians.

To maintain high-powered electrical lines and equipment, our crews work in large vehicles, such as a bucket truck. When you see a United Power bucket truck located on a roadside, remember to look for signs and cones that it may be a work zone. Slow down and move over when possible to give our crews a wide enough path to continue working safely.

Please try to avoid distractions like cell phones or changing radio stations when entering a roadside work zone and be prepared for the unexpected.

We thank you for helping keep our crews safe!

Annual Meeting Register for the Meeting Candidate Statements

With the pandemic lingering into this year, United Power is gearing up for its 2021 Annual Meeting & Director Election a little differently. The cooperative had planned to hold its previous Annual Meeting in-person before COVID. The pandemic forced the cooperative to consider alternate options for members. The result was the first-ever virtual meeting. This year, we are moving forward with the second consecutive virtual format that will allow members to follow along by telephone or via livestream on the cooperative’s website from the comfort of their own homes.

All members are invited to attend the Annual Meeting to hear from United Power leadership about the exciting ways the cooperative has continued to serve members through tumultuous times over the previous year. From the cooperative’s proactive response to the pandemic to its dedicated efforts to pursue competitive rates for members, our leadership has much to share. Members who attend will have the opportunity to win one of several door prizes, announced the following day.

In addition to the Annual Meeting, members have the unique opportunity to have a say in the future of their electric cooperative by voting in the director election. Each year, your votes determine who represents members on United Power’s Board of Directors. Your participation in the election is critical to helping the cooperative better serve you.

Seven candidates will be running for election to the Board of Directors. This year, one seat in each director district is up for election. The director candidates are Steve Douglas and Tim Erickson in the East District; Stephen Whiteside in the Mountain District; Brad Case and Ken Kreutzer in the South District; and Vicki Hutchinson and Brian McCormick in the West District. (Candidate statements can be found here.)

The cooperative mails out director ballots – including candidate statements – in late March and encourages all members to vote and mail in their ballots prior to the deadline. This year there will be no ballot drop boxes and no in-person balloting. Please return your ballots in the postage-paid envelope before the April 14 deadline. Although directors live in specific geographic districts, they represent all members and are therefore elected on an “at-large” basis. This means members should cast a vote for a director in each district and not just their own.

Attending the Meeting

Member registration for the Annual Meeting is now open on the cooperative’s website. Members who register will receive a phone call from the cooperative on Wednesday, April 14 at 6:30 p.m. Election results will be announced prior to adjournment. To learn more about the Annual Meeting, read about candidates running for a seat on the board, or to register, visit the Annual Meeting page. 

Brighton, CO — United Power is moving its traditional Meet the Candidates events to a virtual format this year in response to uncertainty surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic. The one-time virtual event will be held March 18 at 6:30 p.m., and members will be able to follow along via phone or livestream.

The cooperative’s Meet the Candidates Forum provides members with the opportunity to hear from each of the candidates vying to serve on the Board of Directors in this year’s Director Election. Each candidate will be given a few minutes to speak, and members will also be able to submit questions to candidates.

Ballots for the 2021 Director Election will be mailed to all members in mid-March and must be received by mail by April 14. Election results will be announced at the conclusion of the 2021 Annual Meeting, which will also be held virtually for the second consecutive year. The Annual Meeting is scheduled for April 14 at 6:30 p.m. Member registration for the Annual Meeting is now open on the cooperative’s website.

All previously advertised in-person Meet the Candidate events have been cancelled. This virtual format will be the only Meet the Candidates event. Members can view a livestream video of the event online or dial in to listen to the audio portion over the phone. Registration for the Meet the Candidates Forum is not required.

For more information, including statements from board candidates, how members can tune into the Meet the Candidates Forum or to register for the Annual Meeting, visit www.unitedpower.com/annual-meeting.

United Power is a member-owned, not-for-profit electric cooperative, delivering electricity to more than 97,000 meters at homes, farms and businesses throughout Colorado’s northern front range. 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. At the end of 2020, the cooperative reached more than 97,000 meters representing more than 300,000 members. For more information about the cooperative, visit www.unitedpower.com or follow them on social media at facebook.com/unitedpower or twitter.com/unitedpowercoop.

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Brighton, Colo. – After a nationwide search, United Power’s Board of Directors has named Mark A. Gabriel as President and Chief Executive Officer of the organization effective March 15, 2021.

Gabriel, a 25-year veteran in the electric utility business, has served for the past eight years as the Administrator and Chief Executive Officer of the Western Area Power Administration (WAPA), which is part of the Department of Energy.

“United Power’s Board of Directors is very happy to announce we have selected Mark Gabriel as our new President and CEO,” stated Ursula Morgan, United Power Board Chair. “Mark Gabriel is the right choice to guide United Power into a more successful future. He will help create a lasting impact on our members."

“I am extremely honored to have been selected to lead such an amazing organization as we approach a transformational time in the electricity business,” Gabriel said. “United Power is uniquely positioned to be engaged in the decarbonization of the grid, and to take advantage of the introduction of new technologies as we move to a cleaner energy future.”

Prior to his appointment at WAPA, Gabriel served in numerous positions in the industry, including more than eight years as a management consultant and Acting President at the Electric Power Research Institute where he led the nationwide effort known as the Electricity Sector Framework for the Future. He is also the author of, “Visions for a Sustainable Energy Future”, which won the Indie Award for Environmental Writing.

“United Power has a rich history of innovation and is serving one of Colorado’s, and the Nation’s, fastest growing service territories,” Gabriel said. “The power of the cooperative business model to embrace change is unmatched in its ability to engage with its members for the future.”

Gabriel replaces Acting CEO, Bryant Robbins. Robbins is the Chief Operating Officer and has been filling both roles for the past year.

“The Board is appreciative of Robbins’ leadership and guidance this past year, helping us meet the many challenges of our fast-growing cooperative,” added Morgan.

United Power is a member-owned, not-for-profit electric cooperative, delivering electricity to more than 97,000 meters at homes, farms and businesses throughout Colorado’s northern front range. 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. At the end of 2020, the cooperative reached more than 97,000 meters representing more than 300,000 members. For more information about the cooperative, visit www.unitedpower.com or follow them on social media at facebook.com/unitedpower or twitter.com/unitedpowercoop.

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As your cooperative, we want to provide you with the most useful information and applicable resources to help you save on bills. In a previous newsletter, we tackled some common energy efficiency myths. This follow up to that article dives into a few more myths to help you make more informed decisions.

Reducing Energy Use is Too Expensive

The first and most common misconception about energy efficiency is cost. There’s a stigma associated with it that assumes it’s far too expensive to be worth it, which is incorrect. While members can begin to see increased savings by upgrading insulation and replacing old appliances, many of the immediate steps you can take toward using energy efficiently are behavioral changes. Some of these will be addressed below, but others include turning off lights when you leave a room, limiting use of kitchen and bathroom vents, closing doors to empty rooms while heating or cooling systems are running, and remembering to close your curtains in the summer – and conversely open them in the winter – to keep sunlight from affecting the temperature inside your home.

Myth or Truth: Myth

Adjusting the Thermostat Saves Energy

Adjusting your thermostat up or down a few degrees, depending on the season, can help you save energy. The U.S. Department of Energy estimates this little behavioral change could save consumers as much as 10 percent per year on their energy bills. Since heating and cooling our homes accounts for approximately half of our annual energy usage, that could result in significant savings. To see additional savings on your energy bills, you can adjust the thermostat a few more degrees when you and your family won’t be home. It is recommended to practice adjusting your thermostat 6-8 degrees when your home will be empty for several hours, such as when you’re at work. It’s important to note you may not see savings from this practice when you’re only away from the home for a couple hours. This practice is easily paired with a smart thermostat, which can either adjust your thermostat automatically based your location relative to the home or on a pre-programmed schedule. If you and your family are traveling for the holidays, you can set your thermostat to an even lower temperature, roughly 50 degrees, to both save energy and protect your pipes from winter temperatures. In certain situations, it may even be possible to turn your system off altogether, such as a family vacation in the summer or at night when you can allow Colorado’s mild climate to cool your home naturally by opening windows.

Myth or Truth: Truth

Ceiling Fans Keep Rooms Cool

Sitting in a room with a running ceiling fan may feel more comfortable than a room without one, but that’s not because the ceiling fan is actually cooling the air in the room. Instead, the room feels cooler because the ceiling fan keeps air in the room flowing constantly, cooling those who are in the room rather than the air itself. To use ceiling fans efficiently, run them only in occupied rooms while adjusting your thermostat up a few degrees. Leaving a ceiling fan running in an empty room just wastes energy.

Myth or Truth: Myth.

Setting Thermostat Higher Heats Home Faster

No matter what temperature you set your thermostat, your furnace will work equally as hard and fast to meet that goal. The only difference achieved by setting the temperature to a higher degree is that the system will work for a longer period of time, therefore using more energy. The same applies to air conditioners when set to a lower temperature then desired.

Myth or Truth: Myth

Appliances Don’t Use Power When Turned Off

You may have heard the term “vampire loads,” but do you know what causes them? When you turn off an electronic device or appliance, many don’t actually turn off. They go into a “standby” mode, which still draws a small amount of energy. The U.S. Department of Energy estimates these loads are approaching nearly 10% of our annual energy usage, due in large part to the increased number of electronics we use daily. To save energy, make sure your electronics are turned off rather than in standby and unplug unused chargers. Using a smart power strip may be an effective way to combat these loads, as well.

Myth or Truth: Myth

Using energy more efficiently isn’t as difficult as you may believe. Many of the quickest ways to see results are to make small behavioral changes. If you’re curious about more ways you can save, check out our website at www.unitedpower.com/energy-tips or contact an Energy Management Specialist at 303-637-1300.

Seeking an opportunity to give back during the holiday season, United Power employees participated in a virtual food drive to raise funds for the Food Bank of the Rockies in December. In the two weeks before Christmas, employees donated more than $2,000 to the food bank, which the cooperative generously matched, bringing the total to more than $4,000.

For each dollar donated, the Food Bank of the Rockies was able to provide four meals to individuals and families facing food insecurity and in need of assistance. Thanks to the contributions of United Power employees, the food bank was able to provide nearly 17,000 meals. The Food Bank of the Rockies was selected as the partner for the employee drive because of its accessibility for members across the service territory.

“We wanted to help our communities and our members, and this was a safe-distance solution that allowed us to reach as many members as possible,” said Laurel Eller, Senior Communication Specialist. “Employee giving is a rich tradition and our employees have been very generous this season. We thank all of them for helping make this virtual food drive a success.”

Demand at food banks quadrupled last year as many local familes faced food insecurity for the very first time. The Food Bank of the Rockies distributed more than 100 million pounds of food for the first time ever in 2020, which provided more than 83 million meals for those in need. To learn more or support the Food Bank of the Rockies, go to www.foodbankrockies.org.