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. 

Retirement of $5.5 Million on its way to Members Beginning in May

United Power is more than your local electric utility and you are more than a consumer. Over the past year, we’ve had to weather the COVID-19 pandemic together, making provisions for the health of the cooperative and also to support our members. From establishing a relief fund for struggling members to temporarily suspending disconnects, you are at the center of who we are and what we do. The decisions we made weren’t to satisfy invisible investors or salvage profits, but to serve both our members and our communities as they navigated difficult circumstances. It’s just part of what makes cooperative membership different.

Another member benefit that sets us apart is the retirement of capital credits. This year, our members will be part of United Power’s 15th consecutive retirement. If you are new to the cooperative or unfamiliar with capital credits, these represent your investment in the co-op. Here’s how it works:

Becoming a Member

The moment you activate electric service from United Power, you become a member and an owner in the cooperative. As a member, you have unique privileges, one of which is the principle of economic participation. A portion of each electric bill goes toward the cooperative’s operation and infrastructure, which you have an ownership stake in.

Members may also vote annually in board elections or run for a seat on the board to make their voices heard. (A full recap of the 2021 Annual Meeting is available on page 10.) By actively engaging and participating with the cooperative, you will always have a voice in our operation.

Allocation of Patronage Capital

Every spring, United Power looks at the prior year and any funds remaining after all expenses are paid are allocated to members based on the prior year’s electric consumption – the more power you use, the larger your allocation.

The allocation is not a check, but a representation of your ownership in the cooperative, i.e. the amount of money you have invested into the electric system based on your electric consumption. The funds are tracked, but not accessible in the form of cash. You are notified of your allocation amount on your bill in May or June each year.

Retirement of Capital Credits

Each year, the Board of Directors carefully assesses the financial condition of the cooperative and determines what amount of capital credits to retire. If the Board decides a retirement is feasible, the money is paid out, or “retired,” from each member’s account. This year, the Board approved a $5.5 million retirement. Those retirements will be distributed beginning in late May or early June.

Anyone who had service in 2020 or earlier will be eligible to receive a refund. Members who receive a refund less than $50 will see it reflected on their billing statement as a credit, and refunds more than $50 will arrive as a check. Look for this credit on your bill in May or June.

“There is not a more tangible benefit of cooperative membership than receiving money back on your investment in the utility itself,” said Mark A. Gabriel, United Power’s President and Chief Executive Officer. “Your investment not only makes you an owner, but helps ensure the resiliency of our system, the reliability of your power and the affordability of our rates. It is a tangible representation of your value as both a member and an owner.”

Capital credit retirements have returned a steady stream of money back to members in recent years. During the past 15 years, the cooperative has been able to retire millions of dollars back to its members.

Want to learn more? Frequently asked questions about capital credits can be found on cooperative's Capital Credits page or you can call a member services representative at 303-637-1300.

IMPORTANT REMINDERS

• If you move, please be sure to leave your new address with us so we can continue to refund any capital credits you are eligible to receive in the future.
• Upon death, the deceased member’s capital credit account is available for estate retirement. The representative of the estate should contact United Power to settle the capital credit account.

United Power has long been invested in pursuing renewable projects that make economic sense for both the cooperative and its members. The cooperative has built a national reputation for its introduction of innovative renewable projects over the past decade, beginning with the launch of its community solar garden, Sol Partners, in May 2010.

As your cooperative, United Power continues to monitor the renewable energy landscape and recognizes the future of electrical generation will be an “all of the above” strategy of investing in a variety of generation sources. The addition of these projects, from utility scale solar farms to a state-leading battery storage facility, helps build some cost stability for members.

The addition of the Platteville Solar Farm in December brought United Power’s cumulative solar production to more than 45 megawatts. Together with the cooperative’s other renewable projects and its members’ rooftop solar systems, United Power produces nearly 85 total megawatts, accounting for 14 percent of its energy needs and enough to power more than 11,000 homes and businesses. United Power members recently topped more than 6,100 total rooftop solar systems across the cooperative’s territory.

“United Power has demonstrative success in planning for and implementing renewable projects that provide tangible benefits for our members,” said Mark A. Gabriel, United Power President & Chief Executive Officer. “As we plan for the future, we’ll continue to prioritize projects that establish us as a leader in the energy industry and also meet our members’ expectations for us as their cooperative. What we are doing now is laying the groundwork for a sustainable and environmentally friendly electric utility.”

For more information about United Power’s renewable portfolio and other innovative energy projects, visit www.unitedpower.com.

Charger Station Part of Co-op's Growing EV Charging Network

Brighton, CO – United Power announced Tuesday its second electric vehicle charging station is now operational and available for public use. The new charging station is located at the Market Street Mart in Keenesburg, filling a gap in available charging options for rural electric vehicle owners and drivers between Brighton and Fort Morgan. Both cooperative charging stations are available on the ChargePoint network.

“United Power has made a commitment to providing innovative technologies that are beneficial for members,” said Energy Programs Director Joel Danforth. “This installation not only helps us continue to fulfill that commitment but also keep pace with the emerging trend toward electric vehicles.”

The Keenesburg charging station is a 62.5 kW direct current (DC) fast charger available for anyone who has set up a ChargePoint account. Anyone can set up a ChargePoint account using the mobile app or an activation card available through the mail. The charging station was installed with the help of a grant from the Colorado Energy Office’s Charge Ahead Colorado program.

United Power has invested in several educational resources for members interested in electric vehicles. The cooperative launched its Choose EV web portal in June, providing a wealth of information about both electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles. It also hosted a live webinar for National Drive EV Week to provide additional education and alleviate common concerns and hesitations about purchasing an electric vehicle.

The cooperative installed its first charging station at its Coal Creek office in 2019. United Power leadership continues to look at the electric vehicle landscape and consider programs that will offer the best benefit for members, including additional charging locations in its growing network.

“We have made a consistent effort to invest in electric vehicle resources for members over the past couple years,” said Mark A. Gabriel, United Power’s President and Chief Executive Officer. “Our goal is to provide the right opportunities and the right programs that make electric vehicles practical and accessible for more of our members, especially those who live in rural communities.”

United Power is a member-owned, not-for-profit electric cooperative, delivering electricity to homes, farms and businesses throughout Colorado’s northern front range. As one of the fastest-growing electric cooperatives in the nation, the utility will join the elite ranks of cooperatives serving more than 100,000 meters by the end of this summer. 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. 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 CEO Mark A. Gabriel testified before the House Energy and Environment Committee in favor of Senate Bill 21-072 requiring all utilities to join organized wholesale markets.

“The West is on the precipice of great change in electric generation and transmission,” Gabriel said, “And the movement to cleaner sources of generation will require a full market.” He told the committee that while the move to energy imbalance services such as those provided by the Southwest Power Pool (SPP) in its Western Energy Imbalance Service (WEIS) and California Independent System Operator’s Energy Imbalance Service (EIM) is a good start, neither provides the benefit of a true regional transmission organization with day-ahead markets.

“Markets provide two functions, acting as the air traffic controller and facilitating financial transactions,” Gabriel explained. “They function best when crossing time and weather zones.”

Named to lead United Power in March, Gabriel was the Administrator and Chief Executive Officer of the Western Area Power Administration. He moved WAPA into the full market in SPP for states in the Upper Great Plains in 2015 that resulted in a $145 million savings for its utility customers. In February, WAPA moved its Rocky Mountain Region and Colorado River Storage Project Regions into the SPP WEIS imbalance Service and in March the Sierra Nevada Region into the CALISO EIM.

“Flexibility in generation supply is best supported by fully operational markets,” he said. In addition, Gabriel pointed out that the Bill’s timeframe of 2030 may be overtaken by events.

The United Power Board of Directors voted to support SB21-072 when it was introduced earlier this year by primary sponsor Senator Chris Hansen. SB-72 is a lengthy, complex bill which creates statutory language to require investor-owned utilities to join a Regional Transmission Organization (RTO) by 2030, expedites electric transmission line approval processes at the Colorado Public Utilities Commission (PUC) and creates the Colorado Electric Transmission Authority (CETA) to assist in financing construction or purchase of transmission projects.  

After passing through two committee hearings and floor votes in the Senate, SB 21-072 passed in the House Energy and Environment Committee on a 11-2 vote. Audio of Mark A. Gabriel’s testimony can be found here. Mr. Gabriel speaks at 4:57 pm.