Colorado Public Utilities Commission (the “Commission”), represented by Administrative Law Judge Robert Garvey, ruled in favor of United Power in the electric cooperative’s effort to establish a “fair, just and reasonable” buyout number from their power supplier, Tri-State Generation and Transmission. The action in front of the Commission was brought late last year and today’s decision helps to establish a methodology for calculating just and non-discriminatory terms for United Power to withdraw as a member of Tri-State.

“United Power has continued to pursue this action on behalf of our members,” stated Bryant Robbins, acting CEO. “It’s our goal to provide reliable power to every family and business we serve, and to provide that power at a cost that makes sense. We carefully considered our obligations to Tri-State and developed what we believed was a fair exit cost. Should this exit charge be affirmed by the Commission, it will be up to our Board of Directors to decide if this is in the best interest of our membership.”

For nearly two years, United Power sought a fair “exit charge” from Tri-State. During the hearing, United Power presented a methodology based on their proportionate share of Tri-State’s debt which produced an exit charge of approximately $235 million, comparable to payments made by other cooperatives who have exited Tri-State. Instead of working toward a reasonable exit charge, Tri-State tried to block United Power from leaving by proposing to charge it $1.25 billion, a discriminatory amount that would have resulted in an unfair windfall to Tri-State’s remaining members.

“Access to today’s energy marketplace requires a utility to be nimble and responsive to both the energy mix and the cost to the members at the end of the line,” stated Dean Hubbuck, Chief Energy Resource Officer. “This is a momentous decision in United Power’s effort to have more control over our power mix while keeping costs down.”
“We are hopeful that the Commission affirms this decision and, while we are elated, we recognize this is just the next step in a long process,” stated Robbins. “On behalf of United Power and our Board of Directors, I want to thank Judge Garvey and the Colorado Public Utilities Commission staff for their diligence and efforts in considering this matter. We appreciate their willingness to lend their expertise and oversight to this critical matter.”
 

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Summer is just around the corner. Although the spring has given us brief reprieves from winter weather, soon the summer heat will arrive. With more people expected to work from home this summer, temperatures might not be the only thing rising.

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, when United Power introduced its demand rate in January 2019, it also lowered the cost of energy – which means two things for members. 

Most members will not see a significant increase to their monthly bills despite January rate increases. With the decrease in cost of energy corresponding to the demand rate increase, bills should stay fairly level. The average increase for members on the standard residential rate when increases took effect was less than $2/month. Rate increases also gave members more control over their bills by allowing them to choose when to use appliances, keeping demand low and bills even lower. The graphic below demonstrates appliance stacking and how staggering their use can save on demand. 

United Power has also provided tools to assist members in monitoring and controlling their 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 also launched a new demand calculator this year to give members an idea of what appliances are consuming the most energy and contributing to demand charges. With air conditioning being a main culprit during the summer, United Power also offers a rebate on energy efficient A/C units. 

The majority of summer energy efficiency tips revolve around creative ways to keep your home cool without overburdening your air conditioning. You can find some of these energy efficiency tips below. 

Review the United Power website more information about demand and available rebates.

Summer Energy Efficiency Tips

Although summer is still a few weeks out, it’s never too early to start thinking about how to use energy more efficiently. Summer utility bills can be higher, but with a little preparation, you can see big savings on your summer energy usage. 

Cross ventilate your home. Colorado’s mild climate makes cross ventilation a perfect way to cool your home without using excess energy. Cross ventilation uses wind moving through your home to cool it naturally rather than by using an appliance like your air conditioner. Simply open windows in the morning or evening to let the natural cool air in and turn off the A/C.

Block out the sun. Another way to keep your home cool and give your air conditioner a break is to close blinds or curtains. Open windows allow light in which warms the air causing the A/C to work harder to keep your home cool. Keeping blinds closed allows the air to warm more slowly. 

Use ceiling fans. Ceiling fans allow you to increase the temperature on your air conditioning unit by up to four degrees without any loss in comfort. They should be turning counterclockwise during the summer. But remember to turn them off when you leave a room. Fans don’t actually cool the air in a room, just the people. 

Use a smart thermostat. Smart thermostats learn your habits and can adjust your air conditioner accordingly. It also gives 24/7 access to your home’s heating and cooling. 

BRIGHTON – United Power’s Operation Round-Up Foundation will donate a total of $20,000 to large food banks that provide food to members throughout the United Power service territory. The board of directors selected Food Bank of the Rockies and the Weld County Food Bank to receive grants of $10,000 each to offset their growing costs during the COVID-19 situation.

“On behalf of the entire Round-Up board of directors, we are very pleased to be able to provide these generous grants to these two organizations,” stated Dale McCall, United Power Operation Round-Up President. “This support, coupled with our ongoing support of our partner organizations, provides direct relief to members of United Power who are being impacted by either health or economic concerns during the COVID-19 pandemic.”

In addition to this one-time grant, the organization has been providing on-going support to several groups that provide essential services to community members over the last three years. Almost Home in Brighton, Catholic Charities in Ft. Lupton, the Carbon Valley Help Center in Firestone, and Canyon Cares in the Coal Creek Canyon area receive quarterly grants to provide assistance to United Power members who may need help paying utility, rent, and other critical expenses.

The Round-Up board is charged with the oversight and distribution of funds collected from members who support the foundation. The foundation is funded by members who “round-up” their bills to the next full dollar amount. The average donation is 50¢ per month, but those pennies add up to really make a substantial impact in United Power’s service territory. Since the foundation was established it has funneled more than $2.5 million back into the community to fund programs that support United Power members. To learn more about United Power’s Operation Round-Up Foundation, visit our website at www.unitedpower.com, or call us at 303-637-1300.

About United Power and the Operation Round-Up Foundation

United Power is a member-owned, not-for-profit electric cooperative delivering electricity to more than 95,000 meters at homes, businesses and farms in Colorado's north-central front range. The United Power Operation Round-Up Foundation, funded by United Power members, supports the needs of cooperative members through grants to local organizations providing critical services. 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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