As I am writing this column for our members, your cooperative is experiencing the largest energy loads in its 88-year history — and the system is handling them well, thanks to continued investments in the critical assets needed to keep power flowing and the lights on in our homes and businesses.
Electricity today, as has been the case for more than 120 years, operates seamlessly as a backdrop in homes and businesses. Its absence is felt more than its presence. Continual reinvestment in technology and steady maintenance of these systems are necessary to ensure the quality of life electricity provides every single day, as well as a commitment to power restoration when service is interrupted.
All utilities operate in a negative feedback mode because reliability is so high. The member services team gets very few thank you calls each day — though they deserve it. They receive 730 live calls on an average day and more than 16,000 per month, answering questions about everything from billing and outages to understanding demand and explaining high bills.
United Power has an ongoing planning process that forecasts years out to understand system demands. Using a combination of engineering data, field knowledge, and growth projections, we prepare well ahead of the cooperative’s needs.
Analysis is done every year on the worst-performing feeders (those with the most outages) when determining where to focus resources. Areas prime for development are considered for new substations and future loads are estimated. Interdepartmental teamwork helps develop budgets for the Board of Directors to review and approve. A new asset management system being rolled out will add more rigor to that process. This is important for both maintenance and expansion of the system that you, our member-owners, count on each day.
The budgeting process includes many trade-offs in order to be conscious of the financial implications of system investments. Even without financial constraints, there is the practical reality of completing work in a timely fashion. Factors such as supply chain management, manufacturing lead times, and product availability all come into play as plans are put together.
Technological advances are also a factor in the decision process. This is more critical than ever now that United Power is energy independent and must plan for its own power supply. A great example is the new distributed energy resource management system (DERMS), launched earlier this year. It allows members with smart thermostats and electric vehicles to participate in programs that lower their costs and allows the cooperative to control peaks when power prices are high. Similar investments in battery energy storage systems (BESS) in 2018 — and expanded in 2024 — allow United Power to avoid paying for higher cost power and bring revenue back to the co-op, offsetting other costs.
I am proud of the people and processes that have allowed United Power to carefully invest in the system as growth continues, and thankful for the support from our Board. The women and men of your cooperative work diligently every day to keep the lights on and plan and prepare to make the right investments over time that ensure the system is robust enough to handle whatever comes its way.
As always, please feel free to reach out to me with any questions or comments.