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01/25/2019 - 02:08 PM
Title Town of Frederick Citizens Affirm United Power Purchase of Municipal Utility /sites/default/files/styles/news_card_553x430_/public/news/Frederick_Stories_0.png?h=45932144&itok=9hNcyAGQ Wednesday | June 27, 2018 Card Teaser Residents of the Town of Frederick have affirmed the purchase of the Town of Frederick’s municipal utility, which was agreed to earlier by the Town Council and United Power representatives. Residents of the Town of Frederick have affirmed the purchase of the Town of Frederick’s municipal utility, which was agreed to earlier by the Town Council and United Power representatives. The Town’s website reported that the sale of the Town’s assets was affirmed by residents with a 1,716 to 236 count. Nearly 88% of all voters indicated their support for United Power to purchase the system. “We are excited about bringing the entire Town of Frederick into the United Power membership,” stated John Parker, United Power CEO. “We want to express our thanks to the citizens of Frederick for their support in this process, and we will be working hard to make this transition a seamless process for them.” The vote was a key step to finalize the purchase. The two entities agreed upon a purchase price of $18 million, with United Power agreeing to drop its pending lawsuit against the Town in exchange. United Power originally filed suit against the Town in July of 2017, for breach of contract and to recover damages for the Town’s taking of service rights located within United Power’s certificated territory. The suit was filed after an attempt to negotiate a settlement failed in early 2017. “United Power has assembled a transition team that includes key engineering, operations, and member services personnel to work on this acquisition,” stated Parker. “The citizens of Frederick can be assured that we will work as quickly as possible to complete this project, and we will be working hard behind the scenes to meet all your expectations in regard to this sale.” The election results will not be official until July 6, 2018, in order to allow for the statute-required length of time for overseas military ballots and signature verification processes to be completed.05/30/2018 - 02:35 PM
Title Town of Frederick Utility Illegally Builds into United Power Territory Friday | April 21, 2017 Card Teaser Brighton, CO – United Power has sent official notice to the Town of Frederick that they have breached their agreement with the cooperative, and have violated Colorado State Law by building into United Power’s service territory. United Power Seeks Resolution on Behalf of Cooperative Membership Brighton, CO – United Power has sent official notice to the Town of Frederick that they have breached their agreement with the cooperative, and have violated Colorado State Law by building into United Power’s service territory. The cooperative is seeking a resolution within 15 days, or it will seek further action against the town. “We originally attempted to make a good faith effort to resolve this illegal action by the Town of Frederick, but they have refused to address our concerns,” said Darryl Schriver, United Power CEO. “By building in United Power’s territory the Town violated not only state law, Frederick violated a prior agreement we have with them to supply wholesale power to the Town; we have no alternative but to seek an appropriate settlement on behalf of the entire cooperative membership.” United Power and the Town of Frederick have a Wholesale Power Agreement, in effect from January 1, 2014 through December 31, 2021, allowing the cooperative to provide power to the municipal utility serving approximately 2,000 customers. In the agreement the Town of Frederick promised to respect and honor United Power’s property interest, and that all facilities and customers outside of the Town’s “old town” boundaries are always United Power members. The fact that the Town of Frederick built in United Power’s territory to provide service to a facility located within the cooperative’s boundaries is a clear breach of the contract. Additionally, the Town of Frederick has violated a Colorado State Statute that defines the terms of any exchange of territory between municipal utilities and cooperatives. The law was designed to make sure that cooperative members are fairly compensated for any loss of membership and revenue when there is an agreement to relinquish territory. “It is important to note that this illegal action affects every member of our cooperative—individuals and companies who have a stake in this operation,” stated Schriver. “As a cooperative we are owned by our members, and this action is a threat to the interests of every home and business that receives power from the cooperative.”01/23/2019 - 12:46 PM
Title Transitioning to a Demand Rate /sites/default/files/styles/news_card_553x430_/public/news/Sept2018_NL_Resources_0.png?itok=PNSsaHzm Monday | October 1, 2018 Card Teaser Beginning next year, United Power members will be charged differently for how they use energy. As was announced earlier this year, United Power will be implementing a new rate structure that will include a residential demand charge. October 1, 2018 | Beginning next year, United Power members will be charged differently for how they use energy. As was announced earlier this year, United Power will be implementing a new rate structure that will include a residential demand charge. We are continuing the conversation about the 2019 change to residential rates by talking about why the change to the rate structure is happening now, and by taking a look at the information you can use to learn more about your electric consumption. What is Demand? Demand refers to the maximum amount of electrical power that is being consumed at a given time, as opposed to energy which is the amount of power used over a period of time. The more power used at once, the larger the infrastructure that is needed to deliver that power. United Power must build our system to accommodate the most possible power use at any given time, and this comes at a cost to the cooperative. Why the Switch to a Demand Rate? Residential electric rates have traditionally been a blend of costs: the cost of fuels to generate power, the cost to deliver the energy to your home, the cost to the cooperative to maintain and operate the system and even the cost to provide billing and member services to our members. These costs have long been allocated to members based simply on service type—even though some members’ usage patterns impact our system more than others. We now have access to more information about how each member uses energy and the electric system. By breaking out these costs—the Fixed Charge, Energy Charge and Demand Charge –every member will be charged more fairly for how and when they use energy. The new rate structure also ensures United Power recoups the actual cost of service to each member in a fair and equitable way. How Do I Learn More About Demand? United Power has been discussing this new rate structure for several months. Read past issues of the United Newsline for more examples and information to help you understand Demand. A list of frequently asked questions can be found at Understanding Demand. Your bill is also a valuable resource to learn more. The Demand Charge line item represented by a kilowatt (kW) measurement that now appears on residential electric bills offers you a clearer picture of how you use electricity. There is no charge currently associated with this Demand line item, but by providing this information ahead of the rate change, you can more closely monitor your energy use. Members can also use our Power Portal to take a deeper look into their monthly consumption and pinpoint the exact moment they hit their monthly peak demand. Viewing your peak demand period in the Power Portal may help you recall that Monday afternoon when you ran the air conditioning, dishwasher and vacuum all at once. Perhaps you’ll decide that you can stagger these activities in the future to manage your energy costs. How Much will the Demand Rate Cost? The exact rate for the Residential Demand Charge has not been set. United Power’s Board of Directors will meet before the end of 2018 to approve the final rate. The intention is to introduce this new rate structure slowly with small incremental changes annually over a four-year period. Demand charges for residential ratepayers will be lower than those paid by commercial customers based on how they use power. Watch for announcements in the United Newsline and on our website www.unitedpower.com with more information on the approved rate. If you have questions about the Demand Rate, please e-mail unitednewsline@unitedpower.com. We’ll post answers on our website and in a future issue of United Newsline.01/10/2022 - 02:18 PM
Title Trista Fugate Named United Power's New Senior Vice President & Chief Marketing Officer /sites/default/files/styles/news_card_553x430_/public/news/08_15_2019_MeghanDeweyMEO.jpg?h=45932144&itok=2CBPKu8S Monday | January 10, 2022 Card Teaser At United Power, Fugate will be responsible for directing all phases of the cooperative’s member marketing and new program initiatives. Fugate Brings Wealth of Utility Marketing and Community Affairs Experience Brighton, CO – United Power announces Trista Fugate as its new Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer in January. Fugate comes to the cooperative after spending the past two years with Platte River Power Authority in Fort Collins and more than twelve years with Pedernales Electric Cooperative, the largest cooperative utility in the country. At United Power, she will be responsible for directing all phases of the cooperative’s member marketing and new program initiatives, including residential, commercial and industrial programs, products and services. “I’m excited to join the United Power team at such a pivotal time,” Fugate said. “The cooperative model is ideal for today’s changing energy environment, and I look forward to helping shape our future while continuing the tradition of providing true benefits to our members.” Before joining United Power, Fugate served as Platte River’s Director of Community and Government Affairs, where she led strategic outreach efforts to build and strengthen relationships with stakeholders, community partners and organizations within the utility’s owner communities of Estes Park, Fort Collins, Longmont and Loveland. She also directed the communications and marketing team, responsible for developing all internal and external communications, including promotional materials for energy efficiency offerings, and oversaw the Efficiency WorksTM programs, providing technical and financial support to help customers use energy more wisely. Fugate has nearly 20 years of experience working across the spectrum of the electric utility industry, holding positions at a municipal electric utility, a distribution cooperative and a generation and transmission utility. She has worked for CPS Energy in San Antonio, the nation’s largest municipal utility, and held leadership roles with Pedernales Electric Cooperative, which serves more than 365,000 active accounts in Texas. During her career, Fugate has focused on strategic communications and marketing, community and economic development, community engagement, conservation and energy efficiency, corporate social responsibility, local government relations and public affairs. “United Power is proud to welcome Trista to the United Power family,” said Mark A. Gabriel, United Power’s President and Chief Executive Officer. “Her experience in member and community engagement and program planning will be critical in the cooperative’s next chapter as we prepare to separate from our longtime wholesale energy supplier and begin navigating the path toward more energy autonomy with new providers. Her insight with one of the nation’s largest cooperatives will also be invaluable to United Power as we continue to grow and seek the best ways to serve our members.” United Power is a member-owned, not-for-profit electric cooperative, delivering electricity to homes, farms and businesses throughout Colorado’s northern front range. The cooperative is one of the fastest-growing electric cooperatives in the nation, and in June joined the elite ranks of cooperatives serving more than 100,000 meters. 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. United Power is also a founding member of the NextGen Cooperative Alliance, dedicated to expanding the power supply and procurement options and reforming the traditional Generation and Transmission (G&T) business model. For more information about the cooperative, visit www.unitedpower.com or follow them on social media Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube and Instagram. ###11/04/2022 - 04:04 PM
Title Troy Whitmore Receives RMEL’s Industry Leadership Award /sites/default/files/styles/news_card_553x430_/public/news/Troy_RMEL.jpg?itok=1yh3umwS Friday | November 4, 2022 Card Teaser The Industry Leadership Award recognizes individuals whose leadership has made contributions that have made an impact within their organization. Troy Whitmore, Vice President & Public Affairs Officer, United Power, received a 2022 RMEL Industry Leadership Award during RMEL’s 119th Annual Fall Convention on Wednesday, October 12th. The Industry Leadership Award recognizes individuals whose leadership has made contributions that have made an impact within their organization. Recipients usually have more than 10 years of experience in the industry. These individuals are often active in various industry affiliations, associations and/or organizations that serve the electric energy industry. Troy Whitmore is the Vice President & Public Affairs Officer at United Power, headquartered in Brighton, Colorado. Troy’s long tenure at United Power and in the electric industry has allowed him to be a real force in helping to guide not only cooperative, but legislative initiatives that affect our industry. An active voice at the state capitol, Troy has worked with legislators on issues ranging from election transparency for cooperatives, to helping to incorporate renewable energy guidelines for utilities. He is an engaged and active voice for the members of United Power, and for other electric consumers around Colorado. During his 36 years at United Power, Troy has served in numerous functions including communications, marketing, customer service and governmental affairs. In his current position as Vice President & Public Affairs Officer, Troy oversees governmental affairs, community relations, key accounts, and economic development functions. His work has always balanced where the industry can move realistically, with the needs and wants of United Power’s members. Much of his work has allowed United Power to become an innovation leader among cooperatives. Troy remains extremely active in his community and serves as the Chair of the board of Colorado Advocates for Rural Electrification (CARE) which is Colorado’s electric cooperatives’ political action committee, and a Board member of Energy Outreach Colorado (EOC) which is Colorado’s premier energy assistance foundation. RMEL also conferred the Distinguished Leadership Award to Mike Hummel, General Manager & Chief Executive Officer, SRP. RMEL’s Honorary Life Member Award recipients are Paul Barham, retired, CPS Energy; Joel Bladow, retired, Tri-State Generation & Transmission Association; Kevin Howard, retired, Western Area Power Administration; Pat Pope, retired, Nebraska Public Power District; and Stuart Wevik, retired, Black Hills Energy. Also receiving the Industry Leadership Award are Tony Eddleman, Director of NERC Reliability Compliance, Nebraska Public Power District; Mike Jones, Senior Director of Strategic Risk Management, SRP; Keith Nix, Vice President of Operations, Texas-New Mexico Power; and Jim Trask, Department Manager – Energy Group, Burns & McDonnell. Congratulations to all 2022 RMEL Award Winners and thank you for your dedication to the electric energy industry. The 2023 Awards Program will kick off with the Emerging Leader Awards Nominations early next year. More information on the 2023 RMEL Awards Program will be available at www.RMEL.org soon. About RMEL: RMEL is a not-for-profit energy trade association that has served the electric utility industry with a variety of education and networking services since 1903. RMEL’s mission is: Preparing the electric energy industry for the future through education and networking. Once known as the Rocky Mountain Electrical League, the association officially became RMEL in the 1990s to better reflect a membership base that spans the entire country.07/11/2025 - 09:15 AM
Title Tyler Bain Appointed to Colorado Electrical Board /sites/default/files/styles/news_card_553x430_/public/news/ColoradoSeal_1320x860.jpg?h=45932144&itok=J_QgaPRR Monday | May 26, 2025 Card Teaser The board is responsible for enforcing state electrical statutes. Board Responsible for Enforcing State Electrical Statutes Governor Jared Polis appointed United Power’s Energy Solutions Director Tyler Bain to the Colorado State Electrical Board earlier this year and he was recommended to the Senate for confirmation in April. The board is responsible for the licensing, registering, and regulating of electricians, apprentices, and electrical contractors, as well as adopting and revising rules and regulations concerning wiring apparatus and equipment for electric light, heat, and power. Its mission is to enforce the state’s electrical statutes and protect the health and safety of Colorado residents. The board is made up of nine professional and public members. Bain joins the board as a representative for electrical utilities. Prior to moving into his role as director of the energy solutions team, Bain worked as an electrical engineer for the cooperative. He is also a certified professional engineer with a degree from the Colorado School of Mines. As the Energy Solutions Director, he is leading United Power’s efforts to become a distribution system operator and is responsible for the development and implementation of the co-op’s energy programs. “It is an honor to be appointed to this position, and I am thankful for the opportunity to represent United Power and other electric utilities on this board,” said Bain. Bain’s term on the Colorado Electric Board expires on July 1, 2026.12/16/2019 - 01:48 PM
United for the Cure Monday | December 16, 2019 This October, United Power joined the ongoing battle to find a cure through an employee-led effort to support colleagues, raise funds and create awareness. Read more >05/30/2018 - 02:31 PM
Title United Power 78th Annual Meeting of Members Held on April 18th /sites/default/files/styles/news_card_553x430_/public/news/2017_04_18_UP78thAnnualMeeting.jpg?itok=dUr7biNL Tuesday | April 18, 2017 Card Teaser Brighton, Colo.—Growth in every industry sector is a challenge United Power is facing as they work on “Building Tomorrow’s Cooperative,” the theme of the 78th Annual Meeting held on Apr. 18th. Incumbents Retain East, West and South Seats, New Director Fills Mountain Seat Brighton, Colo.—Growth in every industry sector is a challenge United Power is facing as they work on “Building Tomorrow’s Cooperative,” the theme of the 78th Annual Meeting held on Apr. 18th. Nearly 850 attendees represented over 420 registered cooperative memberships at the annual member event held at the Adams County Fairgrounds. The evening included dinner, exhibit booths, entertainment, cooperative reports, and the election of directors. Races for a seat in all four director districts were decided by a vote of the members. Incumbent Directors James Vigesaa and Ginny Buczek retained their respective seats. Director David Rose won the race for his seat in the South District. Incoming director Tamra Waltemath won the seat in the Mountain district left vacant by the retirement of director Douglas Pryce. Member registration opened at 4:30 p.m. in the Exhibit Hall and was followed by balloting in the annual director election and a full barbeque dinner. Members then visited informational exhibit booths and enjoyed live entertainment by solo guitarist Dave Connelly in the Waymire Dome. The business meeting began at 6:30 p.m. in the Waymire Dome, and was broadcast live in Exhibit Hall. Board Vice President, Susan Petrocco from the south district opened the business meeting at 6:30 p.m. with the invocation, followed by of the presentation of the colors by Brighton Fire Department Honor Guard and the singing of the national anthem by local Brighton High School graduate Lauren Rocha. Board President, Brian McCormick, introduced the cooperative Directors and Executive Leadership team, and then Vice President Petrocco made a special presentation in honor of retiring director Doug Pryce, who has served on the United Power Board of Directors for 27 years. Petrocco listed the various local and national positions Pryce has held during his tenure as a United Power director. “While Doug served on various national and state positions, he still found the energy to serve the United Power board in various leadership capacities,” said Petrocco. “He has served this cooperative and its members well.” McCormick then called the meeting to order, introduced the candidates running for board seats in 2017 and introduced the cooperative reports for the evening. First to report was Troy Whitmore, Director of External Affairs for United Power. Whitmore presented this year’s Youth Report which included a special check presentation to United Power’s 2017 scholarship recipients. Students receiving awards were recognized on stage by Asst. Secretary-Treasurer Ursula J. Morgan and President McCormick. McCormick followed with the President’s report which included an overview of United Power’s vision, mission and guiding cooperative principles. McCormick then reviewed power mix of Tri-State Generation & Tranmission, United Power’s wholesale power provider and energy sales trends for United Power. McCormick wrapped up his report by introducing United Power’s Chief Executive Officer, Darryl Schriver and reporting that United Power remains in strong financial condition and committed to delivering excellent service and value to its members. Assistant Secretary-Treasurer Ursula J. Morgan took the stage to review the cooperative’s financial report. Morgan gave a summary of the highlights and the full financial report was made available to all members at the meeting in United Power’s 2016 Annual Report. The Annual Report is also available online at www.unitedpower.com. Morgan reported operating revenues for the cooperative were up over $11 million—up more than 5 percent from 2015, which is mostly attributed to higher energy sales for the year. Energy sales, which grew more than 9 percent last year, are up mostly due to new large oil and gas related loads. The cooperative’s operating expenses totaled $212.3 million in 2016, an increase of $13 million from 2015, nearly all of which is due to higher purchased power costs. Morgan reported that the cost of purchased power represents over 76 percent of United Power’s operating costs. After accounting for all revenues and expenses, United Power realized net margins of $13.7 million, and based on this sound financial position, the cooperative board authorized the retirement of $4.3 million in capital credits to the members in 2016. Morgan reminded the audience that the board evaluates the cooperative’s financial position each year to determine if a retirement is warranted and announcements about capital credit retirements are published on the cooperative’s website and newsletter, United Newsline. United Power’s Chief Executive Officer Darryl Schriver took to the stage after a brief video highlighting the substantial growth in United Power’s service area. Schriver discussed some of the ways the cooperative is planning and preparing for an influx of members and new load on the distribution system. Schriver also discussed the operational changes that have been made since taking his position last April to make sure United Power’s crews are proactively addressing system maintenance issues. and new construction contract crews can be ramped up to better meet new construction schedules. He talked about how contract crews are being used to better meet new construction schedules. Schriver went on to discuss the addition of 19.5 megawatts of renewable solar power that was energized on the United Power system in 2016. A solar farm in Fort Lupton is generating 13 megawatts of power and the Maverick solar farm in Mead is generating 6.5 megawatts. These new systems are powering more than 4,000 homes in the United Power service territory with local renewable energy. “In the coming year I am challenging United Power employees in every operational area to look at the way they serve our members,” said Schriver. “I want them to explore ways to streamline, improve and leverage technology to provide a better experience for our members.” Schriver then announced the purchase a new building located in the west district of the cooperative’s service area on I-25, just south of the Hwy 119 exit. Schriver explained that serving the entire membership from one location on the easternmost corridor of the territory is becoming problematic. The new facility will provide a second location for operations crews to respond more quickly to communities in the northwest corridor of the territory and to provide additional back up support to United Power’s mountain territory. The facility will also offer members a full-service walk-in member services department. President McCormick then moved to the member forum portion of the meeting. Prior to the start of the meeting, board members collected comments of general interest from members in attendance. A selection of those questions were addressed by the Board President and Chief Executive Officer during this time. Election results for the 2017 director election were announced following the member forum. United Power members cast 5,730 ballots, and the following results were certified by the Election and Credentials Committee at the 2017 Annual Meeting. The South district was the only contested race on the ballot this year and David Rose won that seat with 3,393 votes, beating out Keith E. Alquist who received 2,209 votes. In the Mountain district, the retirement of Douglas Pryce left the seat open for candidate Tamra Waltemath, who ran unopposed. Waltemath received 5,093 votes. Incumbent directors James E. Vigesaa in the East, and Virginia “Ginny” Buczek in the West ran unopposed and retained their seats with 5,065 votes for Vigessa and 5,102 vote for Buczek. RESULTS OF THE 2017 UNITED POWER DIRECTOR ELECTION EAST DISTRICT James E. Vigesaa 5,065 SOUTH DISTRICT Keith Alquist 2,209 David Rose 3,393 WEST DISTRICT Virginia (Ginny) Buczek 5,102 MOUNTAIN DISTRICT Tamra Waltemath 5,09301/22/2019 - 10:26 AM
United Power 79th Annual Meeting and Director Election held April 18th Wednesday | April 18, 2018 More than 350 registered members attended United Power's 79th Annual Meeting and voted in the annual director election. Read more >08/15/2019 - 11:09 AM
Title United Power Adds Officer, Emphasizes Member Focus /sites/default/files/styles/news_card_553x430_/public/news/08_15_2019_MeghanDeweyMEO.jpg?h=45932144&itok=2CBPKu8S Thursday | August 15, 2019 Card Teaser In August, United Power welcomed Meghan Dewey to fill its newly created role of Member Engagement Officer. Brighton, CO – In August, United Power welcomed Meghan Dewey to fill its newly created role of Member Engagement Officer. At United Power, Dewey will be responsible for developing and implementing a cohesive engagement strategy highlighting the cooperative’s commitment to its communities and its members. She will direct member services, new business, energy management and marketing and communications to develop programs to meet members’ diverse and changing needs. “I am delighted to join United Power as its first Member Engagement Officer,” Dewey said. “United Power’s commitment to its members and community, and its strong track record of performance and innovation, provides a real foundation for our future. I’m looking forward to working together with our members, our board, community leaders, and the United Power executive team to continue to provide value to our members and help lead us forward into a better energy future – the cooperative way.” Dewey comes to United Power with a track record of enhancing customer experience and implementing successful customer-minded energy efficiency programs after spending seven years in various leadership roles at one of California’s largest utilities, Pacific Gas & Electric. While with PG&E, she spearheaded one of the country’s largest and most impactful energy efficiency programs and technology portfolios with more than 100 customer programs. She was most recently involved in the company’s wildfire safety program, designing new programs, products and services to advance customers’ resiliency and meet their energy needs during proactive power shutoffs. In addition to her experience leading program development and new product design, Dewey also oversaw the company’s legislative strategy for energy efficiency and demand-side management. She successfully advocated for landmark legislation giving investor-owned utilities the ability to develop new program models that would help meet the state’s aggressive carbon neutral goals. She served as co-chair of a statewide stakeholder engagement coalition representing California investor-owned utilities as the state moved to a new energy efficiency administration and program design model. Committed to extending her leadership influence beyond the office, Dewey has also been active in representing the industry on various boards and committees and mentoring men and women pursuing careers in the energy and utility industry. “United Power has a bold vision for its future, and we’re excited to add Meghan’s perspective as we develop our long-term strategy,” said John Parker, United Power Chief Executive Officer. “She brings a wealth of experience with her from her time at PG&E and will be a valuable addition as we continue to look for better ways to serve our members.” United Power is a member-owned, not-for-profit electric cooperative serving more than 90,000 homes and businesses along Colorado’s northern front range. To learn more about United Power, visit www.unitedpower.com or follow the cooperative at Facebook.com/UnitedPower. ###04/28/2020 - 01:34 PM
Title United Power Advances Capital Credit Retirement to Alleviate COVID Impacts /sites/default/files/styles/news_card_553x430_/public/news/MoneyFallingFromSky_0.jpg?itok=0_Z41tCx Tuesday | April 28, 2020 Card Teaser Members are getting cash back from their co-op in May. Article originally published on April 18, 2020. United Power is returning $5.5 million in Capital Credits to members beginning in May and nearly every member is getting a payment. Due to the unique economic stresses being placed on our members because of the COVID 19 situation, United Power’s Board of Directors has opted to distribute Capital Credit refunds earlier than in prior years. In past years the retirements were made in August, but the United Power Board felt members could use the economic relief now. “We know that many of our members have been impacted by this health emergency – through cuts in pay, job losses, or increased health costs,” said Bryant Robbins, Chief Executive Officer. “This retirement will provide money back to nearly all our members when they need it most.” In 2020, United Power is retiring $5.5 million to members. The total amount of money retired is divided among all members and is being issued in May. Additionally, while these payments have typically been issued as checks, more refunds will be applied to bills in order to reduce the need for our members to go to a bank during this health emergency. Members receiving a retirement of $50 or less, will see a bill credit directly on their May electric bill. Those receiving larger retirement amounts will receive a check. Capital credits represent ownership in United Power and are one of the most unique and rewarding benefits afforded to members of electric cooperatives. Unlike investor-owned utilities that maximize profits to pay dividends to shareholders, not-for-profit electric co-ops like United Power provide our members with “at cost” electric service—we do not exist to earn a profit. At the end of each year, after all operational expenses have been covered, a portion of any excess funds is returned to the members in the form of capital credits. Learn more about capital credits, or if you have additional questions please call our Member Services team at 303-637-1300. In addition to the advancement of Capital Credit refunds, the cooperative has temporarily suspended disconnections and is providing payment arrangements for members who have been directly impacted by COVID 19. The Board of Directors has also established the Co-op Cares fund allocating $250,000 in unclaimed capital credits to provide direct assistance to members facing hardships due to the pandemic. Any members who may have troubles paying their electric bills are encouraged to call United Power at 303-637-1300 and our Member Services team will match them with all of the available resources and assistance options.02/27/2024 - 11:21 AM
Title United Power Among Nation’s Best in Reliability and Resiliency /sites/default/files/styles/news_card_553x430_/public/news/Nov2021_NL_SystemReliability.jpg?h=45932144&itok=twbW3RYA Tuesday | February 27, 2024 Card Teaser Cooperative achieves record SAIDI score for second year in a row. Cooperative Achieves Record SAIDI Score for Second Year in a Row United Power’s core responsibility to its members as an electric cooperative is ensuring consistently reliable power, which means the lights stay on and the power continues flowing whenever you need it to be available. Several years ago, the co-op’s operations and engineering staff began coordinating the implementation of an innovative system maintenance strategy. It incorporated embedded devices throughout the system and preventative maintenance practices to meet ambitious goals for reliability and resiliency – defined as the ability to rapidly recover from power outages, such as reducing frequency or duration. Results exceeded expectations. United Power successfully prevented thousands of potential power interruptions before they occurred, dramatically reducing the number of outages members experience and limiting the duration when outages do occur. The strategy has produced sustained improvements in reliability and resiliency year-over-year since it was implemented in 2017, cementing the cooperative’s status among the best performing electric utilities in the country. By the Numbers Electric utilities measure system performance and develop improvement plans using a variety of indicators, such as the System Average Interruption Duration Index – more commonly known as SAIDI – and the System Average Interruption Frequency Index, or SAIFI. These indicators, among the many that United Power and other electric utilities use to measure how successful systems are performing, essentially analyze data and calculate outage expectations for an average member. SAIDI measures the total outage time an average member would expect to experience over the course of a year (cumulative duration of all outages experienced). The national average is approximately 120 minutes. United Power has not produced a SAIDI score above 72 minutes since 2017 and has maintained a score below 60 minutes – less than half the national average – for the past two years. SAIFI measures the total number of outages an average member would expect to experience over the course of a year (frequency of outages experienced). United Power’s SAIFI score of 0.65 in 2023 means the average meter experienced fewer than one outage throughout the year. Put another way, many of the cooperative’s members did not experience an outage last year. Other performance indicators are used, as well. One of those indicators measures the system’s overall availability rate. The co-op’s availability in 2023 was greater than 99%. “These metrics demonstrate the success of the strategies we are using to improve reliability and resiliency across our system,” said Mark A. Gabriel, United Power’s President and CEO. “Thank you to our operations and engineering teams, who are responsible for interpreting data from the system and designing the strategies we practice in the field.” Preventative Maintenance Practices Installed United Power incorporated a proactive approach to system maintenance in 2017. The strategy relies on analyzing data collected across thousands of miles of line and isolating the worst-performing segments. Targeted maintenance projects are then scheduled to improve the performance for that segment. One example of this strategy is the co-op’s drone maintenance program. The program began in United Power’s mountain territory, where accessing poles and infrastructure can be difficult and time consuming due to the rugged terrain and weather. Drones can quickly conduct detailed investigations and document broken, failing, or aging equipment. Drones have saved the cooperative countless hours and prevented hundreds of potential outages. Since completing initial inspections in Coal Creek Canyon and Golden Gate Canyon, the drone maintenance program has been used throughout the entire service territory. Advanced Monitoring Technology Preventative maintenance would not be possible without automated monitoring devices embedded throughout the system that report irregularities and potential concerns. These devices capture important information to help system operators determine the best power restoration process in the event of an outage and can help crews in the field pinpoint the time and location of a fault. The ability to quickly locate a fault, identify its cause, and restore power to members, often remotely due to redundancies built into the system for this very purpose, has significantly improved the cooperative’s outage response and reduced the duration of outages. Identifying problematic areas would be difficult without this information and could create additional delays in power restoration because lineworkers would need to physically inspect miles of line to locate and repair the cause. Readying for the Power Supply Transition United Power will be transitioning to new power suppliers on May 1 as the cooperative exits its existing power supply contract. United Power’s robust distribution system is ready to take the cooperative into the future of our new energy supply. This transition will have no impact on the system’s reliability. The added flexibility of additional power supply contracts as the cooperative grows may even improve system performance in the long term with the ability to make proactive infrastructure upgrades. United Power is already among the best performing electric utilities in the country, and leadership at the co-op is continually seeking to improve its system reliability and resiliency. Whether it is proactive maintenance strategies, automated devices, or other system improvements, the cooperative is always looking for ways to improve and meet member expectations.