Our Cooperative Roadmap leads a list of amazing accomplishments in 2021. United Power took a different, and slightly longer, view of our actions and investments over the next decade. This was essential as we embrace the dramatic changes and tremendous opportunities taking place in the most critical infrastructure of all – electricity.

It is important to put the Roadmap in the context of our innovative history and community involvement. United Power pioneered technologies, installing the first cooperative community solar project, capturing methane gas from the Erie landfill to generate electricity, and installing the largest battery storage project in Colorado. We have expanded our electric vehicle (EV) charging network, examined how blockchain can facilitate member-to-member transactions, and partnered on a geothermal project with oil and gas operators to generate power in the field for use on site. 

Our Roadmap has four priorities: empower and engage our membership and communities; provide flexible, affordable, sustainable power and services; continuously optimize our electric distribution system; and achieve and maintain business agility and resilience through information technology and operational technology (IT/OT) and system operations. 

Engaging our members and communities means making programs available so you have a more active role in managing your electric bills while helping us manage the system more efficiently. What does this look like? Simply put, managing connected energy resources to avoid peaks, lower demand, and provide a benefit for all members. 

We want to help our member communities grow into their vision of an ideal town or city. We want to be the power behind the spaces you call home. But with all our growth, it is important we also continue to perform well as a business.  Optimizing our system promotes more efficiency, shorter outages, and better wildfire protection. 

And what about your power? Should it be less expensive? Should it be generated closer to home? How can we be an active voice in the discussion about where energy is going in the next decade? 

Flexibility in our power supply has many layers. First and foremost, United Power is seeking a new source for wholesale power. We can no longer live in an expensive, constrained generation environment. We must be in position to take full advantage of coming power markets. This is truly about economics – keeping dollars in our communities, lowering rates, and being able to work with members and others who want to generate more cost-effective electricity. If you want to learn more about how we are planning for these future changes, join us for our Power Supply Forum on June 7 (Details here). 

Underlying all these initiatives is the need for technology that will allow us to move to the next level. We need to collect and analyze information about our system and provide automated solutions that give members control over their energy usage. Events of the past couple years have tested and confirmed our ability to deliver these solutions to people working beyond the office. 

There are other utilities fighting the future and trying to keep inefficient generation on the market, failing to embrace technology, markets, and member engagement opportunities. Holding onto the past, be it business models or technologies, has never worked. 

What does the future look like for United Power? Abraham Lincoln is to have said, “the best way to predict the future is to create it.” We are doing just that thanks to the tremendous support of your Board of Directors and the employees who work with phenomenal dedication every day. Bottom line: we must continue providing a robust network so that every member behind every meter has every option to engage in the way they desire. 

We need to do this while ensuring high quality, high reliability, and reasonably priced power. Engagement is key, and I encourage all members to reach out to me as we execute Our Cooperative Roadmap.   

Lineman Appreciation Day is Sunday, April 18, 2021

United Power exists for many reasons, but as your cooperative our priority is providing our members with safe and reliable power and keeping your lights on. Without the help of our skilled lineworkers, who work each day behind the scenes to improve our system and prevent outages before they happen, that would not be possible. On April 18th, we will celebrate National Lineman Appreciation Day, to recognize and honor our lineworkers for their hard work and dedication.

Being a lineworker along Colorado’s notorious Front Range is not an easy task. Our lineworkers must be prepared to face daily situations that may be less than ideal, regularly tasked with resolving hazardous problems in unknown or dangerous conditions. Over the past few years, the cooperative has had to navigate difficult record-setting weather events, including devastating floods, paralyzing winter storms, and hurricane-force winds. Last year, a strong winter storm dumped nearly two feet of snow across parts of the service territory, and in December, strong storms blasted northern Colorado with wind speeds in excess of 115 miles per hour.

When severe weather hits our service territory, our lineworkers are ready to assess the situation and begin the process of restoring power as quickly and safely as possible. When the skies are clear and winds are calm, our lineworkers are monitoring our system and making improvements to prevent future outages, where possible.

Our lineworkers are on call 24 hours a day, ready to respond to any situation in any type of weather. Next time you lose power, rest assured a highly-trained United Power crew is on the way, dedicated to getting the lights back on.

Without our lineworkers, the power that makes our members’ homes comfortable wouldn’t be possible. We invite our members to take a moment to thank our United Power lineworkers for the work they do. Use #ThankALineworker on social media to show your support or take a moment to drop a kind note in the mail.

United Power
Thank A Lineworker
500 Cooperative Way
Brighton, CO 80603

Submit a Note

Round-Up Grant Helps Habitat for Humanity Provide Homes for Two Families

St. Vrain Habitat for Humanity presented two Carbon Valley families with keys to their new homes alongside friends, family, volunteers, and community organizations at a ribbon cutting in January. Among the organizations present at the event was United Power’s Operation Round-Up Foundation.

Habitat for Humanity provides newly constructed homes to families who are positioned for home ownership but are unable to qualify for traditional financing. The organization builds homes from the ground up and sells them at cost to selected families thanks to support from community volunteers. Round-Up awarded Habitat for Humanity a $5,000 grant to help with home construction costs.

“Without the help of community partners like Round-Up, we wouldn’t be able to do what we do for these families,” said Rebecca Shannon, community engagement manager for St. Vrain Habitat for Humanity.

Round-Up is funded entirely by members who voluntarily “round up” their monthly statements to the next whole dollar. The average contribution is approximately $.50 per month. Those funds are then redistributed to nonprofits in various parts of the service territory to ensure as many members receive help as possible.

“We are proud to support community organizations meeting the needs of vulnerable members,” said Joan Kniss, a Round-Up board member. “Habitat for Humanity has a strong track record of lifting people up and lets us see our grant dollars in action.”

Home ownership allows families to put down roots and begin contributing to their local community, Shannon said. Homes are not only built to meet all safety requirements, but are also energy efficient, which lowers the cost of ownership. Selected families are required to demonstrate commitment to their new home by returning volunteer hours helping with the construction of their future homes. Having a hand in building your own home develops a sense of pride in it.

Habitat for Humanity broke ground on a new home in Carbon Valley on March 7. To volunteer, visit www.stvrainhabitat.org.

More than 20% of United Power members voluntarily round up their bills. To enroll in Operation Round-Up, click here.