Nothing affects your energy use and your bill like extremely low or extremely high temperatures. Especially when those temperatures stay high for an extended period, as we’ve experienced over the last month.

Heating and cooling are the largest contributors to your energy use, so when the temperature drastically rises, usage and bills go up. Your home’s age, how many people live there, and how cool you keep your home all play a part.

So, what can you do? United Power offers a variety of tools and programs to help you manage your budget and be more energy-efficient.

Monitor Your Daily Usage

Through the United Power mobile app and the Power Portal, you can watch for trends in your usage to see how much energy you’ve used before your bill arrives.

Make Your Smart Thermostat Work

Enroll your Nest or Honeywell smart thermostat in our Smart Rewards program and you’ll help us curb energy during peak times. This saves the cooperative from purchasing expensive peak power, reduces your energy use, and we pay you $25 at the end of the summer for participating.

Enroll in Pay As You Go

Never receive a bill after the fact. With Pay As You Go, you pay for electricity the same way you pay for gas or groceries, keeping you well informed of how much energy you’re using and what it is costing daily.

Energy-Saving Tips

Check out these energy-saving tips to help lower your bill:

• Keep your thermostat setting as high as you can. Every degree below 78 can increase your bill three percent or more.
• Have your air conditioner serviced regularly and don’t forget to change the filters. Dirty filters reduce air flow and cause your system to work harder, which can increase your cooling costs and lead to costly repairs.
• Plug those leaks! Use weather stripping, caulk or foam insulation to fill in the leaks around windows, doors, or under your sinks where the pipes go into the wall.
• Block the sun! During the day, close your blinds or curtains, especially on windows that face the sun to avoid extra heat gain.

Five Directors Earn Gold Certificate; Two Earn CCD

United Power’s Board of Directors is committed to continuing education opportunities that enable them to govern the cooperative more effectively and stay informed about industry changes. In the past few months, several directors have completed or renewed director certifications through the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA). The cooperative’s two newest directors, Stephen Whiteside and Brad Case, received their Credentialed Cooperative Director (CCD) certificates late last year, and Dave Rose earned his Director Gold certification. Directors Tim Erickson, James Vigesaa, Ginny Buczek, and Elizabeth Martin have also recently renewed their Director Gold certificates.

NRECA’s three-step Director Education Program is designed to teach essential skills and knowledge through a series of educational courses. The first step in the process is the CCD, which helps prepare directors to fulfill their fiduciary duty as elected officials on behalf of their membership. Once the program has been completed, directors can proceed to the Board Leadership Certificate (BLC). Directors who have completed both the CCD and BLC, plus an additional three BLC credits, are eligible to earn Director Gold certification. To maintain Director Gold certification, directors must earn at least three credits from approved continuing education courses within a two-year period.

All of United Power’s directors are committed to achieving the highest levels of certification and professional training for the benefit of the cooperative and the members they represent. As of February, all eleven directors have completed at least the CCD certification and nine directors have received Director Gold certification.

New Fast Charger is Third in Cooperative’s Network

Brighton, CO – United Power announced its third public electric vehicle (EV) fast charging station at a ribbon cutting event on Wednesday. The newest charging station in the cooperative’s growing network is located at its Carbon Valley office along Interstate 25, just south of Longmont, and fills a 30-mile gap in available charging options between Thornton and Loveland. All three charging stations are part of the ChargePoint network.

“Nearly 5,000 United Power members own electric vehicles,” said Mark A. Gabriel, United Power’s President and Chief Executive Officer. “We stand committed to strategically deploying a charging network capable of supporting our members and the thousands of others who commute daily throughout our territory.”

The charging station at United Power’s Carbon Valley Service Center is a 62.5 kW direct current (DC) fast charger available for anyone who has set up a ChargePoint account. Individuals may create an account using ChargePoint’s mobile app or an activation card available through the mail. The charging station was installed with the help of a grant from Tri-State Generation & Transmission.

United Power has paid careful attention to the growing electric and plug-in hybrid vehicle markets and rapid adoption of the technology among its members. The cooperative’s first charging station was installed at its Coal Creek office in 2019, and its second was added at Keenesburg’s Market Street Mart in 2021. These strategic locations fill gaps where charging was previously unavailable and made EV ownership more feasible for rural members. An online educational portal, savings calculator and additional resources are available for members interested in EVs at ChooseEV.

“Our goal is making electric vehicle ownership more practical and accessible for more of our members, especially those who live in rural areas,” Gabriel said. “We do that by considering the appropriate opportunities and the right programs that meet the needs of 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 2021 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, which is dedicated to expanding the power supply and procurement options available to distribution co-ops and reforming the traditional generation and transmission business model. For more information about United Power, visit www.unitedpower.com or follow the cooperative on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube and Instagram.

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