United Power is committed to providing members with the tools and resources they need to take control of their energy use. As we enter a new year, it’s now easier to control your energy and become more energy efficient. Here are some ways United Power is empowering its members to take control.

Rates that Work for You

Families spent more time at home over the past two years due to the pandemic transitioning many to working from a home office while schooling from the kitchen or living room. As a result, members are more aware of the ways they use energy. Now is the time to ask your cooperative about your rate and choose one that works for you and your family. United Power’s residential rates provide individuals and families options designed to fit a variety of lifestyles. The flexibility of available rates enables members to review their energy use habits and select a plan that fits their usage patterns. The cooperative’s rates will also remain unchanged as we head into 2022.

For more information on United Power’s rates, go to the cooperative's Rates page, or to have a dedicated energy management specialist review your history and recommend a rate option, call 303-637-1311.

Take Advantage of Free Member Resources

United Power provides several programs and tools to help members understand their usage. The Power Portal is an accessory to the cooperative’s online account portal and provides detailed energy use information. With information displayed in 15-minute intervals throughout the day, members can compare days or months to determine what’s driving energy usage.

In addition to this resource, the cooperative has also launched calculators to help members understand what drives their demand or how charging an electric vehicle can impact their usage. More resources may be coming in the future, and all these tools are available free to United Power members.

‘Smart’ Way to Save on Heating this Winter

Heating and cooling your home accounts for approximately half your annual energy usage, making it the most expensive part of your energy costs. The most efficient way to manage your heating and cooling is installing a smart thermostat, which gives you control even when you’re not home. A simple adjustment to your thermostat could save you as much as 10 percent annually, according to the Department of Energy, which recommends adjusting your temperature a couple degrees when you’re home and a couple more when you’re away. Many smart thermostats can learn your schedule and make these adjustments automatically.

Talk to an Energy Management Specialist

A United Power Energy Management Specialist is available to walk through your energy concerns, analyze your usage and provide you with practical information you can use to control your energy usage. They can walk you through available rates, programs and rebates to ensure you’re maximizing your energy savings.

Ultimately, energy savings comes down to the small things. Turn off lights and ceiling fans when you aren’t in a room. Stagger the use of appliances to avoid a higher demand. Remind everyone in your family to make energy savings a priority. Enter into the new year resolved to be more energy efficient.

Date: 4/29/2022
United Power filed a non-conditional Notice of Intent to Withdraw from our power supplier in compliance with a recent Federal Energy Regulatory Commission ruling. This changes our previously announced Tri-State exit date of Jan. 1, 2024 to May 1, 2024.

Reducing Costs, Leveraging Clean Resources Among Reasons for the Move

Brighton, Colorado/Washington D.C. — United Power, a rural electric cooperative based in Brighton, Colorado, today filed its Notice of Intent to withdraw from the membership of Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) in Washington, D.C., effective January 1, 2024. The two-year notice period was accepted by FERC in an October 29, 2021 ruling.

United Power is the largest member of Tri-State and accounts for nearly 20% of the G&T’s annual revenue. United Power has unsuccessfully attempted to modify its all requirements contract with the G&T for more than three years. In the last nine months alone United Power has tendered three formal term sheets and held numerous high-level meetings, but leadership at the G&T has been unresponsive to the contract modification requests.

“Sadly, our power supplier has been ignoring our efforts to come to an amicable arrangement that better supports the needs of our members while guaranteeing that our prior commitments are met,” said Mark A. Gabriel, United Power President and Chief Executive Officer. “Instead of working with us in the pursuit of lower-cost, cleaner options, Tri-State has resisted these developments. Tri-State recently purchased additional coal generation, is limiting our members’ ability to add more carbon free generation and is penalizing additional storage on our system. They also offer non-members preferable transmission rates over those of us who have invested in the system for decades.”

United Power has been a leader in the deployment of innovative technologies and in the integration of renewable energy resources. Currently United Power has 84 megawatts of renewable generation on its system including 46 megawatts of utility scale solar, Colorado’s largest battery storage project and more than 6,800 roof top systems. Tri-State’s policies include penalties if a utility exceeds 5% of generation other than from the G&T.

There are a number of cases currently in front of FERC, Denver Courts, Adams County Courts and the U.S. Court of Appeals that will ultimately decide the exit fee for United Power. United Power joins Delta Montrose Electric Association and Kit Carson who have exited the G&T in the last five years. At least six other cooperatives are considering a potential exit.

“When I came to United Power nine months ago, I was extremely optimistic that we would be able to come to an agreement that lives up to our commitment for past investments and allows us to provide lower cost, cleaner options to our rapidly growing communities in the future,” Gabriel said. “Our decision to depart is not made lightly but follows the cooperative principles of voluntary participation and member’s economic participation by choice,” added Gabriel.

United Power will be seeking alternative power supply and the use of transmission as outlined by FERC as part of Open Access Transmission Tariffs.

About United Power

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.

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Message to the Membership & Frequently Asked Questions

During my first nine months here at United Power I have had the tremendous opportunity to experience “the cooperative difference” as we serve our rapidly growing base of members.

What is the cooperative difference? It is the way we are all member-owners of this great organization. It is the way we interact in serving your communities and it is the way we recognize the importance of supporting the United Power “family.” Many different types of organizations provide power, but cooperatives do it in unique fashion.

Here are just a few of my experiences since coming to United Power:

• In November we commissioned a generator in Gilpin County that will provide the school system and emergency responders a reliable source of power should there be an extended outage. The school is at the end of a radial line in the rugged and beautiful community we serve in the mountains. This automated generator will kick in should power be curtailed in a storm or other challenging event. More importantly, this will offer the members of the community a place of refuge in times of crisis. Working with the Gilpin County School District and the Office of Emergency Management, United Power engineers and linemen made sure the system was up and running for this winter.
• In support of the Metro North Lead Program, I had the chance to meet with the up-and-coming leaders from around our service territory and engage in a discussion about the history – and coming changes – in the electric industry. I had a similar opportunity to speak with the Weld County Board of County Commissioners. We had a lively engagement on the future of electric generation and transmission, as well as the impact of the growing natural gas and oil businesses.
• Our crews are out every day making sure the system is strong and resilient. They are there, rain, snow or shine, understanding the critical nature of electricity. And, behind every one of them are the dispatchers, financial analysts, member service representatives, engineers and other employees working hard to keep rates low and reliability high. As we all know, these jobs are even more difficult as we continue to manage in a COVID workplace.
• A number of members have reached out to me on a variety of topics, from electric vehicles to renewables and coal, with ideas for the system. I respond to each personally as working at United Power is more than just my vocation but is my avocation as well. I encourage you to contact me with questions, concerns and opinions at www.unitedpower.com/CEO.

The next few years will bring remarkable changes to the energy industry across the country. The cooperative difference means we have a special lens, asking not only what we can do to improve our system but how can we improve the lives of our members. The flexibility of the cooperative model means your input is solicited and valued. Your Board of Directors is a direct pipeline to our organization, and they represent you with passion.

During the next several months we will be having conversations across the communities we serve focused on our 10-Year Working Plan that lays out a vision and priorities for the coming decade. We want to ensure there is an aligned vision for the future as we take advantage of the technologies, societal changes and improved environmental footprint at United Power. We must welcome the changes our members require with open arms as electric vehicles, solar panels, battery storage and yet-to-be-determined technologies expand across our footprint. As a cooperative we are anxious to help our communities thrive and are driven to ensure an even brighter future.

Whether it is providing technical information, working with developers who are expanding housing and business opportunities to our local economy or partnering to bring efficiencies to industry, the cooperative difference is in our DNA. It is why we exist, what we strive for every day and how we live our values.