Benefits of Driving Electric Vehicles Celebrated at United Power’s National Drive Electric Week Event
A free virtual event to learn more about electric vehicles and to ask an EV expert all your questions

Brighton, Colo. – Electric vehicle drivers, supporters, and intrigued United Power members are invited to attend United Power’s “United We Drive EV” webinar on Sun., Sept. 27th from 2-3 p.m.

During the live webinar, United Power will take members on a safe, virtual test drive of an electric vehicle. EV Outreach & Education expert, Nigel Zeid of Boulder Nissan will be on hand to walk you through the finer points of EV ownership, and United Power representatives will discuss how to make the most of an EV with United Power’s rates. Learn more and register for the free event at Drive EV Week.

“With more electric cars than ever before on the market and a larger, more accessible charging infrastructure, owning and driving an EV is within reach for more drivers,” said Joel Danforth, United Power New Business Director. “We want to help our members looking to make the transition to electric vehicles by providing trusted information, and information about rates and programs that make driving an EV even more attractive.”

Today, you’re more likely to see multiple electric vehicles while you’re driving to work or the grocery store than not, and it’s becoming more common for gas stations and public spaces to install charging stations to accommodate electric vehicle drivers. You probably support a business with an electric vehicle fleet or know someone who has invested in either an electric vehicle or plug-in hybrid.

“There’s a perception that electric vehicles aren’t capable of meeting the average person’s needs,” Zeid says. “Every main concern can be boiled down to that root perception. With a little information, we can turn hesitation into excitement. Electric vehicles have all the benefits of any other vehicle without much of the cost.”

United Power’s event is one of almost 300 across the country where electric vehicle owners, government and community leaders are celebrating the clean-air benefits and cost-savings of electric cars by holding Drive EV Week educational and informational events.

For more information about United Power’s “United We Drive EV” event, visit: unitedpower.com/DriveEVWeek.

For a complete list of National Drive Electric Week events, visit: DriveElectricWeek.org

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About United Power: United Power is a member-owned, not-for-profit electric cooperative delivering electricity to nearly 95,000 meters at homes, business, and farms in Colorado's north central front range. For more information about the cooperative, visit www.unitedpower.com or follow them on social media at facebook.com/unitedpower or twitter.com/unitedpowercoop

About Plug In America: Plug In America is the nation’s leading independent consumer voice for accelerating the use of plug-in electric vehicles in the United States. Formed as a non-profit in 2008, Plug In America provides practical, objective information collected from our coalition of plug-in vehicle drivers, through public outreach and education, policy work and a range of technical advisory services. Our expertise represents the world’s deepest pool of experience of driving and living with plug-in vehicles. The organization conceived National Drive Electric Week and has advanced workplace charging by pioneering ride-and-drive events at such leading corporations as Google, Mattel and Paramount Pictures. We drive electric. You can too. pluginamerica.org

About the Sierra Club: The Sierra Club is the nation’s oldest and largest grassroots environmental organization with more than 2.4 million members and supporters and chapters in all 50 states. The Sierra Club’s national electric vehicles initiative advocates for a switch to EVs as one important way to reduce emissions and cut oil consumption. Sierra Club is proud to have been one of the three national groups organizing National Drive Electric Week since its inception in 2011. www.sierraclub.org/EVGuide.

About the Electric Auto Association: The Electric Auto Association, formed in 1967, is a nonprofit educational organization with 75 chapters worldwide that promotes the advancement and widespread adoption of electric vehicles. www.electricauto.org.

After several years operating a storefront in Fort Lupton, United Power is closing its office located on Dexter Street in the Fort Lupton Safeway shopping center. All United Power lobbies have been closed to the public since March due to the coronavirus pandemic, and the Fort Lupton office will not reopen. When conditions allow and offices reopen to the public, members who wish to conduct business in person will be able to visit our Brighton office, located just nine miles from Fort Lupton. The cooperative is also planning to open a self-serve payment kiosk in Fort Lupton to ensure members still have a local payment station that accepts cash, check, and card.

“The way our members want to conduct business with us is evolving. Before the pandemic, we were noticing a decline in the number of members visiting us in person. The pandemic stopped all in-person services, and our members quickly adapted to using remote tools to manage their accounts,” said Francis Ashu, Member Services Director. “Now more of our members are consistently interacting with us over the phone or online and leveraging self-serve payment options instead of visiting our front counters. Through these options, members have easy and safe access to account information from the comfort of their home, and we are able to provide the same level of quality service without the costs associated with operating a storefront location.”

Over the last few years, United Power has seen a steady increase in demand from members who prefer to use self-serve and digital account and payment options, and a corresponding reduction in visits to our offices. The co-op has responded by offering more ways for members to access their accounts and make quick and secure payments without visiting an office. Members can easily review account information and make payments through our online portal, mobile app and pay by phone features. Self-serve payment kiosks that accept cash, check and card payments are available in our Carbon Valley, Coal Creek and Brighton office with expanded hours beyond the business day. Since the pandemic related closures, our online, over the phone and self-serve support options have allowed United Power to continue to serve our members at a safe distance.

United Power member services representatives and other office personnel have also been working remotely while handling support inquiries. When employees return to the office, member services representatives from the Fort Lupton location will transfer to the Brighton Headquarters, and eventually in-person service will resume from the Brighton Headquarters lobby. The Brighton, Coal Creek and Carbon Valley offices house a consolidated mix of line crews, vehicle maintenance, member services, engineering and new construction teams. Whereas, the Fort Lupton office has been a member services-only storefront. Consolidating employee teams to these primary office locations will improve efficiency and save money for the cooperative and our members.

“The co-op has a long history of partnership with the town of Fort Lupton and the town has always welcomed our storefront location. We thank you for your hospitality over the years,” said Bryant Robbins, Acting Chief Executive Officer. “Be assured that this office closure doesn’t diminish our commitment to serving the Fort Lupton community—we remain as dedicated as ever to providing you with co-op power and supporting the community you call home.”

United Power remains committed to serving the Fort Lupton area with more than just electricity. Our crews continue to be dispatched from our Carbon Valley Service Center and our Brighton Headquarters for outages, and you will still see us working in the area to conduct system maintenance. You’ll still see our employees involved in the community, and our name on banners at ball parks and as a supporter of local organizations and community events. As your electric cooperative, we’re here to power what matters, no matter where you live in the service territory.

Despite Colorado’s proclivity for spring storms, an unusually calm season may have caught many members off guard. In early June, a stretch of severe storms and strong winds blew through Colorado, leaving thousands without power. When large storm systems come through the state, United Power usually has enough forewarning to prepare its crews. With June’s windstorm, known as a “derecho,” the cooperative had little to no advanced notice. 

Derechos are fast-moving bands of thunderstorms featuring hurricane- or even tornado-like winds. A storm system qualifies as a derecho when it sustains wind gusts of at least 58 miles per hour over a path measuring 250 miles or more. June’s derecho was Colorado’s first and also one of the strongest on record. Before dispersing over South Dakota, the storm had left a 600-mile stretch of damage. Wind gusts, reaching 78 miles per hour at Denver International Airport and 110 in the mountains, were the strongest for a day since 2004.

Derechos cover a lot of ground over a relatively small period of time due to their rapid movement. The result is a storm that hits hard, leaves behind significant damage and is over quickly. 

“It was clear a storm was moving in, and we were prepared for that,” said Ken Christensen, United Power foreman. “Then the storm was on us one minute and gone the next. It was over as quickly as it happened. It was difficult to imagine it doing that much damage.”

The earliest storm-related outages were triggered near Thornton when high winds blew a light pole into a stretch of line powering several homes in the area. As the storm moved through the territory, it found weak tree limbs and other unsecured – or weakly secured – objects to blow into power lines. The most extensive damage occurred east of the Platte River. North of Fort Lupton, a sheet metal shed took out power to a large industrial site and several homes. In Brighton, a trampoline was tossed into lines nearly 50 feet above the ground and strong winds toppled a beloved evergreen near Historic City Hall, traditionally decorated to celebrate Christmas.

“With all the downed tree limbs, it can take us longer to diagnose the cause of an outage because we have to cut our way in to find it,” said Jason Roberts, journeyman lineman. “Then, after that, we have to actually make the repairs to restore power.”

Extensive damage was particularly problematic in Brighton, where several members were without power for an extended period of time. Linemen from the Carbon Valley and Coal Creek offices were dispatched to the eastern territory to assist with restoring power to more than 10,000 members who had lost power during the storm and in its aftermath. 

“Thunderstorms and windstorms aren’t uncommon for this time of year,” said Mike Robinson, a safety specialist at United Power and former lineman. “But as far as windstorms go, this was the worst we’ve seen in several years.”

While storms and strong winds temporarily impeded progress throughout the weekend and into Monday, linemen were able to complete most repairs and restore remaining members early Monday.  

More than 40 linemen from United Power and its contractor, Ward Electric, responded to outages following the storm and throughout the weekend to restore power as quickly and safely as possible. During the restoration process, more storm-related damage was found. Nearly 40 poles were snapped either by wind or objects the wind had picked up and tossed into poles and line. Many linemen worked extended hours throughout the night. 

“I’m sure we got lots of calls from members wanting to know when their power was going to be turned back on,” said Roberts. “But we also encountered several members who wanted to help, either by bringing us food and water or coming out with saws and axes to help us clear debris. We appreciate their patience and assistance.”