Utilities throw around terms like distribution system, electric infrastructure and “the grid.” But as an electric consumer – and cooperative member – have you given much thought into how you use the electric system, and your role in maintaining that system? 

Our distribution electric system, or grid, is a network of poles, wires, transformers and substations – all interconnected to deliver the power you need, when you need it. The system is carefully engineered to meet the needs of the energy consumers connected to it, while ensuring the installation, operation and maintenance is economical. 

Costs to maintain the system aren’t just based on the power you buy, system infrastructure costs are also attributed to how much power you use at a given time. When you use more power at once, you’re creating a higher demand on the system. These surges in demand have a greater impact on the grid, so they cost more money. 

With the traditional blended rate where the impact of demand surges is rolled up into a charge based on the power used, some members have been paying more than they should, while others aren’t paying enough. But here’s the thing: whether you use a lot of energy, a little energy, or generate your own, we all need a reliable grid to be there when we need it. 

By separating demand and energy components on your bill, we are more fairly distributing these costs to members based on how they use power. Each member will now pay their fair share of the cooperative distribution system they rely on.

If you want more information on how you use power, login to the Power Portal to view your usage and demand trends. Visit www.unitedpower.com/powerportal to begin. Find your high demand periods, think back to what was running in your home, and then stagger those appliances moving forward. The grid, and your wallet, will thank you. 

If you have additional questions about the demand rate and how it will impact you, email unitednewsline@unitedpower.com.

Demand for Electricity is like Demand for Water

You can fill the same 5-gallon bucket with either a garden hose, or a fire hose. A garden hose will not fill as quickly – but the hose costs less to operate, and the impact on the water system is minimal. Fill that same bucket with a fire hose, and it will fill up very quickly, but the surge of water from a fire hose requires larger pipes and a more expensive hose. In the end, both buckets would be full with the same amount of water, but filling a bucket more slowly – smoothing the water use over time – creates less demand on the system and costs less to do. 
 

From energizing Colorado’s first community solar field to implementing an innovative methane recapture project, United Power has been at the forefront of providing renewable energy options to our members. Today, our renewable generation projects produce enough energy to power more than 14,000 homes annually. 

Thanks to the continued development of our renewable programs and support from our dedicated members, the cooperative has become a statewide and national leader in renewable integration. In a recent survey, United Power ranked among the top utilities in solar accumulation in the country. 

Each year, the Smart Electric Power Association (SEPA) surveys data gathered from more than 440 utilities around the country and releases a report showing how they stack up against each other. The data provides a snapshot of how cooperatives like United Power compare to each other, as well as larger investor-owned utilities. 

With four energized utility scale solar farms and nearly 3,000 rooftop systems active in our territory, United Power ranked 44th in solar capacity and 48th in accumulated solar energy against all utilities across the country in 2017. Only Xcel Energy (Public Service Co.) edged out the cooperative in the state. 

Among cooperatives nationwide, United Power fared even better. In 2017, we ranked 2nd in connected solar and finished the year 5th in cumulative solar installations. 

Over the years, we’ve continued to grow and develop our renewable programs, leading the way among all 43 cooperatives in Tri-State Generation & Transmission’s four-state region. United Power recognizes the future of electrical generation will be an “all of the above” strategy of investing in a variety of generation sources, and responding to the wants and needs of our membership. 

Earlier this year, the cooperative announced plans to purchase two Tesla Battery Storage Systems in partnership with SoCore Energy, which will help us lower wholesale demand costs and potentially bring more renewable generation onto the system. 

Veteran United Power lineman Kelly Snow has been selected to join five other Colorado linemen and eight Oklahoma linemen to bring power to two remote jungle villages in Guatemala this September. 

The villages, Pel del Cerro and Tierra Blanca Salinas, are located in the Ixcán region of northwestern Guatemala and do not have access to reliable and affordable electricity. The communities are home to approximately 100 households, five churches, two elementary schools and two health centers. 

“It’s a once in a lifetime opportunity to give back in such a rewarding way,” Kelly Snow said. “Most of us have never had to know a day without electricity. I can only imagine what it would mean to people who’ve never had it before. “

The fifteen member crew will install 130 poles, two transformers and more than eight miles of electrical line without the assistance of modern machinery over the course of the three week project. While most of the terrain will be flat, roughly one mile of the path passes through dense rain forest growth. 

“I’ve worked in ice storms, blizzards and floods,” Snow said. “I am well aware of the difficulties of working in adverse conditions. It’s these kinds of challenges that make the project very appealing.”

The project is a joint effort between Colorado and Oklahoma’s electric cooperatives and made possible by NRECA International, a nonprofit 501(c)(3) charitable organization, whose mission is to increase individual and community access to electricity in all parts of the world. Over the past 50 years, NRECA International has provided electricity to more than 126 million people.

The Colorado Rural Electric Association selected the seven-member team representing Colorado in Guatemala following interviews earlier this year. Snow has been with United Power for the past 15 years, and has more than 20 years combined experience. 

“The Rural Electric Association was founded on the principal of bringing electricity to rural America,” Snow said. “It’s an inspiration to be a part of that foundation and spreading it to other countries.”