As a reminder, rates were adjusted for all rate classes beginning with June 1 electric usage. Some billing cycles include billing dates that span from May to June, so billing statements issued in June will reflect energy usage billed at two different rates - delineated as different lines. 

To clearly differentiate energy usage and the per kWh rate billed, a separate line item will appear on bills for energy used before June 1, and another line item for energy used on June 1 and beyond. Bills for members on Time of Day rates will include added lines for the two on-peak and off-peak rates over the billing cycle. 

These additional line items will only appear on statements billed during the rate transition and member bills will resume to the standard format moving forward. If you have additional questions about the current rates, please visit www.unitedpower.com/rates or call United Power’s member services team at 303-637-1300.

Líneas adicionales en las facturas durante la transición de tarifas

Como recordatorio, se ajustaron las tarifas de todas las clases tarifarias a partir del consumo eléctrico del 1.o de junio. Algunos ciclos de facturación incluyen fechas de facturación que abarcan de mayo a junio, por lo que las facturas emitidas en junio reflejarán el consumo de energía facturado a dos tarifas diferentes, detalladas en líneas distintas. 
Para diferenciar claramente el consumo de energía y la tarifa por kWh facturada, verá la energía utilizada antes del 1.o de junio y la energía utilizada a partir del 1.o de junio en dos líneas separadas. Las facturas para los clientes con tarifas Time of Day incluirán líneas adicionales para las dos tarifas de horas pico y no pico durante el ciclo de facturación. 
Estas líneas adicionales solo aparecerán en las facturas emitidas durante la transición de tarifas. Después de esta transición, las facturas volverán al formato estándar. Si tiene preguntas adicionales sobre las tarifas actuales, visite www.unitedpower.com/rates o llame al equipo de Servicios a los Miembros de United Power al 303-637-1300.

Brighton, CO – United Power proudly announces its scholarship recipients for 2024. This year, the cooperative awarded more than $30,000 in scholarships to outstanding students in its service territory. The United Power Scholarship Committee selected 18 high school seniors based on grades, test scores, extracurricular activities, community involvement, and a written essay. Applications are made available on the cooperative’s website by December each year. 

2024 scholarship recipients: 

• Harley Baas, Branson School Online, United Power Community College Scholarship, $1,000
  
• Lucas Burela, Brighton High School, United Power Colorado College Scholarship, $2,000
• Lilliana Ritter, Prairie View High School, United Power Technical Scholarship, $1,000
• Rachael Schmidt, Frederick High School, United Power Colorado College Scholarship, $2,000
• Giselle Sixtos, Fort Lupton High School, Lois Lesser Education Scholarship, $1,000
• Alanna Snyder, Horizon High School, Bill Berens Memorial Scholarship, $1,000
• Skylar Whalen, Mead High School, United Power Youth Leadership Scholarship, $1,500

Additionally, United Power dedicates a Bright Futures Scholarship to each high school within its service territory, provided students from those schools submit applications. This year, United Power distributed 11 scholarships for $2,000 each, including one “at-large” selection.  

Bright Futures scholarships for 2024 were awarded to Cody Bydalek, Weld Central High School; Elizabeth Clement, Stargate Charter School; Sydney Dawson, Eagle Ridge Academy; Paige Gibbs, Fort Lupton High School; Josh Goodrich, Mead High School; Colt Lanaghen, Mountain Territory; Devyn Nabarrete, Erie High School; Joaquin Rodriguez, Riverdale Ridge High School; Paige Walker, Prairie View High School; Nicholas Aasmundstad-Williams, Frederick High School; and Owen Woodford, Brighton High School. 

More information about United Power’s scholarships, including a video commemorating this year’s recipients, can be found here.  

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 co-ops 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, X, LinkedIn, YouTube, and Instagram.

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United Power is not Affiliated with any Solar Vendors; Please Contact Us if you have Concerns

United Power is proud to be ranked among the top electric utilities across the country in member-owned rooftop solar installations. In fact, we have surpassed 12,000 net metering agreements. While we empower our members to pursue solar if it suits their energy needs and lifestyle, we do not contract or partner with any company that sells solar panels. 

Some members have recently reported door-to-door salespeople who are claiming to represent the cooperative and are using intentionally misleading promises to persuade members into making costly decisions about installing solar panels. One company, Sign and Shine, has gone a step further and is using the United Power logo in their online advertising efforts. We understand that this may cause confusion, so we are setting the record straight. United Power is not affiliated with this company. If approached by Sign and Shine or any other company claiming to work with or on behalf of United Power, we encourage members to conduct due diligence with the Colorado Secretary of State and the Better Business Bureau. Likewise, members may contact United Power’s Energy Solutions team at 303-637-1300 for information regarding United Power's solar programs or the process to install solar panels on their homes.

Brighton, CO - On May 1, 2024, United Power officially departed from its prior wholesale power contract, allowing the cooperative to restructure the energy resources in its power mix and provide a more flexible framework for its members. TEA Solutions, a sister company of The Energy Authority, worked with the cooperative’s team to complete the transition from a single supplier to multiple wholesale energy providers.

“United Power is excited for our revolutionary new energy future,” said Mark A. Gabriel, President and CEO of United Power. “Our move away from a single, central power supplier will give us the flexibility and responsiveness that a utility needs to be competitive in the changing power market. We will be able to better meet the varied needs of our members and provide more predictable costs in the future.”

The cooperative’s partnership with TEA Solutions will provide for a variety of services on the power delivery side, including portfolio management, trading, and load forecasting. The full suite of services will ensure that the cooperative has adequate oversight of its multiple power sources and has an experienced team of specialists working to manage risk in the forecasting and trading markets.

“We’re proud to be United Power’s partner of choice as they begin their next chapter operating as an independent utility,” stated Joanie Teofilo, President and CEO of TEA Solutions. “This partnership demonstrates our commitment to assisting community-owned utilities in delivering reliable and affordable service to their residents.”

United Power’s decision to leave its former power supplier grew from a variety of changes in the electric delivery market and the fact that wholesale power represented 74% of all the cooperative’s costs prior to its departure. The previous contract also made it difficult to meet the growing demand for the integration of local generation sources, including rooftop solar. Additionally, the structure required that the cooperative cover a growing percentage of the power supplier’s costs that did not directly benefit United Power members.

“TEA Solutions offers a customized solution for electric utilities to provide the depth and experience we need to efficiently manage our power acquisition and delivery,” said Gabriel. “We are excited to work with an experienced and accomplished team of professionals who, along with cooperative staff, were able to manage our transition smoothly and without interruption.”

TEA Solutions will provide support for United Power’s unique energy needs, helping the cooperative meet its goals for delivering sustainable and economical power to its members.

“We are proud of our team’s hard work throughout this entire process and look forward to continuing our partnership with United Power,” said Teofilo. “We are dedicated to ensuring their success in this new market and future expanded markets while supporting their continued excellent service to their communities.”

United Power’s Board and staff were committed to finding a power solution that provides members with reliable power at more predictable prices into the future. Changes in the wholesale power market, increasing needs for flexibility in the delivery system, and growing ongoing operational costs from the cooperative’s former wholesale energy provider drove the need to seek out a change. United Power completed its withdrawal from its wholesale contract with Tri-State Generation and Transmission on May 1, 2024, with a historic funding agreement signed in April 2024.

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 co-ops 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, X, LinkedIn, YouTube, and Instagram.

About TEA Solutions

TEA Solutions provides community-owned utilities with a full suite of services to manage and maximize their wholesale energy load. TEA Solutions leverages the talent, systems, and tools of The Energy Authority which provides trading and risk management services to over 70 clients – with combined generating assets of over 25,000 MW.

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There is never a good time to raise rates, but there is always a good reason. Raising rates ensures the financial stability of the utility, keeps borrowing costs low, and allows for continued investment in facilities. Sometimes there is a great reason to raise rates. For United Power, that great reason is freedom to do the right thing for our members and a restoration of local control.

More than 85 years ago, United Power’s founding board members decided electrification was in the best interest of their communities. Their goal required bold thinking and a bit of moxie. It took them two years to bring their idea of electrification to life but resulted in the lights going on for 110 homes and businesses in 1940. It introduced a vision for the future that is still being expanded today. The cooperative is now more than 100 times larger – far larger than those original founders could have ever imagined. 

Two years ago, your intrepid Board of Directors began the initial steps to take our cooperative back, advocating for a new direction untethered to an organization that was not operating in our members’ best interests. The Board’s belief is bringing a new vision of the future, and we are expanding on that every day. 

Operating as an independent entity allows United Power to manage its own destiny and focus on locally controlled generation and assets, while protecting members from costs that do not bring them value. Exiting our power contract prevents the cooperative from carrying a disproportionate burden of the supplier’s costs and investments and subsidizing others. Additionally, we want to incentivize generation and storage within our communities and increase reliability. Local generation contributes tax revenue that benefits our communities. Our new power supply will also immediately reduce our carbon intensity, helping us meet regulatory mandates. 

The cost of this freedom is $627 million, broken down into an exit fee of roughly $450 million and a 40-year prepayment of approximately $180 million for the use of transmission facilities. This prepayment is a loan from United Power that will earn interest to the tune of more than $250 million, and it is for service that we would have needed to buy anyway. Most importantly, the cooperative will be free from debts and obligations over which we have no management or control. 

The key question, of course, is what this exit will do to bills. There will be a small rate increase to pay for our freedom. Raising rates is never pleasant, and we understand this will be challenging for some. We are working on programs to minimize the impact, and we are committed to rate stabilization and potential answers for lowering them as we pay off our exit fees. 

This resolution is really the end of the beginning for United Power’s exciting and bold vision for the future. This was outlined three years ago in Our Cooperative Roadmap, which envisioned a new set of power supplies, the move into power markets, increased levels of energy storage, and continuing our industry-leading innovation. 

Innovation is not new at United Power. We were one of the first to have community solar, generate power from methane waste gas, and pioneer battery storage. Further, our rates and programs support members who add solar and storage, and electric vehicles are revolutionizing our backyard with more than 6,000 in our territory. 

United Power received a grant to combine floating solar with storage in Fort Lupton to produce low-cost power and reduce water loss through evaporation. Golden Aluminum, one of the co-op’s largest industrial members, received $22.3 million to electrify their processes. And, we have been selected to apply for New ERA grant funding. If the application is successful, those funds will help stabilize and lower the cost of lower carbon resources. 

Being an independent entity means we get to pick the right generating resources for our members, and help electrification efforts without constraints or paying for things that do not benefit the co-op. 

There is a cost to our freedom, but operating independently is priceless. Bold thinking and a bit of moxie are making this happen. I am proud of the women and men of United Power. We are, and will remain, Here for Good.