Title
Helping Forge a Renewable Future
/sites/default/files/styles/news_card_553x430_/public/news/Dec2020_NL_Solar.jpg?itok=riumQVwI
Thursday | May 13, 2021
Card Teaser
United Power has long been invested in pursuing renewable projects that make economic sense for both the cooperative and its members.
United Power has long been invested in pursuing renewable projects that make economic sense for both the cooperative and its members. The cooperative has built a national reputation for its introduction of innovative renewable projects over the past decade, beginning with the launch of its community solar garden, Sol Partners, in May 2010.
As your cooperative, United Power continues to monitor the renewable energy landscape and recognizes the future of electrical generation will be an “all of the above” strategy of investing in a variety of generation sources. The addition of these projects, from utility scale solar farms to a state-leading battery storage facility, helps build some cost stability for members.
The addition of the Platteville Solar Farm in December brought United Power’s cumulative solar production to more than 45 megawatts. Together with the cooperative’s other renewable projects and its members’ rooftop solar systems, United Power produces nearly 85 total megawatts, accounting for 14 percent of its energy needs and enough to power more than 11,000 homes and businesses. United Power members recently topped more than 6,100 total rooftop solar systems across the cooperative’s territory.
“United Power has demonstrative success in planning for and implementing renewable projects that provide tangible benefits for our members,” said Mark A. Gabriel, United Power President & Chief Executive Officer. “As we plan for the future, we’ll continue to prioritize projects that establish us as a leader in the energy industry and also meet our members’ expectations for us as their cooperative. What we are doing now is laying the groundwork for a sustainable and environmentally friendly electric utility.”
For more information about United Power’s renewable portfolio and other innovative energy projects, visit www.unitedpower.com.
Hodge, Whitmore Honored
Friday | November 3, 2017
Mary Hodge, Adams County Commissioner, and Troy Whitmore, United Power Public Affairs Officer received the distinguished Alumni of the Plains award from Pro 15 at their annual Fall Conference held in October.
Read more >
Title
Home Appliances: 6 Ways to Save
/sites/default/files/styles/news_card_553x430_/public/appliances6.jpg?itok=k5aHFCbp
Friday | February 25, 2022
Card Teaser
Take some easy steps to save on the operation of your appliances, or boost your savings with a new appliance rebate from your co-op.
Our appliances make life easier and help tackle the manual tasks of housework, but there’s a cost to this convenience. Many newer models are designed to be energy efficient, but why not take measures that will help you save even more energy and money?
Run a full load. Wash clothes and dishes with a full load only; partial loads waste energy and water. Load your dishwasher according to the manufacturer's instructions. Fill the racks completely to maximize water and energy use but allow for adequate water circulation to ensure clean dishes.
Stay cool and fresh. Set refrigerator and freezer thermostats at the recommended temperature settings: 37°F to 40°F for the refrigerator, and 5°F for the freezer. It will help optimize energy savings while keeping foods fresh.
Stock the fridge. A fully stocked unit uses less energy because there is less air to cool. Avoid overfilling; too many items packed together closely will reduce air circulation.
Keep your dryer dry. Clean the lint filter after each dryer load; this will increase air circulation and improve dryer efficiency. Inspect your dryer vent periodically to ensure that it's not blocked.
Air your clean laundry. When doing laundry, why not air-dry your clothes? It will reduce energy costs, and it may help to keep clothes looking new.
Get cooking efficiently. Use your microwave or toaster oven rather than the stovetop or oven. These smaller appliances often heat food more quickly, while using less energy. If you do use the stovetop, match the pan size to the burner size, and cover pots and pans.
Boost your Savings with an Energy Smart Rebate
Looking to upgrade to more efficient appliances? Replace older appliances with new ENERGY STAR®-certified efficient models. These products are the best of the best, delivering cutting-edge energy efficiency along with the latest in technological innovation.
United Power members can boost their savings with rebates on a variety of ENERGY STAR® and select efficient electric appliances. View the complete menu of Energy Smart Rebates to reduce the cost your new appliance purchase.
Title
How to Modernize the Electric Grid: Rethinking Our Vision
/sites/default/files/styles/news_card_553x430_/public/news/CEO_Message.jpg?h=45932144&itok=pNegmSzP
Monday | August 2, 2021
Card Teaser
Modernization of the electric grid should not be the singular focus of spending in the United States, rather we should also be targeting our efforts and dollars at specific projects that will make the most immediate impacts.
Modernization of the electric grid should not be the singular focus of spending in the United States, rather we should also be targeting our efforts and dollars at specific projects that will make the most immediate impacts. Billions are spent every year on upgrading the system and adding intelligence to the grid and are always balanced against the impacts on rates and customers. Even with unlimited checkbooks on transmission – California and Texas are great examples – system issues can occur.
As a country, we should dream big but equally critical are to make improvements that can have an immediate impact on improving the nation’s infrastructure. The vision of seven hundred and sixty-five megawatt lines crisscrossing the U.S. is a “BHAG” – big, hairy audacious goal – that should be pursued.
However, with even the simplest transmission project taking a decade or more, we should take some specific, short- and medium-term actions.
It is also important to realize while permitting is slow, money is currently available to invest in transmission. The hang up is in assuring the line will be used and commitments made to guarantee the offtake of power. In other words, if no demand backed by financial arrangements, no construction. So, what projects do I believe can and should be done today?
Rebuild the seven AC/DC ties between the Eastern and Western grid. At a cost of roughly thirty million, this project could be complete in less than eighteen months.
Expand the Mead Substation at Hoover Dam into a renewable energy hub. This project will take between twenty-four to thirty-six months to complete. It is at the base of the El Dorado Valley, connects to California, and is the ideal spot for a robust hub.
Complete the Intertie Project started in 1964. In forty-eight months or less, the two hundred and seventy-five miles of transmission could be built that would loop the Pacific Northwest across the west and into the Southwest Power Pool.
Widen our focus and fund technology that benefits the nation and not just a single region. Concentrate those efforts on grid cybersecurity, as well as advanced system sensing to anticipate and avoid issues.
Another key area is to create a cohesive national effort to enhance wildfire tools and technology, including the expansion of right-of-way tree clearing. Encourage or standardize the use of coated cables, especially in areas when undergrounding is limited by terrain or cost.
Create an incentive structure that supports our end goals for improvements in the grid. Pay higher incentives for the power solutions that are really needed: pay a higher rate of return for lines that serve grids wider than a single state, quit paying for redundant infrastructure, and guarantee offtake as a fundamental component of the incentive structure.
Create real markets that span time zones and weather conditions and empower those entities to support. This should also include an RTO to coordinate offshore wind and provide the trading and management platform.
Finally, recognize that transmission is best suited to fix the growing energy divide. The digital divide is often spoken of in our country when the energy divide is an even greater one to navigate for underserved or unserved communities. The “haves” can afford solar panels and storage, while the “have nots” are paying the price. The haves can create microgrids – which serve a purpose – but also serve to create a balkanized electrical system.
Our current business models hang on an engineering measurement – the kilowatt/megawatt hour paradigm. This paradigm is no longer valid when the haves can move their energy supply off the grid for a portion of the day while the have nots pay the carrying costs. We need to move beyond a simple engineering focus on our grid and the delivery of power and understand the far-reaching effects being created with our inherently uneven system.
The question to be asking is how can we effectively grow our grid to realize all the intrinsic potential, and bring all our citizens along to enjoy those benefits? Let us dream for the future and act for today.
This article recently appeared in August 2021 Public Utilities Fortnightly. Read the original article here.
Title
How to Use New Payment Kiosks
/sites/default/files/styles/news_card_553x430_/public/news/Dec2019_NL_Kiosk.jpg?h=45932144&itok=jg74aqOV
Tuesday | December 10, 2019
Card Teaser
United Power has placed payment kiosks at two office locations this year.
United Power has payment kiosks at our Brighton, Coal Creek and Carbon Valley office locations. These easy-to-use and hassle-free kiosks accept cash, credit card or check payments. Cash and credit card payments made using a kiosk are applied to your account immediately, and accounts subject to disconnection are restored immediately upon payment.
To make a payment at one of these kiosks, bring your United Power account number and a form of payment.
Set Up Your Fast Pass for Quick Access
To make your transactions faster, there is an option to set up a “Fast Pass,” which will be prompted once you complete a successful transaction. You’ll create a 4-digit PIN and receive a printed barcode.
The next time you visit a United Power payment kiosk, select “Fast Pass” and quickly find your account with the barcode/PIN or the phone number you used when setting up your Fast Pass.
Please be careful to enter the correct phone and account numbers when making a payment because your Fast Pass will reflect these numbers exactly as you input them.
Title
Industry Standard in System Reliability
/sites/default/files/styles/news_card_553x430_/public/news/Nov2021_NL_SystemReliability.jpg?h=45932144&itok=twbW3RYA
Monday | February 14, 2022
Card Teaser
Since altering its maintenance practices a few years ago, United Power’s reliability has significantly improved, as have its outage numbers.
United Power Consistently, Significantly Better than National Average
United Power understands the most important thing its members want is consistently reliable power. Being able to deliver uninterrupted power is prominently weighed in how the cooperative defines success each year. Since altering its maintenance practices a few years ago, United Power’s reliability has significantly improved, as have its outage numbers. Already an industry leader in automated field devices and other innovative projects, the cooperative is also trending well below the national average in utility outage times, setting yet another standard for others to emulate.
The national average for outage duration among electric utilities in the United States has consistently hovered around 120 minutes per meter. This means the average electric consumer can expect to experience approximately two hours of outage time at their home over the course of a year. When United Power’s operations team instituted a new data-driven maintenance plan in 2017, its average outage times resembled the national averages. In the four years following the plan’s launch, the cooperative’s outage times per meter have dropped below 70 minutes.
The new maintenance practice focuses on analyzing data collected across thousands of miles of line to isolate the worst performing segments. With these segments identified, targeted maintenance projects can be scheduled to improve their performance.
“When you target maintenance efforts at the worst performing parts of the system it improves reliability for members served off of it,” said Bryant Robbins, United Power’s Chief Operating Officer. “Maintenance is an ongoing process, but as long as we continue analyzing the data, isolating problem sections and targeting our maintenance efforts to improve them, it improves the whole system’s reliability and resilience.”
Devices on the system, such as enhanced technology in substations and advanced metering equipment, collect data and transfer it back to system operators. In the event of an outage, these devices can capture important information, such as time, location and sequence-of-events. Armed with this, lineworkers in the field can use the information to restore power to members more quickly, which also contributes to decreased outage times. Without this information, not only would identifying problematic areas be difficult, or even impossible, it would also create additional delays in power restoration as lineworkers inspect miles of line to find the cause.
Some system improvements have served dual functions. United Power recently published its comprehensive fire mitigation plan, which includes new standards and program initiatives primarily focused on areas of the territory that are particularly at risk of wildfires, such as Coal Creek and Golden Gate Canyons. In December, storms blew through the territory with wind speeds in excess of 115 mph, including the storm that ultimately fueled the Marshall Fire. The cooperative activated its fire mitigation protocols during these windstorms, and due to proactive upgrades only experienced a few small outages.
“Our maintenance and system improvement efforts are already paying off for our members,” said Robbins. “Implementing this new maintenance plan has been effective and is proving its value. It’s hard to estimate how many outages you’ve prevented when you don’t have them, but our proactive efforts have gone a long way in helping prevent and/or quickly resolving outages.”
Regardless of the size or length of outage, United Power is continually investigating what causes them and how it can implement new practices to decrease their impact to members and duration. From system redundancies allowing the cooperative to restore power from a secondary location while repairs are being made to deploying an industry-leading number of automated devices, improving system reliability is one of United Power’s core goals.
Title
Is Your Contact Info Up to Date?
/sites/default/files/styles/news_card_553x430_/public/news/Jan2020_NL_ContactInfo.jpg?itok=RMmrwr-P
Thursday | January 16, 2020
Card Teaser
Check your information to make sure you're getting important updates from your co-op.
United Power has been using recorded phone messages to let members know when a preplanned outage has been scheduled in their area for maintenance work. As new software becomes available, the cooperative may have more options to send important communications to members electronically.
Electronic communications are tied to individual member accounts and use the phone numbers and/or email addresses the cooperative has on record. If the contact information on record isn’t up-to-date or is entered incorrectly, you may be missing out on important notifications from United Power.
You can check your contact information and make necessary updates using the free online payment portal, SmartHub. To set up an online account, go to www.unitedpower.com and click on Online Account Services under My Account. Contact information can also be updated by calling the Member Services Team at 303-637-1300.
Title
Helping Forge a Renewable Future
/sites/default/files/styles/news_card_553x430_/public/news/Dec2020_NL_Solar.jpg?itok=riumQVwI
Thursday | May 13, 2021
Card Teaser
United Power has long been invested in pursuing renewable projects that make economic sense for both the cooperative and its members.
United Power has long been invested in pursuing renewable projects that make economic sense for both the cooperative and its members. The cooperative has built a national reputation for its introduction of innovative renewable projects over the past decade, beginning with the launch of its community solar garden, Sol Partners, in May 2010.
As your cooperative, United Power continues to monitor the renewable energy landscape and recognizes the future of electrical generation will be an “all of the above” strategy of investing in a variety of generation sources. The addition of these projects, from utility scale solar farms to a state-leading battery storage facility, helps build some cost stability for members.
The addition of the Platteville Solar Farm in December brought United Power’s cumulative solar production to more than 45 megawatts. Together with the cooperative’s other renewable projects and its members’ rooftop solar systems, United Power produces nearly 85 total megawatts, accounting for 14 percent of its energy needs and enough to power more than 11,000 homes and businesses. United Power members recently topped more than 6,100 total rooftop solar systems across the cooperative’s territory.
“United Power has demonstrative success in planning for and implementing renewable projects that provide tangible benefits for our members,” said Mark A. Gabriel, United Power President & Chief Executive Officer. “As we plan for the future, we’ll continue to prioritize projects that establish us as a leader in the energy industry and also meet our members’ expectations for us as their cooperative. What we are doing now is laying the groundwork for a sustainable and environmentally friendly electric utility.”
For more information about United Power’s renewable portfolio and other innovative energy projects, visit www.unitedpower.com.
Hodge, Whitmore Honored
Friday | November 3, 2017
Mary Hodge, Adams County Commissioner, and Troy Whitmore, United Power Public Affairs Officer received the distinguished Alumni of the Plains award from Pro 15 at their annual Fall Conference held in October.
Read more >
Title
Home Appliances: 6 Ways to Save
/sites/default/files/styles/news_card_553x430_/public/appliances6.jpg?itok=k5aHFCbp
Friday | February 25, 2022
Card Teaser
Take some easy steps to save on the operation of your appliances, or boost your savings with a new appliance rebate from your co-op.
Our appliances make life easier and help tackle the manual tasks of housework, but there’s a cost to this convenience. Many newer models are designed to be energy efficient, but why not take measures that will help you save even more energy and money?
Run a full load. Wash clothes and dishes with a full load only; partial loads waste energy and water. Load your dishwasher according to the manufacturer's instructions. Fill the racks completely to maximize water and energy use but allow for adequate water circulation to ensure clean dishes.
Stay cool and fresh. Set refrigerator and freezer thermostats at the recommended temperature settings: 37°F to 40°F for the refrigerator, and 5°F for the freezer. It will help optimize energy savings while keeping foods fresh.
Stock the fridge. A fully stocked unit uses less energy because there is less air to cool. Avoid overfilling; too many items packed together closely will reduce air circulation.
Keep your dryer dry. Clean the lint filter after each dryer load; this will increase air circulation and improve dryer efficiency. Inspect your dryer vent periodically to ensure that it's not blocked.
Air your clean laundry. When doing laundry, why not air-dry your clothes? It will reduce energy costs, and it may help to keep clothes looking new.
Get cooking efficiently. Use your microwave or toaster oven rather than the stovetop or oven. These smaller appliances often heat food more quickly, while using less energy. If you do use the stovetop, match the pan size to the burner size, and cover pots and pans.
Boost your Savings with an Energy Smart Rebate
Looking to upgrade to more efficient appliances? Replace older appliances with new ENERGY STAR®-certified efficient models. These products are the best of the best, delivering cutting-edge energy efficiency along with the latest in technological innovation.
United Power members can boost their savings with rebates on a variety of ENERGY STAR® and select efficient electric appliances. View the complete menu of Energy Smart Rebates to reduce the cost your new appliance purchase.
Title
How to Modernize the Electric Grid: Rethinking Our Vision
/sites/default/files/styles/news_card_553x430_/public/news/CEO_Message.jpg?h=45932144&itok=pNegmSzP
Monday | August 2, 2021
Card Teaser
Modernization of the electric grid should not be the singular focus of spending in the United States, rather we should also be targeting our efforts and dollars at specific projects that will make the most immediate impacts.
Modernization of the electric grid should not be the singular focus of spending in the United States, rather we should also be targeting our efforts and dollars at specific projects that will make the most immediate impacts. Billions are spent every year on upgrading the system and adding intelligence to the grid and are always balanced against the impacts on rates and customers. Even with unlimited checkbooks on transmission – California and Texas are great examples – system issues can occur.
As a country, we should dream big but equally critical are to make improvements that can have an immediate impact on improving the nation’s infrastructure. The vision of seven hundred and sixty-five megawatt lines crisscrossing the U.S. is a “BHAG” – big, hairy audacious goal – that should be pursued.
However, with even the simplest transmission project taking a decade or more, we should take some specific, short- and medium-term actions.
It is also important to realize while permitting is slow, money is currently available to invest in transmission. The hang up is in assuring the line will be used and commitments made to guarantee the offtake of power. In other words, if no demand backed by financial arrangements, no construction. So, what projects do I believe can and should be done today?
Rebuild the seven AC/DC ties between the Eastern and Western grid. At a cost of roughly thirty million, this project could be complete in less than eighteen months.
Expand the Mead Substation at Hoover Dam into a renewable energy hub. This project will take between twenty-four to thirty-six months to complete. It is at the base of the El Dorado Valley, connects to California, and is the ideal spot for a robust hub.
Complete the Intertie Project started in 1964. In forty-eight months or less, the two hundred and seventy-five miles of transmission could be built that would loop the Pacific Northwest across the west and into the Southwest Power Pool.
Widen our focus and fund technology that benefits the nation and not just a single region. Concentrate those efforts on grid cybersecurity, as well as advanced system sensing to anticipate and avoid issues.
Another key area is to create a cohesive national effort to enhance wildfire tools and technology, including the expansion of right-of-way tree clearing. Encourage or standardize the use of coated cables, especially in areas when undergrounding is limited by terrain or cost.
Create an incentive structure that supports our end goals for improvements in the grid. Pay higher incentives for the power solutions that are really needed: pay a higher rate of return for lines that serve grids wider than a single state, quit paying for redundant infrastructure, and guarantee offtake as a fundamental component of the incentive structure.
Create real markets that span time zones and weather conditions and empower those entities to support. This should also include an RTO to coordinate offshore wind and provide the trading and management platform.
Finally, recognize that transmission is best suited to fix the growing energy divide. The digital divide is often spoken of in our country when the energy divide is an even greater one to navigate for underserved or unserved communities. The “haves” can afford solar panels and storage, while the “have nots” are paying the price. The haves can create microgrids – which serve a purpose – but also serve to create a balkanized electrical system.
Our current business models hang on an engineering measurement – the kilowatt/megawatt hour paradigm. This paradigm is no longer valid when the haves can move their energy supply off the grid for a portion of the day while the have nots pay the carrying costs. We need to move beyond a simple engineering focus on our grid and the delivery of power and understand the far-reaching effects being created with our inherently uneven system.
The question to be asking is how can we effectively grow our grid to realize all the intrinsic potential, and bring all our citizens along to enjoy those benefits? Let us dream for the future and act for today.
This article recently appeared in August 2021 Public Utilities Fortnightly. Read the original article here.
Title
How to Use New Payment Kiosks
/sites/default/files/styles/news_card_553x430_/public/news/Dec2019_NL_Kiosk.jpg?h=45932144&itok=jg74aqOV
Tuesday | December 10, 2019
Card Teaser
United Power has placed payment kiosks at two office locations this year.
United Power has payment kiosks at our Brighton, Coal Creek and Carbon Valley office locations. These easy-to-use and hassle-free kiosks accept cash, credit card or check payments. Cash and credit card payments made using a kiosk are applied to your account immediately, and accounts subject to disconnection are restored immediately upon payment.
To make a payment at one of these kiosks, bring your United Power account number and a form of payment.
Set Up Your Fast Pass for Quick Access
To make your transactions faster, there is an option to set up a “Fast Pass,” which will be prompted once you complete a successful transaction. You’ll create a 4-digit PIN and receive a printed barcode.
The next time you visit a United Power payment kiosk, select “Fast Pass” and quickly find your account with the barcode/PIN or the phone number you used when setting up your Fast Pass.
Please be careful to enter the correct phone and account numbers when making a payment because your Fast Pass will reflect these numbers exactly as you input them.
Title
Industry Standard in System Reliability
/sites/default/files/styles/news_card_553x430_/public/news/Nov2021_NL_SystemReliability.jpg?h=45932144&itok=twbW3RYA
Monday | February 14, 2022
Card Teaser
Since altering its maintenance practices a few years ago, United Power’s reliability has significantly improved, as have its outage numbers.
United Power Consistently, Significantly Better than National Average
United Power understands the most important thing its members want is consistently reliable power. Being able to deliver uninterrupted power is prominently weighed in how the cooperative defines success each year. Since altering its maintenance practices a few years ago, United Power’s reliability has significantly improved, as have its outage numbers. Already an industry leader in automated field devices and other innovative projects, the cooperative is also trending well below the national average in utility outage times, setting yet another standard for others to emulate.
The national average for outage duration among electric utilities in the United States has consistently hovered around 120 minutes per meter. This means the average electric consumer can expect to experience approximately two hours of outage time at their home over the course of a year. When United Power’s operations team instituted a new data-driven maintenance plan in 2017, its average outage times resembled the national averages. In the four years following the plan’s launch, the cooperative’s outage times per meter have dropped below 70 minutes.
The new maintenance practice focuses on analyzing data collected across thousands of miles of line to isolate the worst performing segments. With these segments identified, targeted maintenance projects can be scheduled to improve their performance.
“When you target maintenance efforts at the worst performing parts of the system it improves reliability for members served off of it,” said Bryant Robbins, United Power’s Chief Operating Officer. “Maintenance is an ongoing process, but as long as we continue analyzing the data, isolating problem sections and targeting our maintenance efforts to improve them, it improves the whole system’s reliability and resilience.”
Devices on the system, such as enhanced technology in substations and advanced metering equipment, collect data and transfer it back to system operators. In the event of an outage, these devices can capture important information, such as time, location and sequence-of-events. Armed with this, lineworkers in the field can use the information to restore power to members more quickly, which also contributes to decreased outage times. Without this information, not only would identifying problematic areas be difficult, or even impossible, it would also create additional delays in power restoration as lineworkers inspect miles of line to find the cause.
Some system improvements have served dual functions. United Power recently published its comprehensive fire mitigation plan, which includes new standards and program initiatives primarily focused on areas of the territory that are particularly at risk of wildfires, such as Coal Creek and Golden Gate Canyons. In December, storms blew through the territory with wind speeds in excess of 115 mph, including the storm that ultimately fueled the Marshall Fire. The cooperative activated its fire mitigation protocols during these windstorms, and due to proactive upgrades only experienced a few small outages.
“Our maintenance and system improvement efforts are already paying off for our members,” said Robbins. “Implementing this new maintenance plan has been effective and is proving its value. It’s hard to estimate how many outages you’ve prevented when you don’t have them, but our proactive efforts have gone a long way in helping prevent and/or quickly resolving outages.”
Regardless of the size or length of outage, United Power is continually investigating what causes them and how it can implement new practices to decrease their impact to members and duration. From system redundancies allowing the cooperative to restore power from a secondary location while repairs are being made to deploying an industry-leading number of automated devices, improving system reliability is one of United Power’s core goals.
Title
Is Your Contact Info Up to Date?
/sites/default/files/styles/news_card_553x430_/public/news/Jan2020_NL_ContactInfo.jpg?itok=RMmrwr-P
Thursday | January 16, 2020
Card Teaser
Check your information to make sure you're getting important updates from your co-op.
United Power has been using recorded phone messages to let members know when a preplanned outage has been scheduled in their area for maintenance work. As new software becomes available, the cooperative may have more options to send important communications to members electronically.
Electronic communications are tied to individual member accounts and use the phone numbers and/or email addresses the cooperative has on record. If the contact information on record isn’t up-to-date or is entered incorrectly, you may be missing out on important notifications from United Power.
You can check your contact information and make necessary updates using the free online payment portal, SmartHub. To set up an online account, go to www.unitedpower.com and click on Online Account Services under My Account. Contact information can also be updated by calling the Member Services Team at 303-637-1300.
