November 2007
Manager's Message ~
Denial of Air Permit for Holcomb Coal Plant
As some of you may have heard, on October 18, Secretary of the Kansas Department of Health and Environment Roderick Bremby denied the air quality permit for the Holcomb coal plant. This decision not only affects the potential economic development for the folks in central and western Kansas , but will also affect the members of MVEA in the form of higher rates.
As energy demand increases in the cooperatives' communities and industries across a four-state service territory, Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association must try to meet these energy requirements with a reliable low-cost supply for power. Tri-State partnered with Sunflower Electric in Kansas to build the Holcomb plant to help meet these needs, but that plan is now on hold. By the year 2025, Colorado will need to develop 4,900 megawatts of new electricity sources, according to the Colorado Energy Forum. Hundreds of miles of new high-voltage transmission lines also need to be built in order to avoid costly future energy shortages.
Natural gas plants are an option; however, with the continually rising cost of natural gas, this not an inexpensive replacement for coal fired base load. As far as carbon dioxide output, the new technology at the Holcomb plant would have reduced the CO2 output to that of a gas-fired plant. Forty percent of the carbon dioxide would have been captured as a food stock for algae to produce starch for ethanol production, protein for cattle feeding and bio-fuels, including ethanol and bio-diesel. The process would also have been used to clean water for reuse in the power plant. The algae reactor is a process that not only reduces emissions, but could also move the United States toward less dependency on foreign oil by allowing us to cleanly use our abundant supplies of coal.
Tri-State is also looking for sources of renewable energy. They are actively working on several local renewable energy projects and have collaborated with the electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) and other regional utilities to study a 50/500 megawatt solar plant project in New Mexico. The results could be transferred to Colorado. Of course, wind power has been a part of generation mix since 1998 and Tri-State is looking to add another 50 megawatts.
We cannot put the entire burden on Tri-State to ensure we have enough electricity in the future. It is our responsibility to learn to conserve. We all have taken for granted the abundance of electricity, but if the trend of denying permits to build base load coal and nuclear plants continues, we may find ourselves looking at very high electric bills and a huge shortage of electricity. Wind and solar are an option, but if the wind doesn't blow and the sun doesn't shine, electricity doesn't get generated. I find it interesting to note that Denmark , a world leader in alternative generating facilities, can only produce less than 16% of its needs from solar, biomass, biogas, wind, wave and waste. If Denmark – a small country without a large industrial and commercial industry – cannot succeed in producing enough electricity from renewables, how is the U.S. expected to accomplish this feat?
Perhaps if the media and celebrities put as much effort into pushing conservation--something they do not seem to embrace--as they do bemoaning the changes in our environment, things might start to change a little for the good.
With its members, Tri-State aggressively pursues energy efficiency and demand-side management programs in an effort to lower generation costs and help consumers manage energy use. According to Ron Binz, chairman of the Colorado Public Utilities Commission, “Coal and natural gas are not going away. In fact, we'll need more traditional energy. We need to find a way to do it in an environmentally and socially sensitive way.” Even with our conservation efforts, we are still going to need more baseline generation for our growing population. Moreover, if we want reliable and inexpensive electricity, coal warrants strong consideration.
Small Change = $1,000,000
MVEA's Operation Round-Up fund has reached the $1 million mark in the amount of grants they have been awarded to organizations and individuals since its inception in 2000. A huge Thank You to all of our contributing members and the very dedicated volunteer board of directors who have made this program such a success.
Founded by Palmetto Electric Cooperative in 1989 for the purpose of improving the quality of life for people in the South Carolina Lowcountry, the Operation Round-Up concept has spread to cooperatives all over the United States . In 1998, MVEA looked at the program at the request of our members for some sort of assistance for worthy causes within our territory. The MVEA Board of Directors felt this was a good program for our area, and the program was up and running by 2000. MVEA has approximately 70 percent of our members that round up their bill to the next dollar each month. The average contribution for the YEAR from each member is about $6. That is about what a person pays at a fast food restaurant for a burger, fries and drink. And the best part is, your contribution stays in your community.
Round-Up fund grants include Scout Troops, local service organizations, schools, volunteer fire departments and individuals who have emergency situations or temporarily fallen on hard times. The directors on the Round-Up board are all members of MVEA and carefully screen applications to ensure qualifications of Round-Up's bylaws are met before awarding grants.
With the possible participation of nearly 40,000 members, the money raised through Operation Round-Up has the potential to make an overwhelming difference in the lives of our members and the organizations in our communities. If you are not currently contributing to the Operation Round-Up fund, please consider doing so. Your small change can make a BIG change, in fact, a million dollar difference in our community.
Schools Receive Library Books
Karval and Calhan school libraries were the lucky recipients of a variety of library books donated by MVEA and the Colorado Country Life Magazine. The magazine receives books to review and graciously passes them on to various libraries in electric cooperatives' service territory. Co-ops send the names of local and school libraries into the publication and CCL draws a name out of the hat. The average donation value is $200 with a variety of topics included in the selections. Book donations are a great benefit for the libraries and people that use them. A huge thank you to the group at CCL – Mona Neeley, Donna Norris and Cher Smith.
Photo Calendars Are Now Available
We are pleased to announce the 2008 MVEA Photo Contest Calendars are now available. We have a limited number of calendars so restrict them to one per family. You can pick up your calendar at either MVEA office or give us a call and we will mail a copy to you. Thank you to all the members that sent in photos this year. The pictures were exceptional and the calendar is beautiful. Our 2009 contest will be starting in January, so watch for details.
MVEA Scholarhip Time!
Don't miss out on the cash!
Don't miss out on the 15-college scholarships available through MVEA.
10 - $1,000 MVEA Scholarships
1 - $1,000 MVEA Vocational/Technical Scholarship
2 - $500 Tri-State Generation & Transmission Scholarships
1 - $1,000 Basin Electric Scholarship
1 - $1,000 E.A. “Mick” Geesen Memorial Scholarship
To qualify for these scholarships
- Your parents or guardians must receive electric service from MVEA
- You must be a graduating high school senior
- You must meet ACT or SAT and GPA requirements (these vary according to which scholarship you apply for).
- Applications must be received by January 15, 2008
To download scholarship applications click here or they can be picked up at either MVEA office, from your high school counselor, or by calling Deborah Skillicorn at (719) 775-2861 or (719) 495-2283.
Don't miss out on the cash!
MVEA Hosts Lamplighter Meetings
Mountain View hosted four lamplighter meetings for members in October. Nearly 100 members attended the dinner meetings in Calhan, Falcon, Limon and Monument to hear updates on their cooperative and the electric utility situation. Guests attending included State Senator Greg Brophy, State Representative Cory Gardner, a representative of Marilynn Musgrave, county commissioners, and local dignitaries.
MVEA general manager Jim Herron gave members and guests an overview of several important topics facing the cooperative in the future. These included the cost of power and its affect on future rates, the Eastern Plains Transmission Line project and future coal generation in Kansas and southeast Colorado .
Operation Round-Up was the main topic of the evening. Herron announced that, “Over $1 million in donations have been collected from members and the foundation should be reaching $1 million in grants to individuals and organizations by the end of 2007.” Past and present Operation Round-Up directors were introduced and congratulated on the excellent service they have provided to the fund and their communities. The group was presented a plaque recognizing their contributions to the success of the Round-Up program. The Round-Up directors are MVEA members who volunteer their time to review and award grants on behalf of the fund to non-profit organizations and individuals.
Lamplighter meetings are held in October to commemorate National Cooperative Month. It is an avenue for the cooperative to stay in touch with its members and inform them on the health of their cooperative. If anyone is interested in attending these meetings in the future, please call either of MVEA's offices.
Effeciency Today At MVEA!
MVEA is kicking off a new energy efficiency campaign and asking for your assistance. We would like to start by lowering our monthly power costs. A little change on your part and our part could go a long way in helping us stabilize our rates and reduce our peak need for power.
First, let us explain how your co-op pays for the power we provide to our members. The largest portion of our monthly power cost is a component called a Demand Charge. MVEA is billed this charge based on our highest consumption period, or peak, of the month. By reducing these peaks and spreading out our usage, we could reduce our wholesale power cost and our need for unnecessary generation to accommodate our peak period.
Here is how you can help. We will identify our peak hours based on MVEA's past history. We will publish the forecasted peak periods in the local newspapers and in Colorado Country Life Magazine so you can target these time periods to reduce your usage on a month-to-month basis.
Your co-op has approximately 38,000 members spread out over 5000 square miles and residential usage is what drives our monthly peak. If you could picture our usage curve on a daily basis, it starts out low and rises dramatically when everyone gets up for work and school. Then around 9:30 a.m., it drops back down until the evening peak. The evening peak varies throughout the year based on when the sun sets. People generally go into the house after the sun sets and turn on lights, prepare dinner, take showers and start laundry. These types of activities help drive our peak. In the wintertime, this peak usually occurs between 5 and 6:30 p.m. and in the summer, between 8 and 9:30 p.m. With a little concentrated effort and awareness of these time periods, we could take a few giant steps toward reducing this peak demand. The smallest of adjustments from each of us could make a big difference. With a force of 38,000 cooperative members and neighbors, we can definitely make an impact.
For those of you that have the flexibility to shift the majority of your power usage to off peak periods, MVEA offers a time of day rate. This rate's peak times are between 5:30a.m-12:00p.m and 4:30p.m-10:30 p.m. While this rate will benefit you with lower energy charges during off peak times, you will pay a premium for energy used during the peak times as well as a small increase in the monthly facility charge. Please feel free to contact our office with any questions regarding our time of day rate.
So, let's ban together and get the ball rolling. Watch for our peak period notification and remember every little kilowatt counts!
Click on this link to view the PEAK CHART.
Need Help Paying Your Utility Bill? Click Here
MVEA Photo Calendars Available
We are pleased to announce the 2008 MVEA Photo Contest Calendars are now available. We have a limited number of calendars so restrict them to one per family. You can pick up your calendar at either MVEA office or give us a call and we will mail a copy to you. Thank you to all the members that sent in photos this year. The pictures were exceptional and the calendar is beautiful. Our 2009 contest will be starting in January, so watch your Colorado Country Life Magazine for the details.
Capital Credits
If you were a Mountain View Electric Association member in 1992 and 1993, you can expect a check in the mail in mid-December. At the October Board Meeting, MVEA Directors voted to refund capital credits in the amount of $2,390,500. This amount represents 100 percent of the remaining patronage assigned in 1992 and approximately 31 percent of patronage assigned in 1993, maintaining a 15-year rotation of capital.
Annual operating margins realized by MVEA are allocated as capital credits to all members who purchase electricity. The cooperative uses capital credits for operating capital, necessary reserves, storm damage and other contingencies. In addition, it helps reduce the amounts MVEA needs to borrow from other sources, which in turn helps to maintain rates at the lowest level possible to meet the financial ratios required by lenders.
MVEA returns capital credits to its members when financial conditions allow and bylaw provisions met. The capital credit refund is the major difference that distinguishes electric cooperatives from other electric providers. MVEA is not for profit, just for service.
Give the Gift of Light
MVEA Sponsors Christmas Lighting Contests
MVEA will provide credit on electric bills as prizes for organizations wishing to organize home lighting contests over the holidays. The organization must be a non-profit to qualify. Homeowners organizations are also eligible for the sponsorship. For more information on sponsoring a contest, contact Deborah Skillicorn at either MVEA office.
Angel fire 4-H will be hosting their contest again this year. If you are within the following boundaries, you are eligible to participate: North boundary – Falcon Highway ; East boundary – Calhan Highway ; South boundary – Squirrel Creek and West boundary – Curtis Road . Please contact Ms. Gillis at angelfirekids@aol.com if you have any questions. Entries are available at Henderson Propane, Fuel B's and 94 Kountry Store. Entry deadline is December 10.
Get in the LOOP with compact florescent light bulbs
Fund raising opportunities!
MVEA urges you to join in conserving power by installing compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) in your home and business. The Energy Star© qualified bulbs can last up to 10 times longer than a standard light bulb and use 2/3 to ¾ less energy.
The first CFL bulbs were developed in the 1980's and were expensive. Many people complained about dim light output, flickering, noise, funny colors and sizes that were too big to fit in many fixtures. Today's CFLs cost much less while offering great performance. They have instant turn-on, quick warm-up and great light quality. They come in a wide variety of shapes, most of which are no larger than the standard bulbs they replace.
MVEA has joined the national Energy Star© campaign to encourage all Americans to install CFLs. A component of this effort is MVEA's CFL Fund Raiser in which non-profit organizations can sell CFLs as a fundraiser for their organization. MVEA will provide these light bulbs to the non-profit groups at less than wholesale cost. Groups can expect to make approximately $1 for every bulb they sell.
If you are a member of a non-profit group within MVEA's service territory and would like more information on how your group can participate, contact MVEA member services department at 719-495-2283 or 719-775-2861. Energy Efficiency today at MVEA!
DCP Utility Consulting
DCP Utility Consulting will be conducting an attachment audit of MVEA's overhead electric distribution system for approximately ten months (until summer 2007). The purpose of the audit is to insure that all joint use attachments to our poles are in compliance with applicable safety codes and that appropriate joint use agreements are in place for all attachments. DCP employees may require access to your property in order to complete their work on our system. They are only gathering data and should be able to complete their tasks at any given location very quickly. Please extend them the same cooperation you would extend to an MVEA employee. If you have questions please call Mike Garland at 719-495-2283 or 800-388-9881.
