January 2009
Your Best Interest
Starting in February, MVEA is accepting nominations for directors to serve in three of our districts. One of MVEA’s
top priorities is to make sure we are listening to you, our member/owners. We have one simple business rule – what is good for our members, is good for us. You have control of your cooperative by electing a person to serve on the board of directors. MVEA’s directors represent your interests by ensuring the cooperative is doing all it can to provide reliable electricity at the lowest possible cost. By being a member of MVEA, you own the company and have a voice in the decisions made on your behalf. That is a fundamental difference between MVEA and other energy providers.
Being a locally owned and controlled company means MVEA is also committed to your community. This commitment means making the determination that service to the community must involve more than just making sure your electric service is reliable. We also commit ourselves to making sure that the community and its citizens are thriving and prospering. Improving the life of our members by supporting the schools, towns and organizations that we serve is an important part of this commitment. For instance, we feel it is important to provide such things as scholarships to high school seniors to ensure they have a chance at a good education that will help them get the jobs they need in the future. Many of these students return to their communities and the education they received will ultimately improve their communities. Operation Round-up was formed to help organizations and communities in our service territory succeed in their goals. MVEA and its employees are involved in economic development, volunteerism and many other activities that benefit our communities. We provide safety education and demonstrations to schools, emergency response groups and organizations; support local fairs and 4-H groups; work with crime-watch programs; participate in civic groups; sponsor local health fairs – the list goes on and on.
But it is not only the communities as a whole that MVEA is concerned with. Satisfying our individual member’s needs is a top priority. We are staffed by local professionals that can listen and respond to your concerns and needs. They work hard to keep up-to-date on new technologies and trends. Many times we hear about new technology that is out there just waiting to be put to use, but whether it is truly something that is useful to us or even on the market yet, can be misleading. We can help answer those questions.
MVEA is also concerned with helping our members to save energy and lower their bill. We are a not-for-profit cooperative that exists only to provide service to our members, not to provide big dividends to stock holders. The cooperative is also a major employer within our community. The majority of our employees are also MVEA members and, therefore, very diligent in providing the best service to their friends and neighbors.
I hope, after reading this article, you do not get the impression that MVEA is just trying to toot its own horn, but rather making sure that you understand that you are a member/owner of this cooperative and that a cooperative is about more than just keeping the electricity flowing, but also about making life better for its members. That you can call us, talk to us, make suggestions to us and we will listen to what you think - and, your board representatives hear and consider your opinions. We are continually looking for ways to improve our ability to meet your needs and strengthen the quality of life in the communities in which we serve, live and work. The trust you’ve placed in us is something we take very seriously and we work hard every day to earn it.
MVEA and Rotary Club present Dictionaries to Area third Graders
Mountain View Electric Association and Rotary Club of Colorado Springs InterQuest presented dictionaries to over 100-third grade students at Frontier Charter Academy and Calhan and Peyton Elementary schools.
In third grade, students are beginning to learn words and dictionary skills. By giving each student a dictionary of their own, students will have a resource at home and at school to help develop their skills. The dictionaries will also provide parents with a resource to better help their children with homework. Most grade schools have only 2-4 dictionaries per classroom. With each student having their own, teachers will have a greater opportunity for teaching word mechanics when it is most needed.
Scott Anderson of the Rotary Club of Colorado Springs InterQuest, spearheaded the project of providing dictionaries to the three rural El Paso County schools. The Rotary Club’s USA Dictionary Project started in 2001 as a matching grant project between a club in India and five clubs in Southern Colorado. The Colorado clubs distributed 1800 books the first year. In 2008, over 120 Rotary Clubs in 12 states participated and distributed 34,446 hard-cover dictionaries worth over $700,000. Their goal in 2009 is 50,000 dictionaries. MVEA partnered with the Rotary Club in sponsoring the third grade dictionary project in our territory.
Rotary Club International is the world’s first service club organization. Its more than 1.2 million members volunteer their time and talent to advance world understanding, goodwill and peace through the improvement of health, the support of education and the alleviation of poverty. Service organizations, like Rotary Clubs, depend on the generosity and concern of organizations like MVEA. MVEA exemplifies the cooperative principle of “Concern for Community” by sponsoring many worthwhile events and organizations throughout the communities we serve.
A label inside the front cover of each dictionary serves as a reminder that MVEA is a proud partner in this worthwhile program.
Send Us Your Calendar Photos
Click here for details and entry form.
We had another very successful year with our calendar photo contest! The photos were great and produced a beautiful calendar. We look forward to getting your awesome photos again. Click above for the entry form and rules-----keep up the good work!!
MVEA launches solar rebate program in partnership with the Governor’s Energy Office
MVEA is pleased to announce that it has been selected by the Governor’s Energy Office (GEO) and the Colorado Solar Energy Industries Association (CoSEIA) to administer its Solar Rebate Program in MVEA’s territory.
The Solar Rebate Program was created by the GEO in response to the growing demand for renewable energy initiatives to allow homeowners and businesses to harness Colorado’s abundant solar resources. CoSEIA is administering the program for the GEO. The program is designed to extend rebates for solar technologies to Colorado residents and businesses throughout the state. The GEO provides matching grants to program partners with the goal of developing local solar rebate programs. By partnering with cities, utilities and non-profit organizations through a matching grant program, the funding for rebates is effectively doubled.
Starting in early 2009, MVEA members that invest in photovoltaic(PV) in MVEA’s territory may be eligible for rebates as part of the program. By providing matching funds to a $25,000 grant from the GEO, MVEA will provide rebates for the installation of PV. The rebates will allow customers to install systems at considerable savings.
With a combination of the GEO rebates and tax credits, Colorado home and business owners can save on PV installations. In addition to these savings, these systems can save on energy costs. The program also helps Colorado achieve its Climate Action Plan carbon reduction goals and increase Colorado’s energy independence.
MVEA will begin accepting rebate applications in early 2009. The application will be reviewed and upon approval, MVEA will provide members with a Rebate Reservation. Members will have 90 days from the date of the reservation to complete the installation process.
To learn more about the program and how to receive a rebate, visit www.coseia.org or www.colorado.gov/energy.
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