coloradocountrylife.coop 7APRIL 2016

MOUNTAIN VIEW ELECTRIC ASSOCIATION

I

Harnessing the Power of the “Fifth Fuel” in Your HomeMVEA members save and benefit from energy efficiency programsBY JIM HERRON || CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER || HERRONJC@MVEA.ORG

In March, Mountain View Electric Association, Inc., announced a new rate schedule due to the rising cost of wholesale power. As I mentioned in last month’s article, MVEA cannot control the increasing costs of materials, the rising cost of wholesale power or the financial impact of evolving state and federal regulations. What we can do is look for opportunities to help offset the increasing costs of operating an electric cooperative. We strive to create programs and partnerships to help our members save on their electric bill every month by investing in energy efficiency products and adopting energy-saving habits that will reap long-term benefits.

Energy Efficiency: Together, We All SaveEnergy efficiency has been called the “fifth fuel” as it is a critical factor in serving the growing energy needs of our communities. Why? Energy efficiency extends the power generated by coal, natural gas, nuclear power and renewable energy by stretching the energy generated by those fuels. Simply put, energy efficiency makes the power on the grid go further and last longer while promoting the smart use of fuels and conservation of resources.

When MVEA members participate in one of our energy efficiency programs and make the “fifth fuel” work for them, they not only use less electricity and save on their monthly electric bill, but they are also helping to reduce the overall demand for electricity within our co-op territory. The decrease in demand, especially during peak hours, allows MVEA to offset the impact of increasing wholesale power costs by reducing the amount of power that we need to purchase. Energy efficiency helps us all save. It is a team effort. And it can start with something as small as a lightbulb.

MVEA’s Co-op Cares Energy Efficiency Rebate ProgramPerhaps the easiest and most cost effective way to start saving on your electric bill and to become more energy efficient is to evaluate the lighting in your home. If you are still using incandescent or halogen lightbulbs, you are paying at least $75 more a year on your electric bill than your neighbors who have switched to Energy Star certified LED lightbulbs. While purchasing LEDs is more expensive initially, many MVEA members found that the long-term energy efficiency savings justify the initial expense. In addition, MVEA is able to offer members a rebate on up to 50 Energy Star certified LED lightbulbs per year (per member account) through our Co-op Cares Energy Efficiency Rebate program.

Tri-State Generation and Transmission, MVEA’s power supplier, partners with us to offer an Energy Efficiency Rebate program that extends beyond LED lightbulbs. Members are able to offset the cost of upgrading to more modern, energy-efficient appliance models with specific rebates that include electric water heaters, central air conditioners, refrigerators, dishwashers and other

appliances. To view a complete list of qualifying appliances and rebate requirements, visit MVEA’s website at www.mvea.coop and click on “Energy Efficiency Rebates.”

Time-of-Day Service RateWhile not for all households, MVEA’s Time-of-Day Service Rate offers a cost-saving solution to those members who can shift their energy use to off-peak,

lower rate periods. This requires a member to schedule high-energy usage activities to avoid the period of time between 5 and 10 p.m. Members who switch to our Time-of-Day Service Rate pay a slightly higher grid access fee per month than those on a regular residential meter due to different metering requirements, but they can also receive significant savings for using electricity during off-peak periods. To learn more about our Time-of-Day Service Rate and to evaluate if it fits your household needs, please stop by either office or call 800-388-9881.

This year, we celebrate 75 years of providing member-first electric services to over 43,000 current members. Our dedication to serving our membership remains a constant in an era of industry change and increasing demand for power. In 1941, MVEA’s founding members were dedicated to bringing reliable and affordable electricity to communities throughout rural Colorado. They were a group of people, like you and I, who worked together to create and maintain a thriving electric cooperative.

Jim Herron

Energy EfficiencyRebates

þLED Light Bulbs

þElectric Water Heaters

þCentral Air Conditioning

þWasher / Dryer

þRefrigerator / Freezer

þAnd, More!For Rebate Program

Details & Requirements,Call: (800) 388-9881.

Visit: www.mvea.coop/residence/energy-efficiency-rebates

ENERGY STAR Certified

Co-op CaresMountain View Electric Association, Inc.

MOUNTAIN VIEW ELECTRIC ASSOCIATION

coloradocountrylife.coop4 APRIL 20168

L

MLimon Teen Wins Week at Leadership CampMountain View Electric Association, Inc.’s annual essay contest for high school juniors included students from high schools throughout our service territory submitting their best response to this year’s topic: “As Mountain View Electric Association, Inc., celebrates its 75th anniversary, there are several members who remember what it was like the day the lights came on. What does having electricity and the cooperative difference mean to you?” The names are removed from the essays, which are then re-viewed by the education committee whose members are board directors who vote for the top essays.

This month, MVEA introduces you to Topper Parker. Topper, the son of Kipp and Paula Parker of Limon, is one of two local teens who tied for second place. He has the opportunity to attend the Colorado Electric Educational Institute’s Cooperative Youth Leadership Camp near Steamboat Springs.

For a week in July, Topper will join students from across the state to participate in leadership and team-building seminars and legislative simulations to help start and run a camp cooperative. Camp activities also include dances, a barbecue and outdoor

adventures exploring the beautiful Steamboat Springs area.

Topper is a home-schooled junior in Limon, where he embraces the benefits of growing up in a rural community on a farm. He is active in Limon’s Future Farmers of America organization as a member of the executive committee. Topper also dedicates his time to the Rocking 4-H Club where he serves as parliamentarian to ensure club meetings follow parliamentary procedure. His hobbies include metal fabrication and mechanics, with a special talent for problem solving. Topper plans on at-tending Northeastern Junior College to pursue a degree in diesel mechanics, welding and agriculture business. After college, he plans on returning to Limon to put his education to work on the family farm.

Congratulations to all the essay contest winners. Following is Topper’s winning essay.

What Does Having Electricity and the “Cooperative Difference” Mean To You?BY TOPPER PARKER

Living in the 21st century is truly amaz-ing; being able to go from New York to Los Angeles within a matter of a few hours, or being able to flip a switch and have your whole house light up. Can you imagine what our lives would be like without any of this being possible? What if you woke up one day and you did not have any electricity whatsoever? Thank-fully, we do not need to worry about that thanks to the tried and true electrical system we have.

Electricity plays a huge role in our ev-eryday lives. It plays such a big role that I can’t imagine life without it. It wakes us up and brews our coffee. It shows us the daily news and starts our cars. It allows us to talk to anyone anywhere in the world. It keeps our peas frozen and fries our chicken. Our lives revolve around electricity. It would be a dark world without the shining blessing of electricity.

The advent of electricity came about around the turn of the century.

Quickly after that, most large cities were electrified. But all of the rural areas still remained out of reach of the electrified cities. Even though this was quite the predicament, the people in the rural areas cooperated together to find a solution. The farmers and ranchers worked for days, weeks, and months to get power lines to all the residents of the rural residents. They all pitched in, co-operated, to provide electricity to better the lives of all the families that lived in the rural areas.

We use electricity every day. Whether it be typing a letter on a computer or using the Internet. In rural areas we have electrified agriculture. We have used electricity to keep better records of our farming, to power our augers to our grain bins, and to power the fuel pumps to fill our tractors. None of this would be possible without the cooperative difference. Without those hard working diligent men and women who put those power lines in, most of the things we do

now on a daily basis would not even be possible.

The cooperative that exists in my area, Mountain View Electric Association (MVEA), makes the services we receive unbiased and equally distributed. The cooperative is governed by a board of directors representing seven geographic districts that spread across approxi-mately 5,000 square miles. Each board member represents the best interests of their friends, family, and neighbors within their district. The employees of the cooperative also strive to better the cooperative difference because many of them, just like you and me, receive electric services from MVEA.

Without the cooperative difference, people all over rural America would be left in the dark, quite literally. However, that is not the case because of co-ops like Mountain View Electric Association that provide electricity to many houses throughout rural Colorado that are in their territory.

Topper Parker

MOUNTAIN VIEW ELECTRIC ASSOCIATION

coloradocountrylife.coop 9APRIL 2016

MOUNTAIN VIEW ELECTRIC ASSOCIATION, INC.

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Joseph D. Martin, District 1, President

Barry Springer, District 6, Vice President

Milton L. Mathis, District 4, Secretary/Treasurer

Donna Andersen-Van Ness, District 7,

Assistant Secretary

Rick L. Gordon, District 2, Director

Errol Hertneky, District 3, Director

B.D Paddock, District 5, Director

Limon Office1655 5th StreetP.O. Box 1600

Limon, CO 80828-1600719-775-2861 • 800-388-9881 [phone]

719-775-9513 [fax]

Falcon Office11140 E. Woodmen RoadFalcon, CO 80831-8127

719-495-2283 • 800-388-9881 [phone]

719-495-3014 [fax]

Office Hours Monday — Thursday

7 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

Visit our website www.mvea.coop

Follow us on social media!

www.facebook.com/MVEAIncSearch for: Mountain View Electric Assn. Inc.

Search for: Mountain View Electric Association, Inc.

www.twitter.com/MVEAInc

Want to see your photography skills highlighted in Mountain View Electric Association Inc.’s 2017 calendar? Every year MVEA receives amazing photos capturing the beauty of our service territory. As a MVEA member, you are invited to send in your photos taken within our territory that reflect the seasons, people, lifestyle or landscape of the area. The winning photographs will be included in MVEA’s 2017 calendar. Please read the following guidelines carefully. The deadline for entry is July 11, 2016. If you have questions, please contact Nikki Ricciardi at 719-494-2657 or email ricciardi-n@mvea.org.

Photo Entries Wanted!

2017

MOUNTAIN VIEW ELECTRIC ASSOCIATION

Photo Calendar Contest

Name:__________________________________________________________________________________

Address: ________________________________________________________________________________

City: ______________________________________________________________ State:_____ZIP:________

Home Phone: ________________________________ Work Phone: ________________________________

MVEA Account Number: _______________________ Email Address: ________________________________

Please title your entry; this will appear with your photo – if selected:

_______________________________________________________________________________________

*To download an entry form, go online to www.mvea.coop, click on “Community” and then “Photo Calendar Contest.” For digital entries sent via email: you can include your “Entry Form” information in the body of your email.

2017 MVEA Photo Calendar Contest Entry Form

1. Only MVEA members, directors, employees and their family members are eligible.

2. Photos will not be accepted without a completed entry form. Cut out the form below and submit with photo. *Duplicate form if necessary.

3. Only two photos per person will be accepted. Submit a separate entry form for EACH photograph. Both photos may be submitted on one CD or by e-mail. Remember to send the photos in high resolution for printing.

4. DO NOT WRITE YOUR NAME OR ANY OTHER INFORMATION ON THE PHOTOGRAPH.

5. Digital entries preferred. Send entry by email to ricciardi-n@mvea.org. CD’s or disks will also be accepted. It is not necessary to send enlargements.

6. Digital camera users: Minimum resolution is 300 dpi. Resolution of digital photos printed on home printers is usually too low for commercial printing.

7. Photos must have horizontal/landscape orientation for best chance of being selected for the calendar.

8. DO NOT SUBMIT ORIGINAL PHOTOGRAPHS. Photos become the property of MVEA and will not be returned. No exceptions.

9. Deadline: July 11, 2016. Mail to: Mountain View Electric Association, Attn: Nikki Ricciardi, 11140 E. Woodmen Road, Falcon, CO 80831. Or, email to ricciardi-n@mvea.org.

MOUNTAIN VIEW ELECTRIC ASSOCIATION

coloradocountrylife.coop4 APRIL 201610

MMountain View Electric Association, Inc.’s 75th Annual Meeting is being held on June 2, 2016, at Falcon High School in Falcon. At this meeting two directors will be elected to the MVEA Board of Directors from the following districts:

District 3 — Elbert and surrounding areas to include a portion of the Black Forest (incumbent Errol Hertneky)

District 5 — Ellicott, Fountain, Falcon and surrounding areas (incumbent Bud Paddock)

The procedure for director elections and member voting is available on MVEA’s website at www.mvea.coop/community/annual-meeting.

If you are interested in being a candidate, please contact a member of the nominating committee. (See committee mem-bers below.) A candidate must be a MVEA member and reside in the district where there is a vacancy. For additional candidate requirements visit www.mvea.coop/community/annual-meeting, click on “Bylaws” and go to “Article III, Section 2.” Before apply-ing, please contact either MVEA office at 719-775-2861 or 719-495-2283 to verify your district.

A member may also petition for nomination. Petitions and procedures are available at the Limon headquarters, 1655 5th St., Limon; or at the Falcon Operations Center, 11140 E. Wood-men Road, Falcon; or online at www.mvea.coop/community/annual-meeting. Petitions must be signed by 15 members of MVEA and returned to either MVEA office by 5:30 p.m., Monday, April 18, 2016.

A candidate questionnaire must be completed for either nomination by the committee or nomination by petition. This questionnaire can be found on MVEA’s website or you may pick one up at either office. If you have questions, please contact a member of the nominating committee. Candidate question-naires must be received by the nominating committee by 5:30 p.m., Thursday, March 31, 2016, for the committee’s consideration. If you are petitioning for nomination, the candidate application must be submitted to either MVEA office with your petition no later than 5:30 p.m., Monday, April 18, 2016.

2016 MVEA Board Nominations Now Open

District 3Earnest Mikita

18298 County Road 81Calhan, CO 80808

719-347-2509

District 5Carl Alexander

25480 Little Springs RoadCalhan, CO 80808

719-683-5212

NOMINATING COMMITTEE

Years of Service

5 p.m. - 7 p.m. / J

une 2, 2016

MVEA Annual Meeting Starts at 7:00pm

Kids Zone

LIVE Music

Bucket Truck

RidesTouchstone Energy

Tethered Hot Air

Balloon Rides

Live Appearance By Power

Bouncy House

Balloon Artist

BBQ DinnerFREE

Members can win over $2,000 in cash prizes!

Door PrizesFace Painting

You are cordially invited to join your electric cooperative at the Mountain View Electric Association, Inc. 75th Annual Meeting of Members.

75th Annual Meeting of Members

Thursday, June 2, 2016 5 p.m. - 9 p.m. Falcon High School • 10255 Lambert Rd • Falcon, CO 80831

5 p.m. - Registration, Dinner & Entertainment7 p.m. - Business Meeting, Election of Board of Directors & Door Prizes