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Rural Sleep Reset

A person lying in bed reaches out to turn off a digital alarm clock showing 6:00 AM. The room is dimly lit and the person appears to be waking up, partially covered with a floral-patterned blanket.

Why sleep is getting harder — and ways to fix it As a mom to an 11-month-old daughter, Monica Vick knows the importance of sleep. She works four 10-hour days as La Plata Electric Association’s creative services and brand specialist, and on those workdays, she wakes to a 6 a.m. alarm. “The amount of times […]

Summertime Slushy

A hand holding a mason jar filled with a red drink. The jar has a wooden lid with a metal straw. The person is wearing a green shirt with white stripes and pink floral patterns.

A chilly, vibrant, ice-cold drink bursting with fresh watermelon flavor is perfect for hot July days. Once the watermelon is frozen, this drink comes together quickly and easily. Watermelon Slushy INGREDIENTS 6 cups seedless watermelon, cubed 1 tbsp lime juice 2½ tbsp honey or agave syrup ¾ cup cold water or coconut water INSTRUCTIONS Cut […]

Wings of Wonder

A yellow and black butterfly with blue spots rests on vibrant magenta and purple flowers, surrounded by green leaves.

Summer is peak butterfly season and the perfect time to get kids involved with nature. Butterflies are beautiful, and it’s entertaining to watch them. They are known to spark children’s innate curiosity and foster an appreciation of the natural world. There are many opportunities to observe butterflies in Colorado, including programs largely driven by the […]

You Can Help During Peak Demand

A country road lined with a white fence runs beside a grassy field. Power lines and a tall transmission tower stand near a green, tree-covered hill under a blue sky with scattered clouds. A white barn is in the distance.

Your electric co-op works hard to ensure safe, reliable power to homes and businesses 24/7. To make sure everyone has the power they need, generation must match consumption and have the capacity to adjust to changing demands for energy. Peak demand is the period in a given range of time — day, month, or year […]

All Aboard!

An adult and a child, both smiling with their arms raised, ride together on a blue sled down a curved outdoor slide surrounded by green grass and trees.

Colorado’s alpine slides and coasters I inch ahead of my daughter Casey on the third-to-last turn. On parallel courses, she’s been ahead of me the whole run, but — despite what I like to think is better skill and technique — it’s my heavier, ahem, adult weight that finally gives me the advantage. We’re schussing […]

Lawmaker Profile: Rep. Jeff Hurd

A man in a dark blue suit, white shirt, and maroon tie smiles in front of a U.S. flag and a blue background. He has short, neatly combed hair and wears an American flag pin on his lapel.

Rep. Jeff Hurd may be only a freshman member of the United States Congress, but he doesn’t need the Co-op 101 lesson that NRECA usually provides for new lawmakers. Before his election to the House in 2024, Hurd practiced law in rural Colorado, and most of his clients were electric cooperatives. “I simply don’t think […]

Shift Timing, Shift Savings

As we settle into the heat of July, our homes naturally use more electricity. Air conditioners run longer; refrigerators work harder, and daily routines — from cooking dinner to doing laundry — often overlap during the warmest parts of the day. That’s also when the demand for electricity across our community is at its highest. […]

The Path To Efficiency Independence

While fireworks and Independence Day parades are synonymous with the Fourth of July, no such fanfare comes to mind when discussing energy efficiency. Perhaps it should. If you think about it, energy efficiency not only benefits individuals and families, but the country as a whole. Energy efficiency combined with energy conservation and advances in technology […]

Capital Credits

SDCEA Capital Credits List As a not-for-profit electric cooperative, when SDCEA’s annual revenue exceeds costs, that positive margin is used as operating capital — and over time, it may be returned to you as capital credits when our financial position and board policy allow. SDCEA returns these margins to our members (account holders) rather than […]

New Programs Can Help Members Save

San Isabel Electric Association is introducing three new programs designed to help members lower their electric bills by shifting energy use to lower-cost times of day. To participate, members must enroll in the Off-Peak Plus Rate, which offers significantly lower electricity rates during off-peak hours — 20 hours a day Monday through Saturday, and all […]