Sangre de Cristo Electric Association is a not-for-profit electric cooperative, and we exist to serve our communities. In that spirit, we are always looking for ways to make your essential electricity more affordable, particularly as energy costs continue to rise.
We are designing new programs to give members more options to manage the costs of their electric service. One way to help is by managing our individual contributions to the cooperative’s monthly peak demand — those times of day when energy charges are highest. This can be achieved, in part, by taking simple steps at home to reduce energy use during peak periods. These steps include shifting the times you use electricity when you can and staggering the use of your appliances.
Last month we introduced two new pilot programs designed to help members manage demand by shifting energy use to off-peak times for electric water heaters and electric vehicle charging. We are launching a third pilot program inviting members who are interested in managing their demand to integrate batteries into their home electric systems.
RESIDENTIAL BATTERY PILOT PROGRAM
Through this program, participants will charge their batteries during low-cost periods when purchasing power from our wholesale supplier is less expensive. During peak hours when power costs are higher, participants will discharge their batteries to meet their energy needs. This approach not only helps members manage their energy use but also reduces the cooperative’s purchased power costs during expensive peak times.
The program is open to the first 20 members who sign up — they must live in SDCEA’s territory full-time. It is available to both solar and non-solar consumers. Enrolled members who participate can receive a $3,000 one-time incentive toward the purchase of a battery system and installation.
Please contact Energy Use Advisor Tom Linza for more details at 719-395-2412 or info@myelectric.coop.
ADDITIONAL UPDATES
Substation battery — We continue to research the feasibility of installing a utility-scale battery adjacent to our Buena Vista substation to study and apply the same storage/discharge during peak demand time cost-savings concept as our residential battery program, just on a much larger scale. The installation may also provide some limited backup power for our system. More information will follow as this project develops.
Town hall — Thank you to all who tuned in to our first virtual town hall meeting in January. If you missed the live version, the recording is on our website. We are excited to offer this new way to reach out to you, our members, and plan to do this on a quarterly basis. The next scheduled town hall is in April.
Please contact us anytime with questions you may have about the cooperative. You do not need to wait for a town hall. Call 719-395-2412 or visit myelectric.coop/about/contact to get in touch. Our monthly board meetings are also open to members. Information about board meetings is posted on our website at myelectric.coop/boardinfo.
Electric Cooperative Youth Tour — Congratulations to our 2026 participants! On page 7, you’ll read about this group of four high school students. Interest was high in the program this year, and we hope it fosters the development of future leaders.
I also had the privilege of speaking with Buena Vista High School Honor Society inductees at the end of January. I am always happy to speak with organizations about SDCEA. If you would like me or someone else to speak with your group, please call our office.
We look forward to connecting with you about our programs at community events.
Jon Beyer is the CEO of Sangre de Cristo Electric Association, a electric distribution cooperative based in Buena Vista, Colorado.
