About Your Local Electric Cooperative

Colorado Counties Served:
Gunnison, Hinsdale and Saguache

Year Organized
1938

Meters Served
11,799

GCEA Feature Story

July 2025

Patronage Capital

Your piece of the co-op pie

If you receive electricity from GCEA, you’re not just a customer, you’re a member-owner of a cooperative. This distinction matters, because it means you have a voice in how your co-op operates, and you share in our success.

One of the core principles that sets cooperatives apart is members’ economic participation. Simply put, it means you contribute to the financial health of the co-op and, in return, benefit when the co-op performs well.

Unlike investor-owned utilities that send profits to outside shareholders, our cooperative operates as a not-for-profit utility. GCEA reinvests extra revenue — called margins — into system improvements, keeping rates stable, and preparing for the future. When financially possible, we return a portion of those margins to members. This is called patronage capital, or your piece of the co-op pie.

Patronage capital is your share of the co-op’s excess earnings, based on how much electricity you used that year. Over time, these funds are returned to you — typically on a 24-year cycle. Why 24 years? That timeline reflects the average life of many of our long-term investments in infrastructure, including poles, wires, and substations. Returning patronage capital over time helps ensure GCEA remains financially sound while honoring our commitment to share success with our members.

Each year, GCEA issues a patronage capital certificate that shows your portion of the co-op’s earnings from the previous year. It’s a reflection of your growing share of allocated margins — and our promise to return that value to you over time.

If you prefer to receive payback sooner rather than later, our Capital Credit Certificate Program provides the option of cashing out the prior year’s allocated patronage capital at a discounted value. This flexibility recognizes that our members may have different financial needs and goals.

Certificates were mailed out mid-June so check your mailbox and be sure to claim your piece of the “co-op pie.” If you have any questions about GCEA’s patronage capital program, visit www.gcea.coop or call 970-641-3520.