This year, LPEA will saves its members roughly $4 million.
Tri-State Electric is raising rates by 7.5%/kW, while La Plata Electric Association, our local cooperative, is keeping rates steady. That 7.5% increase would mean about $9 more per household each month – or $108 per year. With around 40,000 members, that’s $4.3 million staying in our local economy instead of going to Tri-State in Denver. This is possible because LPEA will leave Tri-State on Apr. 1 and can set its own rates.
Cost savings are also a key reason LPEA wants to integrate Battery Electric Storage Systems into its grid. These batteries flatten peak demand – a major reason some utilities raised rates 20% or more.
BESS technology is being deployed nationwide, and United Power Co-op on the Front Range has already installed eight. Concerns from a few members about utility-scale batteries should not outweigh benefits for LPEA’s 40,000 members. Modern BESS are extremely safe – far safer than natural gas or propane used in homes.
I thank LPEA’s staff and board of directors for undertaking the challenging process of leaving Tri-State, allowing them to serve our local community far more effectively than a multistate utility.
Werner Heiber
Durango
