BY JIM HERRON CEO | HERRONJC@MVEA.ORG

JIM HERRON

BY THE COMMUNITY, FOR THE COMMUNITYOctober is National Co-op Month

When you think of October, pumpkins, Halloween and beautiful fall foliage naturally

come to mind. But October is notable for another reason: it’s National Co-op Month. This is the time of year when cooperatives across the country, including Mountain View Electric Association, Inc., celebrate who we are and, more importantly, the co-op members we serve.

Cooperatives are different than other types of businesses. When the market declines to offer a product or service or does so at a high price, co-ops intervene to fill the need. Similar to how MVEA was built by co-op members who came together to bring electricity to our community, cooperatives are conveners for the common good. Your electric co-op exists to provide safe, reliable and affordable energy to you, the members of the co-op. Equally important is our mission to enrich the lives of the members we serve.

As a co-op, we are well-suited to meet the needs of the community because we are locally governed. MVEA’s leadership team and employees live right here in the community. Our Board of Directors, which helps set long-term priorities for the co-op, live locally

on co-op lines. These board members were elected to the position by neighbors like you.

We know our co-op members have a valuable perspective. That’s why we are continually seeking your input. Whether through community events, our social media channels, or the annual meeting, we want to hear from you. Our close connection to the community ensures we get a firsthand perspective on local priorities, thereby enabling us to make more informed decisions on long-term investments, such as equipment and technology upgrades. Whether we are working with the latest energy efficiency technologies or helping to keep the electric grid secure, as your electric co-op, we can offer solutions that make the most sense locally.

Another feature that sets our co-op apart from a traditional utility is one of our core principles: concern for community. Through the generosity of members who round up their electric bill to the nearest dollar, MVEA is able to give back to the co-op community each year through Operation Round Up®. Operation Round Up® is a community-focused program, unique to electric co-ops, that assists nonprofit organizations, and communities with special needs who provide services to MVEA’s

members, as well as MVEA co-op members who have suffered from loss, personal disaster, or medical emergencies. Ultimately, the larger community benefits from these programs because of you and your neighbors. You empower the co-op through your membership and through your participation in and support of these programs.

We hope you will think of MVEA as more than just your energy provider, but instead as YOUR electric co-op: a local business that supports the community and powers economic development and prosperity. No matter how much MVEA grows, we will always be accountable to old and new members alike. Why? It’s the cooperative advantage of membership. Being a member of an electric cooperative means being part of something special.

Something local. Something trusted. Something created to serve you — because your electric co-op was built by the community, for the community.

October is National Co-op Month.Electric co-ops are proud to power more than 20 million American homes, businesses, farms and schools in 48 states.

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YOUR CO-OP NEWS

COLORADO COUNTRY LIFEOCTOBER 2019

L ast month, we introduced you to Bret Haycock of Falcon who was the first of six winners to receive the $500

Whole Home LED Lighting Giveaway. This month, we installed LED bulbs in two more members’ homes — those of Cheryl Dempsey of Colorado Springs and Donald Stenger of Peyton.

Cheryl Dempsey, Colorado Springs Cheryl is MVEA’s second recipient of the $500 Whole Home LED Lighting Giveaway. Cheryl has been a member of MVEA for 40 years, and her parents were also MVEA members. She appreciates MVEA’s reliable power and MVEA’s programs, including the LED bulb giveaway.

“I saw the $500 Whole Home LED Lighting Giveaway in the Colorado Country Life magazine, and I signed up,” Cheryl said. “I love reading the magazine for the recipes, book reviews, co-op information, and seeing where people have traveled with the magazine.”

Cheryl also likes traveling, now that she’s retired from teaching. In fact, she found out she was a winner of the LED bulb giveaway while on vacation.

“I was on a vacation, and one of my former student’s parents reached out to congratulate me on winning after it was announced at the MVEA Annual Meeting of Members. I thought, wow! I get all these lights — pretty cool.”

Cheryl has always been conscientious about her energy use. She purchases Energy Star appliances when she must get new ones and has participated in MVEA’s Energy Efficiency Rebate program in the past. “It was really easy to apply for the rebates for my appliances, and I got my rebate credit on my bill right away,” Cheryl said.

Donald Stenger, PeytonDonald is MVEA’s third giveaway recip-ient. Donald raised all three of his kids in Peyton and has been a member of MVEA for 19 years. He signed up for the $500 LED Lighting Giveaway last year, too, and was surprised when he received the call that he was a winner this year.

“I am really excited,” Donald said. “I have a few LED bulbs, and they really brighten up the room while using less electricity. It will be nice to have them in the entire house.”

Donald is a member who watches his

energy use and recently switched out an air conditioning window unit to central air. “I try to conserve energy as much as I can,” Donald said.

Donald also receives a $1 bill credit each month for signing up for both MVEA’s auto-pay and MVEA’s paperless billing programs. He thinks it’s great that MVEA offers so many programs for its members.

If you want to learn how you can save energy or to participate in MVEA’s rebate program, which offers rebates for LED lighting and modern energy effi-cient appliances, visit: www.mvea.coop/save-energy-money.

BY ERICA MEYER COMMUNICATIONS OUTREACH COORDINATOR

Kevin Holbrook, MVEA key accounts representative (left in both photos), updates lighting in the homes of Cheryl Dempsey (Colorado Springs) and Donald Stenger (Peyton).

$500 Whole Home LED Lighting Giveaway Winner Spotlight: Cheryl Dempsey, Colorado Springs & Donald Stenger, Peyton

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TOUCHSTONE ENERGY COOPERATIVES www.touchstoneenergy.com

ENERGY STAR® www.energystar.gov

ENERGY STAR® PRODUCT LOOK-UP https://data.energystar.gov/

ENERGY EFFICIENCY RESOURCES

20 ENERGY EFFICIENCY 19 REBATE PRODUCT GUIDE

Everything you do—from flipping a switch to upgrading your appliances—can add up to big energy savings! When MVEA members participate in one of our energy efficiency programs, they not only use less electricity, they are also helping to reduce the overall demand for electricity within our co-op’s service territory.

Perhaps the easiest and most cost-effective way to start saving on your energy use is to evaluate the lighting in your home. By switching to Light Emitting Diode (LED) bulbs, you can save at least $75 a year on your electric bill.*

From LED bulbs to ENERGY STAR® appliances, our rebate program is a great way to start putting energy efficiency to work for you!

MOUNTAIN VIEW ELECTRIC ASSOCIATION, INC. Visit www.mvea.coop and click on “Save Energy & Money” to learn how you can become proficient at being energy efficient!

3 THE COLORADO ENERGY OFFICE www.colorado.gov/energy

4 U.S. DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY www.energy.gov

Energy Efficiency Rebate Form

*Source: U.S. Department of Energy, www.energy.gov

LED BulbsElectric Water HeatersCentral Air ConditioningWasher / Dryer

ENERGY STAR® Certified Appliance & Lighting Rebates

Refrigerator / FreezerDishwasherAnd, More!

Use Less. Conserve More.

Everything you do — from flipping a switch to upgrading your appliances — can add up to big energy savings. Visit www.mvea.coop/rebates.

Energy Efficiency and Rebate Savings Are Just a Click Away!

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YOUR CO-OP NEWS

Telephone NumbersToll-Free: (800) 388-9881

(719) 495-2283 • (719) 775-2861

Credit Card Pay-By-Phone(877) 999-3415

Falcon Office11140 E. Woodmen Road

Falcon, CO 80831

Limon Office1655 5th Street • P.O. Box 1600

Limon, CO 80828

Monument Office 15706 Jackson Creek Parkway, Suite 100

Monument, CO 80132

Office Hours Monday - Thursday 7 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

A Member-Owned Cooperative

Local. Trusted. Serving You.

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Joseph D. Martin, District 1 President

Barry R. Springer, District 6 Vice President

Milton L. Mathis, District 4 Secretary-Treasurer

Donna J. Andersen-Van Ness, District 7 Assistant Secretary

Rick L. Gordon, District 2, Director

Errol Hertneky, District 3, Director

Kevin L. Paddock, District 5, Director

Stay Connected: Like. Follow. Share.www.facebook.com/MVEAInc

Search for: Mountain View Electric Assn. Inc.

www.twitter.com/MVEAInc

Search for: Mountain View Electric Association, Inc.

Visit our website: www.mvea.coop

Electric Cooperative Youth Tour & Youth Leadership CampHigh school juniors are just 500 words away from a chance to win a once-in-a-lifetime all-expenses paid trip. Top-placed winners will receive either a trip to Washington D.C., with more than 1,800 students from across the U.S. for the Electric Cooperative Youth Tour, or will be invited to the Colorado Electric Education Institute’s Cooperative Youth Leadership Camp in the mountains outside of Steamboat Springs. Visit www.mvea.coop/essay-contest for contest qualifications and to complete an entry form. Deadline: November 14, 2019.

High School JuniorsYou Could Win a Summer Trip!

Questions? Contact Erica Meyer, (719) 494-2654, erica.m@mvea.coop.

MVEA is proud to support the next generation of agricultural leaders by co-sponsoring the annual Colorado Electric Cooperatives Junior Livestock Sale. This year, over $500,000 went to young people, who brought championship livestock to the Colorado State Fair. The largest event of its kind in Colorado, the junior livestock sale also serves as the championship event for the state’s 4-H and FFA youth.

Junior livestock sale participants from MVEA’s service territory include:

• Wyatt Chamblin, Peyton, 2nd place market steer, sold $4,000.

• Lacey Chisman, Calhan, reserve grand champion market rabbit, sold $2,900.

• Nicholas Hermes, Genoa, champion Berkshire market hog, sold $2,000.

• Brock Miller, Kiowa, 2nd place market steer, sold $3,500.

The sale is sponsored each year by MVEA, Colorado Country Life, the Colorado Rural Electric Association, the Colorado Rural Electric Member

Services group, Tri-State Generation and Transmission and 18 other electric co-ops in Colorado. The young exhibitors who won champion; reserve champion; first, second and third place in their livestock divisions have the opportunity to auction their animals at this sale.

All proceeds from the sale go directly to the education funds of the youth exhibitors. For the last 39 years, gross sales have totaled more than $10.8 million, all of which went directly to the agricultural youth who raised the animals. Preliminary totals for the sale are available at coloradostatefair.com.

Colorado’s Electric Cooperatives Sponsor Junior Livestock Sale at State Fair

Nicholas Hermes, Genoa, Champion Berkshire Market Hog

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YOUR CO-OP NEWS

COLORADO COUNTRY LIFEOCTOBER 2019

Every year Mountain View Electric Association, Inc. receives photo calendar contest submissions capturing the beauty of Colorado. From sweeping views of Pikes Peak to storms racing across the plains, MVEA’s 5,000-square-mile service territory provides the perfect backdrop for shutterbugs of all ages to help tell the story of the seasons, wildlife, lifestyle or landscape of the area. Selecting the final photos that will be featured in the 2020 calendar was no easy task. This year, nearly 200 photos were submitted and reviewed for consideration. Narrowing the images

down to 39 for publication was no easy task. The 2020 calendar includes January 2021 and features additional winning submissions. The main featured photo winners for each month are shown below and are also showcased on our website at www.mvea.coop. A limited number of 2020 calendars will be available to our members in November at all three MVEA offices. Thank you to all of the MVEA members who participated in the 2020 photo calendar contest.

Announcing MVEA’s 2020 Photo Calendar Contest Winners!

February 2020 March 2020

May 2020

August 2020 September 2020 November 2020

December 2020

Kenneth Childress, Colorado Springs Sheri Kerley, Colorado Springs

Brad Legg, Monument Jason Fazio, Monument

Faith Yingling, Peyton Kevin Wilson, Colorado Springs Rosana Rolon, Colorado Springs

Karen Meeker, Monument

December 2019

Jason Fazio, Monument

April 2020

October 2020

Jeffrey Mielke, Peyton Seth Morris, Peyton

Michael Rockett, Peyton

Alana Thrower, Elbert

January 2021

Aric Althouse, Monument

June 2020 July 2020

January 2020

MVEA Members Capture Colorado’s Beauty

Mark Your Calendars!The next photo calendar contest will begin January 1, 2020. Start taking photos now for entry by July 6, 2020. Your photo could be featured in our 2021 calendar!

Beat the Bad Guys: Be a Password Pro

www.staysafeonline.org

Creating and remembering complex passwords can be daunting. Instead, think of a passphrase rather than a password. ILove!ceCr3am would be a good passphrase/password but hard for an attacker to guess. Avoid using the same password for all online accounts.

Did You Know? 17.6 million people in the U.S. experience some form of identity theft each year. [Source: US Department of Justice]

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YOUR CO-OP NEWS

COLORADO COUNTRY LIFE OCTOBER 2019