SDCEA HISTORY
Sangre De Cristo Electric Association, Inc. (SDCEA) was incorporated on June 24, 1940 when ten progressive residents pooled their ideas and efforts to bring electricity to residents of the Upper Arkansas and Wet Mountain Valleys. Investor-owned utilities served cities and towns, but didn't believe serving rural areas would be profitable. Rural areas were left in the dark until cooperatives, such as SDCEA, came to the rescue. Our little coop energized just over 14 miles of line in August, 1942, installing the first meters in December of that same year, bringing what was then called 'the next greatest thing', electricity, to rural residents. Today, we maintain over 1,700 miles of line in Lake, Chaffee, Fremont, Custer and Saguache counties and have over 11,300 meters installed. Though we have grown significantly since those first years, we have maintained our commitment to the residents of the Upper Arkansas and Wet Mountain Valleys to provide the best electric service at the lowest cost possible. As a cooperative we're non-profit and proud to be owned by those we serve. A Board of Directors of members elected from throughout the service territory governs SDCEA. Once you become a member, by receiving electric service from SDCEA, you'll have the opportunity to vote for directors every June, and you'll also be eligible to run for a director seat when the current director's term for your district expires.
Our main office is located just north of the town of Buena Vista on the east side of Highway 24. In addition, we have a line crew and staking engineer stationed in our Westcliffe warehouse. Office hours are 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. The office is closed for most major holidays. Power outages and emergencies are handled by an after-hour dispatcher when the office is closed.
