January 2025 Board Meeting

Sangre de Cristo Electric Association Board of Directors Meeting Summary, January 30, 2025

 

Resignation – At-Large Director Jeff Fiedler announced his resignation at the meeting’s conclusion. Fiedler is stepping down after accepting a position with the Colorado Public Utilities Commission. Although SDCEA is not regulated by the Colorado PUC (it is governed by the member-elected board of directors), the human resource department at the PUC recommended Fiedler resign from his seat on the co-op board to avoid any conflicts of interest that may arise. Until new officers are elected, Director Blake Bennetts, who is currently the secretary of the board, will temporarily serve as board treasurer, a role Fiedler previously held.

Notice will be posted on the website, social media and sent to media outlets in SDCEA’s five-county service territory seeking applicants for the opening. The process to replace Fiedler will follow SDCEA Bylaws, link here.

 

Net Metering – Members with renewable energy systems (such as solar) are billed every month using net metering.

If a net metering member uses more energy than they produce, SDCEA bills the member for the extra energy used that month. If a member is on a Time-of-Use plan, they are charged differently for energy used during “on-peak” and “off-peak” hours based on that plan.

If a net metering member produces more energy than they use, the extra energy they generate will roll over to the next month as an energy credit to be banked. If a member is on a Time-of-Use plan, they bank depending on the cost of energy produced during “on-peak” and “off-peak” hours based on that plan.

Both cases are required to pay charges like the service availability charge.

At the end of each year (December 31) or if a member stops service during the year, SDCEA pays the member for any leftover energy credits not used. The amount is based on the current “avoided cost of energy,” which is the incremental market cost of that unit of renewable energy in the year. If you are on a Time-of-Use plan, SDCEA pays for on-peak and off-peak credits at the same rate.

The board approved a current Avoided Cost of Energy for 2025 per kWh as $0.02602, compared to 2024’s $0.02403.

 

Safety – Continuous improvement is the goal of SDCEA’s safety achievement program. A presentation on the program was given, including a commitment to increased identification of risks and hazards and cooperative accountability.

 

Statement of Non-Discrimination – The board re-approved a resolution in accordance with Federal civil rights law and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) civil rights regulations and policies, that SDCEA is prohibited from discriminating based on race, color, national origin, religion, sex, gender identity (including gender expression), sexual orientation, disability, age, marital status, family/parental status, income derived from a public assistance program, political beliefs, or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity, in any program or activity conducted or funded by USDA.

 

Financial Report        

Year-to-date (December 2024):

• Revenues are 1.3 percent under budget.

• December 2024 was warmer compared to 2023, so Kilowatt (kWh) sales are under budget. 2024 was warmer than the 20-year average.

• Total expenses are 3.1% under budget.

• Purchase power costs are down because SDCEA is buying less power than budgeted.
• Interest expenses are under budget.
• A&G expenses are below budget due to open positions and director expenses under budget.

 

Trout Creek Solar – A discussion was held about the Trout Creek Solar installation south of Buena Vista. The project is owned by the energy company Onsite Partners, from which SDCEA has an agreement to buy power from the project. The inverter at the site has proven to be unreliable and will, for the fourth time, be repaired. The site is not owned by SDCEA, the repair is Onsite Partners to make. On-site Partners is developing plans for replacing the inverter with newer technology.

 

Buena Vista Chamber membership – The board voted to renew membership with BV Chamber of Commerce at the $1,000 membership level. Directors Abel and Bennetts voted no.

 

Grant opportunities

• SDCEA’s application for a $999,000 grant to the Colorado Energy Office for Grid Hardening was unsuccessful. Grid hardening means making the electric grid stronger and safer. It involves finding potential problems and fixing them in advance to reduce outages.
• Staff have been searching for Grants that could be submitted for Vegetation Management.
• Representative Brittany Pettersen will be holding an online seminar for 2026 Community Project Funding for the fiscal year 2026. SDCEA Staff will attend.

 

Next board meetings: February 28 – SDCEA Board Room, pending building HVAC repair completion. March 21, SDCEA Board Room.

Agendas are posted 10 days in advance on SDCEA’s website: Board Meeting Agendas & Minutes – Sangre de Cristo Electric Association, Inc.

 

Executive Session – The board adjourned to executive session to discuss matters to be held in confidence. No action was taken after the executive session.