CORE Electric Cooperative News
CORE Electric Cooperative announced that Jeff Baudier, CEO of CORE, has resigned his position at the cooperative to pursue a new opportunity in his home state of Louisiana, USA. “It has been an honor to serve CORE’s members these last three years,” said Jeff Baudier, adding “I am extremely proud of CORE’s dedicated employees, who I know will lead this organization into its exciting future as the premier electric utility in Colorado.” premier electric utility...
Rural electric cooperatives - CORE Electric Cooperative and Holy Cross Energy (HCE) have partnered on a new solar array on Colorado’s Eastern Plains. The Hunter Solar project is a 75-megawatt solar array in Arapahoe County, Colorado. CORE will buy 45 MW and HCE will purchase 30 MW of power output. CORE and Holy Cross Energy partnership CORE and HCE both have committed to carbon-neutral and greenhouse gas reduction goals CORE and HCE both have committed to carbon-neutral, renewable ener...
CORE is prepared for significant snowfall and adverse weather forecast for Wednesday, March 13, through Friday, March 15, across their service area. Line crews in their Sedalia, Bennett, Conifer and Woodland Park districts are on standby, with additional contractors ready to assist, if needed. They also have replacement equipment on hand, and fleet vehicles are fueled up and ready to roll into even the roughest terrain in their 5,000-square-mile service area. CORE encourages members to prepare...
As part of CORE’s annual maintenance program, an FAA-certified contractor is continuing to operate unmanned drone aircraft in the utility right-of-way in the Greenland-Palmer Lake area now through February. The drones will be used to visually inspect roughly 1,700 poles and electrical equipment, after which CORE crews and contractors will make repairs to any identified deficiencies. Along with their drone contractors, they will likely see CORE lineman inspecting poles and equipment on foo...
To maintain the grid and deliver reliable power during times when the members typically consume the most energy, CORE applies a demand charge to most accounts. Starting with March 2024 bills, the demand charge for residential members will be $3 multiplied by their peak demand, which is the highest amount of usage (in kilowatts) that occurs within one 60-minute period during the 'on-peak' hours between 4 p.m. and 8 p.m. Power-hungry devices For non-residential members, the demand charge varies...
Earlier this month, as part of National Lineworker Appreciation Day, they celebrated the teams that work every day to keep CORE’s best-in-class system delivering safe, reliable power to the members. CORE’s aggressive system improvement and wildfire mitigation programs mean crews spend their days repairing or replacing electrical lines and components. Power interruptions Crews are always prepared for outage response, everyday unexpected power interruptions, as well as outages due...
Electric vehicle owners have likely realized one cold, hard truth: Winter is harsh for EVs. Most EVs offer excellent traction and control – two must-haves for winter driving in Colorado – but research by several reputable, impartial organizations – AAA and Consumer Reports among them – confirms “range anxiety” is a valid concern when temperatures drop. Most EVs see a decrease of 20% to 40% in range in temperatures of 20 degrees Fahrenheit and lower. Such decr...
CORE Electric Cooperative (CORE) is pleased to announce the hiring of Angie Bedolla as the Local Government and Business Relations Manager. As the Local Government and Business Relations Manager, Angie will be responsible for managing and expanding CORE’s relationships with governmental partners and key accounts to ensure alignment and support through expanded programs, economic growth, and changing energy landscape. She will also support efforts to identify future power needs for c...
CORE Electric Cooperative (CORE) is pleased to announce the hiring of Angie Bedolla as the Local Government and Business Relations Manager. Angie Bedolla As the Local Government and Business Relations Manager, Angie will be responsible for managing and expanding CORE’s relationships with governmental partners and key accounts to ensure alignment and support through expanded programs, economic growth, and a changing energy landscape. She will also support efforts to ident...
CORE Electric Cooperative (CORE) wishes everyone safe and happy holidays! They offer some quick and easy tips that will protect residents and their loved ones this season: Make sure the holiday/decorative lights – and all other bulbs – are LED. If there are still non-LED string lights installed in homes, consider taking them to a local recycling company that accepts them. Have the heating system serviced to ensure that it is operating safely and efficiently. Do not overload out...
CORE Electric Cooperative is pleased to announce the hiring of Amanda Hall for the role of Director of Enterprise Risk Management. new responsibilities As the Director of Enterprise Risk Management, Amanda will be responsible for heading CORE’s enterprise risk management program by identifying and mitigating the cooperative’s financial, operational, regulatory, contractual, and strategic risks. She will develop the organization’s risk management framework and manage complian...
CORE wishes users a safe and happy holiday! Here are some quick, easy tips that will protect users and their loved ones this season: Make sure the holiday/decorative lights – and all other bulbs – are LED. If users still have non-LED string lights, consider taking them to a local recycling company that accepts them. Have the heating system serviced to ensure it is operating safely and efficiently. Do not overload outlets and power strips with too many devices. For outdoor ligh...
CORE’s most recent reliability numbers are significantly better than last year’s data for other Colorado electric utilities. As of September 2021, CORE members have had far fewer minutes without power than customers of other Colorado electric utilities when compared to 2020 reported data. More specifically, 72% fewer minutes than other cooperatives; 57% fewer minutes than investor-owned utilities (IOUs); and 23% fewer minutes than public power utilities. CORE’s aggressiv...
In the colder winter months, the average American kitchen churns out a high amount of food, and most of it can range from soups to casseroles, to holiday feasts. While these are special and favorite parts of the season, the energy required to cook these meals represents a small but significant part of your monthly energy bill. The U.S. Department of Energy estimates that cooking alone generally accounts for 4 to 5% of total home energy use, and this figure doesn’t include costs associated...
This week, Utilities United Against Scams (UUAS) will support International Fraud Awareness Week and will recognize the eighth annual Utility Scam Awareness Day on Wednesday, November 15. Utility Scam Awareness Day is an advocacy and awareness campaign focused on educating customers about and exposing scammer tactics. Utility impostor scams In recent years, utilities have seen increased reports of their customers/members being contacted by scammers who pose as utility workers in an attempt to...
My Usage, accessible via the SmartHub app or web-based SmartHub at the CORE website, is the source for detailed, easy-to-read info about their electric usage. Here are three of the most powerful ways users can use it to make informed decisions and save money on the electric bill: Identify periods of high usage View power usage over custom periods of time and identify where users can make adjustments or minimize demand during the daily “on-peak” period of 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. Users ca...
As part of CORE’s annual maintenance program, an FAA-certified contractor will operate unmanned drone aircraft in the utility right-of-way in parts of the service area from Nov 1 through December. The drones will be used to visually inspect poles and electrical equipment, after which CORE crews and contractors will make repairs to any identified deficiencies. linemen inspecting poles Along with the drone contractors, users will likely see CORE linemen inspecting poles and equipment on f...
CORE Electric Cooperative is committed to providing its members with choice and excellent customer service. As such, they regularly survey members to understand their experiences and opinions. CORE is partnering with Corona Insights, a Denver-based research firm, to conduct this year’s member survey. Topics include renewables, electric vehicles, wildfire mitigation, and other electric utility programs. The input is needed to ensure the results represent the broad spectrum of opinions that...
CORE Electric Cooperative is pleased to announce the hiring of Joan Beckner as Chief Legal Officer, effective October 4, 2021. Joan’s experience in the energy industry spans business-focused legal and engineering roles. She specialized in IP/patent/technology litigation, dispute resolution, and complex commercial transactions for 10 years at the Houston office of a large international law firm before spending 5 years pioneering various legal teams at Schlumberger. Her stron...
CORE Electric Cooperative provides businesses The Energy to Thrive and is proud to power innovative and emerging businesses. One of the most unique businesses they serve is FarmBox Foods, which is just across the road from the Sedalia headquarters. FarmBox’s creative and groundbreaking approach to farming promises to connect communities with sustainably sourced, locally grown food year-round. Its patented product is a vertical hydroponic farm (VHF) housed within a 320-square-foot shipping...
CORE has begun a rebuild project that upgrades distribution lines in the Palmer Lake area to improve reliability and bring them up to CORE standards. The upgrade is substantial and will be completed in four phases. The first phase, in the northwestern portion of town, began construction this summer. About 7 miles of line will be replaced across the project’s four phases. The anticipated total investment in the project is approximately $4 million.
CORE Chief Operating Officer Pam Feuerstein was recently named a Denver Business Journal C-Suite Award recipient. The award honors C-suite executives who demonstrate vital leadership and business savvy in guiding their companies to success. Feuerstein was one of just 36 C-Suite Award recipients this year. She was honored at a celebratory event last month and featured in a special section of the Journal’s Sept. 17 edition. Prior roles of Pam Pam joined CORE in 2010 as a System...
CORE Electric Cooperative (CORE), formerly the Intermountain Rural Electric Association (IREA), will hold a public open house on Wednesday, September 22, 2021, from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. at the Harris Park Community Center: 2154 Shelton Drive, Bailey, CO, 80421. The open house will highlight the Harris Park Rebuild. CORE is rebuilding existing distribution lines and replacing equipment and poles to improve the reliability of infrastructure and bring this portion of the service territory up to curre...
IREA is building a substation in Franktown to serve load growth between the existing Bayou and Castle Rock substations. The new 115-kilovolt to 12.5-kilovolt facility will provide reliable power to the area and help relieve the hardworking Bayou and Castle Rock substations. They broke ground at the site in mid-May and anticipate construction will be completed by December, with the substation in operation by February 2022. Twelve feeders will be built over the next three to five years as ad...
Many electric utilities are grappling with a shortage of qualified candidates for one of their most important positions: Lineworker. Electrical power-line installers and repairers accounted for about 115,000 jobs in 2019, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Employment is projected to grow by only about 2,000 – less than 2% – by 2029. That figure is low compared to the projected overall job growth of 6 million – about 3.7% – but does not include the open pos...
IREA has received funding from Charge Ahead Colorado to install customer-accessible electric vehicle charging stations at CORE offices. reducing air pollution Charge Ahead Colorado, a joint program between the Regional Air Quality Council and Colorado Energy Office works to reduce air pollution and encourage the diversification of Colorado’s transportation fuels mix. CORE plans to install two DC fast chargers at the Sedalia headquarters and is considering installing additional chargers...
In recent years, CORE has invested in technologies that continue to help them operate more efficiently, reduce costs, and minimize financial impacts on their members. Those investments include: Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI): In early 2021, CORE wrapped up the installation of Advanced Metering Infrastructure, which replaced more than 165,000 meters throughout the system. CORE avoided at least 50,000 'truck rolls' thanks to AMI. The new meters also help to identify and more...
Like any vehicle purchase, an EV represents a significant financial investment. Even with so many advantages – including lower maintenance and operating costs, fuel savings, financial incentives, reduced pollution, additional convenience and unique features – an EV is not right for everyone. Questions to ask themselves as they consider an EV purchase or lease, courtesy of Consumer Reports and CORE: How many miles do they drive each day? And how often do they take long road trips?...
CORE recently cut the ribbon on a publicly accessible electric vehicle charger at Castle Rock’s Miller Activity Complex – one of 11 new CORE-owned and maintained Level 2 and 3 public chargers that will be operational this summer and fall. Additional chargers will be located in Bailey, Castle Pines, Parker, Bennett, Deer Trail, Kiowa, Elizabeth, Woodland Park and other parts of Douglas County. State grants helped fund eight of the 11 chargers. Eligible CORE members get discoun...
Members in parts of CORE’s service area sometimes ask if they plan to offer high-speed internet service. CORE has analyzed this possibility considerably and currently has no plans to provide broadband services. This decision is based on many considerations, including: Colorado law prohibits an electric utility from directly providing retail commercial broadband services. They also could not subsidize a related but separate broadband company with CORE’s resources. CORE&rs...