There are several options. Your best one is to call our Member Services team at (970) 879-1160 . They can work with you on paying your bill, advise you on our Budget Billing process, or help you connect with local agencies offering assistance. The bottom line is – don’t wait to ask for help. We want to help our members, so please call us.
2027 Rate Change
We currently use small, medium, and large service to label our rate classes. We are now changing these classes to Residential, Commercial, and Industrial.
A rate class is a category used by YVEA to members with similar energy usage patterns, such as households, small businesses, irrigation, or large business, like the ski mountain, mines, and hospitals. This classification ensures that rates are proportionate to the specific infrastructure and operational costs required to serve each distinct group.
When our co-op started 85 years ago, rate classes were easy to determine, and one-size-fits-all rate classes worked. We are now identifying residential and commercial members with the service sizes of 200 AMP or fewer, 320 AMP, and 400 AMP or greater. Currently, there is no price difference among these 3 sub-classifications. As we are always reviewing our rates during our Cost of Service Study, there may be times when we need to charge sub-classifications different rates to ensure fairness and equity across members.
Members can visit the Rates and Fees page to learn more about the rates, use the demand calculator, and watch videos on the Transmission Demand Charge and how it works.
YVEA reviews rates annually. While we cannot predict the future, we can assure you that any decisions regarding rate adjustments will be made with the utmost care, in line with our mission to provide reliable and safe electricity to our members. We will still be paying Xcel to use their transmission lines, and Xcel’s ambitious infrastructure plans will affect those transmission costs. Prior to any rate change, YVEA will communicate with our members in advance.
We are always looking for ways to cut costs and operate more efficiently at YVEA, and the Transmission Demand Charge implementation is an example of this. We are also prioritizing our maintenance schedules and finding efficiencies within these efforts.
We are also committed to delivering safe and reliable service to the membership while maintaining current staffing levels.
In 2023, we announced a new power supplier, Guzman Energy, which we will be transitioning to in 2028. By signing our 15-year agreement with Guzman Energy, we will help stabilize our members' rates.
YVEA utilizes a third-party rate consultant as an outside expert in rate design and cost recovery when determining new rates and rate structures. YVEA follows a cost-of-service approach when determining its rates. This means that the cooperative, with the assistance of its consultant, calculates the cost of delivering electricity to its members, including expenses such as infrastructure maintenance, operating costs, and power supply.
An energy charge measures the total amount of electricity you consume during your billing period. A Transmission Demand is your highest demand, or the maximum rate you used energy, for a one-hour period in a month, between the hours of 5 to 9 p.m.
5 to 9 p.m., 7 days a week.