CORE Electric Cooperative News
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...
Esri, the global pioneer in location intelligence, presented CORE Electric Cooperative (CORE) with the Special Achievement in GIS (SAG) Award on July 12, 2023, at the annual Esri User Conference (Esri UC). Selected from hundreds of thousands of users, CORE received the award for its innovative use of mapping and analytics technology, as well as leadership in the field of electric distribution utilities. Data and solve complex problems The SAG Award is intended to demonstrate an appreciation f...
CORE Electric Cooperative is committed to providing choice and excellent customer service to its members. As such, every few years CORE surveys to understand the experiences and opinions of members. CORE is partnering with Corona Insights, a Denver-based research firm, to conduct the member survey. Topics include customer service, electricity priorities, and home energy usage. Members’ input is needed to ensure the results represent the broad spectrum of opinions that exist amo...
The process of setting up utilities for a new home can be complex, that’s why they’re here to make it easier. Start by downloading the Energy Usage Guide to see the common appliances and the amount of power required to operate each based on CORE’s residential rate. Here are some additional tips that can help users save money and energy: Energy-efficient appliances - Keep a look out for the Energy Star label. These products are certified by the Environmental Protection Agen...
CORE Electric Cooperative’s GIS Manager, Duane Holt was recently named an Esri Electric GIS Hero. Esri is the global market pioneer in GIS, helping customers get results for the most difficult problems and pioneering problem-solving with GIS to help users see what others can’t. Esri Electric GIS Hero Being named an Esri Electric GIS Hero means users are one of the best in the entire GIS field and is truly a great honor. According to their official website, Esri Electri...
ORE Electric Cooperative is pleased to announce the hiring of Stephen Figueroa to fill the cooperative’s Commercial Operations Director position. Stephen Figueroa As the Commercial Operations Director, Stephen will be responsible for providing strategic guidance and tactical direction for commercial aspects of power supply and energy management, including long-term resource planning and acquisition, contracts, regional affairs resource operations planning, portfolio risk manage...
As they dive into one of Colorado’s hottest months, they’re all about energy efficiency. By cutting down on the energy usage they can save on those monthly bills. Here are some tips to make the home more energy-efficient: Improve home insulation - Adding more insulation to an attic keeps hot air out in the summer. Seal the biggest leaks in the house and check the holes that were cut for plumbing pipes. Use a can of spray foam, available at any hardware store, to seal these leaks. F...
In August, they will celebrate 83 years of “keeping the lights on” for homes and businesses along the Front Range. IREA was established as a cooperative and remains one to this day, and the relationship it has with its members is unlike that offered by investor-owned, municipal, and other types of utilities. They like to call this “the co-op difference.” largest electric cooperative IREA was established in 1938 by a group of local residents. Since then, they have gro...
CORE prioritizes safety above all else for its members, employees, and communities, especially during National Safety Month. As a valued CORE member, users can learn how to ensure their safety this month and beyond. Check the surroundings Always call 811 for utility locates if the user plans to dig. Not calling runs the risk of hitting a buried line while digging. Hitting any utility line will not only disrupt the service but could cause serious injury or death and require costly...
This summer, IREA will begin rebuilding the existing 115-kilovolt transmission line between our Bayou Substation in Douglas County and Elizabeth Substation in Elbert County. The project is approximately 8.9 miles long and will replace existing wood H-frame structures with new wood mono-poles and steel poles. Wood mono-poles will be used at locations where the overhead wires are straight – with no line angles – and steel poles will be used where the overhead wires have a line angle....
Technosylva, the pioneering provider of wildfire mitigation technology solutions, and CORE Electric Cooperative (CORE), the largest electric distribution cooperative in Colorado, announced a new partnership and collaboration to reduce the impacts of wildfire to CORE’s members, employees and their electric grid. “The new web-based version from Technosylva will provide us with the most advanced tools available for wildfire risk mitigation,” said Jordan Ambrogi, CORE Wildfire Mit...
CORE Electric Cooperative (CORE) and the Town of Parker are pleased to announce Flexential’s plan to develop its fifth data center and colocation facility, expanding its FlexAnywhere® Platform in the Denver area. Flexential is a major provider of secure and flexible data center solutions with 42 data centers across the United States of America (USA). CORE, the Town of Parker and developer - Westside Partners worked collaboratively with Flexential to identify a location to fit the need...
CORE Electric Cooperative (CORE) and the Town of Parker are pleased to announce Flexential’s plan to develop its fifth data center and colocation facility, expanding its FlexAnywhere® Platform in the Denver area. Flexential is a pioneering provider of secure and flexible data center solutions with 42 data centers across the United States. Demand for data center CORE, the Town of Parker, and developer Westside Partners worked with Flexential CORE, the Town of Parker...
As part of their pole maintenance program, CORE is in the process of testing their electric utility poles. Their contractor, Osmose Utilities Services Inc., will be performing this work in the Woodland Park district between August 19, 2024 – September 16, 2024. Maintenance work in the Conifer district should be completed by August 19, 2024. More updates will be added to this page as contractors move throughout the districts. Osmose crews may require access to and/or through properties to...
As part of their pole maintenance program, CORE is in the process of testing the electric utility poles. The contractor, Osmose Utilities Services Inc., will be performing this work in the Woodland Park district between August 19, 2024 – September 16, 2024. Maintenance work in the Conifer district should be completed by August 19, 2024. More updates will be added to this page as contractors move throughout the districts. Osmose crews may require access to and/or through the property...
CORE Electric Cooperative (CORE) announced that Fitch Ratings has assigned CORE a first-time Long-Term Issuer Default Rating (IDR) of “AA-“, with a Stable outlook. “AA-” is in the highest public rating tier achieved for electric distribution cooperatives rated by Fitch Ratings. “The “AA-” IDR reflects CORE’s very strong financial profile in the context of a rapidly growing and diverse retail customer base, very strong revenue defensibility charact...
As part of National Lineworker Appreciation Day, CORE Electric Cooperative (CORE) celebrated the teams that work every day to keep the company’s best-in-class system, delivering safe, reliable power to their members. CORE’s aggressive system improvement CORE’s aggressive system improvement and wildfire mitigation programs mean crews spend their days repairing or replacing electrical lines and components. Crews are always prepared for outage response, everyday unexpected powe...
Midnight calls in blizzard conditions. Surveying miles of rugged terrain on foot. Scaling 45-foot energized poles. No two days are the same for a CORE line worker, and some can include all of the above. A line worker’s typical day starts with a crew meeting. CORE’s aggressive system improvement and wildfire mitigation programs use technology like drone footage to identify the most critical poles and equipment for repair or replacement, which dictates the crew’s daily work. Re...
CORE contractors regularly use aerial drones and other aircraft to inspect overhead lines and equipment and complete wildfire mitigation work and other important reliability efforts throughout our 5,000-square-mile service area. They typically notify members in the immediate area of drone or aerial work ahead of time via automated phone calls and/or emails. Contractor personnel performing drone work carry CORE credentials and are in contractor vehicles with CORE branding. They ap...
In addition to the perks of membership, CORE members have access to free account services and programs that provide additional control, choice and convenience. Advance pay Choose when, the amount, and how they pre-pay toward the credit balance. There are no deposits, no monthly bills and no due dates. Members who use Advance Pay receive alerts when their balance runs low. They can easily add to the balance 24/7 via SmartHub, by calling (844) 937-1643, or with cash at participating retail...
The reliability of CORE’s electric service - already better than the industry average - improved in 2023. Their System Average Interruption Duration Index (SAIDI), or average outage duration in minutes for each member served, decreased from 92 minutes in 2022 to 63 minutes in 2023 — an improvement of nearly 32%. System Average Interruption Duration Index (SAIDI) CORE’s SAIDI is about half the five-year national average of approximately 120 minutes CORE’s SAIDI is abou...
CORE Electric Cooperative is pleased to announce the hiring of Rob Osborn to fill the cooperative’s newly created position of Director of Business Development, effective Feb. 22, 2022. As Director of Business Development, Rob will lead CORE’s efforts to develop strategic partnerships and new business opportunities, as well as implement CORE’s economic development business plan and approach. He will also be CORE’s primary point of contact for existing large load...
CORE significantly improved reliability in 2021, with members experiencing 48% less outage time and 20% fewer service interruptions, compared to 2020. The members experienced, on average, 46 minutes of outages over the course of 2021. That average was about 89 minutes in 2020. The members also experienced, on average, just 0.536 outages in 2021, down from 0.676 in 2020. CORE’s reliability cooperatives CORE’s reliability numbers are better than the previous year’s figur...
CORE’s Board of Directors has authorized changes to the Rates and Regulations that will go into effect March 7, 2022, and include: Updates to reflect the name change to CORE Electric Cooperative. Updates to the optional time-of-use (TOU) rider for several service types, to match changes in the base rates made in September 2021. Annual updates to coincident peak (CP) rates, based on estimated Xcel/PSCo production charges. Updates to several types of account and service fees and charge...
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 the monthly energy bill. Eight tips to lower the energy 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&r...
CORE Electric Cooperative (CORE), the largest electric distribution cooperative in Colorado, Xcel Energy, the largest energy provider in Colorado, and Pano AI (Pano), the pioneering developer of artificial intelligence-driven wildfire detection, share details about the use of AI-powered cameras in detecting and aiding the successful containment of the Bear Creek Fire in Douglas County. The Pano AI cameras, funded by CORE and Xcel Energy, are strategically located near utility infrastructure or...
Colorado Electric Utilities celebrated Colorado Lineworker Appreciation Day at the Capitol. The Colorado General Assembly recognized lineworkers from multiple Colorado electric utilities on the House floor from Representative Eliza Hamrick and Representative Matt Soper. The Colorado Senate also recognized the state’s lineworkers with a joint letter from Senator Chris Hansen and Senator Cleave Simpson. Represented electric utilities included: CORE Electric Cooperative Mountain View El...
Colorado received record-breaking winds beginning on April 5 lasting through the majority of the weekend that caused many broken poles and trees on lines. As a result, they want to share the initial takeaways regarding extreme wind-related outages. First of all, If they experienced an outage, thank you for the patience during this unprecedented weather event. They especially appreciate the patience of members who were without service for extended periods. CORE’s challenging conditions M...
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 HCE both have committed to carbon-neutral, renewable energy and greenhouse gas reduction goals supporting statewide goals. CORE’s growing portfolio “Hunter Solar adds to...
CORE is prepared for significant snowfall and adverse weather forecasts for Wednesday, March 13, through Friday, March 15, across the service area. Line crews in the 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 the 5,000-square-mile service area. Key tips They encourage members to als...