Electric Co-op Today

Faced with growing numbers of residents unable to afford heating costs and rising amounts of uncollected debt, a Colorado co-op has come up with what it hopes will be a long-term solution to the twin problems.

Set to start July 1, the ultimate goal of the Energy Foundation, created by San Luis Valley REC, Monte Vista, is to help needy consumer-members keep future heating costs down through in-home weatherization. Veterans, through a local green jobs training group, will supply the labor; Operation Roundup funds and federal stimulus dollars will pay for it all.

At a new energy group in Colorado, military veterans will help needy residents weatherize their homes. (Photo By: Veterans Green Jobs)

Eligibility is limited to those who qualify for the state’s Low-Income Energy Assistance Program.

“The idea is if we can begin to mitigate some of the energy bills by weatherizing homes, we can begin to eliminate the need for shut-offs and high energy bills,” said John Villyard, CEO of San Luis Valley REC. “It’s a big circle that will take a long time and some effort, but we have to start somewhere.”

With the economy not improving any time soon and a consumer base that includes the state’s five poorest counties, the co-op had to act. “Since the economy went south, we have written off about $60,000 a year” in uncollected bills, or $5.10 per meter, said Villyard.

Pre-recession, the annual write-off total was $15,000 to $20,000, he said.

Before the co-op’s directors approved the foundation this spring, the co-op directed Operation Roundup funds to La Puente, a local homeless shelter that provides one-time financial assistance to help clients pay heating bills.

But Villyard said that was a superficial approach to the underlying problems of energy-guzzling houses.

Tags: Consumer Outreach, Energy Efficiency, Weatherization