Business & Finance
Believe in Affordable Electricity
Few people give a second thought when they flip a light switch or turn on the TV. But the folks at Tri-State G&T are very concerned about keeping that power flowing at a reasonable price—so much so that they have launched the campaign, “We Believe in Affordable Electricity.”
Tri-State G&T has launched a campaign focusing on affordable electricity. (Photo By: Tri-State G&T)
“It all comes back to the value of electricity, what the product does for people’s lives, for businesses, for communities and for the overall economy,” said Jim Van Someren, Tri-State’s communications manager. “What our campaign primarily focuses on is communicating the value of electricity and the importance of keeping it affordable.”
The campaign includes the new Keep Electricity Affordable website, “where we can draw people not only to educate them, but to engage them and build up our grassroots network,” Van Someren said. Integrated TV, radio and print ads have been running in markets throughout the Westminster, Colo.-based G&T’s four-state member system service territory. And in June, 550,000 newspaper inserts were distributed.
In an interview with ECT.coop, Van Someren said several potential regulatory changes make up part of what is driving Tri-State’s concerns as well as state-specific issues in Colorado and New Mexico, which he said “are not entirely different from some of the national issues.”
“They go back to our ability to generate and deliver power at a reasonable cost,” Van Someren said. “The economy has already impacted people. If the price of electricity is driven to a point where they’re facing yet another hardship, they may be faced with a situation of having to make some difficult decisions. Do you pay your electric bill or do you buy groceries for the week, for example?”
The concern isn’t limited to consumers. Van Someren noted that the 44 distribution co-ops Tri-State serves have numerous commercial members ranging from small businesses to large industrial accounts.
“If their electric bills are driven to a point where they can’t make their ends meet, something’s going to give. So it is a domino effect, potentially impacting everyone from the farmer to the residential consumer, and businesses small and large.”
Tags: Business and Finance, Consumer-Members, G&T