Are you getting the best value from your rural electric cooperative? 
by Eric Eriksen
Consider that if you’re like most, there are aspects of life that become sort of a daily routine… get ready for work and drive to the coffee shop on your way to work. At lunchtime, drive to the nearest fast-food location and get lunch and fill up the gas tank. At home, spend the end of the day streaming an episode or two of your favorite show before bed.
Even though I work in the energy industry, like most people, I still don’t think much about the electricity I use. I expect the lights to turn on when I flip the switch and the coffeemaker to work each morning. Because electricity is so accessible and affordable, we don’t think much about it.
Given how electricity powers our modern lifestyle every day, it really is a great value, especially when compared to other common services. In the San Luis Valley, the average monthly residential member power bill is about $118 (574 kwh). That’s only about $3.93 a day! We know that number can fluctuate, but when you think about the current average price of gas in Alamosa at $3.61/gal, Netflix subscription at $17.99/month, a 12oz vanilla latte at $6.90, and a burger, fries and drink meal for $9.39. All these other daily expenses totaled around $19 per day, $143 per week, and $572 per month.
We don’t always “see” the value of the electricity we use. You can run your dishwasher for $0.30 per load, watch TV for four hours for $0.29, or keep your food cold all month for $9.24. When you think about being able to power just about everything in your home for only $3.93 per day, then we can recognize it as a great value and becoming more valuable every day.
The future of energy is electrification. From electric vehicles, more efficient heating systems, like heat pumps, and the use of advancing AI learning technology, the increasing presence of electricity in your life is undeniable. And as the cost of electricity remains historically stable, the VALUE of those kilowatts just keeps growing– with more uses, cleaner resources and advanced technology.
When evaluating the value of your electric cooperative you might also want to compare with other rural electric providers across the nation. In a rural area the distance between member homes is greater, which results in more poles and wires to serve. Since the Valley is more rural than much of America we have more miles of powerlines per member. In fact, we have between 4-5 members per mile while the national rural cooperative average is 7-8. You might expect an average cooperative in our service area to be one of the most expensive, but SLVREC is an excellent rural cooperative where members experience well below the national average costs for electricity. And at the same time, members are receiving better reliability at 99.999%.
The national average daily cost of electricity is about $4.57, compared to REC’s $3.93 daily rate, noted above (see actual rates at left). You are powering your entire home every day for less than the price of a medium latte. You could brew your own coffee, cook your own meals, binge a television series and run on a treadmill for less than the cost of that drink. That’s real value.
The last couple of years have brought real challenges as we all have felt the effects of inflation and watched prices of almost everything rise. For example, SLVREC has experienced about a 40 percent increase in average material costs since 2022. As a member-owned nonprofit cooperative, SLVREC does everything in our power to ensure your costs stay reasonable and that electricity remains the best value for our members. It’s not always easy, as there are several factors beyond inflation that impact the price of electricity— some within our control but most beyond it.
As our community continues to rely on electricity for nearly everything in our homes, schools, hospitals and businesses, we need it to be reliable and affordable. You can be assured; San Luis Valley REC always puts you top of mind and works each day to ensure electricity remains the best value for your money. I hope you are as proud as me of your San Luis Valley Rural Electric Cooperative and our great people.
We’re here whenever you need us. Connect with us online, in person or through our social media channels. However, you choose to connect, please let us know how we can serve you better.
SOURCES
Fuel Cost: www.way.com/gas/prices/colorado/alamosa
Refrigerator cost: habcomfg.com
Dishwasher: www.directenergy.com
TV 4 hours: www.energysage.com
Netflix: help.netflix.com/en/node/24926
Sonic Combo Meal: www.sonicdrivein.com/menu
Starbucks Vanilla Latte: www.starbucks.com/menu