It’s just about time to turn the lights out on 2024. And if you’re asking “Where did the year go?”, we get it. After all, this last year held a lot for our LPC customers and ourselves.  

How much? Well, looking back, our community saw:  

• Just a bit of wind: A major windstorm hit the Front Range in April and our crews flew into action, responding to fallen power lines (often due to fallen trees!) all over Longmont. Unlike some of our neighboring areas, LPC customers did not see a lengthy outage – about 2,750 homes and businesses were affected, with many restored in an hour or less.
• A sunny place to live: This year saw the grand reopening of the Village on Main senior apartments and the start of work on the Ascent at Hover Crossing affordable housing development. Both properties worked with us to include solar energy for their residents, along with energy efficient all-electric homes. 
• More solar in the forecast: This year also saw the City Council approve new rules that will enable Longmont homes and businesses to add more solar energy in 2025, both for existing buildings and new construction. (Those changes also come with a new value-of-solar credit for new installations, while existing customers keep the same credit amount for any excess electricity they generate.) Solar and wind energy also figured strongly in the future plans of Platte River Power Authority that were approved last summer, projecting a rise to 88% renewable power over the next few years.   
• Some new tools: With the City’s brand new website last fall came a new online utility bill payment system, offering an easy way to check your account and pay your bill (or even put it on autopay). This year also saw us finish our citywide electric meter upgrade, which will enable faster responses to outages and more opportunities for energy efficiency for both our community and LPC itself.
• A chance to get cooking: “Try before you buy” is always a great deal and when you get a good meal out of it, that’s even better. In this case, LPC customers got the chance to check out a free induction cooktop from Boulder County for two weeks to see how easy electric cooking can be. (Haven’t tried it out yet? The program’s still available.)

As always, the best part of 2024 has been the community we serve and seeing the great things that Longmont’s residents do with the power we provide. Best wishes to all for 2025.  

Together, we can make it a bright new year.