For our Longmont Power & Communications community this year, 111 equals 101.

Now that I’ve totally confused everyone’s math brain, let me go back and explain.

A few days ago, LPC reached its 111^th birthday, marking that moment on March 7, 1912, when a judge ruled that Longmont could begin operating its own electric utility. That decision came after months of struggle with the city’s previous electric provider, the Northern Colorado Power Company – a utility whose service had been so limited that electric lights could only be operated in town for two hours a day. (You can find out more about that early history here.)

Longmont’s victory began a history of community-owned electricity. And that’s where the 101 comes in.

If you’ve ever taken any kind of class, you know that a “101 course” traditionally covers the fundamentals. And it’s hard to get more fundamental than reliable, community-based power. For the last 111 years, Longmont residents have used that to build homes, businesses and futures. And those fundamentals now underlie a host of other possibilities:

• The transition to renewable energy and a more sustainable community
• The shift to greater electrification as vehicles and building functions shift to non-carbon fuel sources
• The growing use of distributed energy resources (DERs) by our customers, from as small as a smart thermostat to as large as a solar panel
• And of course, continued improvements in energy efficiency, both from our customers as they take advantage of our Efficiency Works program and from smarter, better infrastructure as it upgrades to meet today’s needs

That’s a solid legacy. And a great reason to celebrate for all of us.

So here’s to 111 years of meeting our basic “101” needs– and so much more.

That’s something that’ll add up every single time.