When summer hits, Colorado transforms.

You know the routine. Temperatures soar to a Rocky Mountain High. The Colorado Rockies sink to an all-time low. (In non-coronavirus years, anyway.) It’s the time for shades and sunscreen and evening walks with plenty of DEET in case of mosquitos.

It’s also the time when homes and businesses across Longmont begin to crank up the fans and air conditioning. All of which takes electrical power. A lot of it. At its peak last year , Longmont’s electrical demand came to more than 185,000 kilowatts – about 60% higher than normal.   

That’s a lot of extra generation. A lot of extra cost.

And it’s one reason why this year, starting on the July utility bill, Longmont Power & Communications has a new summer electric rate.

You’ll find the summer rate online at our residential rate and commercial rate pages. For a household that uses 700 kilowatt-hours every month, it’s not a huge bump – about $5.25 more per month, which still keeps LPC among the most affordable electric utilities in Colorado. That’s important to you and it’s important to us. (And it’ll also go back to normal after the October bill.)

So why do it? Two reasons. First, by adjusting the rates when demand is highest, it helps us cover the added cost of electricity from Platte River Power Authority, our wholesale provider. And second, it helps encourage energy efficiency at a time when it’s really easy to keep pouring the power on.

I’m not saying to turn the a/c off – when those 90+ degree temperatures hit, it’s practically a constitutional right. But there are other ways to save energy, and money with it.

Some of them are the simple things we know already, like turning off a computer when it’s not in use or a light after leaving the room. Some involve a simple device or upgrade, like putting LED bulbs in your lights, or using smart thermostats in your home and advanced power strips on your devices (all of which are available at our online Efficiency Works Store). If you want to do more, Efficiency Works can suggest energy-saving renovations and rebates – and for income-qualified households, some of those improvements may even be available for free through the CARE program.  

So even at the peak of July, there’s still some cool options available.

And in a Colorado summer, we’ll take all the cool we can get.