This week, it’s all about the smarties.

No, I don’t mean that it’s the week of Valentine’s Day. It’s true that that offers a legitimate opportunity for candy consumption – whether your Smarties happen to be the American pastel-colored tablets or the chocolate Canadian alternative to M&M’s – but this time, I’m talking about electric smartness.

You see, February 14 begins the first-ever Smart Energy Provider Week, a week to celebrate the roughly 90 public power utilities nationwide – and just four in Colorado! – who hold that designation. That’s pretty exclusive company.

And it includes us.

If you’re a regular reader here, you may remember that Longmont Power & Communications was among the first utilities to be recognized as a Smart Energy Provider in 2019, a two-year honor which we again received last year from the American Public Power Association. What does it mean?

It means that we’re recognized as a utility that goes beyond just providing power. It means recognizing our energy efficiency initiatives, our efforts in sustainability and renewable energy, our work to communicate with you and put you first, and a lot more besides.

In short, it’s the kind of electric provider that makes the community brighter in every way. We’re proud to be part of that. Not least because it means this is your award, too.

So thank you. Thank you for being our eyes and ears to report broken branches and streetlights that need attention. Thank you for all you do to save energy, whether it’s spotting needed improvements through an Efficiency Works appraisal, or giving your business a welcome building tune-up. And certainly, thank you for all the support you’ve shown to our line crews, meter readers and other personnel over the years as we keep that “Power For Life” going.

Together, we all have the power to make this community great. This week and every week.

And that sounds pretty smart to us.