LPEA is a member-owned, not-for-profit, electric distribution cooperative serving La Plata and Archuleta, with segments of Hinsdale, Mineral, and San Juan counties. There are 22 cooperatives in Colorado, LPEA is the fifth largest cooperative in the state providing safe, reliable electricity at the lowest reasonable cost to approximately 34,200 members and powering more than 46,500 meters.
Headquarters: 45 Stewart Street, Durango, Colorado 81302 (Mailing Address: P.O. Box 2750, Durango, CO 81302-2750). HOURS: Monday through Thursday, 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Emergency services available 24/7.
Branch Office: 603 S. 8th Street, Pagosa Springs, Colorado 81147 (Mailing Address: P.O. Box 305, Pagosa Springs, Colorado 81147-0305). HOURS: Monday through Thursday 7 a.m. to 5 p.m, closed 1:30-2:30 for lunch. Emergency services available 24/7.
Main Switchboard: (970) 247-5786 or (888) 839-5732
Number of Employees: 111
Chief Executive Officer: Jessica Matlock
Governing Body: LPEA is governed by a 12-member Board of Directors. Four directors are elected each year at the LPEA Annual Meeting in May. Directors serve three-year terms and are welcome to run as incumbents once that term is up.
Power Supply: Tri-State Generation & Transmission (TSGT), Denver, CO., is a not-for-profit cooperative power supplier to 42 electric cooperatives and public power districts across the West. They provide power to more than one million members in Colorado, Nebraska, New Mexico, and Wyoming. TSGT provides regional transmission facilities and delivers power to substations for LPEA to distribute to local cooperative members.
Energy Resource Mix: TSGT uses coal (56%) and natural gas (4%) as their primary fuel sources in the generation of electricity for LPEA’s members. Renewable energy (32%) is a critical secondary fuel achieved through a mixture of solar projects, wind farms, hydropower, heat, and methane recovery in Colorado, New Mexico, and Wyoming. Market purchases (8%) account for the additional energy resource mix.
Geographic Service Territory & Member Distribution
La Plata County, Colorado
Population: 57,030
Durango: 18,985
Bayfield: 2,705
Ignacio: 888
LPEA Members: 25,527 (74.42% LPEA Membership)
Residential: 23,820 (93.31%)
Commercial: 1,707 (6.98%)
Archuleta County, Colorado
Population: 14,152
Pagosa Springs: 2,005
LPEA Members: 8,556 (22.49% LPEA Membership)
Residential: 7,998 (93.48%)
Commercial: 558 (6.98%)
Hinsdale County, Colorado
Population: 828
LPEA Members: 47 (0.06% LPEA Membership)
Residential: 45 (93.48%)
Commercial: 2 (4.44%)
Mineral County, Colorado
Population: 776*
LPEA Members: 29 (0.09% LPEA Membership)
Residential: 27 (93.10%)
Commercial: 2 (6.90%)
San Juan County, Colorado
Population: 762*
LPEA Members: 170 (0.49% LPEA Membership)
Residential: 164 (96.47%)
Commercial: 6 (3.59%)
Rio Arriba County, New Mexico
Population: 39,006*
LPEA Members: 2 (0.01% LPEA Membership)
Residential: 1 (50.00%)
Commercial: 1 (0.00%)
*2020 United States Census Bureau
2020 Annual Statistics
Service Area: 3,531 square miles
Total miles of line: 3,745
Miles of distribution line: 3,541
Miles of transmission line: 204
Miles of line above ground: 1,897
Miles of line below ground: 1,643
Total meters: 47,085
Density (meters per mile): 12.57
Energy sales: 907,892,778 KWhs
Operating revenues: $105,188,370
Average monthly residential use: 672 KWhs
Average monthly residential bill: $106.15
2019 Annual Statistics
Service Area: 3,370 square miles
Total miles of line: 3,737 miles
Miles of distribution line: 3,533 miles
Miles of transmission line: 204 miles
Miles of line above ground: 1,898 miles
Miles of line below ground: 1,635 miles
Total meters: 46,714
Density (meters per mile): 11.85 meters
Energy sales: 966,090,168 Kilowatt-hours (kWhs)
Operating revenues: $108,311,065
Average monthly residential use: 685 Kilowatt-hours (kWhs)
Average monthly residential bill: $107.54