MPE is a cooperative that is owned by the members we serve. We don’t earn profits for investors, instead, we return our profits to YOU our member owners.
MPE strives to set rates to cover our costs of delivering power to your homes and businesses, to meet debt obligations, and to re-invest in our electric distribution system. Margins are created when our revenues exceed all operating expenses during the year. Each year we allocate these margins back to the members (as capital credits) based on how much electricity they purchased during that year. After capital credits are allocated, we retain them for approximately 20-25 years before they are returned to you through a capital credit retirement. These retained capital credits build equity for MPE, which is used to improve our infrastructure to ensure reliability and to keep rates low, as equity helps minimize the amount of debt needed to grow and maintain the grid.
Each year, the MPE board evaluates the financial health of the cooperative to determine what portion of capital credits should be returned to our members through a retirement. Since 1977, MPE has retired more than $29,422,980 in capital credits to our members.
“Capital credit retirements are one of the many ways that MPE demonstrates the value of the cooperative business model. I encourage members who have any questions about their capital credit retirement to reach out to our member service department at 970-887-3378,” notes General Manager Virginia Harman.
The capital credit retirements are issued in the form of mailed checks if the amount is $50 or greater or as a bill credit for amounts less than $50.
Capital credits are your piece of the pie.
MPE returns capital credits to its consumer-members on a 20+-year retirement cycle. If your name appears on the list below, we need your updated address so that we can mail your capital credit check. Questions? Call (970) 887-3378, EXT 3 or email us at capitalcredits@mpei.com.
How It Works
After paying for needed infrastructure, MPE returns margins based on our consumer-members' contribution to electric sales. Because we are debt financed, margins are returned approximately 25 years after they are earned. That's because MPE's initial start-up costs to electrify rural north central Colorado necessitated the borrowing of significant federal funds. As such, margins are returned when our loan covenants are favorable to do so. The MPE Board of Directors is committed balancing returning margins, maintaining and improving infrastructure, meeting financial requirements and maintaining affordable electric rates.
How Profits Are Returned to You
Capital credits are issued as account credits, or we mail a check. Because refunds are paid even after a consumer-member discontinues service, it is important that you inform MPE of address changes. Unclaimed capital credits are deposited in MPE's Education Fund, which pays for local student college/vocational scholarships and for other community educational investments.
Your Piece of the Pie
As a consumer-member of MPE, you are a partial owner of our electric cooperative, and entitled to your share of the margins we earn. To date, since 1977, MPE has returned more than $15 million to its consumer-members. With rare exceptions, we refund capital credits annually. We call it your piece of the pie.
Email Us: capitalcredits@mpei.com