Knowledge Is Power

by Rita-Lyn Sanders, Director of Member Services and Communication

GRAND JUNCTION, COLO. - (November 17, 2025)  Beginning with bills sent in early December, Grand Valley Power consumers in the General Service—Time-of-Use (GS-TOU) rate class will see a demand charge. The rate class is renamed General Service–Time-of-Use/Demand (GS-TOU/D). Although the demand charge is new to our residential consumers, the businesses that comprise our commercial and industrial rate classes have paid a demand charge for many years. Demand is an effective way to recover the cost of providing big amounts of power at one time by charging the consumers who use that power. Knowing what demand is and how it is billed can help you take steps to control your household demand. Here are the top three things you need to know about demand:

1. WHAT IS A DEMAND CHARGE?
The demand charge is $1 per kilowatt (kW). This fee reflects the consumer’s highest amount of electricity usage at one time during the billing period. The charge is designed to help pay for the costs of building and maintaining GVP’s distribution system. That way, GVP can reliably provide all the power members need when their need for power is greatest.

2. HOW CAN MY HOUSEHOLD CONTROL IT?
Every electronic device in your home draws electricity from the Grand Valley Power distribution system. High demand appliances like electric clothes dryers and electric water heaters require more electricity to run than other appliances. The best way to control your demand is to familiarize yourself with a device’s demand and limit the number of electric devices you use at one time. See a graphic showing the average demand of some high and low demand appliances on our website at gvp.org/demand.

3. WHERE CAN I REVIEW MY DEMAND HISTORY?
You can see your monthly demand, measured in kilowatts on your bill. The average household demand of Grand Valley Power’s residential consumers is 7.7 kW. Log into SmartHub and click Usage > Usage Explorer to see your previous months’ demand. Set the Usage Type field to Demand (kW) for a line graph that you can hover over to reveal the total kilowatts for the selected interval (monthly or daily). If you do not have SmartHub, consider registering for an account at gvp.org/SmartHub. Knowledge is power, and the Usage Explorer tool will help you take control of your energy costs.