Colorado Country Life March 2022

GET YOUR DUCTS IN A ROW PG 6 / BETTER WITH BUTTER PG 11 / GROWING A LITTLE SELF CARE PG 22

MARCH 2022

THE ONE TIME, LIFETIME LAWN SOLUTION!

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Mow your Zoysia lawn once a month – or less! It rewards you with weed-free beauty all summer long.

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7 Ways Our Amazoy Zoysia Lawn ™

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Saves You Time, Work and Money!

CUTS WATER BILLS AND MOWING BY AS MUCH AS 2/3 Would you believe a lawn could look perfect when watered just once? In Iowa, the state’s biggest Men’s Garden club picked a Zoysia lawn as “top lawn – nearly perfect.” Yet, this lawn had been watered only once all summer to August!

In PA, Mrs. M.R. Mitter wrote, “I’ve never watered it, only when I put the plugs in...Last summer we had it mowed 2 times...When everybody’s lawns here are brown from drought, ours stays as green as ever.” That’s how Amazoy Zoysia lawns cut water bills and mowing! Now read on!

IT STAYS GREEN IN SPITE OF HEAT AND DROUGHT “The hotter it gets, the better it grows!” Plug-in Zoysia thrives in blistering heat, yet it won’t winter-kill to 30° below zero. It just goes off its green color after killing frosts, and begins regaining its green color as temperatures in the spring are consistently warm.

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NO NEED TO DIG UP OLD GRASS Plant Amazoy your way in an old lawn or new ground. Set plugs into holes in the soil checkerboard style. Plugs spread to create a lush, thick lawn, driving out weeds and unwanted growth.

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Thrives from partial shade to full sun.

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ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY No weeding means no costly chemicals. Since Amazoy Zoysia lawns naturally resist insects, you’ll save money, while helping to protect the environment.

You’ll never have to expose your family and pets to the risk of weed killers and pesticide poisons.

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FOR SLOPES, PLAY AREAS, BARE SPOTS AND PARTIAL SHADE You can’t beat Amazoy Zoysia as the low-cost answer for hard-to-cover spots, play-worn areas, places that have partial shade and erosion on slopes.

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NOW 3 WAYS TO START YOUR AMAZOY ZOYSIA LAWN! 1) Freestyle plugs come in uncut sheets containing a maximum of 150 - 1” plugs that can be planted up to 1 ft. apart.

Freestyle plugs allow you to make each plug bigger and plant further apart – less cutting and planting – you decide.

2) New Super Plugs come precut into individual 3”x3” plugs ready-to-plant (minimum 1 per 4 sq. ft.). They arrive in easy to handle trays of 15 Super Plugs. Save more time and get your new lawn even faster!

3) Amazoy Approved Seed-As The Zoysia Specialists for 60+ years, we finally have a Zoysia seed available that meets our standards and homeowners expectations.

Learn why at zoysiafarms.com/mag or by phone at 410-756-2311.

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Freestyle Plugs You decide how big to cut the plugs. Each grass sheet can produce up to 150-1 in. plugs. Plant minimum 1 plug per sq. ft.

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Super Plugs Precut plugs 3 inches by 3 inches READY TO PLANT Packed in trays of 15 Super Plugs. Plant minimum 1 plug per 4 sq. ft.

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EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO START AND MAINTAIN A CAREFREE BEAUTIFUL ZOYSIA LAWN

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Amazoy is the Trademark Registered U.S. Patent Office for our Meyer Zoysia grass.

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NURSERIES

Savings shown over aggregate base price and shipping

Volume 53

Number 03

March 2022 THE OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE COLORADO RURAL ELECTRIC ASSOCIATION COMMUNICATIONS STAFF Mona Neeley, CCC, Publisher/Editor mneeley@coloradocountrylife.org Cassi Gloe, CCC, Production Manager/Designer cgloe@coloradocountrylife.org Kylee Coleman, Editorial/Admin. Assistant kcoleman@coloradocountrylife.org ADVERTISING advertising@coloradocountrylife.org National Advertising Representative, American MainStreet Publications 611 S. Congress Street, Suite 504, Austin, TX 78704 | 800-626-1181 Advertising Standards: Publication of an advertisement in Colorado Country Life does not imply endorsement by any Colorado rural electric cooperative or the Colorado Rural Electric Association.

Colorado Country Life (USPS 469-400/ISSN 1090-2503) is published monthly by Colorado Rural Electric Association, 5400 Washington Street, Denver, CO 80216-1731. Periodical postage paid at Denver, Colorado. ©Copyright 2022, Colorado Rural Electric Association. Call for reprint rights.

EDITORIAL Denver Corporate Office, 5400 Washington Street, Denver, CO 80216 mneeley@coloradocountrylife.org | 303-455-4111 coloradocountrylife.coop | facebook.com/COCountryLife Pinterest.com/COCountryLife | Instagram.com/cocountrylife Twitter.com/COCountryLife | YouTube.com/COCountryLife1 Editorial opinions published in Colorado Country Life magazine shall pertain to issues affecting rural electric cooperatives, rural communities and citizens. The opinion of CREA is not necessarily that of any particular cooperative or individual.

SUBSCRIBERS Report change of address to your local cooperative. Do not send change of address to Colorado Country Life. Cost of subscription for members of participating electric cooperatives is 22.5 cents per month, paid from equity accruing to the member. For nonmembers, a subscription is $10 per year in-state/$16 out-of-state.

POSTMASTER Send address changes to Colorado Country Life, 5400 Washington Street, Denver, CO 80216

“Morning Glow” by Marcy Gruber, a Mountain Parks Electric consumer-member.

4 VIEWPOINT 5 LETTERS 6 ASK THE ENERGY EXPERT 7 YOUR CO-OP NEWS 11 RECIPES 14 NEWS CLIPS

16 COVER STORY PHOTO CONTEST WINNERS 20 ENERGY CONNECTIONS 22 GARDENING 24 OUTDOORS 26 FOCUS ON 29 MARKETPLACE 29 YOUR STORIES

On the Cover MARCH 2022

Cover photo contest winner: “Staredown,”

by Frank Morgan, Westcliffe. Morgan is a consumer-member of Sangre de Cristo Electric Association.

coloradocountrylife.coop

PINTEREST SNEAK PEEK COCountryLife pinned: Have a bowl of this chili for your hungry belly! Try Epicurean Butter’s Three Bean Chili. It’s hearty, flavorsome and has just the right amount of kick.

30 DISCOVERIES

FACEBOOK CHATTER Colorado Rural Electric Association posted: Thanks to NRECA CEO Jim Matheson for meeting with Colorado electric co-op directors, managers and staff to talk about federal issues that will affect electric co-ops.

Monthly Contest Enter This Month’s Contest Enter for your chance to win this Audubon Nature pagea-day desk calendar.

Containing 313 pages, you’ll be inspired by beautiful photos of the wilderness. For official rules and how to enter, visit coloradocountrylife.coop, click on Contests.

INSTAGRAM PIC of the month Colorado Rural Electric Association posted: Outgoing CREA Board President Jeff Hauck of Mountain Parks Electric opens his final CREA Annual Meeting as president. Thanks to Jeff for his leadership over the last 2 years. # lookingforward #yearinreview COLOR ADO COUNTRY LIFE MARCH 2022

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VIEWPOINT

CREA’S “SUPER” ANNUAL MEETING Attending to co-op business (and having a little fun)

BY KENT SINGER

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

T

he Colorado Rural Electric Association usually hosts an annual meeting in February in downtown Denver. Electric co-op board members and staff from across Colorado come together to attend education sessions, meet with legislators, learn about important industry trends, chat with each other about developments at their co-ops, and have a little fun. Since we were limited to a virtual annual meeting in 2021 due to the pandemic, it was great to get back together in person in 2022.

We intentionally schedule the annual meeting during the first couple of months of the year to overlap with each year’s session of the Colorado General Assembly. We schedule meetings with our legislators to learn about their activities and priorities; they make the laws that impact how electric co-ops provide service to rural Colorado.

This year, a record number of legislators made presentations to our group, and we also hosted a successful legislative reception.

The co-ops are supporting a bill to create a grant program for electric co-ops to develop microgrids, so it was great to have a chance to talk with legislators about the reasons behind the bill and about its benefits.

While the primary purpose of our annual meeting is business, this year’s meeting also coincided with the Super Bowl. We decided to make the most of that happy accident with a blowout party. We set up a hotel conference room like a sports bar complete with big screen TVs, cornhole matches, trivia games, plenty of food and drinks — everything you need to properly enjoy the uniquely American spectacle that is the Super Bowl. And while many past Super Bowls have not lived up to the hype, the outcome of LVI was in doubt until the last minute.

Since our boys in Predominantly Orange were not participants in the action on the field, many people at our party were more interested in the commercials than the game. The crop of commercials this year featured, among other things, robo dogs, flying horses, real dogs, real horses, cute kids and, of course, Peyton Manning.

But whereas in most years the commercials featured traditional consumer products (beer, chips, beer), this year the focus was on a couple of new categories: cryptocurrency and electric vehicles.

Why are Super Bowl commercials relevant to Colorado’s electric co-ops? As for cryptocurrency (or, as I refer to it, digital snake oil), it takes extraordinary quantities of electricity to support the

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COLOR ADO COUNTRY LIFE MARCH 2022

computing power that is the KENT SINGER foundation of the “currency.”

Founders of crypto companies site their operations in places where electricity is cheap and plentiful to support their insatiable need for power. While it might seem that this industry would be a boon for electric utilities, the long-term viability of these companies is unclear.

EVs, on the other hand, are a different story. There is little doubt that, in the coming years, the market penetration of many makes and models of EVs will grow dramatically. The investment by carmakers (GM, Kia, BMW, Nissan, Toyota) in flashy Super Bowl ads is just the latest sign of the ongoing market shift.

As for rural Colorado, the introduction this year of the all-electric Ford F-150 Lightning as well as the electric Chevy Silverado and Rivian pickup trucks may be a game changer. Electric co-ops across the state will be a critical part of creating the charging network to serve this new fleet of vehicles.

As for the ads themselves, I got a kick out of the BMW ad featuring Arnold Schwarzenegger as Zeus and Salma Hayek as his wife Hera. Pretty funny to see Zeus zapping the electricity in his new Palm Springs retirement home. And as much as I hate to admit it, as a dog lover, I couldn’t help myself from tearing up when the robo dog was revived by the battery in the new Kia! Given the power of Super Bowl ads to drive, or at least anticipate, consumer choices, it sure looks like the EV age is fast approaching.

One final note on our Super Bowl party: When the huge American flag was unfurled across the field at SoFi Stadium and country music star Mickey Guyton sang the first notes of the StarSpangled Banner, a funny thing happened. Even though the party was in a downtown Denver office building a thousand miles from the actual Super Bowl, amidst the din of 150 people engaged in loud conversations, all of our co-op folks quickly quieted down, stood up, took off their caps, held their hands over their hearts, and either sang along with or listened respectfully to our national anthem.

I hope this scene was repeated at many other Super Bowl parties across America, but I know it happened at least once in Denver.

Electric co-op folks: Super People for a Super Bowl.

Kent Singer is the executive director of CREA and offers a statewide perspective on issues affecting electric cooperatives. CREA is the trade association for your electric co-op, the 21 other electric co-ops in Colorado and its power supply co-op.

LETTERS

FROM THE EDITOR

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Green House Gas Reductions

Working together, co-ops can accomplish big things

BY MONA NEELEY

E

EDITOR

ach month your local electric cooperative sends you this magazine, Colorado Country Life. It mails the magazine to share not only fun information on all kinds of places, people and events that make Colorado unique, but also important information about what is happening within the co-op itself.

Your local co-op announces director elections in these pages, shares rate adjustments, publishes financial reports, suggests ways to save on your electric bill, urges safe practices when using electrical devices, keeps you up to date on what is happening in a quickly changing industry, and more.

By doing all that in cooperation with other electric co-ops in the state, your local co-op can send you an award-winning publication that is read cover to cover by most of you and save money at the same time.

Working together — cooperating — small organizations such as your local electric cooperative can do big things.

That’s why your co-op came together

MONA NEELEY

with the 21 other electric co-ops in Colorado and the state’s generation and transmission co-op to form the Colorado Rural Electric Association, the ultimate in cooperation among cooperatives. CREA provides your co-op with the magazine as well as safety programs, educational opportunities and a presence at the state Capitol.

CREA celebrated its 76th annual meeting this past month (see information on page 15) and used the opportunity to look back at the services it provided to its member co-ops in 2021. It was a challenging year as we all dealt with the COVID-19 pandemic, but CREA was able to continue to provide the services its member co-ops have come to depend on.

Learn more about CREA’s services and how your co-op works with others through CREA by viewing the CREA Year-In-Review at adobe.ly/3uWWxbO. Mona Neeley is the statewide editor of Colorado Country Life, which is published in coordination with your local electric cooperative. Its goal is to provide information from your local electric co-op to you, its consumer-members.

BuildingLocal with authorized builders all across Colorado

Mr. [Kent] Singer said 80% alternate power by 2030. (Viewpoint, November ’21) Make me feel good and tell me how.

Danny Shaffer, Loma Grand Valley Power consumer-member Editor’s Note: The 80% reduction in greenhouse gases is now the law and Colorado’s electric cooperatives are working with their power suppliers to meet the requirements of the law.

The Positive Side of Hydrogen

I was a fire inspector for the Denver Fire Department from 2009 to 2017 when I retired. I helped inspect the installation of a hydrogen power cell fueling station at a large food distribution center. What was wonderful is that all the electric forklifts in the facility were retrofitted for this power cell. Hydrogen’s main exhaust is water, which is perfect for a facility that handles food.

Dean Yoder, Bellvue Poudre Valley REA consumer-member

Colorado’s Fast EV Chargers

Driving EVs in winter weather, as I have often experienced, is nicely described in the February article. But a correction is needed.

Colorado has many more convenient, fast, public EV-charging locations than the 34 cited. Plugshare.com displays about 220 with about 180 that rapidly recharge the Chevy Bolt described in the article.

Jim Gano, Fort Collins Poudre Valley REA consumer-member Editor’s Note: The 34 Level 3 fast chargers mentioned in the article are part of the Colorado Energy Office’s electric vehicle corridor project. That could have been explained better.

Defending the Real Thing

Regarding your Colorado guacamole features in Recipes (February ’21) by Executive Chef Oscar Padilla, with due respect, this is NOT anywhere close to guacamole.

Please do not pass off a high-end mix, match recipe for the real thing.

Sharon Lee, McCoy Yampa Valley Electric consumer-member

SEND US YOUR LETTERS

visit www.heritagehomesofne.com or call 877-759-2782

Editor Mona Neeley, 5400 Washington St., Denver, CO 80216 or mneeley@ coloradocountrylife.org. Include name and address. Letters may be edited for length.

COLOR ADO COUNTRY LIFE MARCH 2022

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ASK THE ENERGY EXPERT

Get Your Ducts in a Row

BY MIR ANDA BOUTELLE

F

or most people, the inner workings of the HVAC system are out of sight, out of mind. The system is ignored until something goes wrong.

Understanding the basics of how a heating and cooling system works will help you create a more efficient, comfortable living space. To get started, let’s go over how it works.

If you have a forced-air system, you have ducts. A forced-air system consists of the equipment that heats or cools the air and the ductwork that moves it around the home. Your furnace, or air handler, has a fan inside that pushes the heated or cooled air through the supply ducts into the rooms. The return ducts bring air back to the furnace

to be heated or cooled again and sent back through the home.

This continuous loop of supply and return is susceptible to inefficient practices and leakage.

Here are some steps you can take to keep your system running efficiently and maintain a comfortable living space.

Sealing ducts can be difficult because they are hidden behind the walls, floor and/or ceiling. Attics and crawl spaces can be hard places to work. You can hire a professional to test your duct system for leakage with specialized equipment and seal your ducts.

Check your vent dampers.

The filter is on the return side of the duct system. It could be in the return registers or in the furnace. Checking your system’s filter regularly and replacing it when it is dirty can help you improve your heating and cooling efficiency.

Now that you know the inner workings of your HVAC system and what it needs to run efficiently, you can improve and maintain the comfort in your home year-round.

I wish vents were made without dampers because the feature creates the misconception they should be closed. Closing registers does not save energy. It can cause your system to work harder, shortening its life span and increasing duct leakage.

Seal your ducts.

If your ductwork travels through an attic, crawl space or other unconditioned (not heated or cooled) space, it could have holes, cracks or gaps that cause duct leakage. This wastes energy and money by heating or cooling spaces you don’t use.

Change your filter.

Miranda Boutelle is the director of operations and customer engagement at Efficiency Services Group in Oregon, a cooperatively-owned energy-efficiency company. She also writes on energy-efficiency topics for the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association.

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COLOR ADO COUNTRY LIFE MARCH 2022

RECIPES

Make it Better with Flavored Butter



Colorado company will butter up guests for you

BY AMY HIGGINS

WHERE TO BUY THE BUTTER?

Order Epicurean Butter online at epicureanbutter.com.

| RECIPES@COLOR ADOCOUNTRYLIFE.ORG

B

utter can boost the flavor of your favorite recipes and with flavored butter you can step it up yet another notch. Whipping up flavored butter at home has been an ongoing trend for years, but Thornton-based Epicurean Butter has been mastering it for nearly two decades, offering home chefs convenience and an amazing addition to dishes. From sweet to savory, the company’s creamy butters are also great on your morning bagel, tossed in your movie night popcorn and mixed with sautéed vegetables, making the pickiest eaters more inclined to finish their plate. Put Epicurean Butter to the test with your friends’ and family’s palates with one of their newest recipes.

Boost the flavor with flavored butter

Spinach Artichoke Parmsean Dip 1 (10 ounce) box frozen spinach, thawed and drained 2 (3.5 ounce tubs) Epicurean But ter Garlic Parmesanflavored butter, divided to 8 tablespoons/6 tablespoons (some will be left over) 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese 1 cup light sour cream 1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese 1 cup shredded mozzarella, divided pinch of red pepper flakes 1 (14-ounce) can artichoke hearts, drained and coarsely chopped 1 loaf sourdough boule or shepherd’s bread carrot and celery sticks, sugar snap peas and sliced red, yellow or orange bell pepper, for serving Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Thaw spinach in microwave or under hot water. Grasp a small handful of the spinach and squeeze all the water out.

Repeat with remaining handfuls of spinach.

In a saucepan, combine 8 tablespoons of Butter Garlic Parmesanflavored butter, cream cheese and sour cream and melt over medium heat. Add the shredded parmesan and 1/2 cup mozzarella and heat until bubbling. Stir in the red pepper flakes, artichoke hearts and spinach.

MORE RECIPES ONLINE at coloradocountrylife.coop

It’s time to add a kick to your cornbread. Try Epicurean Butter’s Chili Lime Cornbread. The peppers in the Chile Lime Butter add a little zest to this popular bread making it a great pairing with chili.

Cut off the top of the bread (as if you were carving a pumpkin).

Use a knife to cut the bread out of the center of the loaf, leaving about 1/2 inch all around the sides and bottom. Cut the bread that was removed from the center of the loaf into cubes and place on the prepared baking sheet. Melt 6 tablespoons of Butter Garlic Parmesan and drizzle the bread cubes, then toss to coat.

Add hollowed-out loaf to baking sheet and fill with dip. Top the dip with remaining 1/2 cup of mozzarella. Bake for 15–20 minutes until dip is bubbly and cheese is melted and lightly browned. Serve with the toasted garlic butter bread cubes and fresh veggies.

COLOR ADO COUNTRY LIFE MARCH 2022

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ELECTRIFY AND SAVE

UPGRADE TO ELECTRICITY AND SAVE IN YOUR HOME Make the switch to electricity and keep money in your pocket with more efficient household appliances and systems. From heat pumps to electric vehicles, these proven technologies have the potential to run your home and life more simply, efficiently and cost-effectively.

LEARN MORE AT WWW.TRISTATE.COOP/BE Tri-State is a not-for-profit power supplier to cooperatives and public power districts in Colorado, Nebraska, New Mexico and Wyoming.

Empowering the West for 70 years Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association and our member co-ops and public power districts have proudly connected communities for 70 years. Whether it’s your home or business, together we’ve kept the lights on since 1952 and we’re not slowing down now. Our family of electric cooperatives is dedicated to serving more than one million consumers with reliable, affordable and responsible power.

Because whatever the future holds, we’ll power it.

WWW.TRISTATE.COOP

NEWS CLIPS

Electric School Buses Get Added Spark

Top (left to right) Ginny Buczek, Joe Redetzke, Jeff Hauck

Bottom (left to right) Rod Martinez and Stephen Valdez

New Officers Lead Colorado’s Electric Co-ops During its January 27 meeting, the board of directors for CREA, the statewide trade association for electric co-ops, elected new officers for 2022.

Stepping up to lead the board as president is Ginny Buczek , who serves on the United Power Board of Directors. Buczek lives in Firestone and is deeply rooted and involved in her community. Serving on Firestone’s planning and park commissions as well as the city’s board of trustees, Buczek’s experience is well-rounded and comprehensive, as evidenced by her continued success on CREA’s board.

Sangre de Cristo Electric Association director Joe Redetzke will serve as vice president. Having served on SDCEA’s board since 2016, Redetzke brings valuable co-op board experience and perspective to the statewide association. Active in his community of Buena Vista, Redetzke advocates for reliable and affordable electricity.

Rod Martinez, a board member for Grand Valley Power, was elected as CREA’s board secretary. Martinez is a professional photographer and outdoor guidebook author who calls Grand Junction home.

Stephen Valdez, who serves on the San Luis Valley Rural Electric Cooperative Board of Directors in Monte Vista, was elected as treasurer of the association’s board. Valdez brings various board and community service experience to both SLVREC and CREA boards.

Stepping down as president of the board, Jeff Hauck of Mountain Parks Electric served CREA in this position for a unique two years. Serving during the height of the pandemic, he led online meetings and virtual conferences. As past president, Hauck will remain on the executive committee of the CREA board.

CREA is the statewide trade association representing Colorado’s 22 electric cooperatives and one generation and transmission association. Colorado’s electric cooperatives are leaders for a sustainable future working to maintain reliability and affordability; advancing innovative solutions; and enhancing community resilience.

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COLOR ADO COUNTRY LIFE MARCH 2022

The move to electrify school buses across the country got a new push when the Beneficial Electrification League announced an initiative to accelerate the deployment of these buses in electric cooperative service territories.

BEL launched this coalition effort in advance of federal funds targeted to electric school buses in the Investment in Infrastructure and Jobs Act passed by Congress in 2021.

“Colorado's rural electric cooperatives are excited to partner with our schools to bring the benefits of electric school buses to communities all across the state,” said Kent Singer, CREA executive d i re c t or. “We believe these buses can bring a lot of benefits to students, the school systems and the electric cooperative community.”

In Colorado, Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association, CREA and three local electric co-ops are participating in the BEL initiative.

To learn more, visit be-league.org/buses or email grants@be-league.org.

An ET for the Farm It’s not an EV, but an ET — an electric tractor. And it could be ready for farming as soon as this fall. Monarch Tractor, a California-based company, plans to begin shipping its first-of-its-kind fully electric, driver-optional tractor this fall.

Monarch claims the machines will be able to run 10 hours on a full battery, recognize humans and livestock that may get in the way and be programmed to follow a human.

The Monarch starts at $58,000 and recently won a CES 2022 Innovation Award.

NEWS CLIPS

Co-ops Ask: Protect People While Protecting Sage-Grouse

Discussing resource planning for future utilities are (left to right) Mary Ann Zehr, Tri-State Generation and Transmission; Steve Beuning, Guzman Energy; Carrie Simpson, Xcel Energy; and Bryan Hannegan, Holy Cross Energy.

CREA CELEBRATES ANOTHER YEAR OF SERVICE CREA, the statewide association of Colorado’s electric cooperatives, hosted its annual meeting February 11-15 in downtown Denver.

About 150 electric co-op board members, managers and CEOs, and senior staff from around the state gathered in person for education classes, reports from affiliated organizations, annual reports from CREA and its board officers, and speakers on a variety of topics.

Speakers sharing information came from state agencies, the Colorado House and Senate, the Colorado Office of the Utility Consumer Advocate, the Colorado Chamber of Commerce, the Colorado State Forest Service, the National Snow and Ice Data Center and the Air Pollution Control Division. Jim Matheson, CEO of the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association, gave the group a national perspective on legislation and rulemaking that is affecting electric co-ops.

The event ended with a panel discussion looking ahead to 2030 and how utilities will continue to provide reliable and affordable electricity as the electric industry changes.

Record Renewable Growth Still Falls Short of Need About 290 gigawatts of new renewable energy generation capacity — mostly in the form of wind turbines and solar panels — was installed around the world in 2021, according to the International Energy Agency. That beat the record set in 2020.

And the Renewables Market Report predicts renewable energy generating capacity will jump to 4,800 GW by 2026, exceeding that of fossil fuels and nuclear energy combined.

However, the IEA says this record growth is still short of what is necessary to achieve net zero carbon emissions by mid-century.

The U.S. Bureau of Land Management is considering changes to greater sage-grouse conservation plans as it works to bolster habitat for the ground-dwelling birds that roam parts of 11 Western states, including Colorado.

These plans, supported by electric co-ops and others, have precluded the need to list the greater sage-grouse under the Endangered Species Act. However, the BLM is taking a new look at the species as drought spreads across the West.

As the BLM is looking at land-use amendments to bolster the birds’ habitat, the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association, which represents electric cooperatives, is asking it to consider the financial impacts of any changes to these plans on low-income communities.

“The greater sage-grouse’s vast stomping grounds include a large number of rural, persistent-poverty areas served by electric cooperatives,” said Elise Laarman, NRECA issue adviser for environmental regulatory affairs. “We urge the BLM in their early resource management planning to take into account any potential financial harm posed to these rural communities.”

In Colorado, these communities include those in the northwestern part of the state already dealing with the closure of coal-fired power plants and coal mines. The state’s greater sage-grouse habitat stretches across territory served by Grand Valley Power north of Grand Junction; White River Electric near Meeker; Yampa Valley Electric around Steamboat Springs; and Mountain Parks Electric in both Jackson and Grand counties.

The co-ops have long worked with local groups on conservation measures to assist the species, but more stringent land-use rules from the BLM could be expensive and force rate increases to cover the cost of compliance.

NRECA asked the BLM to review state land-use plans, such as the one Colorado already has in place, and give credit for the co-ops’ current best practices for land management in greater sagegrouse habitat.

COLOR ADO COUNTRY LIFE MARCH 2022

15

COVER STORY 1st Place Pure Enjoyment: “Silly Grands, Nacho Average Mimi” — Debby King, Pueblo West, San Isabel Electric consumer-member

M

ark Twain once said, “You can’t depend on your eyes if your imagination is out of focus.”

Colorado Country Life readers stepped up to the challenge to use their imaginations and focused their camera lenses on Life’s Expressions.

We received more than 340 photos that creatively captured the four categories of this year’s photo contest: Awestruck, Pure Enjoyment, Nostalgia and Hometown Pride.

These moments and expressions showed up in photos of faces and fun; through the vast beauty of Colorado; in gatherings; in the air and on solid ground; and in memories and scenes of days past.

Find the winning photos in all four categories on the following pages and see for yourself how these moments were brought to life.

Congratulations to all the winning photographers, including Frank Morgan, Buena Vista, who photographed an intense staredown with a curious and confident fox that graces this issue’s cover.

Check out CCL on Facebook and Instagram to view the winning photos, runners-up and many other entries that we received during the course of the contest.

1st Place Awestruck: “The Monarch” — Natalie Heller, Ridgway, San Miguel Power Association consumer-member

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COLOR ADO COUNTRY LIFE MARCH 2022

1st Place Nostalgia: “Days Past” — Deanna Howard, San Isabel Electric Association consumer-member

1st Pace Hometown Pride: “Palisade in Bloom” — Rod Martinez, Grand Junction, Grand Valley Power consumer-member

COLOR ADO COUNTRY LIFE MARCH 2022

17

COVER STORY

2nd Place Awestruck: “Danger Zone” — Emilie Gunderson, Windsor, Poudre Valley REA consumer-member

2nd Place Pure Enjoyment: “Splish Splash” — Jessie Heath, Ovid, Highline Electric Association consumer-member

2nd Place Hometown Pride: “Halloween Stroll Steamboat” — Jennifer Summers, Steamboat Springs, Yampa Valley Electric Association consumer-member

2nd Place Nostalgia: “Going to the Movies” — Kimberly Randall, Buena Vista, Sangre de Cristo Electric Association consumer-member

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COLOR ADO COUNTRY LIFE MARCH 2022

COVER STORY

3rd Place Pure Enjoyment: “Head in the Clouds” — Jamison Paul, Severance, Poudre Valley REA consumer-member 3rd Place Awestruck: “American Kestrel on a Stick” — Kevin Fettig, Loveland, Poudre Valley REA consumer-member

3rd Place Hometown Pride: “La Veta Fourth of July Parade” — Jim Lambert, Walsenburg, San Isabel Electric Association consumer-member

3rd Place Nostalgia: “Years Ago” — Donnell Allen, Colorado Springs, Mountain View Electric Association consumer-member

WATCH ONLINE See a video featuring all the 2022 winners as well as some honorable mentions.

COLOR ADO COUNTRY LIFE MARCH 2022

19

ENERGY CONNECTIONS

Two Interesting Facts About Electricity

BY PAUL WESSLUND

E

lectricity turns dark into light, makes hot foods cold and cold foods hot, washes the dishes and searches the internet. It is essential to our everyday lives, so much so that we rarely think about it. But behind the scenes, interesting things are happening.

Here are two of many interesting facts about electricity that cause even some experts to scratch and shake their heads.

1. Electricity must be used or stored after it’s generated.

A rechargeable battery stores electricity — more on that later. But the kind of electricity you use in your home needs to be used after it’s generated.

It’s true. Electricity produced from power plants, solar panels, wind turbines and hydro dams in the U.S. needs to be perfectly timed for when you decide to cook dinner, wash clothes or watch TV. The national grid, made up of power generators, wires and substations, is an incredibly complex network that makes electricity flow smoothly.

A vast and intricate system of devices controls that power flow in a precisely balanced way so that when you flip a switch calling for additional electricity, somewhere else a power source ramps up to provide the additional electricity you require.

It’s one reason utility operators must be strategic when adding renewable energy to the nation’s fuel mix — a coal or natural gas plant can ramp generation up or down fairly quickly to meet changing energy demand. Solar energy and wind power depend more on the whims of Mother Nature, which adds an extra challenge to power management. However, technology advances are making this challenge easier to deal with, and more large-scale battery storage is also helping.

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COLOR ADO COUNTRY LIFE MARCH 2022

Big batteries offer another way for electric utilities to better balance the flow and timing of electricity; large-scale battery storage technology is improving rapidly. A few of Colorado’s electric cooperatives have incorporated battery storage into their distribution systems, and more storage is being planned. Wider use of large, utility-scale batteries will make it much easier to add more solar and wind energy to the grid, allowing electric co-ops and others to store energy that’s generated when it’s breezy and sunny for use at night and during calm weather.

2. Highways could charge electric vehicles in the future.

If researchers have their way, electric vehicles won’t need to plug in — they will be able to charge while they’re being driven.

“Wireless dynamic charging” projects are underway around the world. The idea is similar to wireless chargers you can buy for your home electronics, the kind you can set near a charger rather than actually plugging in the smartphone or other device.

Charging cars while they’re driving along the freeway is of course a lot more ambitious. But some developers predict that within five years, in addition to today’s special high-occupancy-vehicle lanes for rush-hour traffic in large cities, there could be stretches of vehicle-charging lanes.

Futurists expect electric trucks as the most likely users of wireless charging lanes. Wireless dynamic truck charging could keep the deliveries rolling rather than drivers having to sit for however long it might take to get trucks back to full power through a plug-in charger.

Electricity is such a basic part of our everyday life, so every now and then it’s good to think about all its benefits and mysteries.

Paul Wesslund writes for the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association, the national trade association for the nation’s electric cooperatives.

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Throughout the ages, there have been many important advances in mobility. Canes, walkers, rollators, and scooters were created to help people with mobility issues get around and retain their independence. Lately, however, there haven’t been any new improvements to these existing products or developments in this field.

Until now. Recently, an innovative design engineer who’s developed one of the world’s most popular products created a completely new breakthrough . . . a personal electric vehicle. It’s called the Zinger, and there is nothing out there quite like it.

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GARDENING

Soak Up Sponge Gardening Grow your own shower buffers

BY VICKI SPENCER

MASTER GARDENER | GARDENING@COLOR ADOCOUNTRYLIFE .ORG

I

t was 50 years ago, while studying in Greece, that I first saw luffa sponges. They were displayed everywhere in Athens’ outdoor markets. I thought they were sea sponges magically transformed by water to become the perfect back scrubber, skin exfoliator or nonabrasive household sponge.

I brought my “unique” Mediterranean find home and enjoyed it for months before it wore out. This prompted a pre-internet trip to the library to learn how to replace it. To my surprise, luffa sponges come from gourds, not the ocean. This was good news in landlocked Colorado as I realized I could grow my own.

My research revealed two main species of luffa plants. Luffa acutangula grows up to 30 inches. Its slender fruit has sharp ridges that run the entire length. The more common Luffa aegyptiaca grows up to 2 feet and has a smooth skin with visible, blunt ridges.

I chose Luffa aegyptiaca which takes about 90 to 120 days to reach maturity and several more weeks to develop tough inner fibers to be dried on the vine before harvesting. That’s possibly 150 to 200 warm, frost-free days — which is hit or miss in Colorado. I decided to start my seeds indoors.

Practice makes perfect, or so they say. After several attempts, I found it best to start seeds five to six weeks before transplanting outside. First, I scarified seeds with a few light swipes of sandpaper, then soaked them in hot water a day before planting them in small pots with moist starting mix. I placed the pots on a tray, covered them with plastic wrap, and placed the tray on top of the refrigerator where it’s warm. A week later, after the seeds germinated, I removed the plastic, placed the tray in a sunny window and kept the

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COLOR ADO COUNTRY LIFE MARCH 2022

soil consistently moist. A couple weeks after the last frost, I transplanted them outside.

Luffa grows rigorously with six hours of sunlight. It’s not particular about soil, but it produces more if fertilized. It will climb on a chain link fence, trellis or other sturdy structure. It also grows along the ground, but climbing gourds are straighter and less susceptible to powdery mildew. Prevent this fungus by spacing plants to allow air flow, watering soil early in the day and keeping the leaves dry.

Young fruits can be harvested for a delicious stir-fry vegetable, but you’ll need mature gourds to make sponges. About six weeks before the first frost, cut the plant back to the last gourd you expect to mature. Pinch off new flowers to provide energy to existing gourds.

Gourds are ready to pick when they turn tan and feel lightweight; you’ll hear the seeds rattle inside. To prepare the sponges, immerse in hot water until the skin peels easily, shake the seeds out and remove any pulp, soak in 10% bleach solution, rinse thoroughly and hang them to dry in the sun. In a few days you will have natural, fully biodegradable sponges for personal use.

Gardener Vicki Spencer has an eclectic background in conservation, water, natural resources and more.

LEARN MORE ONLINE Read previous gardening columns at coloradocountrylife.coop. Click on Gardening under Living in Colorado.

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On a recent trip to Tucson, we spoke with fourth generation turquoise traders who explained that less than five percent of turquoise mined worldwide can be set into jewelry and only about twenty mines in the Southwest supply gem-quality turquoise.

Once a thriving industry, many Southwest mines have run dry and are now closed.

We found a limited supply of turquoise from Arizona and snatched it up for our Sedona C. Turquoise Collection. Inspired by the work of those ancient craftsmen and designed to showcase the exceptional blue stone, each stabilized vibrant cabochon features a unique, oneof-a-kind matrix surrounded in Bali metalwork. You could drop over $1,200 on a turquoise pendant, or you could secure 26 carats of genuine Arizona turquoise for just $99.

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COLOR ADO COUNTRY LIFE MARCH 2022

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OUTDOORS@COLOR ADOCOUNTRYLIFE .ORG

t’s way too early in the year to seriously consider fly fishing the sagebrush lakes in North Park, but that doesn’t mean I can’t think about them.

No doubt they’re still icebound, but even if they weren’t, I wouldn’t make the trip up there. I’ve never had much luck fishing the celebrated ice-out bite in early spring anyway.

The operative theory holds that big trout, ravenous after a long, dark winter under the ice, cruise the edges of the receding ice shelf and newly exposed, sun-lit shallows in search of hatching chironomids, caddisfly larvae, leeches and whatever else Mother Nature might offer. If you’re there at the precise time those cruisers come through and you cast a reasonable fly to them, you stand a good chance of hooking the fish of a lifetime. But, as in much of life, timing is everything and where these ice-out lunkers are concerned, my timing has always been painfully, consistently, off.

No loss; it’s not my favorite kind of fishing anyway. I no longer enjoy the imagined machismo of standing around in bitter, howling winds and frigid water up to my you-know-what, smothered in collective layers of merino wool, down, and GORE-TEX just to catch a fish, though I once did. I was much younger then, of course, and hardier I suppose, eager for adventure and quite willing to endure whatever the elements demanded, no matter how harsh.

These days, I much prefer to fish the lakes long after ice out — much longer. In late summer, actually, and early fall after the mosquitoes have died off and you can make your camp so close to the water’s edge you can feel the waves lapping the shore while you sleep, and when you can sit by the fire at night with only a wool sweater and a bourbon sundowner to ward off the chill. And when, from the sunny-warm comfort of an afternoon camp chair, you can glass deer and antelope meandering the rambling acres of toast-colored sage on the hillside across the lake. And when, while the sun slips into the Medicine Bows and the wind sighs to a whispering quiet, you can launch a float tube, row your way out to where a mist-green weed bed is swaying to the mysterious rhythms of the universe in the depths below and cast a likely fly. If you time this just right, you stand to hook the fish of a lifetime.

If not, well, you won’t care in the least; there’s a sundowner waiting for you by the fire.

Dennis Smith is a freelance outdoors writer and photographer whose work appears nationally. He lives in Loveland.

MISS AN ISSUE? Catch up at coloradocountrylife.coop.

Click on Outdoors under Living in Colorado.

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n the blockbuster film, when a strapping Australian crocodile hunter and a lovely American journalist were getting robbed at knifepoint by a couple of young punks in New York, the tough Aussie pulls out his dagger and he says, “That’s not a knife, THIS is a knife!” Of course, the punks scattered and he continues on to win the reporter’s heart.

Our Aussie friend would approve of our rendition of his “knife.” Forged of high-grade 420 surgical stainless steel, this stick tang knife is an impressive 16” from pommel to point.

Secured in a tooled leather sheath, this is one impressive knife, with an equally impressive price.

This fusion of substance and style can garner a high price tag out in the marketplace. In fact, we found stainless steel blades with bone handles in excess of $2,000. Well, that won’t cut it around here. We have mastered the hunt for the best deal, and in turn pass the spoils on What Stauer Clients to our customers. Also, receive a genuine Are Saying About leather sheath FREE when you purchase Our Knives the Down Under Bowie Knife.  Your satisfaction is 100% guaranteed.

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FOCUS ON BUSINESS

FEEDING FOWL FAR AND WIDE In the small town of Flagler, Wagner’s, a century-old wild bird seed company, has a big presence. It’s in this town — once dubbed “the birdseed capital of the world” — where the company operates one of its production plants and where dozens of locals make a living. The company’s goal, it says, “is to provide the absolute best wild bird feeding pleasure” for its customers. The folks in Flagler are helping the company live up to that standard by staying steadfast in producing some of the finest bird seed around — something birds all over the globe appreciate.

Favorite Foods

If you want to attract the widest variety of birds to your feeder, Tom Lokitus, Vice President of sales at Wagner’s, says the company’s 100% Black Oil Sunflower Seed “is the single most popular seed for feeding wild birds.”

Because of its thin shells, birds can more easily consume these sunflower seeds, and the seeds give the birds high energy to help them go about their daily tasks. Multiple ingredient blends are also hot-ticket items, Lokitus says.

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WHERE TO BUY? Check with your local home improvement store or nursery for availability or order Wagner’s bird seed from online retailers, such as amazon.com and chewy.com.

Simple Suggestions

To improve your chances of attracting birds to your outdoor space, Lokitus suggests setting up two or three feeders and providing them with a bird bath, which additionally attracts non-seed eating birds. Place the feeders where birds can easily identify them and where they can provide cover from inclement weather conditions and wildlife adversaries. The fat and protein in seeds and nuts help wild birds survive harsh weather all year long and give them energy to build their nests and feed their young.

Wild Birds of Colorado

There are more than 400 species of birds in Colorado, according to Colorado Parks & Wildlife. Depending on where you roost in the Centennial State, you could attract visitors such as woodpeckers, chickadees, finches, nuthatches, mourning doves and more.

You can also attract squirrels, so look for feeders specifically designed to dissuade them from infringing.

Seed bag photo courtesy of Wagner’s, LLC/Shutterstock

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COLOR ADO COUNTRY LIFE MARCH 2022

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YOUR STORIES

READERS’ PHOTOS

FUNNY STORIES My daughter Jennifer lives by the railroad tracks near I-25. She has a dog, Jasper, who is good at running away, always in seconds, and up the ramp to I-25. One day he did this. Panicked, Jennifer and the rest of us were running after him, yelling.

Her sister Michelle calmly picked up the leash hanging by the door, held it up and yelled, “Jasper, you forgot your leash!” He turned around and rushed back to get his leash on.

Carol Alexander, Calhan Mountain View Electric Association consumer-member

WINNER: Morgan County REA consumer-members Randy and Rhonda Jess and Fred Ruff enjoy Colorado Country Life during their trip to Hawaii.

My 5-year-old granddaughter was upset that her older siblings had more money than she did from doing chores. She exclaimed, “I just reeeeally need to lose some teeth so I can make some money!”

Betty Kay B., Monument Mountain View Electric Association consumer-member I went to my nephew’s 5th birthday party and upon arriving, I saw that he had a large and very bruised bump on his forehead. I asked, “My gosh, Jefferson, what happened to your forehead?” His 2-year-old brother Jeremy ran up to me, planted his hands on his hips and excitedly said, “Pam, you know Jefferson only has ONE head!”

Pam Bland, Fort Morgan Morgan County REA consumer-member

WOW — what a catch! Grand Valley Power consumer-member Acer Rodgers brings CCL on a sail-fishing adventure off the coast of Guatemala.

Cliff and Jamie Stephens, Empire Electric Association consumer-members, bring their copy of CCL to see the sites in Viejo San Juan, Puerto Rico.

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Take Your Photo with Your Magazine and Win! It’s easy to win with Colorado Country Life. Simply take a photo of someone (or a selfie!) with the magazine and email the photo and your name, address and your local co-op to info@coloradocountrylife.org. We’ll draw one photo to win $25 each month. The next deadline is Tuesday, March 15. Name, address and co-op must accompany photo. See all of the submitted photos on Facebook at facebook.com/COCountryLife.

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DISCOVERIES

Shop Local Arts & Crafts A variety of handmade gifts by local Colorado artists Foraging Art From the Forest Blue Horse Sculpture features artwork born from forest remains — wood pieces fallen from the surrounding trees. After a series of preparation phases, the studio’s artist, Deborah M. Candelora of Bellvue, carefully refines, finishes and mounts the pieces to create a completed work of art worthy of display.

When your artwork is derived from the forest, it’s undeniable it will be one of a kind. See and purchase Candelora’s collection at bluehorsesculpture.com.

It’s All in the Details Artisan Mark Anderson of Craig has worked with leather since the tender age of 8, and today he uses that know-how to set in motion artistic creations that lay the foundation of the Double A Connected Leatherworks’ collection. Once the leather is fashioned, Mark’s spouse Jordan goes to work with the finer works of completing the pieces: painting, beading, beautifying. Check out Double A’s graduation caps, earrings, purses and more on Etsy at tinyurl.com/ DoubleAConnected.

Rocky Mountain Muses Artist Jenny Robinson of Brush gets inspiration for her artwork from the surroundings she’s been accustomed to her whole life: the Rocky Mountains, ranches, farms, but mostly animals — horses in particular, which weave wonderfully with the Colorado landscape. Her contemporary western art is created with oil paints and features distinct details of her subjects, whether a horse, mountain range or nearby rolling river. She also offers custom paintings and animal portraits. See for yourself at jennyrobinsonstudio.com.

Bonding with Nature Alex Bond of Mancos metamorphosizes elements such as wood, stone and metal into artworks worthy of a grand display. “Carving away at wood and stone is a perfect metaphor for carving the toxic layers of life and revealing something pure and childlike — something artistic,” he says. See, for example, how Bond boosts the appearance of burls — malformed tree growths — to create stunning pieces like centerpieces, bowls and vases. Check them out at etsy.com/shop/TheBoysandBurlsClub or theboysandburlsclub.com.

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COLOR ADO COUNTRY LIFE MARCH 2022

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E L A S Y A D 1 3 dows & doors win

When we say this sale ends on March 31st, we mean it! You only have 31 days to get this discount, along with special financing or an extra 3% off!1 There are limited appointments available.

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SAVE $300 when you pay for your whole project with cash or check1

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1 Subject to availability, on a total purchase of 3 or more. To qualify for discount offer, initial contact for an appointment must be made and documented on or before 3/31/22 with the purchase then occurring on or before 4/10/22. 3% cash discount for payment in full by cash or check applied at time of sale. 2No payments and deferred interest for 12 months available from third-party lenders to well qualified buyers on approved credit only. No Finance Charges will be assessed if promo balance is paid in full in 12 months. Products are marketed, sold and installed (but not manufactured) by Renewal by Andersen retailers, which are independently owned and operated under Window Warmth, LLC d/b/a Renewal by Andersen of Colorado. See complete information and entity identification at www.rbaguidelines. com. ©2022 Andersen Corporation. ©2022 Lead Surge LLC. All rights reserved.