About My Co-op

High West Energy is committed to its members and the communities they call home. We all have a responsibility to make these communities a better place to raise a family or start a business.

Donations are cash and/or in-kind contributions made to community groups. In-kind donations are donations that do not involve a direct cash contribution but instead might include providing door prizes, auction items or promotional items.

Sponsorships are cash and/or in-kind fees paid to an organization to support an event, program, or cause to improve the quality of life in the community. High West Energy sponsors events and activities in and around the cooperative’s market area, especially those that relate to youth, small business, agriculture, and the military. The event/activity should make a significant contribution to the well-being and vitality of community life in the cooperative’s service area.

We encourage members and local organizations to apply for donations or sponsorships, and we’ve made the process fast and easy. In less than five minutes you can download the form below, fill it out, and email it to Brooke Darden at brooke.darden@highwest.coop.

For more information, contact:
Brooke Darden, Communications & Marketing Coordinator
brooke.darden@highwest.coop
307-365-6862

DONATION FORM

Operation Round Up® is a program for members designed to help other members who are in need.

Members will have their electric bills "rounded up" to the nearest dollar. The additional money (from 1 to 99 cents) is donated to the Operation Round Up® fund.

Although the amount seems small for each participating member, when you multiply it by thousands of participants' contributions, that's a lot of pennies! Collectively, this makes a huge difference in our communities!

You can download the form below or click here to submit the form directly online!

Click here for the Operation Round Up® form!

Our Board of Directors has recently approved the retirement of $1.6 million in Capital Credits for 2024. This amount consists of percentages allocated to members from the years 1995, 1996, 1997, and 2023.

After each fiscal year, any surplus funds remaining after covering the cooperative's operating expenses are allocated to your capital credit accounts based on your electricity usage from the previous year. Please watch for your check in the mail by late November or early December. Members receiving $50 or less will receive their dividend as a bill credit. If you have any questions, please contact our office!

High West Energy’s success wouldn’t be possible without our members. So, it’s only right that you share in that success.

2024 Capital Credits

Our Board of Directors has recently approved the retirement of $1.6 million in Capital Credits for 2024. This amount consists of percentages allocated to members from the years 1995, 1996, 1997, and 2023.

After each fiscal year, any surplus funds remaining after covering the cooperative's operating expenses are allocated to your capital credit accounts based on your electricity usage from the previous year. Please keep an eye out for your check in the mail by late November or early December. Members receiving $50 or less will receive their dividend as a bill credit. If you have any questions, please contact our office!

Members receiving more than $50 in dividends have the following options:

1. Apply the dividend amount to your bill.

2. Donate your patronage dividends to Operation RoundUp®, helping support others in a time of loss or need.

3. Receive a check in the mail. Members receiving $50 or less will receive their dividend as a bill credit.* If you received a dividend in 2023, you will automatically get this year’s dividend the same way you received last year’s, unless you request a change.

Please keep your member contact information including your email and phone number current.

If you move, please be sure to provide us with your new address so we can continue to refund patronage dividends you are eligible to receive in the future. When a member passes away, the patronage account is available for estate retirement. A representative of the estate should contact High West Energy at 307-245-3261 to settle the patronage account. Visit www.highwest.coop for more information.

Tell Me About It!

How do capital credits work?

Cooperative members share in the ownership, construction, maintenance, and prosperity of High West Energy. When financial conditions allow, members receive patronage dividends.

Here is how cooperative membership pays you back:

When you move into a home or establish a business in our service territory, and after you complete a membership application, you become a member of the cooperative.
A patronage dividend account is set up in your name and High West Energy carefully tracks your investment in the co-op in this account.
At the end of our fiscal year, any funds remaining after expenses have been paid are allocated* to your patronage account based on the amount of electricity you used the previous year. Notice of this allocation is sent the following spring.
Patronage dividends are based on the amount of electricity you use, so the amount you are allocated* varies from year to year. For example, businesses that use a lot of electricity build up a larger patronage dividend account than a homeowner.
Each fall, the Board of Directors evaluates the financial condition of the cooperative to determine if we can pay patronage dividends. Dividends may not be paid every year.
When patronage is not paid,* it is used as operating capital for system improvements and maintenance. This operating capital reduces the need for loans, which helps keep costs down.
When the Board decides to pay a patronage dividend, we calculate the amount we need to pay each member. Anyone who was a member in the previous year will receive a dividend.
If your refund is more than $50, you can choose to receive your dividend as a check, a bill credit, or you can donate it to Operation Round Up. Refunds of $50 or less will be paid as a bill credit. These refunds are proof of the value of cooperative memberships.

Allocation vs. Retirement

An allocation is made annually for each member, based on the amount of electricity purchased by the member the previous year. An allocation is the member's share of the amount of net margins High West Energy sets aside into a separate account to be used as operating capital for reliability improvements and maintenance over a period of years.

A retirement is the amount a member receives back as a patronage dividend. It is a portion of the total patronage balance. The amount paid is decided annually by the Board of Directors based on the financial needs of the cooperative.

Reminders:

If you move, please be sure to provide us with your new address so we can continue to refund patronage dividends you are eligible to receive in the future.

When a member passes away, the patronage account is available for estate retirement. A representative of the estate should contact High West Energy at 307-245-3261 to settle the patronage account.

Youth Programs

Our 2025 Scholarship Program is now open! The application and appraisal web forms are linked below. For each application, an applicant appraisal must be completed by a mentor, instructor, school counselor, etc. Scholarship applicants must be dependent of a High West Energy member.

Applications and appraisals are due by 5 PM on Monday, February 3, 2025.

High West Energy offers scholarships to Wyoming, Colorado, and Nebraska high school seniors or recent graduates who have a parent or legal guardian who is a co-op member.

In addition, High West is also sponsoring a Line Worker Scholarship. We want to encourage more people to consider being a line worker as a future career choice!

2025 General Scholarship Program Application | High West Energy Cooperative

2025 Line Worker Scholarship Program Application | High West Energy Cooperative

2025 Scholarship Applicant Appraisal | High West Energy Cooperative

Questions? Email scholarships@highwest.coop or call 307-245-3261.

OTHER SCHOLARSHIP OPPORTUNITIES:

Nebraska Energy FCU Scholarships (ne-fcu.org) -Must be a member of the credit union to apply.

Education, Scholarships & Careers - WREA - Wyoming Rural Electric Association (wyomingrea.org) - Additional Line Worker scholarships through Wyoming Rural Electric Association