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Tag: Xcel Energy

Xcel natural gas customers could see 10.5% residential price reduction
BizWest, Local

Xcel natural gas customers could see 10.5% residential price reduction

By BizWest Xcel Energy Colorado has requested approval from the Colorado Public Utilities Commission to reduce customer natural-gas bills for the last three months of the year.   That will mean on average, a 10.54%, or $9.15, reduction on residential monthly bills and an 11.08%, or $42.04, reduction for typical small businesses from the same time last year. That is providing the weather remains stable, Xcel reports in a press release. Residential customers are expected to see a decrease of 13 cents per month on their electric bills, while small businesses would pay approximately 91 cents more on a typical monthly bill compared with the third quarter of 2024, according to a news release. READ THE FULL STORY AT BIZWEST
Xcel drained its $94M energy efficiency budget after marijuana growers took notice — and wants $34M more
State, The Colorado Sun

Xcel drained its $94M energy efficiency budget after marijuana growers took notice — and wants $34M more

By Mark Jaffe | Colorado Sun “Unexpectedly high customer interest” led Xcel to pull the plug on a program helping businesses green their operations — for now. After shooting through most of its energy efficiency budget for this year, Xcel Energy has suspended all its programs for businesses and asked state regulators for an additional $34 million above the $93.6 million already agreed on. In a filing to the Colorado Public Utilities Commission, Xcel Energy’s Colorado subsidiary — Public Service Company of Colorado — said that there was “unexpectedly high customer interest and participation in the company’s electric energy efficiency offerings this year.” READ THE FULL STORY AT THE COLORADO SUN
Nursing homes go dark as more utilities cut power to prevent wildfires
Colorado Springs Gazette, Local

Nursing homes go dark as more utilities cut power to prevent wildfires

By KATE RUDER | Colorado Springs Gazette via KFF Health When powerful wind gusts created threatening wildfire conditions one day near Boulder, Colorado’s largest utility cut power to 52,000 homes and businesses — including Frasier, an assisted living and skilled nursing facility. It was the first time Xcel Energy preemptively switched off electricity in Colorado as a wildfire prevention tool, according to a company official. The practice, also known as public safety power shut-offs, has taken root in California and is spreading elsewhere as a way to keep downed and damaged power lines from sparking blazes and fueling the West’s more frequent and intense wildfires. In Boulder, Frasier staff and residents heard about the planned outage from news reports. A Frasier official called th...
Moriarty: Democrats’ Colorado Energy story has a bad ending
Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice, State

Moriarty: Democrats’ Colorado Energy story has a bad ending

By Tom Moriarty | Guest Columnist Colorado Governor Jared Polis and the Colorado democrats tell us a story about fossil fuels. This story has three parts: fossil fuels are bad, the democrats have a plan to eliminate fossil fuels, and their plan is working. They pander to the “fossil fuels are bad” fear that has been exaggerated by relentless climate porn. This old fashioned fear mongering is an effective political strategy among their base and many in the middle. But “feat not,”they say, because the Colorado democrats have a plan to slay the fossil fuel monster. This plan was laid out in the Polis administration's 2019 document “Roadmap to 100% Renewable Energy by 2040 and Bold Climate Action.” The title is unequivocal: “100% Renewable Energy by 2040.” Now that is the kind of plan...
The state’s largest utility will file a new wildfire mitigation plan next month. What might that look like?
State, The Colorado Sun

The state’s largest utility will file a new wildfire mitigation plan next month. What might that look like?

By Mark Jaffe | The Colorado Sun An inquiry by state regulators into Xcel Energy’s April “public safety” electricity outage — which created chaos in parts of the Front Range — has yielded a list of potential steps utilities and communities might take to limit future problems. Faced with high winds April 6, Xcel Energy, the state’s largest electricity provider, preemptively shut down parts of its electric grid to reduce wildfire risk. The shut-offs lasted through April 7. Local emergency management officials complained there was inadequate notice of the shut-offs and in Boulder County the wastewater treatment plant was close to dumping raw sewage into Boulder Creek before power was restored. READ THE FULL STORY AT THE COLORADO SUN
Orr, Rolling: Xcel power blackout showcases the high cost of unreliable electricity
Commentary, completecolorado.com

Orr, Rolling: Xcel power blackout showcases the high cost of unreliable electricity

 By Isaac Orr and Mitch Rolling | Complete Colorado Hundreds of thousands of Xcel Energy customers in Colorado recenlty lost power as high winds damaged power lines, and Xcel preemptively shut off the power to 55,000 customers to mitigate the risk of wildfires. Among the customers who lost power were homeowners and small businesses who received little to no warning. The Denver Post detailed how families experienced entire refrigerators and freezers full of food spoiling, forcing them to refill them at a time when food costs are 25 percent higher than they were four years ago. Business owners without power lost tens of thousands of dollars due to the outages, which stemmed from lost revenue from being unable to do business and lost products. Restaurant...