frequent, long planned outages that even disconnect phone service

Our experience with Xcel has been frustrating when it comes to reliability and planned outages.

• The frequency of the outages is unacceptable. Eight shutoffs since 2/11/25. One shutoff during December 2025 lasted four-five days (from 12/17 - 12/21).
• The length of each outage is also unacceptable. (75.5 total hours since 2/11/25 — one lasting 41 hours during December 2025 and one lasting 12 hours on 9/24/26.)
• Xcel's communication regarding planned power outages is extremely poor — mostly non-existent (no email, calls, door hangers despite being signed up to receive advanced notification), sometimes last minute (the day before the planned outage) and often wrong (start and end times are wrong). Start times should never be missed, especially by 2 hours like the last power outage on 9/24/26. Sometimes end times can be wrong due to unexpected issues. But on 9/24, Xcel's restoration time was 5 hours later than what it claimed. We didn't get power restored until 10 p.m., when Xcel said it would be restored by 5 p.m. that day.
• When Xcel shuts the power off, landlines and Internet services are disconnected too. This happens every time Xcel shuts power off. How are we supposed to check the status of a planned power outage? How will Xcel notify us that the power is on again? Two of the eight power shutoffs, we've been without phone service for 12 days once and 14 days the other time. That's unacceptable, especially when that's the only way we can call in case of emergencies.
• Xcel never coordinates with the phone/Internet service providers during a planned outage, so we end up not having a working phone or Internet for days, even weeks. Xcel should never consider their planned outage over until power, phone, Internet services (that were all working before the planned outage) are restored.

We deserve better reliability. Less power outages. This is unacceptable service.

Suggestions:

• Xcel should coordinate utility services with other providers when there is a planned outage, so residents don't go without phone services or Internet services due to the outages.
• Xcel needs to improve outage communications to affected residents, especially those of us who are signed up to receive outage notifications from Xcel.
• Xcel should be more accurate/precise on the duration of the outages and maybe provide a reason for the outage.