Frustrating Lack of Communication During Outage

Our household was affected by Xcel Energy’s recent Public Safety Power Shutoff in Northern Colorado. We understand and support the need to prevent wildfires during extreme wind and drought conditions. The issue we experienced was not the shutoff itself, but the lack of clear and timely communication during the event.

Power was shut off at the announced time in the morning (10am), but throughout the entire day the outage status page provided no restoration estimate, displaying only “Invalid Date.” There were no meaningful updates on Xcel’s website, app, or social media as conditions changed. As a result, customers were left without any way to assess whether restoration was hours away or not expected until the next day.

Our household includes medically necessary equipment, which forced us to make a difficult decision in the evening to relocate overnight to another residence. Had Xcel communicated even a broad or qualitative update (such as “conditions improving” or “restoration likely late evening”), we would likely have made a different decision and avoided significant disruption. Power was ultimately restored around 10:15 PM, but by that point we had already relocated based on the absence of information.

It was also unclear why certain homes or small sections of neighborhoods were included in the shutoff while immediately adjacent areas retained power. More transparency about how shutoff boundaries are determined would help customers better understand and plan during these events.

Public Safety Power Shutoffs may be necessary, but their success depends heavily on communication. Regular, time-stamped updates and clearer explanations would go a long way toward reducing unnecessary hardship, especially for households with medical or accessibility needs.