Public Safety Power Shutoff

Share Your Experience

• Share No Cell, No Internet = No Emergency Communications on Facebook Share No Cell, No Internet = No Emergency Communications on Twitter Share No Cell, No Internet = No Emergency Communications on Linkedin Email No Cell, No Internet = No Emergency Communications link

  No Cell, No Internet = No Emergency Communications

  by Liz Boulder County, 5 months ago

  In the Lake Valley Estates neighborhood, just north of Boulder, cell service is spotty at best, so many residents rely on WiFi calling, which goes down without power. Without cell service, there is no access to the internet, so emergency texts and emails from Boulder OEM don't necessarily come through, even though many residents have dutifully signed up for BOCO Alert. We have limited escape routes because our neighborhood is surrounded by open space, so reliable emergency communications are critical.

  Bottom line: We need reliable cell coverage for our area for emergency communications.

  In the Lake Valley Estates neighborhood, just north of Boulder, cell service is spotty at best, so many residents rely on WiFi calling, which goes down without power. Without cell service, there is no access to the internet, so emergency texts and emails from Boulder OEM don't necessarily come through, even though many residents have dutifully signed up for BOCO Alert. We have limited escape routes because our neighborhood is surrounded by open space, so reliable emergency communications are critical.

  Bottom line: We need reliable cell coverage for our area for emergency communications.
• Share Communication was a joke on Facebook Share Communication was a joke on Twitter Share Communication was a joke on Linkedin Email Communication was a joke link

  Communication was a joke

  by EvergreenFarm, 5 months ago

  I don’t even know where to begin with this, but the level of incompetence is simply unacceptable. We were given notice that we would have a planned power shut off from 12pm-6pm on December 17th. It was then changed to 10am and our power was off for 80 hours. This means no water and no heat as well. First of all, for many residents like us that have animals, you can’t prepare for 4 days of no water when you think you’re looking at 6-8 hours. If we had been told we would go 1-2 days without power we would... Continue reading

  I don’t even know where to begin with this, but the level of incompetence is simply unacceptable. We were given notice that we would have a planned power shut off from 12pm-6pm on December 17th. It was then changed to 10am and our power was off for 80 hours. This means no water and no heat as well. First of all, for many residents like us that have animals, you can’t prepare for 4 days of no water when you think you’re looking at 6-8 hours. If we had been told we would go 1-2 days without power we would have filled every large trough we could find. But lucky for us, we had a generator so we could power our well pump to get water when needed. Just doing that cost $120 in propane for FOUR days, with the generator only running periodically to get water for the animals. Then, let’s talk about the nonstop conflicting messages from Xcel. First, we were told that the shutoff would be very short term (12pm-6pm) on one day. The ongoing communications continued to tell us everything from our power would be restored on 12/17 at 1:15 pm to that it had been restored on 12/18 at noon (it had not) to it would be restored on 12/21. Checking the outage map was useless. There was often “no record of an outage” at our location and even when there was, our address didn’t have an estimated restoration time. There is no excuse for such poor communication that left residents unprepared and unable to plan for keeping themselves safe during an extended outage. Finally, there was entirely inadequate public safety measures taken, such as making sure residents had clean water or that elderly residents were not freezing. It is embarrassing to live in a first world country that can leave its citizens in such a state. For all we pay in taxes and to Xcel itself for utilities, the government and the utility should be taking care of people in the event they do have to shut off power for days at a time.

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  
• Share 96 hours (5 days) without Power on Facebook Share 96 hours (5 days) without Power on Twitter Share 96 hours (5 days) without Power on Linkedin Email 96 hours (5 days) without Power link

  96 hours (5 days) without Power

  by emoes, 5 months ago

  On Wednesday, December 17th, at approximately 4:00 PM, our home lost power—just one hour after receiving a notice from Xcel Energy confirming that our address would NOT be affected by the scheduled shutoff on Thursday, December 18th. Nearly 96 hours—or five full days—later, we are still without electricity, leaving us without running water from our well, a reliable way to access the internet (or receive texts or voicemail since we live out of cell reception), and no way to preserve food. We evacuated our home yesterday after receiving yet another missed deadline from Xcel to restore power so... Continue reading

  On Wednesday, December 17th, at approximately 4:00 PM, our home lost power—just one hour after receiving a notice from Xcel Energy confirming that our address would NOT be affected by the scheduled shutoff on Thursday, December 18th. Nearly 96 hours—or five full days—later, we are still without electricity, leaving us without running water from our well, a reliable way to access the internet (or receive texts or voicemail since we live out of cell reception), and no way to preserve food. We evacuated our home yesterday after receiving yet another missed deadline from Xcel to restore power so we could get our family to safety to access water, food and internet.

  This outage is not only inconvenient—it is a public safety crisis, and one that is not isolated. In 2024, our home was left without power for over 72 hours during another botched Xcel-planned outage while temperatures remained well below freezing, accompanied by abysmal communications and missed power restoration that happened over multiple days. That pattern has continued in this episode, highlighting a troubling lack of accountability and the absence of systemic solutions to prevent repeat failures or protect public health.

  Despite multiple assurances that our power would not be included in the planned shutoff and that restoration times should have happened days ago, it has never been restored, not even for an hour. For example, we were told power would be temporarily restored at 8:00 PM on Thursday, December 18th, to allow residents to charge phones, fill water, and meet basic needs before another planned shutoff on Friday, December 19th at 5am. That restoration never occurred, and we were only notified via text at 3:00 AM.

  From Wednesday, December 17 through Sunday, December 21, we have been left without power for a continuous 96 hours, approaching five days of complete outage. This experience has highlighted systemic failures in communication and leadership from Xcel Energy. Residents received conflicting information, restoration timelines were missed, and no proactive guidance was provided to manage basic needs.

  While outages happen and safety is a priority, leaving households without electricity or water for five days—without accurate information or support—is unacceptable and a profound public health concern. Leadership and communications teams must be held accountable, and compensation for losses during multi-day outages is essential.

  To put this in perspective: if an airline stranded passengers for five days, there would be clear expectations for accommodation vouchers, food reimbursements, alternative solutions from competitors and standard communication protocols. Utility services—especially power that supports vital services like water, internet, and cell access—should meet comparable standards.

  This outage is more than an inconvenience—it is a public safety issue that demands immediate action, restitution, and accountability.
• Share 4 days without power is not okay on Facebook Share 4 days without power is not okay on Twitter Share 4 days without power is not okay on Linkedin Email 4 days without power is not okay link

  4 days without power is not okay

  by dennis d, 5 months ago
  we live in lookout mountain, lost power early wednesday, got it back for a few hours late thursday, lost it again friday, got it back saturday afternoon. Without backups we would have lost all of our food, and we still ended up throwing away most of the vegetables. While I was lucky to have a little bit of backup pwoer, most of my neighbors had nothing and they lost significant amounts of food. Had the weather been colder this would have been catastrophic as my hot water boiler pipes would have frozen and I would have had no heat and... Continue reading

  we live in lookout mountain, lost power early wednesday, got it back for a few hours late thursday, lost it again friday, got it back saturday afternoon. Without backups we would have lost all of our food, and we still ended up throwing away most of the vegetables. While I was lucky to have a little bit of backup pwoer, most of my neighbors had nothing and they lost significant amounts of food. Had the weather been colder this would have been catastrophic as my hot water boiler pipes would have frozen and I would have had no heat and would have spent tens of thousands to replace pipes in my foundation. I have older neighbors with medical devices who had to leave their homes. I am not aware of a single downed power line up here, and we've had more significant wind in the past. Xcel needs to be honest about why they did this to all of us and DORA needs to hold them to account for it.
• Share PSPS shutdown where electric lines underground on Facebook Share PSPS shutdown where electric lines underground on Twitter Share PSPS shutdown where electric lines underground on Linkedin Email PSPS shutdown where electric lines underground link

  PSPS shutdown where electric lines underground

  by Don B, 5 months ago

  Yes I do live in the foothills SW of Golden in Genesee neighborhood. Our power was shut down 10am 12/17, came back on 5:30pm 12/18, off again 1:30am 12/19, back on 5pm 12/20. We recorded one 30 mph wind gust on 12/17. Power was out for a total of 72 hours. Our neighborhood has all underground power lines. During that time, there was either no communication or constantly changing communication of estimates when power would be restored. More importantly we have recorded higher wind episodes over the 19 years we have lived at this residence with no shutdowns. Xcel has... Continue reading

  Yes I do live in the foothills SW of Golden in Genesee neighborhood. Our power was shut down 10am 12/17, came back on 5:30pm 12/18, off again 1:30am 12/19, back on 5pm 12/20. We recorded one 30 mph wind gust on 12/17. Power was out for a total of 72 hours. Our neighborhood has all underground power lines. During that time, there was either no communication or constantly changing communication of estimates when power would be restored. More importantly we have recorded higher wind episodes over the 19 years we have lived at this residence with no shutdowns. Xcel has apparently changed there strategy on pre-emptive power shut downs when certain wind speeds are predicted. This has never been communicated to the general public and no real policy for the future has still not been defined. Is every red flag day going to result in multiple days of no power? Ironically, our local water department recently installed a powerful generator for pumping and treating our water supply. Were certain entities forewarned of this policy change? I think everyone needs to be made aware of the answers to the questions I have raised.
• Share Dangerous unnecessary outage on Facebook Share Dangerous unnecessary outage on Twitter Share Dangerous unnecessary outage on Linkedin Email Dangerous unnecessary outage link

  Dangerous unnecessary outage

  by Johnny, 5 months ago

  This recent outage was excessive and dangerous. Two days of the electrical outage the winds topped out at 5 mph At my home The notifications of when the outages would start and stop were all wrong. I had a backup generator installed years ago due to the many outages we have always had in Genesee that powers the essentials of the house. My doctor’s appointment for my diabetes was cancelled because they had no electricity. My wife and I work from home but could not complete our work due to Xfinity being down. I have to assume Xfinity’s issues were... Continue reading

  This recent outage was excessive and dangerous. Two days of the electrical outage the winds topped out at 5 mph At my home The notifications of when the outages would start and stop were all wrong. I had a backup generator installed years ago due to the many outages we have always had in Genesee that powers the essentials of the house. My doctor’s appointment for my diabetes was cancelled because they had no electricity. My wife and I work from home but could not complete our work due to Xfinity being down. I have to assume Xfinity’s issues were related to the power issues. I have always felt that Excell does not care about their customers. This latest Excell debacle just proves the point.
• Share Excessive Power Outage Dec, 2025 on Facebook Share Excessive Power Outage Dec, 2025 on Twitter Share Excessive Power Outage Dec, 2025 on Linkedin Email Excessive Power Outage Dec, 2025 link

  Excessive Power Outage Dec, 2025

  by SaraC, 5 months ago

  I want to start of by agreeing to the strong wind storms the past two days. But leaving homes without power for over 72hrs is ridiculous and inconsiderate. It’s 12/20/2025 the wind storm has passed, there’s no wind and we have yet another delay for our power being out back on. Excel is clearly not working as diligent as they say considering our power was supposed to be back at 10pm tonight after over 48 hrs without it. Now they’re saying we have to wait until tomorrow 12pm for no good or reasonable logical reason. There’s no damage to our... Continue reading

  I want to start of by agreeing to the strong wind storms the past two days. But leaving homes without power for over 72hrs is ridiculous and inconsiderate. It’s 12/20/2025 the wind storm has passed, there’s no wind and we have yet another delay for our power being out back on. Excel is clearly not working as diligent as they say considering our power was supposed to be back at 10pm tonight after over 48 hrs without it. Now they’re saying we have to wait until tomorrow 12pm for no good or reasonable logical reason. There’s no damage to our area, zip code 80304. There’s power only a few blocks away from Balsam Ave and again no significant damage around. We haven’t seen an excel truck in our area either. Truly disappointed on Ecxel, and their lack of diligence, consideration and reliability. We have no hot water, food, WiFi, and can’t cook anything. This is excessive. Do better
• Share Communication? on Facebook Share Communication? on Twitter Share Communication? on Linkedin Email Communication? link

  Communication?

  by JamesDoMo, 5 months ago
  

  This was this morning. These were all sent within 30 minutes of one another. Both text and email. Xcel has no idea what they are doing. Incompetence on steroids.

  This was this morning. These were all sent within 30 minutes of one another. Both text and email. Xcel has no idea what they are doing. Incompetence on steroids.
• Share System is broken on Facebook Share System is broken on Twitter Share System is broken on Linkedin Email System is broken link

  System is broken

  by sthompso80, 5 months ago

  If this will be the new normal going forward, homeowners should be allowed to source/provide their own energy. This means no limits on energy creation, storage, and use. If xcel can’t be a resource for reliable energy, customers should not be restricted by xcel’s issues. They are responsible for maintaining a reliable grid and maybe being a for profit entity hinders this expenditure. This is clearly a monopoly situation. Customers do not have any other options for no service. We need to be able to provide for ourselves and not rely on an outdated and unreliable network. The complete loss... Continue reading

  If this will be the new normal going forward, homeowners should be allowed to source/provide their own energy. This means no limits on energy creation, storage, and use. If xcel can’t be a resource for reliable energy, customers should not be restricted by xcel’s issues. They are responsible for maintaining a reliable grid and maybe being a for profit entity hinders this expenditure. This is clearly a monopoly situation. Customers do not have any other options for no service. We need to be able to provide for ourselves and not rely on an outdated and unreliable network. The complete loss of power seems to create even more dangerous situations for the general public from accidents at intersections, to people seeking alternative fuel sources to survive and operating in most likely unsafe conditions, to the potential of burglary and theft as alarm systems no longer work and people attempt to take advantage of this known outage. I hope the PUC evaluates every aspect of this shutoff to determine everything was done in xcels power to mitigate this outage. (from requesting documentation from xcel of damages and repairs, known areas of issue that may have not been addressed prior to the event, improvements to infrastructure that are exposed to these conditions, etc) I am not optimistic of a change and that is why I would rather have the option in the homeowners hand to provide their own energy with no restrictions. Unfortunately when you can’t provide for a customer you lose a customer and that should be the result of this outcome

  
  

  
  
• Share Unnecessary outage on Facebook Share Unnecessary outage on Twitter Share Unnecessary outage on Linkedin Email Unnecessary outage link

  Unnecessary outage

  by mkherz, 5 months ago
  I live in Genesee, where there are NO overhead power lines within at least 5 miles. WHY did we even have to deal with this unnecessary power outage? And the outage, at this point, has far exceeded the duration of the high wind event--why does it take Xcel DAYS to restore power? This is completely unacceptable. What happens when they pull the same stunt when it's 10 below?

  I live in Genesee, where there are NO overhead power lines within at least 5 miles. WHY did we even have to deal with this unnecessary power outage? And the outage, at this point, has far exceeded the duration of the high wind event--why does it take Xcel DAYS to restore power? This is completely unacceptable. What happens when they pull the same stunt when it's 10 below?