Public Safety Power Shutoff

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  Outrageous

  by Dave P, 6 months ago
  I live in Genesee Colorado. We received notice that power would be out on Wednesday from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. the wind died down Wednesday evening and it rained and snowed. It is now Thursday and there was no wind and I just received the text saying that power will not be restored until Sunday the 21st. This is clearly not a safety decision but an economic decision where Excel Energy is simply looking to save money by not sending out the required Crews to turn the power back on. It is an outrage.

  I live in Genesee Colorado. We received notice that power would be out on Wednesday from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. the wind died down Wednesday evening and it rained and snowed. It is now Thursday and there was no wind and I just received the text saying that power will not be restored until Sunday the 21st. This is clearly not a safety decision but an economic decision where Excel Energy is simply looking to save money by not sending out the required Crews to turn the power back on. It is an outrage.
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  Lack of Transparency Unacceptable

  by asma.kadri1, 6 months ago
  I live in JeffCo near Morrison. Half of our neighborhood has power and the other half doesn't. One of my neighbors less than .4 mile from me has power. Is my half of the neighborhood more at risk of fire than the other? Is there any expectation that our power goes back on sometime today (12/18) when it's been out since 10am 12/17? Do we know if there are downed power lines? Will the power be out through Friday 12/19 and if so until what time? We have no answers to any of our questions because we have had ZERO... Continue reading

  I live in JeffCo near Morrison. Half of our neighborhood has power and the other half doesn't. One of my neighbors less than .4 mile from me has power. Is my half of the neighborhood more at risk of fire than the other? Is there any expectation that our power goes back on sometime today (12/18) when it's been out since 10am 12/17? Do we know if there are downed power lines? Will the power be out through Friday 12/19 and if so until what time? We have no answers to any of our questions because we have had ZERO communication from Xcel except for a voicemail that said they "recognize" some customers may be out of power for more than three days.

  
  

  We were told we would have a "planned" power outage for public safety reasons from 10-6pm on 12/17. We planned accordingly. Our food has since spoiled, our children can't be cleaned, our dog sits in the dark around the clock, and we've fallen behind at work. This is completely unacceptable.

  At minimum, customers who pay this private company hundreds of dollars each month *deserve* communication. It's completely inexcusable. If the government behaved this way, people would be rioting in the street. But we have no choice but to fall victim to a private company which is not at all accountable to the public. Legislators should consider serious regulation of these PSPS. A company which customers have no choice but to use should not be beholden to their decisions in the dark.
• Share Arbitrary and unacceptable PSPS outage causing health, safety, and economic harm in Arvada on Facebook Share Arbitrary and unacceptable PSPS outage causing health, safety, and economic harm in Arvada on X (formerly Twitter) Share Arbitrary and unacceptable PSPS outage causing health, safety, and economic harm in Arvada on Linkedin Email Arbitrary and unacceptable PSPS outage causing health, safety, and economic harm in Arvada link

  Arbitrary and unacceptable PSPS outage causing health, safety, and economic harm in Arvada

  by ArvadaResident, 6 months ago

  On December 17, 2025, Xcel Energy cut power to my neighborhood in west Arvada under a Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) without actual high-risk conditions. (Neighborhood: Sunrise Ridge.)
  
  The most troubling aspect is how arbitrary and unnecessary this shutdown appears to be. All surrounding neighborhoods — including areas that are more exposed to wind — have had power restored or were never shut off, while our neighborhood remains de-energized. This inconsistency makes it clear that if there were a legitimate ongoing wildfire risk, power would not have been restored to adjacent areas. Xcel has provided no explanation for why our

  ... Continue reading

  On December 17, 2025, Xcel Energy cut power to my neighborhood in west Arvada under a Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) without actual high-risk conditions. (Neighborhood: Sunrise Ridge.)
  
  The most troubling aspect is how arbitrary and unnecessary this shutdown appears to be. All surrounding neighborhoods — including areas that are more exposed to wind — have had power restored or were never shut off, while our neighborhood remains de-energized. This inconsistency makes it clear that if there were a legitimate ongoing wildfire risk, power would not have been restored to adjacent areas. Xcel has provided no explanation for why our area was singled out.
  
  Xcel initially told residents that power would be restored by 6:00 PM. That commitment was missed. Hours later, there was still no ETA, and residents were then told the power could remain shut off into Friday, creating ongoing uncertainty with no clear justification or communication.

  This outage has caused real and avoidable harm, including:

  • Food loss, as refrigerators and freezers warmed after prolonged outages

  • Work disruptions

  • Childcare and family safety challenges, including caring for young children in dark, cold homes

  • Pet safety concerns, especially for animals dependent on climate control

  • Health and medical impacts, including households that rely on electric-powered medical devices, temperature-sensitive medications, or stable indoor conditions for health reasons
    
    

  While wildfire prevention is critical, this PSPS reflects a blunt and poorly targeted approach rather than a proportional, risk-based decision. It appears to be an overcorrection following past wildfire-related liability, and such overcorrection should not come at the expense of customer health, safety, and basic reliability in low-risk suburban areas.

  Most concerning, Xcel’s communication and responsiveness demonstrate a lack of attentiveness to customer needs. Residents were given inaccurate restoration information, no meaningful updates, and no transparency into decision-making — leaving families to manage significant disruption without guidance or support.

  Xcel Energy must be held accountable for this event. The Colorado PUC should require clear explanations, review whether PSPS criteria are being over-applied in suburban Front Range communities, and ensure stronger oversight and corrective action so this type of arbitrary and harmful shutdown does not happen again.
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  Bungled and mismanaged

  by Albert, 6 months ago
  I strongly support the effort to reduce wildfire risk. Unfortunately this has been horribly mismanaged. It seems like there was a whole lot of planning for the shutoff and no planning at all regarding restoration of power. It has been 24 hours now. We got a nice rain last night, and there is almost no wind. Xcel has not restored power, and they are not communicating at all. There doesn't even seem to be a plan to restore power. It is clear that the PUC and Xcel are not capable of managing these events. Like others, we lost hundreds of... Continue reading

  I strongly support the effort to reduce wildfire risk. Unfortunately this has been horribly mismanaged. It seems like there was a whole lot of planning for the shutoff and no planning at all regarding restoration of power. It has been 24 hours now. We got a nice rain last night, and there is almost no wind. Xcel has not restored power, and they are not communicating at all. There doesn't even seem to be a plan to restore power. It is clear that the PUC and Xcel are not capable of managing these events. Like others, we lost hundreds of dollars in groceries and missed out on garbage collection because the garage door won't open.

  
  

  Xcel and PUC have had 4 years since the Marshall fire to mitigate risk and this is the best they can come up with? How many lines have been buried since 2021? It seems inexcusable to run overhead lines through high fire risk areas.

  Colorado is turning into California faster than I thought possible...
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  Horrible and corrupt

  by LoeBoes, 6 months ago

  Zero wind from 3am to 10am. Light snow and power still out.

  horrible communication from this monopoly. And isn't Xcel raising prices in 2026? Everybody knows they're doing this to avoid the risk of another lawsuit instead of actually fixing the issues they caused from their infrastructure
  
  Screwing over 100,000+ families over some wind is ridiculous.

  
  

  
  

  
  

  Zero wind from 3am to 10am. Light snow and power still out.

  horrible communication from this monopoly. And isn't Xcel raising prices in 2026? Everybody knows they're doing this to avoid the risk of another lawsuit instead of actually fixing the issues they caused from their infrastructure
  
  Screwing over 100,000+ families over some wind is ridiculous.

  
  

  
  

  
  
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  Xcel is the worst.

  by Jessmurrr , 6 months ago

  hours. I have medication that is extremely expensive that must be refrigerated. All my communications said possibly but obviously they knew for a fact. At 10 am on the dot power went out. Hours before the wind even started. My work was also closed all day. My home did not have power but my neighbors across the street did all day. No other power company does this with worst wind. There has to be a better way. I had children that needed to eat. I’ll add and forgot to put in survey that I was told at 330 my power... Continue reading

  hours. I have medication that is extremely expensive that must be refrigerated. All my communications said possibly but obviously they knew for a fact. At 10 am on the dot power went out. Hours before the wind even started. My work was also closed all day. My home did not have power but my neighbors across the street did all day. No other power company does this with worst wind. There has to be a better way. I had children that needed to eat. I’ll add and forgot to put in survey that I was told at 330 my power was restored. It wasn’t then received communication at 606 my area was no longer affected it wasn’t on for another hour and a half Later
• Share Lack of communication that even Xcel's own representatives find problematic on Facebook Share Lack of communication that even Xcel's own representatives find problematic on X (formerly Twitter) Share Lack of communication that even Xcel's own representatives find problematic on Linkedin Email Lack of communication that even Xcel's own representatives find problematic link

  Lack of communication that even Xcel's own representatives find problematic

  by mstolp, 6 months ago
  I live in Evergreen, and while I understand the need for the shut off, especially given the numerous outages that happened even outside the shut off area, there has basically been no update or communication from Xcel since 10am yesterday, aside from telling us that there may need to be a shutoff on Friday as well. There is no known severity of damage, no rough estimates for restoration in nearly the entire metro. When I called their customer service, they don't have any better information and were surprised at the severity of the situation and lack of updates. They at... Continue reading

  I live in Evergreen, and while I understand the need for the shut off, especially given the numerous outages that happened even outside the shut off area, there has basically been no update or communication from Xcel since 10am yesterday, aside from telling us that there may need to be a shutoff on Friday as well. There is no known severity of damage, no rough estimates for restoration in nearly the entire metro. When I called their customer service, they don't have any better information and were surprised at the severity of the situation and lack of updates. They at least said they would try to get the map updated, as it was surprisingly bad. This is not timely communication from Xcel. There is no useful, probability based or otherwise, response. I don't even know if there's been widespread damage or not. We had minor tree limb damage here, it was exceedingly windy, and it was good the power was off, but I don't think we had any downed lines. Anyway... no updates, no meaningful communication, we're literally in the dark and metaphorically in the dark. In winter. When we need electricity to heat the house. Given the contempt Xcel leadership seems to have for its customers, to not have a better communication model, let alone modern infrastructure, they definitely don't deserve any leeway or rate increases here. I'm sure their people on the ground are working as hard as they can. But I don't think their leadership is competent, at all, and clearly tossed together a poor attempt at a communications system which has demonstrably failed to meet the PUC's requirements.
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  Xcel increases shareholder value. Dividend increase hits 23 straight years

  by ArvadaUser80007, 6 months ago

  If anyone believes this is about safety of their constituents- spoiler alert - it’s not. I have lived here my entire life. I remember how utilities were under of the purvey of “the public service company of colorado”. Here’s all that is needed to be known: 1. I live in a series of neighborhoods with UNDERGROUND utilities. I also live next to a neighborhood that is on a city owned golf course. 2. xcel cut power at 9:45am yesterday and it’s still not on. “they must inspect all of the lines before energizing them” yet in a 2 mile square... Continue reading

  If anyone believes this is about safety of their constituents- spoiler alert - it’s not. I have lived here my entire life. I remember how utilities were under of the purvey of “the public service company of colorado”. Here’s all that is needed to be known: 1. I live in a series of neighborhoods with UNDERGROUND utilities. I also live next to a neighborhood that is on a city owned golf course. 2. xcel cut power at 9:45am yesterday and it’s still not on. “they must inspect all of the lines before energizing them” yet in a 2 mile square area I drove last night and today - not ONE xcel truck/crew is to be seen. The block over - the one on the city owned golf course with the same underground utilities - never lost power just like the city owned golf course! It’s a Christmas Miracle! So this practice started after xcel was sued for libel for the Marshall fire obviously… Xcel is a fortune 500 company with a shareholder dividend that has increased for a miraculous 22 straight years. The PUC needs to put the pressure on this company to increase its constituents value and not just its shareholders’ value. There is absolutely no reason for this. In high risk areas with above ground utilities..sure potentially. But even then the timelines they advertise should be accurate and the blatant misrepresentation of their restoral efforts needs scrutiny. They are softballing the messaging now in my area that since another PSPS may occur tomorrow and well we haven’t gotten around to energizing your UNDERGROUND lines until we can inspect them…it may be a continuousdays long outage. This is either being handled by a group of people that are incompetent or malevolent, not sure which, but I do know this: They are doing what they have been incentevized to do - maximize shareholder value. The onus and indeed the mandate of the PUC is to hold them accountable. They need to invest in upgrades - upgrades to control systems, moving lines below grade in high risk areas. But if they can’t keep areas powered with underground utilities then what are we doing here…

  This isn’t public safety this is balance sheet safety.

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  
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  What was this all about?

  by PCove77, 6 months ago
  If this is the threshold by which Xcel will decide to shut off our power for long enough to ruin our food and have our temperatures drop inside our homes, then they have no business being a power company. We get worse winds than yesterday on a regular basis. Other than about one hour in the afternoon the winds were non-existent for all intents and purposes. And if they don’t have systems in place to reverse the power outage plan once it becomes clear that the forecast was way off, they shouldn’t be a power company. Furthermore, if they plan... Continue reading

  If this is the threshold by which Xcel will decide to shut off our power for long enough to ruin our food and have our temperatures drop inside our homes, then they have no business being a power company. We get worse winds than yesterday on a regular basis. Other than about one hour in the afternoon the winds were non-existent for all intents and purposes. And if they don’t have systems in place to reverse the power outage plan once it becomes clear that the forecast was way off, they shouldn’t be a power company. Furthermore, if they plan these things they need to get their automated message system to actually give us useful information. Their map indicated that the outage in my area was unplanned. However, the outage came at 9:40am yesterday. About 20 minutes earlier than their planned time of 10am. That seemed planned to me. And all of the subsequent information given during the outage never gave any specific useful information. Most recently I received an automated message saying that my power is restored. It is not. This is not sustainable as a solution to fire prevention moving forward.
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  Xcel is for profit not for people

  by Mbruce0316, 6 months ago
  I lost power at 9:40 am now it’s 22 hours later and I still have no power and there was barely wind. I have had to throw out all my food. Xcel is saying we won’t have power for 3 days when they originally told us 4 hours. This is not ok. This is not because of the wind this is because Xcel has low reserves and they don’t want to buy power at a premium rate from other iso. We have had much worse wind in Arvada with no lost power. This is not about safety but about Xcel... Continue reading

  I lost power at 9:40 am now it’s 22 hours later and I still have no power and there was barely wind. I have had to throw out all my food. Xcel is saying we won’t have power for 3 days when they originally told us 4 hours. This is not ok. This is not because of the wind this is because Xcel has low reserves and they don’t want to buy power at a premium rate from other iso. We have had much worse wind in Arvada with no lost power. This is not about safety but about Xcel making a 2 billion profit for their share holders.