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On December 17, 2025 Xcel Energy implemented a Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) impacting around 52,000 customers in Boulder, Clear Creek, Jefferson, Larimer and Weld counties. PSPS events are implemented in order to reduce the risk of a wildfire caused by power lines or other utility infrastructure. The Public Utilities Commission does not approve or deny Xcel’s use of proactive shutoffs however, the Agency does have an important role in ensuring that the communication, preparation and coordination of PSPS events is protective of customers.
This is Xcel's second PSPS, the first being in April 2024. The PUC received extensive public input following the 2024 event, much of it focusing on lack of notice, inadequate communication during the event, poor mapping of impacted areas and insufficient planning to identify and protect critical infrastructure and facilities. Since 2024, the PUC has taken several steps requiring Xcel to improve its actions across each of these areas. These areas of improvement include:
Advance coordination with state and local emergency response agencies including holding practice shut off events (i.e. “table-top exercises)
Work with local governments to develop lists of critical infrastructure and facilities (e.g. hospitals and water treatment facilities) in order to prioritize communication and power restoration
Advance notice (starting as early as 72 hours in advance) to all potentially impacted customers along with regular updates leading up to the outage
Accurate and timely communication to customers during the outage
Tailored and advanced outreach to individual customers that have informed Xcel of dependence on electric-powered medical equipment
Accurate and detailed mapping both to help residential and commercial customers understand the scope of outages
The PUC also committed to create a new set of rules establishing permanent requirements and standards for public safety power shutoffs. Staff is currently working to draft these rules and welcomes input from Xcel customers on their experiences with the December 2025 event. This information will help ensure that the PUC’s rules are comprehensive.
Please take a few minutes to give us your feedback through the survey or comment links below.
On December 17, 2025 Xcel Energy implemented a Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) impacting around 52,000 customers in Boulder, Clear Creek, Jefferson, Larimer and Weld counties. PSPS events are implemented in order to reduce the risk of a wildfire caused by power lines or other utility infrastructure. The Public Utilities Commission does not approve or deny Xcel’s use of proactive shutoffs however, the Agency does have an important role in ensuring that the communication, preparation and coordination of PSPS events is protective of customers.
This is Xcel's second PSPS, the first being in April 2024. The PUC received extensive public input following the 2024 event, much of it focusing on lack of notice, inadequate communication during the event, poor mapping of impacted areas and insufficient planning to identify and protect critical infrastructure and facilities. Since 2024, the PUC has taken several steps requiring Xcel to improve its actions across each of these areas. These areas of improvement include:
Advance coordination with state and local emergency response agencies including holding practice shut off events (i.e. “table-top exercises)
Work with local governments to develop lists of critical infrastructure and facilities (e.g. hospitals and water treatment facilities) in order to prioritize communication and power restoration
Advance notice (starting as early as 72 hours in advance) to all potentially impacted customers along with regular updates leading up to the outage
Accurate and timely communication to customers during the outage
Tailored and advanced outreach to individual customers that have informed Xcel of dependence on electric-powered medical equipment
Accurate and detailed mapping both to help residential and commercial customers understand the scope of outages
The PUC also committed to create a new set of rules establishing permanent requirements and standards for public safety power shutoffs. Staff is currently working to draft these rules and welcomes input from Xcel customers on their experiences with the December 2025 event. This information will help ensure that the PUC’s rules are comprehensive.
Please take a few minutes to give us your feedback through the survey or comment links below.
Have feedback for the PUC about the December 2025 Public Safety Power Shutoff? Feel free to share here. Please note: This info will be public for other users to see.
Thank you for sharing your story with us.
Share Xcel needs to be held accountable on FacebookShare Xcel needs to be held accountable on TwitterShare Xcel needs to be held accountable on LinkedinEmail Xcel needs to be held accountable link
Let me start by saying this power shutdown cost my business about $20,000 in sales. We work very hard to ensure that our business runs well and something so brutal as a $20,000 loss is not foreseen in our business plan, anybody's business plan!
While we all want to avoid wildfire and disaster, the way this particular situation was handled was completely unacceptable. The power to our business was shut down for over 56 hours straight, not including a few hours on Wednesday afternoon.
We lost the ability to make any sales over the busiest weekend of our entire year... Continue reading
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We live in Evergreen and were without power AND water from Weds to Saturday night. We have livestock animals that very nearly ran out of water and finding water became increasingly difficult. The conditions in our home became unsanitary and dangerous, but we couldn’t leave due to the animals we’re responsible for. The total lack of community outreach from Xcel, a profit-rich organization, was shocking. They failed to coordinate with local authorities to deliver water to well users, create community shelters, or organize resources in any meaningful way. While none of us want our homes to burn down, a reasonable... Continue reading
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We lost power from 10am Wednesday to midnight, then again from 6am Friday to 8:30am Saturday.
We were well informed that the power was going to be shutoff, but there was absolutely zero information DURING the shutoff, which is when you want information the most. A lousy non updated website leads to another lousy website just telling you why they did what they did. Says to call for more info, but when you call you get the same runaround, and a pre-recorded message tells you to go to the website. Then, there was communication after the power came back on... Continue reading
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I work fully remotely, and access to reliable power and internet is essential to my ability to do my job and earn a living. I have a limited amount of paid time off, and with the holidays and my son’s school schedule, my husband and I had already planned our time off around the two week school break.
Weather conditions may have been more severe in Boulder, but in our immediate area the conditions were not unusually severe. Our neighborhood has buried power lines. Despite this, we lost power while nearby neighborhoods remained fully operational.
Share Wed. was good; Fri jumped the gun on FacebookShare Wed. was good; Fri jumped the gun on TwitterShare Wed. was good; Fri jumped the gun on LinkedinEmail Wed. was good; Fri jumped the gun link
I understand Xcel's need to turn off power to prevent fires and CYA. It must be hard.
Wednesday, they did a great job, shutting off power around 4:30pm within moments of the wind kicking up really high in Niwot. And the power went back on a couple hours later. All made sense.
But Friday, they really jumped the gun for Niwot! They warned us on Thurs they'd shut it off on Fri from 5am - 6 pm. And they did shut it off at 5am on Fri. But there was no wind. Not even a breeze.
Share No food no light and a newborn on FacebookShare No food no light and a newborn on TwitterShare No food no light and a newborn on LinkedinEmail No food no light and a newborn link
I gave birth last Friday. I am freshly postpartum, physically healing, emotionally raw, and caring for a newborn and a toddler. Instead of being able to recover at home in peace, my family lost power for a combined 72+ hours from Thursday through today.
I was recently laid off and unable to find work before giving birth. Because of that, we are currently SNAP recipients. We couldn’t even afford Christmas this year. Every dollar matters. For months, I carefully budgeted, waited for sales, and bought meat and frozen items in bulk to make sure my family wouldn’t go hungry. That... Continue reading
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My parents live in Clear Creek County, Evergreen off Upper Bear Creek Road. They have been without power since WEDNESDAY. I dont know if any of you know this, but in some parts of Colorado, people have wells for water. In order to run a well pump you need electricity.
My parents have been without electricity, heat, water and phone for FIVE DAYS. NO ONE CARES.
My mother is undergoing treatment for cancer and had a chemo treatment she HAD to attend on Friday. She is now back in her home because she... Continue reading
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Because your billion dollar company is too cheap to do what is right, this incident cost me over $1200 in hotel rooms and lost food. We thought the power would be restored at 6 pm Wednesday, December 17 and it was not restored until 12 noonish Thursday, December 18, 2025. I was scheduled for knee surgery on Friday, December 19. I had to book two hotel rooms because my elderly Parents (92 and 87) were freezing Thursday morning. No one was looking out for the vulnerable.Because I couldn’t trust your restoration time, I had to book a 3rd night and... Continue reading
Share Idea for a pretty quick fix to this problem on FacebookShare Idea for a pretty quick fix to this problem on TwitterShare Idea for a pretty quick fix to this problem on LinkedinEmail Idea for a pretty quick fix to this problem link
I think everyone can universally agree on four things:
No one wants their house to burn down
The PSPS was incredibly inconvenient, lasted too long and cost people a lot of money
This is going to happen again
It will cost billions to bury lines and Xcel cannot (or will not) invest in R&D for better technology and infrastructure that will bring immediately relief
With these things in mind, I propose Xcel begin a program that will provide people with solar powered generators for emergency back up in these events. Expensive? Yes. But a lot cheaper than a $640M lawsuit... Continue reading
Share Very disappointing - cannot become the status quo on FacebookShare Very disappointing - cannot become the status quo on TwitterShare Very disappointing - cannot become the status quo on LinkedinEmail Very disappointing - cannot become the status quo link
I had my power shut off for more than 24 hours twice within a 3-day span. This was incredibly disruptive to our work, childcare, and daily living.
This should only be used as an absolute last resort and needs to be able to be responsive to the actual weather conditions. For the first outage, there was indeed wind. But the second outage was 36 hours and there was ZERO WIND. This is unacceptable. Why can't Xcel control the system more actively and only take action when absolutely necessary?
And Xcel is doing absolutely nothing to help residents other than very... Continue reading
