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The PUC regulates Black Hills Energy and Xcel Energy, which both have Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) plans that have been or could be implemented, impacting consumers. PSPS events have planned outages for customers and may also have other storm-related outages.
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 Black Hills or Xcel Energy the use of proactive shutoffs; however, the PUC does have an important role in ensuring that the communication, preparation and coordination of PSPS events is protective of customers.
The PUC is creating 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 Black Hills and Xcel Energy customers on their experiences with the most recent PSPS events. 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.
Please take a few minutes to give us your feedback through the survey or comment links below.
The PUC regulates Black Hills Energy and Xcel Energy, which both have Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) plans that have been or could be implemented, impacting consumers. PSPS events have planned outages for customers and may also have other storm-related outages.
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 Black Hills or Xcel Energy the use of proactive shutoffs; however, the PUC does have an important role in ensuring that the communication, preparation and coordination of PSPS events is protective of customers.
The PUC is creating 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 Black Hills and Xcel Energy customers on their experiences with the most recent PSPS events. 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.
Please take a few minutes to give us your feedback through the survey or comment links below.
Have feedback for the PUC about a recent 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 Unnecessary Power Outage on FacebookShare Unnecessary Power Outage on TwitterShare Unnecessary Power Outage on LinkedinEmail Unnecessary Power Outage link
The recent multi-county Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) came as a terrible surprise to my family. We had never heard of this, and certainly never experienced one. We are shocked at how it was explained versus how it actually happened. Moreover, we are surprised that the program was approved by the Public Utilities Commission in June 2025 but never communicated to ALL Xcel customers at that time. As a long-time resident and customer, we were never advised about this planned program, or asked to give commentary input, or allowed to ask questions.
This particular PSPS seemed to have caused much... Continue reading
Share There needs to be investment in hardening. on FacebookShare There needs to be investment in hardening. on TwitterShare There needs to be investment in hardening. on LinkedinEmail There needs to be investment in hardening. link
My family was impacted by the first outage back in April 2025. My home was not directly impacted by the most recent shut off. However, I have kids in elementary schools and having Jefferson County not have school was a very impactful decision. I understand Jefferson County Schools did not want to have students inside buildings when the power goes out. I can appreciate their proactive stance. And I know much of this is out of their control. However, is very impactful for my work schedule our children’s care schedule and the overall stress of not knowing if the Friday... Continue reading
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It was 24 degrees and the power was out, although I was fine with building a fire, my tenants who are older were not ok. He had a stroke several years back and lives in a lift chair. The power went out and he was stuck upright in his chair. This is the only way he can get up. Refrigerated medications were ruined, food was ruined and no one had heat. We should be reimbursed for all the food we had to toss.
What steps is Excel taking to be proactive for the next power outage?
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I lived blocks away from the power shut off locations. I was greatly relieved to have kept my power but held so much empathy for my neighbors in walking distance who did not have power.
Throughout this experience, I felt emotional for those directly effected and after reading through some of these stories I am so very sad for their experiences.
Our children missed half a week of school due to the power being shut off. The issue being, once the power is off - it takes days to be turned back on. Hardly a whisper of wind in our... Continue reading
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I’m now suffering anxiety like a PSTD victim since the outage. Every time there is wind or a red flag notice I worry about another power shutdown. The last one cost me five days in a hotel, loss of food getting thrown out and loss of work because I work from home. I ended up getting sick during this time and had to go to urgent care. I wish someone could assure me that I am safe in my home because I’m am living in fear.
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I was out of power for six days. When Xcel finally tried to restore my power, ten minutes after the power came back on I heard my neighbor shouting that there was a fire and I looked out my window and saw flames. I immediately grabbed my dog, jumped in my car and evacuated from what ended up being a three-acre fire on Wild Turkey Trail off Four Mile Canyon. I'm not exaggerating when I say it was the single most stressful event of my life. This came after six days of having no power and the daily struggles that... Continue reading
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I am writing to express dissatisfaction with Xcel Energy’s recent decision to cut power to more than 100,000 residents TWICE, close to 30 hours each, within 4 days!!. (NO electricity for 32 hours starting 9:40am Dec 17 and for 29 hours starting Dec 19)
To start, is Xcel just mad because they had to pay money for their part of the responsibility of causing the Marshall fires?? So, they just decided “forget you all, we’ll just turn off your power and see how you like it!”
Labeling this as a “precautionary measure” does not excuse the scale of disruption or... Continue reading
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I am absolutely furious at Xcel which is responsible for:
1) Starting the Marshall fire, along with a supporting role from a Cult
2) Apparently not building the electrical infrastructure to a level that would be adequate to deal with wind levels that REGULARLY occur on an annual basis - as they have for hundreds of years!
3) Using the winds as an excuse to shut down electricity to shield themselves from potential $ liability - without any regard for the massive costs and disruption they inflict on their victims (aka customers).
4) Using the outages to push for electricity... Continue reading
Share Billing for December is Incorrect on FacebookShare Billing for December is Incorrect on TwitterShare Billing for December is Incorrect on LinkedinEmail Billing for December is Incorrect link
While reviewing the Xcel app for usage today, it showed 1,858 kwh for December (including the period of the outages). Our previous year's usage for the same period was ~600 kwh. I called Xcel and they said that it 'seems' that the solar power generated by our home solar system was not deducted for December this year. Our solar system generated ~400 kwh in November. So that brings the power billed by Xcel down to ~ 1,460 kwh, which is still about 2.4X our previous year's usage in the same period. I called Xcel and they gave me a a... Continue reading
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Given Xcel's recent settlement on the Marshall fire I understand its desire to avoid liability, but has anyone calculated the costs of a preemptive shutdown to those in the PSP areas? Those costs should be weighed against Xcel's potential liability. Not only did many small businesses lose revenue, but many residents in the shutdown area missed work, had to replace spoiled food, cancelled holiday plans and spent long December nights in total darkness with no way to heat our homes or make warm meals. Nearly everyone in our west Boulder neighborhood is considering installing a generator or purchasing battery-powered backup... Continue reading
