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Update 7/24/2024
As a result of the follow up actions to the initial power shutoff in April, the PUC requested that Xcel submit to the Commission a description of what immediate improvements they will make to customer communication, preparedness and coordination with emergency responders. The PUC has received this information from Xcel which can be found here. We are seeking public input by August 13, 2024. We welcome your feedback.
Summary
Over the weekend of April 6-7, Colorado experienced a weather event that brought wind gusts in excess of 100 mph in some areas of the state and sustained high winds throughout the weekend. The outages and weather impacts were concentrated in the northern front range. Over 150,000 people across 9 counties were without power statewide during the event. 55,000 of these were the result of an intentional, precautionary outage conducted by Xcel to reduce the possibility of wildfire. The remaining outages were either due to damage to lines or use of another preventative measures..
While power outages are a frequent impact of Colorado weather events, the April storm was the first time that Xcel pro-actively deployed preventative safety outages. In addition, a significant portion of the distribution system that would normally be set to attempt to automatically re-energize was not re-powered until visual inspection by utility crews. This precautionary measure meant a longer down period than usual as field crews had to manually inspect lines that had been de-energized. These measures are used in other western states including California and Oregon.
Please share your input and personal experience so the PUC can determine whether new regulatory approaches are necessary for precautionary outages.
Update 7/24/2024
As a result of the follow up actions to the initial power shutoff in April, the PUC requested that Xcel submit to the Commission a description of what immediate improvements they will make to customer communication, preparedness and coordination with emergency responders. The PUC has received this information from Xcel which can be found here. We are seeking public input by August 13, 2024. We welcome your feedback.
Summary
Over the weekend of April 6-7, Colorado experienced a weather event that brought wind gusts in excess of 100 mph in some areas of the state and sustained high winds throughout the weekend. The outages and weather impacts were concentrated in the northern front range. Over 150,000 people across 9 counties were without power statewide during the event. 55,000 of these were the result of an intentional, precautionary outage conducted by Xcel to reduce the possibility of wildfire. The remaining outages were either due to damage to lines or use of another preventative measures..
While power outages are a frequent impact of Colorado weather events, the April storm was the first time that Xcel pro-actively deployed preventative safety outages. In addition, a significant portion of the distribution system that would normally be set to attempt to automatically re-energize was not re-powered until visual inspection by utility crews. This precautionary measure meant a longer down period than usual as field crews had to manually inspect lines that had been de-energized. These measures are used in other western states including California and Oregon.
Please share your input and personal experience so the PUC can determine whether new regulatory approaches are necessary for precautionary outages.
Share Power shut off put lives and family budgets at risk on FacebookShare Power shut off put lives and family budgets at risk on TwitterShare Power shut off put lives and family budgets at risk on LinkedinEmail Power shut off put lives and family budgets at risk link
Did anyone think of folks on oxygen? One I know was fresh back home from ICU, on oxygen and our neighborhood got zero notice in advance. Another dear friend is 97 yrs old, blind and on oxygen. She was terrified and freezing. Her son drained the hot water heater to try warming her. Frail and on her walker, she had to leave her home to find safety. Again no notice. Assign a compassion officer if need be, to inform future decision making and provide a registration for those at high risk households with newborns, dementia, oxygen, elevator access, etc. It's... Continue reading
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Being a lineman for 44 years gives me some background on the electric system around Denver. For one it is Xcels lack of maintenance on their overhead lines. I still look at poles and wire as I drive around town. There is a lot of junk out there. Whoever the brilliant person that made the call has never worked in the field one day. I happen to be on oxygen now and your stupid decision to set recliners on one shot made absolutely no sense. About put me in my grave. Fires happen in open spaces with dead brush and... Continue reading
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I am writing about my frustration with Excel, and the decision they took impacting so many lives on April 6th.
Are we being punished for homeowners suing them after the Marshall fire? Sure seems a little suspicious. I've been in Louisville for 40 years, have gone through lot's of wind, snow, hail, and yes the fire.
Do they realize the major consequences for unexpected outages that lasted well after they wind was gone? My neighborhood has buried lines? So why am I without power. Why was half the City of Louisville with power? None of this made any sense.
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XL. Turned off my power with a two hour notice. Two hours for me to get batteries ice prepare with back up power , and remove all of my food from my refrigerator and freezer which all was spoiled in the end, since I had no time to accommodate. I was also told to make arrangements if I had medical requirements. I had no time to do so. I sleep with oxygen every night, and my child sleeps with CPAP every night. These are critical to our health. We had no way to power these items. And no notice to... Continue reading
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We lost power for 2 days during the winter storm a few weeks ago. We then lost power for 3 days after the wind storm. While I understand it was a weather event this should not have happened as long as it did. I have been getting notices that power poles will be replaced our Broadway Estates neighborhood off and on for years but have never seen any poles actually getting replaced. The pole in our backyard has been bent for over 5 years and although Xcel knows about they have done nothing. I feel this past month’s power losses... Continue reading
Share YES, no one wants another fire, but do we have to put up with outrageous mishandling of an outage? on FacebookShare YES, no one wants another fire, but do we have to put up with outrageous mishandling of an outage? on TwitterShare YES, no one wants another fire, but do we have to put up with outrageous mishandling of an outage? on LinkedinEmail YES, no one wants another fire, but do we have to put up with outrageous mishandling of an outage? link
I received email notification ONE HOUR before shut down. If they sent me an email Friday, as they claim, I want to see evidence of the sent email. I didn't receive it! 2 of my neighbors never received any notification of any kind.
What could have been done differently?
-They could NOT SHUT DOWN THE POWER ON A HOSPITAL!
-They could give Boulder people enough notification to move expensive perishable foods to homes in Lafayette or Longmont, but 1 hour before predicted 100 mph winds is NOT the time to be driving an hour round trip to do so.
Share Sucked for my business and employees but whatcha gonna do on FacebookShare Sucked for my business and employees but whatcha gonna do on TwitterShare Sucked for my business and employees but whatcha gonna do on LinkedinEmail Sucked for my business and employees but whatcha gonna do link
My small already struggling business was forced to be closed for business for 2 days due to this outage. I understand it was for the greater good. Nevertheless it sucks for me and the employees that were due do work on Sunday and Monday. The biggest problem I have with this sort of thing is that time does not stop for the rest of the world and the rent is still due when the rent is due. With that said, I hope you did indeed stopped whatever fires or other unnecessary damage it may have caused. But then again we... Continue reading
Share The UNNECESSARY Power Shutdown in Boulder on FacebookShare The UNNECESSARY Power Shutdown in Boulder on TwitterShare The UNNECESSARY Power Shutdown in Boulder on LinkedinEmail The UNNECESSARY Power Shutdown in Boulder link
What Xcel did is UNACCEPTABLE and must NEVER happen again
General Complaints
1) We have had over 100mph winds since the beginning of time and never shut the power down before -- Why now ?
2) Those that say, "I felt safer" should keep their power OFF forever as a lightning strike can cause a electrical fire/other fire at any time.
3) To turn off power for 3 days and inconvenience thousands of people is UNNECESSARY. There are easy engineering solutions to make poles, lines and the grid more safe. Charge us the $1 or $2 fee extra/month to upgrade... Continue reading
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Wind in Colorado, and especially Boulder County is not new. I understand the idea of preventing another fire due to power lines arching, and avoiding more law suits. (I had a total loss from the Marshall Fire.) Why wasn't there any action taken to bury lines or other preventative measures to avoid a shut-down? Are we to expect this as the new norm? A windy day- no power? Xcel knew wind was coming, why not more notice? Community Food Share lost 2,000 pound of food due to poor communication. This organization helps the most vulnerable in our community. Will Xcel... Continue reading
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As I live in a very high fire risk area, I appreciated the preemptive approach that Xcel Energy took to shut off power prior to the start of the high winds. The work of the field crews and office staff is highly respected. That being said, there is improvement that needs to be done.
1. I received a “warning” that my power was going to be shut off 15 minutes before the actual shut off time. Customers need more time than that.
2. I received multiple messages that my power had been restored when it was not. Because I have... Continue reading
