Share Share your Feedback with the PUC on FacebookShare Share your Feedback with the PUC on TwitterShare Share your Feedback with the PUC on LinkedinEmail Share your Feedback with the PUC link
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 A newborn in the dark ages on FacebookShare A newborn in the dark ages on TwitterShare A newborn in the dark ages on LinkedinEmail A newborn in the dark ages link
My wife and I live in Lafayette and we were so happy to welcome our second child on April 5, minutes before midnight in Boulder. We arrived home at 4 am and got (maybe) 30 minutes of sleep by the time we fell asleep as our 3 year old woke up excited to meet her new sister. Sleep deprived from the start with a fresh set of groceries for the weekend, we received a call form Xcel at 11:20 AM informing us that they would shut our power off until the following day around noon. After scrambling for ice, I... Continue reading
Share Neighbors Across Street Had Power, We Didn't on FacebookShare Neighbors Across Street Had Power, We Didn't on TwitterShare Neighbors Across Street Had Power, We Didn't on LinkedinEmail Neighbors Across Street Had Power, We Didn't link
I did the family weekly shopping on Friday afternoon. Our refrigerator and freezer were full. I received an email Friday at 6:30 p.m. (which I didn't see until the next day when it was too late) saying power "may" proactively get shut off in my community. A text would have been better. I could have run out and bought a cooler and ice to protect hundreds of dollars in groceries. Another email at 10 a.m. which I also didn't see said "may" turn off power. It wasn't until 1:50 p.m. that an email was sent saying power will be shut... Continue reading
Share Completely unacceptable on FacebookShare Completely unacceptable on TwitterShare Completely unacceptable on LinkedinEmail Completely unacceptable link
This was horrible!! We had to leave our home. We had no heat, no way to cook, no light (rural area) and no hot water, no garage door working, no internet or phone. We took our dog and stayed in a hotel. We came home to a freezing cold house, no known time the power would be back on. Should get another hotel room? It was 3:00 pm and we had to make a decision because had to get ready for work next day. tried calling Xcel.Was on hold for over 1.5 hours. Finally go through. Rep had no information... Continue reading
Share Support The proposed MICROGRID in Superior Colorado on FacebookShare Support The proposed MICROGRID in Superior Colorado on TwitterShare Support The proposed MICROGRID in Superior Colorado on LinkedinEmail Support The proposed MICROGRID in Superior Colorado link
My small business provides consulting and development of net zero energy housing, commercial buildings and planned development communities.
Over the past three years my small business has land banked a two small parcels of land in the heart of the former Marshall Fire also known as Original Town Superior Colorado.
I have created a collaborative team that are unified in its approach to developing a microgrid in the Superior location described above.
Our collaborative team intends to demonstrate the feasibility of small to large scale microgrid(s) for advancing community development while testing this small scale approach for addressing the lack... Continue reading
Share Lost Food and Extra Costs on FacebookShare Lost Food and Extra Costs on TwitterShare Lost Food and Extra Costs on LinkedinEmail Lost Food and Extra Costs link
Nights got too cold for our one year old. Had to get a hotel as the electricity needed to regulate the gas furnace was turned off.
A lot of spoiled food.
Share People with disabilities and chronic illnesses on FacebookShare People with disabilities and chronic illnesses on TwitterShare People with disabilities and chronic illnesses on LinkedinEmail People with disabilities and chronic illnesses link
People with disabilities and chronic health conditions requiring access to electricity need a lot of advance warning, and in some cases assistance planning for outages. These measures need to be implemented BEFORE an electricity emergency, and should have a thorough preparatory system in place by the electricity provider. I have insulin-dependent diabetes, and insulin requires refrigeration. If I were without working insulin, I would die within 24 hours. If my electricity goes out, my insulin could spoil very quickly, as well. Insulin is also a very expensive resource (even with recently implemented price controls) and health insurers are resistant to... Continue reading
Share Lack Of Communication on FacebookShare Lack Of Communication on TwitterShare Lack Of Communication on LinkedinEmail Lack Of Communication link
Our power went out Friday night at 9:23pm. We were without electricity for four days. We didi not receive any communication until Sunday afternoon and no indication when power would be restored. Had we been told of the shutdown we could have done something differently. By the time we received communication there were no generators available for rent. Food was lost and we were emotionally drained. In the future we would appreciate advanced warning so we could be prepared. Power was finally restored on Tuesday at 4:00pm.
Share Stress-filled weekend on FacebookShare Stress-filled weekend on TwitterShare Stress-filled weekend on LinkedinEmail Stress-filled weekend link
While my husband received notification Friday evening for the April 6 -7 outage, he didn't look at his phone until Saturday about noon. What made the weekend difficult was the fact that I have court-ordered supervised visits with my daughter and her son (our grandson) on the weekends at our home. She was the one who notified me earlier on Saturday of the possible outage Saturday. We immediately started charging everything, finding the travel charge batteries and battery powered camping lanterns and radio. I also made sure my laptop kept charging until power went out which was not made real... Continue reading
Share Who Made Xcel Energy the Authority on Public Safety? on FacebookShare Who Made Xcel Energy the Authority on Public Safety? on TwitterShare Who Made Xcel Energy the Authority on Public Safety? on LinkedinEmail Who Made Xcel Energy the Authority on Public Safety? link
My girlfriend and I were coming back from a week-long vacation in Las Vegas when we got the notification about the pre-emptive shutoff. I turned off the heat/AC in our apartment while we were out of town, and returning without power meant we would have no heat with temperatures in the mid-40s overnight. We were inconvenienced, but we got a hotel by the airport. The power would be restored by noon Sunday, so we thought one night would not be a problem.
Instead, our power was not restored until after 9 a.m. Monday, some 40 hours after it was turned... Continue reading
Share Horrific for vulnerable people and Incredible losses on FacebookShare Horrific for vulnerable people and Incredible losses on TwitterShare Horrific for vulnerable people and Incredible losses on LinkedinEmail Horrific for vulnerable people and Incredible losses link
I am horrified that the Xcel CEO has been taking a record high salary, while deferring all of the maintenance that needs to be done on all of the aging power lines and infrastructure. The utility poles in Lafayette are many, many decades old, and are in dire need of replacement. Their greedy deferred maintenance has caught up to them. Xcel punished us, punished us dearly for their decision not to the proper repairs. And Xcel also punished us because they are facing a multi billion dollar lawsuit for not doing proper maintenance prior to the Marshall Fire. Xcel is... Continue reading
