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.
We lost power Saturday 3 PM and it did not return until after Noon on Monday. We were told NOTHING. We had NO warning NO explanation. I attempted to track our neighborhood on the Xcel Energy website and it said our power was not affected. I tried to register an outage and again received a bot message that our house was not affected! My doctor’s private medical practice with highly sensitive MRI (also in 80303 zip) must be cooled so had to reboot for 7 days to be functional again thereby costing thousands of dollars and wasted appointments for many... Continue reading
Share Average wind storm, fairly low fire danger, but extreme measures on FacebookShare Average wind storm, fairly low fire danger, but extreme measures on TwitterShare Average wind storm, fairly low fire danger, but extreme measures on LinkedinEmail Average wind storm, fairly low fire danger, but extreme measures link
This was a fairly average wind storm for Boulder, and the fuel moisture content was much higher than the day the Marshall fire happened. Xcel's decision to turn off power preemptively was a poorly executed and very poorly communicated overreaction to recent allegations towards them.
We have a friend who relies on an oxygen generator and finally had to resort to calling 911 to get him through this. He was totally stressed out and very frightened. I am sure there were many more like him. Enormous amounts of food were lost by restaurants, food banks and many private citizens. There... Continue reading
Share Power outage April 6 & 7 on FacebookShare Power outage April 6 & 7 on TwitterShare Power outage April 6 & 7 on LinkedinEmail Power outage April 6 & 7 link
I just wanted to share my story about the intentional weekend power outage by Xcel.
We had no power from Saturday at 2:22 p.m. until Sunday around 3:00 p.m. After hearing stories about other customers’ experience, I feel fortunate that I only lost a minimal amount of food and our power came back on in 24 hours. However, my husband is on a biological medication called Humira that costs $7,300 for 2 injections. We had 3 boxes in the refrigerator. I couldn’t open the refrigerator so I was worried when I did open the door , the medication would be... Continue reading
Share Marshall Fire survivor input on FacebookShare Marshall Fire survivor input on TwitterShare Marshall Fire survivor input on LinkedinEmail Marshall Fire survivor input link
We lost our home in the Marshall Fire. I am in favor of reasonable preventative measures during extreme weather events. This does not absolve XCEL of their responsibility to upgrade the grid and bury lines, which I do believe is actually the better, long term solution. My biggest concern is adequate notice to the public if XCEL determines that this will become a regular practice. If this had happened during very cold weather, severe damage to properties through freezing pipes could occur. It is also a cold/safety concern. My request ios that XCEL make their plans public well ahead of... Continue reading
Share 38 hours without power ! on FacebookShare 38 hours without power ! on TwitterShare 38 hours without power ! on LinkedinEmail 38 hours without power ! link
Why us ? Why was our power shut off ? I would like specific proof Why my power was cut off . And why no notice ? Power went back on across the street after 24 hours . While ours were still out. Why ?? Who and why ? I want specific proof. Also, why were we not told .
Share Excel Power Out of April 6 -7-8 on FacebookShare Excel Power Out of April 6 -7-8 on TwitterShare Excel Power Out of April 6 -7-8 on LinkedinEmail Excel Power Out of April 6 -7-8 link
We lost our power the evening of April 7th. The Saturday of April 7th I prepped meals for more Than 4 hours, cleaning, peeling chopping as well as cooking and putting food away after prep in refrigerator. If we would have known we were going to lose power, I could have chosen to either not prep or thaw the product I used and could have frozen everything.
We ended up dumping chicken dishes, chile, milk, etc that was not safe to eat once power was restored. We never opened the refrigerator as we did not want to use all of... Continue reading
Share Poor planning and execution on FacebookShare Poor planning and execution on TwitterShare Poor planning and execution on LinkedinEmail Poor planning and execution link
The recent Xcel outage to avoid another fire due to high winds was poorly planned and executed. I am a resident in the Frasier Retirement Community. This kind of power shut down should not occur in our community except in circumstances which did not exist during the most recent outage. And the communication was terrible: first we were told our power would not be shut down, then it was shut down without sufficient notice. Residents here need power to use oxygen, CPAP machines and other reasons beyond convenience. While I'm certain Xcel's lawyers and insurers advised that the shut down... Continue reading
Share Improve Services and Reliability on FacebookShare Improve Services and Reliability on TwitterShare Improve Services and Reliability on LinkedinEmail Improve Services and Reliability link
I grew up in northern and central Europe and had never experienced a power outage until I moved to Colorado.
The frequencies of power outages are staggering. They happen in various areas and various states.
There is no reliability on the services the power companies are supposed to provide. There is no accountability when they fail in this area. At the same time, it is my understanding that they are having big gains from their business. The customers don't see any improvement in the services or any refunds from the failed services.
We have lived in our part of Boulder County for more than 20 years. In all that time we have experienced high winds but only rarely have we lost power, maybe 5 or 6 times in total. Previous to this year the longest time power was out was during the Marshal Fire, 24 hours. But that was exceptional - most outages lasting an hour or two at most.
However, this year alone we have experienced long outages, sometimes without any apparent cause. On March 28th our power went out at 7:30 am and was not restored until 3:30 am... Continue reading
Share Electrical outage on FacebookShare Electrical outage on TwitterShare Electrical outage on LinkedinEmail Electrical outage link
Xcel energy shutoff of electricity for over 24 hours severely impacted 500 residents and staff at Frasier Meadows Retirement Home. This included medical facilities, food service, heating, hot water, and all other services. These residents included Independent living and Assisted living and in Memory Care and Summit Medical Care. Emergency generators were deployed for food and care for helpless individuals in Summit care and possibly Assisted Living. The rest of us, around 300 elderly people who often rely on oxygen, cpap machines, and other medical devices, without any heat. There were some hallway outlets for emergency oxygen. The balance of... Continue reading
