After last year’s chaotic wildfire power shutoff, Xcel promises clearer warnings. Here’s what to know.

Last spring, Boulder was blindsided. On April 6, 2024, Xcel preemptively shut off electricity to about 55,000 customers in an effort to prevent wildfires, plunging the city into confusion. Businesses lost an estimated $1.4 million in revenue. Emergency managers scrambled. Sewage at the city’s wastewater plant almost spilled into Boulder Creek. 

The company’s vague and delayed communication drew harsh criticism from residents, local officials and the Public Utilities Commission. More than a year later, Xcel says it has learned from the chaos. And as wildfire season ramps up, public safety power shutoffs — known as PSPS — are back on the table.

This time, Xcel says it’s more prepared. Residents should be, too.

The utility has worked with Boulder’s Office of Disaster Management and other local agencies to clarify when and how it will cut power during periods of extreme fire danger. It has introduced a phased warning system, revised its shutoff criteria and expanded communication, especially for vulnerable residents who depend on electricity for medical needs.

A shutoff like last year’s could happen again if wind gusts hit extreme speeds, humidity dips below 20% and ground vegetation is critically dry. These conditions often align with red flag warnings issued by the National Weather Service.

Under Xcel’s new PSPS protocol, shutoffs will unfold in phases: 

• “Potential event” phase (about 72 hours out): Early coordination begins between Xcel and emergency managers, and initial public messaging is issued.
  
• “Pre-event” stage (48 to 72 hours out): Residents are urged to charge devices, check emergency kits and prepare for several days without power.
  
• Final warning stage (just before shutoff): Xcel will “flood the zone” with automated calls, texts, emails and updates to a dedicated webpage. Boulder’s Office of Disaster Management will help amplify the alerts.
  
• During shutoff: Xcel will provide regular updates on damage assessments and estimated restoration times on a designated webpage for the event. 

“We’re not going to the hard solution for a lower acuity problem,” said Mike Chard, Boulder’s director of disaster management, who helped organize a regional planning workshop with Xcel and other counties after the 2024 shutoff. “I like that there’s a threshold now.”

Chard expects another PSPS in Boulder, particularly during high-wind months from September through May, though not necessarily every year. “I believe it will go much better than the last time,” he said. “But of course, until something happens, we don’t really know for sure.”

To avoid a repeat of last year’s confusion, Xcel has stepped up outreach to essential facilities and vulnerable residents. Hospitals, airports and water utilities are part of a statewide 10,000 critical customer list that the company says it will coordinate with ahead of any outage. 

Residential customers who rely on electricity for medical devices, such as oxygen, should enroll in the company’s Safe for Colorado program. It offers more advanced notice during outages and additional information about community support centers and other available resources. Enrollment requires registration in Xcel’s Medical Certification or Colorado Medical Exemption programs.

Xcel also offers a resiliency rebate to help customers buy backup power systems, including battery storage systems or vehicle-to-home technology (such as EVs capable of supplying power to a home). For income-qualified and medically enrolled customers, the rebate is meant to cover 100% of the equipment costs. The initial budget for the program is $2 million. 

Xcel says it’s also making broader, though relatively slow, investments in wildfire safety: replacing or hardening poles, clearing vegetation around infrastructure and studying where it might move power lines underground.

These steps follow years of growing scrutiny. Investigators identified an Xcel powerline as one of the likely ignition sources of the Marshall Fire in 2021, which destroyed more than 1,000 homes and caused over $2 billion in damages. The company faces hundreds of lawsuits, though it denies its equipment was responsible.

“Our goal is to ensure that no catastrophic wildfire is associated with our assets,” said Rob Clark, Xcel’s chief communications officer at a media event in June. “We don’t want to be the source.” 

Still, Xcel leaders admit even a well-communicated PSPS comes at a cost. “Unfortunately, there is a reliability impact to that,” said Paul McGregor, Xcel’s vice president of wildfire risk management.

Even when conditions don’t warrant a full shutoff, Xcel can still cut power as a precaution. It may switch to more sensitive settings on certain power lines, using devices called reclosers. These normally try to restore power after an interruption. But during fire-risk conditions, they’re set to keep the power off, since restoring it automatically could spark a fire. More reclosers are being installed across the state. Over the last two years, Xcel has more often used this approach to reduce risk.

Chard said residents should treat power shutoffs like any emergency, similar to how they prepare for wildfire evacuations. “We could have a fire west of town that forces us to cut power for firefighter safety,” he said. “You could still be without electricity for three days.”

That means planning ahead: Have backup power for devices, know how to manage refrigerated medication and food, and decide where you’ll go if your home becomes unsafe.