The Colorado Public Utilities Commission is asking customers for feedback on Xcel Energy’s latest public safety power shutoff.
The Dec. 17 outage across the Front Range was Xcel’s second-ever wildfire-related shutoff in Colorado, following a widely criticized first attempt in April 2024.
While the PUC does not approve or deny Xcel’s decision to cut power, it oversees how utilities plan for and communicate during these events. After the 2024 shutoff, residents, businesses and local governments raised concerns about poor notice, confusing maps, lack of coordination with emergency services and failures to protect critical facilities.
Since then, the PUC has ordered Xcel to improve advance notice (as early as 72 hours out), mapping, communication during outages, coordination with local governments and outreach to customers who rely on electric-powered medical equipment.
Now the commission wants to know: Did it work?
PUC staff are drafting permanent rules that would set statewide standards for future shutoffs and are asking customers affected by the December outage to weigh in. Feedback will help shape those rules.
You can share your experience through the PUC’s public survey and comment form. The commission says it is especially interested in hearing about notice, communication, mapping accuracy and how outages affected homes, businesses and critical services.
Why it matters: Xcel says the shutoff helped reduce wildfire risk, which officials agree was real. But as Boulder learned in April 2024, how these outages are planned and communicated can make the difference between preparedness and disruption, especially for hospitals, shelters, schools, food banks and small businesses.
At about 5:36pm today 12/28…the rlectric service in my neighborhood went off. I reported this to Xcel at about 5:40. No one was notified in advance. The power went back on about 6:46pm. No explanation as to why this happened.
If the goal since being found at fault for the Marshall Fire is fire prevention and general safety, then the money from newly implemented On/Off Peak hours and the overall rate hikes for the last several years should be going to BURY THE LINES.
Overall, Xcel is a monopoly and cares more about continuing to line their own pockets than to actually do anything useful, like BURY THE LINES.
The residents of the City of Boulder should file a class action lawsuit for the handling of this shutdown, and all other shutdowns since the Marshall Fire.
Xcel should be urgently upgrading its infrastructure such that it is not necessary to cut power during these windstorms that are becoming more frequent. If it is not making this effort then they are failing their customers.
Four days without electricity is ridiculous and a damning indictment of Xcel’s incompetence. Surely Colorado residents deserve better.
Communication was better this time as to the time of the shut-off. The information as to when the power would be restored was often incorrect. Most of the information about how to learn when the power would be restored was nonexistent. Thinking I need a generator for the next event.
I received appropriate advance info from Xcel on some of the shutoffs in my North Boulder area. Without internet at home I couldn’t access turn on info as easily but found I could walk about 15 min. away from home and pick up LTE. This event helped me discover the gaps in preparedness that I had. Main one – no battery backup on my big garage door, so I couldn’t get my car out. Also, I received an emergency evacuation alarm for the Four Mile Canyon fire even though I wasn’t in that area – very disturbing!! (Not Xcel’s mistake, though)
Power outages can happen at anytime and anywhere for various reasons without any advanced notice. For those that were notified in advance, be thankful; you had time to prepare. Those that claim they didn’t know must live in a black hole, as high wind warnings, days in advance, were all over social media, weather apps, websites and yes, even good old fashion TV. Forecasted 85 mph wind gusts should have been enough to alert you to the outage and fire potential. I sincerely urge the PUC to support all utility companies to be proactive. Thank you Xcel for taking steps to keep our homes safe.
My neighborhood has lost power 5 times in the past month. Neighbors about a block away have had power the past two times. No wind, but the temps were 17 and 24 degrees respectively. Very scary!
Are improvements being made or are we just expected to live this way? Never knowing if we’ll have power or not.
Boulder is a very windy place with winds often over 50 mph. I don’t think that XCEL should have been solely responsible for the Marshall fire but now it seems that residents will continue to suffer XCEL power outages as retribution for its deep pockets. On March 14 there was not even a breeze where I live by the Boulder Reservoir yet the power was shut off for 5 hours. There has to be a better solution than continuous power outages for maybe, possible, could happen fires. I also don’t want to be suspicious but there seems to be selective areas which don’t suffer power outages as often. Boulder will be a horrible place to live come summer with the normal winds, less moisture and numerous power outages.