Private companies are already making major investments in EV charging. But should monopoly utilities, like Xcel, support them or build their own?
Black Hills Energy
Posted inEnvironment
Could Colorado communities get to 100% renewable energy faster than utility companies? Lawmakers may provide the tool.
Community choice electric, or CCE, is a concept pioneered in 1999. Xcel Energy says it’s a solution to a carbon problem that is already on its way to being solved.
Posted inBusiness, Climate, Energy, Environment, News, Politics and Government
Closing a coal-fired power plant in Pueblo to meet Colorado climate goals is easier said than done
This much is certain: Comanche 3 — Xcel Energy’s $1.3 billion coal-fired power plant in Pueblo — is going to close. When and how are now issues of intense debate before the Colorado Public Utilities Commission. The fate of the plant — the state’s largest single emitter of carbon dioxide — is key to Colorado […]
Posted inBusiness, Climate, Economy, Energy, Environment, News
Coloradans starting to see double-digit hikes in their gas utility bills
Colorado consumers are seeing double-digit jumps in their gas utility bills this fall as providers pass on the cost of steep natural gas inflation, and the Public Utilities Commission and consumer advocates warn that a “stack” of other add-on charges are too much for customers. Rising gas charges will push the average Xcel consumer’s cost […]
Posted inClimate, Energy, Environment, News
Stingy car electrification plan by Black Hills Energy drives Pueblo inequity, advocates say
Jamie Valdez is on the lookout for a used car deal, and the longtime Pueblo environmental activist is ready to put his money where his advocacy is. But the used hybrid he wants rarely turns up in southern Colorado car markets, and when one does, the price has jumped again. National electric vehicle reports say […]
Posted inEnvironment
Xcel Energy’s new electric vehicle incentives include used-car rebates, wiring homes for chargers
Xcel Energy’s new roster of electric vehicle rebates is winning praise from environmental groups, with Colorado’s dominant utility expanding incentives to include used vehicles, speeding up the all-important charging network and working with landlords to install apartment chargers. Xcel is also asking customers who use the charging station incentives to sign up for a demand […]
Posted inBusiness, Climate, Energy, Environment, News
Colorado’s consumer advocate gets wider climate powers and a new name
The state watchdog Office of Consumer Counsel announced a name change Wednesday and broader powers to intervene against utilities on behalf of the public in areas like climate change, career changes for energy workers and environmental justice for pollution-impacted communities. The renamed Office of the Utility Consumer Advocate is also hiring additional attorneys for the […]
Posted inBusiness, Energy, News
Some Colorado utility consumers could pay more than $550 for February storm
Colorado utility customer surcharges for the February freeze that paralyzed Texas will range from $44 to a high of $557 over time, depending on the region and the company, according to the most recent requests filed at the Public Utilities Commission. The Office of Consumer Counsel, the governor’s office and others have said they will […]
Posted inBusiness, Energy, News
Colorado AG asks federal regulators to probe traders’ “windfall” gas profits from February cold snap
The 290,000 Colorado customers of Black Hills Energy could face up to $552 in surcharges over two years to pay for fuel-price surges during the Presidents Day weekend record cold snap, according to new filings with the state Public Utilities Commission. Attorney General Phil Weiser, meanwhile, called on the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to investigate […]
Posted inBusiness, Energy, News
Xcel, Atmos Energy say they saved Colorado customers nearly $1 billion during February freeze
Xcel Energy and other utilities pulled cheaper gas from storage over Presidents Day weekend, switched to bargain fuel at power plants and hedged prices as much as possible, according to new filings for a PUC investigation, but did not take the “drastic” step of warning consumers to cut back or face enormous bills. New documents […]