Xcel Energy wants to raise a record $225 in million new revenues, in part by adding $6.15 a month to the average household electricity bill, an increase consumer advocates say more customers would struggle to pay.
The warning signs, they say, are already there.
“There is a trend of increasing disconnections for all customers,” according to a staff report to the Colorado Public Utilities Commission.
Disconnections of residential customers for nonpayment rose 705% between 2023 and 2025 — to 78,337 from 9,731 — with nearly a third being disconnected multiple times.
One reason for the increased shutoffs, the PUC staff said, is that smart meters make it easier, since households can be disconnected remotely. In the pending rate case customers would pay $72 million for the installation of those meters.
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