Xcel Energy today asked that utility regulators let the company adjust how it lets Boulder customers participate in incentive programs specific to energy efficiency and renewable energy.
The utility said in an application to the Colorado Public Utilities Commission that it wants to protect non-Boulder customers from subsidizing a city that’s indicated it might leave Xcel’s grid.
That occurred in November when Boulder voters chose to pursue efforts for their own municipal utility, a process that could take years and hundreds of millions of dollars to accomplish. The city could ultimately remain with Xcel.
Since the vote, Xcel said it unsuccessfully asked Boulder to help resolve the participation issue with programs such as SolarRewards and Windsource.
The programs are funded by all Xcel customers through fees on their bill. While Boulder customers account for about 4.4 percent of Xcel’s electric revenues, they have received about 10 percent of the company’s solar incentives and 5.2 percent of its energy efficiency spending, Xcel said.
In all, the utility seeks to level off the amount Boulder customers get in incentives and then cut them off once the new utility chooses to go on its own.
David Migoya: 303-954-1506 or dmigoya@denverpost.com
