BOULDER — The Boulder Chamber said it's working toward short-term and long-term solutions to reduce the impact of planned power outages after meeting with Xcel Energy representatives and business owners this week.
A recent survey conducted by the Boulder Chamber shows 258 businesses reported operational disruptions during Xcel's public safety power shutoff in December. The survey reports the average financial loss for businesses was more than $25,000 each.
Xcel said the proactive shutoffs are meant to reduce the risk of wildfire during extreme fire danger. The planned power outages in December affected tens of thousands of customers across six counties: Boulder, Gilpin, Clear Creek, Jefferson, Weld and Larimer.
"During the busiest time of the year when you're dependent on that, on that income, this is really, you know, a critical situation that needs to be alleviated," said Jonathan Singer, Boulder Chamber's Senior Director of Policy Programs.
He said Boulder Chamber leaders are working to get better communication from Xcel about planned power outages while pushing the company to make infrastructure upgrades.
"Communication is key, right? When a shut off is coming, you want to know where the shut off is coming, when the shut off is coming, and how people can respond. And so there are new opportunities to create better communication standards to make sure that we're talking to the right businesses at the right time," said Singer. "We need to harden our power lines, bury them where we can... create opportunity to set up micro grid opportunities.
"That way you don't see this domino effect that sometimes you see with larger grids."
Singer said the Boulder Chamber is also looking at solutions to help business owners during power outages, like providing refrigerated trucks to reduce food waste and supplying generators.
Boulder
Some Boulder businesses lost over $100k in the Dec. public safety power outage
Another issue Singer said the chamber is looking at revolves around business insurance. Several businesses that lost power along the Front Range in December told Denver7 they were not able to get any help from their own insurance companies after filing business interruption insurance claims. This type of insurance generally covers lost revenue when a business is forced to close temporarily.
"I think what is being sold and what consumers need, need to line up," he said. "We're going to be going down as the Boulder Chamber to the Public Utilities Commission to say, 'You need to sit down and work with our Division of Insurance to get clear communication on what products are out there.'"
In a statement to Denver7, Xcel Energy said it does not reimburse businesses for lost revenue during a power outage, whether it's planned or not:
“Xcel Energy implemented Public Safety Power Shutoffs (PSPS) to reduce the risk of wildfire and protect public safety amid severe weather. We understand being without power for any length of time is inconvenient and began communicating with our customers several days in advance so customers could prepare.
During extended outages, some customers may have food spoil in their refrigerators or freezers; however, Xcel Energy does not reimburse customers for spoiled food caused by outages. We also do not compensate businesses for lost revenue during a power outage. This is true for outages caused by storms and includes Public Safety Power Shutoffs.
Customers can review the policy and claims process available on our website -- Claims Services Policy and Process | Customer Support | Xcel Energy [co.my.xcelenergy.com] – which includes anticipated timeline for any claims resolution, should a customer decide to file a claim due to the PSPS outages. The facts surrounding each individual claim are carefully reviewed and investigated by Xcel Energy to determine whether reimbursement is available. Xcel Energy makes every effort to process claims as quickly as possible. Depending on the complexity of the required investigation, processing time could take 90 days or more.
Customers can file a claim with their insurance company. If needed, customers can call our Xcel Energy Customer Care team and request a letter confirming they were impacted by a PSPS or a weather-related outage to support their claim.”
Tricia Jamison, the owner of KT's BBQ in Boulder, said she was forced to throw away thousands of dollars worth of food when the power went out during planned outages in December. She said the restaurant also lost thousands in sales as its doors were closed for several days.
"We couldn't cook our meats over the weekend," Jamison said. "We couldn't prep over the weekend. So on Monday, when we had Christmas pickups, we were like, 'Oh, we got to work.'"
She said she believes it's unrealistic and too expensive for Xcel to bury its power lines across Boulder and said she understands the risk of wildfire, especially after the Marshall Fire.
"I was a block and a half away from the end of the Marshall Fire. I have a lot of friends that lost their homes, and watching them go through losing their homes and having to rebuild all that was, it's just, to me, it's worth it to turn the power off," she said.
A few doors down, Greg Lefcourt, who co-owns Beleza Coffee Bar, said his business suffered a $15,000 loss as they were in the dark for 61 hours during the power outage.
"We haven't had an offer of any kind of relief from anybody at all, so we're kind of left here as a small business to try to figure out on our own what to do when we suffer a $15,000 loss at a coffee shop," he said. "We need leaders to step up. We need power company to step up. We need small business owners to step up."
The City of Boulder is hosting a virtual information session today from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. to discuss the recent Xcel power shutoffs. City staff said they will be listening to community concerns and sharing next steps to prepare for any future outages. To register for the event, click here.
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