FORT COLLINS, Colo. — The city of Fort Collins is changing the way it bills residents for their energy use.
Starting Monday, the city will charge energy customers more during certain peak times. The city said the goal is to have people take a closer look at their energy use habits to see if there are changes they could make.
“The reason we chose to make this the default rate structure was to give customers more power over their energy,” said Lisa Rosintoski, deputy director of utilities for Customer Connections. “Instead of just saying, ‘Use less energy,’ this is an opportunity to say, ‘You can reduce your energy cost.’”
Peak hours will vary depending on the time of year. From October to April, that times is defined as 5-9 p.m. From May to September, it will range from 2-7 p.m.
The rates for energy consumption during those times will be three times higher than it will be for the rest of the day. This will not include weekends or major holidays.
The city doesn’t expect to see an increase in revenue from the pricing change. Officials said most customers should see their bills remain about the same when they are averaged out over the course of the year.
“We wanted to bring awareness to those appliances that draw on energy,” Rosintoski said. “What we're finding is it is the air conditioner, washer, dryer, dishwasher and thermostat. All of those are controllable to be comfortable and controllable (so) that you can actual say, ‘During this period, I don't want to use them.’”
Xcel energy is considering a similar move.
