A discount from Xcel ?

[Greg and Cindy]

Last I checked the rates for electricity service from Xcel were the same for the flatlands as the mountains but the service is subpar at best, I think Xcel owes everyone in the BarK and surrounds a big rebate or a discount.  Why can't they improve the reliability up here.  It's gone from bad to worse this year!  I have zero confidence in anything they say.

[Anne Gross]

I’d much rather have the inconvenience of a power outage than suffer the tragedy of a forest fire. At the risk of sounding like a shill for a power company, I think Xcel’s new policy of shutting everything down during a wind storm and then walking the lines before turning it back on is sound thinking.

[sbg]

I’d much rather have the inconvenience of a power outage than suffer the tragedy of a forest fire. At the risk of sounding like a shill for a power company, I think Xcel’s new policy of shutting everything down during a wind storm and then walking the lines before turning it back on is sound thinking.

I agree that avoiding wildfires is vitally important. But that doesn't totally exonerate Xcel from doing better either. I'd like to see them have more people to check the lines faster and minimize disruption and for them to better maintain their equipment so that it is less likely to spark a fire. Recall that the Marshall fire started in grassland so it's not like there was a tree falling on the line.

And while turning electricity off can prevent fires, it can also stop one preventing them. For instance, if a fire starts, but you can't get water to put it out or call 911, because the electricity is out.

We are living in the 21st century in a supposedly advanced & technologically sophisticated country, but Xcel (and their counterparts in other parts of this country) seem somewhat obtuse to that fact. Maintaining an electricity system so that it works reliably without burning down vast tracts of land shouldn't be too much to ask.

One thing to bear in mind is that it may be more complicated than Xcel making a decision all by itself to keep the electricity off until the line is inspected. Their insurance might be telling them to do that since I'm guessing said insurance companies are on the hook for half a billion dollars for the Marshall fire and are probably far from best pleased about it.

Ideally Xcel would chose to fix this. It would require replacing lines with insulated "covered" conductors, better line sensors, or burying the lines. These solutions would all take time to install, so employing more line people would still be needed in the interim.

[O'B's]

HI all-
Monday and Tuesday's outages were not pre-emptive. If they were, Xcel would have made announcements and Lefthand would have passed them along. The Overland fire in October 2023 (behind Jamestown to Heil Ranch) was the result of a parted powerline. Xcel is working with emergency management to define better solutions, however as was rightly pointed out that will take time. There are at least 2 contracted line companies working in the area with Xcel: Hooper and Sturgeon. In the last wind event (preemptive shut down), some of the brand new lines parted, so we can't write this off to age of equipment, even the new equipment can fail. 

The system as it flies is ungrounded, which means that when a tree lands on the line and is connected to the earth (not a hanging limb) it will burn through, or short fault the system or both. A limb on one line with no path to ground will not disrupt the system. That's why birds and squirrels can wander on the lines freely. 

They have discussed insulating the lines, but that increases the weight aloft dramatically and can lead to further failures including pole/connector failures. One of the multiple Marshall starts was attributed to sparking from Xcel lines, along with an illegal burn and the coal seam fire vents. The Smokehouse Creek Fire (1m acres) in Texas was all Xcel, and why they are now looking to preemptively de-energize during wind events.

A word of caution regarding power lines, they should always be treated as if they are energized. there are only a few dead-end locations on the grid, so the power can feed from different directions. Just because a line isn't jumping doesn't mean it's de-energized or safe. And consumers that require 3 phase power like Glacier View Ranch or unlicensed installation of back-up generators can lead to back feed on the lines. Please call 911 whenever you find smoking, burning, sparking, or downed lines!

Also, we are tracking loss of landline service as a result of power outages. The switches have battery back up power and generator access. The additional use of internet during power outages depletes the batteries more quickly than just telephony, so Boulder County Communications, the Office of Disaster Management, and the County Fire Chiefs are working to find alternative solutions with CL/Lumen to ensure 911 remains active during power loss.

[sbertram]

An outage is understandable, the timeline for restoration is not. We should not loose power for 18-21 hours every time it gets windy. If Xcel is going to change their policies regarding power restoration then they should have the manpower on hand to get the electricity flowing in a timely manner. Whether the last two events were planned or not, Xcel has been doing a terrible job lately on our power grid. 

As to the pair gain system for the landlines....if the batteries were working then they would provide service for at least a few hours during an outage but the landlines drop as soon as the electric goes out. The last I knew CL refused to put any money it those antiquated systems that service our area, including replacing the batteries that no longer hold a charge on the units.