COMMERCE CITY, Colo. — We are continuing to listen to the community after Xcel Energy announced Friday it wants to increase electric rates in Colorado by nearly 10% in 2026.
Commerce City resident Lucy Molina told the Scripps News Group it's going to force some families to make difficult choices.
"Do I pay my electric bill, or do I eat?" said Molina.
Robert Kenney, President of Xcel Energy Colorado, told us Friday that the increase is to recover investments in safety and reliability, like transmission, distribution, and generating facilities the company has made over the past 3 years.
The average residential customer would see their bill increase $9.94 per month if their bill is around $100. The average large commercial customer will see a $14.22 increase per month or 9.48%.
Kenney said the company hasn't requested a significant rate hike from its customers since 2022.
Back in 2022, our sister station Denver7 covered unprecedented complaints from Xcel customers about price increases.
Now that a new hike is being proposed, Molina said every expense matters for people in her situation.
"For people with fixed incomes, every dollar counts. Every penny counts for us, right?" she said.
Ean Thomas Tafoya with Green Latinos, a group that advocates for customers, said the rate increase would disproportionately affect those who can least afford it.
"Certainly, energy affordability is a conversation that's happening everywhere," Tafoya said. "The first thought I had was what kind of income qualified programs exist because the sort of thing that we have advocated for at the Public Utilities Commission?"
Xcel told Denver7 that it will expand energy assistance programs alongside this rate increase.
"We're taking steps to enhance our energy assistance programs for our customers that need the help the most, and so we are going to be increasing our percentage of income payment plan program to gain more customers into that program," said Kenney. "We're going to be increasing our targeted support for energy burden seniors, whereby they will receive a reduction of up to $20 a month."
However, customers like Molina worry that some families will still fall through the cracks.
"Why do we have to pay the burden of their costs or their upgrades?" Molina said. "I want to say, when is it enough? You know, when is it enough? Is what I want to ask the president of Xcel."
Xcel filed the rate change request with the Colorado Public Utilities Commission on Friday.
It will undergo a review and public comment process with the PUC and, if passed, could take effect in August of next year.
