Power outages

Xcel Energy is Louisville's energy provider for residents and businesses. Xcel has implemented two new strategies for wildfire mitigation, including "Public Safety Power Shutoffs" (PSPS) and "Enhanced Powerline Safety Settings (EPSS)". These safety measures have created more outages than our community has experienced in years past.

PSPS: a risk reduction strategy where power is shut off to a targeted area for a limited duration when wildfire risks are extremely high.

EPSS: a risk reduction strategy that allows power lines to remain in service during periods of high wildfire risk. Power lines are more sensitive and can stop the flow of electricity if an object touches it.

How you can prepare for power outages

Before an outage

Power outages can impact water supply, communication, food safety, and more. You should take the following steps to prepare for outages today:

1. Build a kit. Build a basic emergency kit - a list of suggested items is available on the ODM website.
2. Medical supplies. Invest in a back-up generator or other power source for critical items like durable medical equipment.
   Use an ice chest or back-up power to keep medications stored at the correct temperature.
3. Food safety. Have a supply of non-perishable foods that can be prepared and stored without electricity or refrigeration. Dispose of refrigerated food if power has been out for 4+ hours - check on public health guidelines for more info.
4. Transportation. Try to keep electric vehicles or other transportation devices charged as much as possible, and fill tanks on gas powered vehicles before severe weather or planned outages.

During an outage

Planned and unplanned outages may leave you without power for several days, depending on the severity of the event and how many customers are impacted. When a power outage occurs, you should always report the outage and check for updates through Xcel Energy.

During long-term or high-impact outages, Boulder Office of Disaster Management (ODM) may activate and provide shelters, information, and more resources. Be sure to check the ODM website frequently.

• Boulder Office of Disaster Management has developed a guide to preparing for power outages, specific to Boulder County residents, available on their website. 

How the City updates the community during an outage

• Xcel customers can check the outage status via Xcel’s outage map. If your power is out, but the outage does not show on the map, report an outage via Xcel’s website.
• If Xcel Energy implements a Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS), or an unplanned widespread outage occurs, the City will work with Xcel to communicate the outage impacts to residents as quickly as possible.
• As always, make sure you are signed up for BOCO Alerts in the event that a power outage becomes a community emergency.
• For power outages impacting City facilities or that are considered high impact, we will provide updates through the “City News/Important Updates” email/text list, among other channels such as social media and traditional media. While we can't predict outages, we will do our best to get critical information, including resources and impacts to facilities, to our community in a timely manner.