They're back! Xcel's proposed TOU rate changes. #HeyNext, will Kyle Clark see racism in the Michelin Stars again? Gabel is right: it hasn't just been ranchers who are victims of wolf reintroduction.
Just when you thought you were safe, Xcel's back.
Xcel is busy installing those smart meters, but not so busy that they can't start monkeying with their time of use (TOU) rates.
In a filing early last week, Xcel officially and publicly proposed a change to their time of use rates.
I first got wind of this from a by now old 9News story about the draft proposal. That story is linked first below, and, without going into too much irrelevant detail, it confused the hell out of me.
After more emails than I'd like to count to both Mr. Zelinger of 9News and Xcel's media spokesperson, after waiting til after the change in rates went from draft to reality earlier last week, I finally have some solid numbers to share with you as to what exactly Xcel is doing for the new TOU rates.
Before we talk where Xcel wants to go, let's talk where we are now. Check out screenshot 1. This is the current TOU pricing scheme for residential customers.
Screenshot 2 is where we're headed. It came in an email from Xcel's spokesperson (if you are a glutton for punishment and want the full picture of the prosed rate changes, I salute your bravery and point you to the second link below).
A quick note in reading: it will be a hell of a lot less confusing to you if you pay attention to the two columns on the far right.** The ones labeled "Current rate with riders" (where we are now) and "Proposed rate with riders".
If you look at it, you see the summer TOU top rates are actually due to go DOWN. So does winter's. 32 cents down to 25 and 20 down to 16 respectively. Cause to celebrate, no?
No. It isn't.
Look at the middle row. The one labeled 22 cents and N/A for summer and 16 cents and N/A for winter. What's up with that N/A?
Under the current pricing scheme there are 3 tiers: an Off-Peak price, a Mid-Peak rate (1 PM to 3PM), and an On-Peak rate (3PM to 7PM).
The Mid-Peak rate goes away and there will just be an Off-Peak rate and an On-Peak rate which now extends two hours from 3PM to 9PM.
In Winter, it's the same (only two tiers) and the On-Peak goes to 5PM to 9PM.
Oh, and guess what? The Off-Peak price goes up both winter and summer.
Maybe it's just me, but I long for the simplicity of a known and easily-predicted price per quantity. I don't know if this is obfuscation, but it certainly doesn't make it easier to predict your cost.
It also doesn't help anyone when the peak price extends to 9PM. If you were on a TOU pricing scheme, and not a rabid early bird like yours truly who goes to bed while it's still light out so you can maintain baker's hours, you might have depended on being able to up your usage without cost after a relatively sane 7PM.
Under this proposed scheme that extends yet further into the evening.
And, as I hint at below, this confusion is wholly apart from that caused by the circus of riders (fees) that come on the base price.
I want to touch on one more thing before wrapping up. I focus here mainly on residential rates, but if you are paying small commercial or secondary general rates with Xcel, your proposed TOU rates are in screenshot 3. Yes, you get the same treatment.
**My confusion with Zelinger's article below stemmed from the fact that he quotes prices without riders, those adorable little add ons that increase the price. For an example, see my article on the Fenberg Rider linked third below.
https://www.9news.com/article/money/consumer/xcel-expand-time-charge-electricity/73-c65f107c-b296-4296-be56-8205a9b74dfb
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1uDXFSofk9Sl2DvTw7QmTPRq-sqdXElWb/view?usp=sharing
https://open.substack.com/pub/coloradoaccountabilityproject/p/the-fenberg-rider-you-dont-mind-paying?r=15ij6n&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web
#HeyNext, do you suppose Kyle Clark will see racism in the Michelin Stars again?
According to the Sun article linked first below, Colorado has another Michelin-starred restaurant.
Ah, this harkens back to last year. Almost a full year in fact. A simpler time, a more innocent time.
A time when Next's very own Kyle Clark hinted that Michelin ignoring Aurora and its more diverse slate of restaurants were being ignored for .. wait for it ... racism!
Then, it turns out the most important color to Michelin, and the much much (MUCH) more likely reason that Aurora's restaurants didn't get stars, was because Aurora didn't give up the green and pay to have Michelin come by.
See my newsletter from Sept '23 linked second below for more detail.
Here's the question, and it's one we should ask Next and/or Clark (well, I would ask if he I thought he'd ever answer a serious email), will you be claiming racism this go 'round too?
Harder to sustain given that this year's Michelin recipient is a restaurant with a Spanish-language name, but where there's a will with Kyle, by God, there's a way!
https://coloradosun.com/2024/09/09/michelin-star-colorado-restaurants-2024/
https://open.substack.com/pub/coloradoaccountabilityproject/p/nexton9news-and-kyle-clark-look-to?r=15ij6n&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web
Rachel Gabel is right: it hasn't just been ranchers who are victims of wolf reintroduction.
Follow her lead and take a step back from what wolf reintroduction has meant for the humans in this state and consider what it's meant for the wolves themselves.
She says it much better than I can and so I'll leave it to you to read up the full op-ed linked below, merely offering here a few select quotes to give you a feeling for what she's pointing at.
"Last December, the wolves were darted, bagged, tagged and taken away from the area and pack they were familiar with and dumped in a strange place and alone. They had to be scrappy. They had to learn an entirely new environment without the benefit of a pack."
And in speaking about the latest plan to take the wolf pack which has been chronically depredating local herds and move them:
"With no options to relocate the Copper Creek Pack in Colorado, and there being virtually no chance of another state wanting to accept (or even provide) depredating wolves, there are few options. Either the pups will be held with their parents until they are old enough to be released and survive with no hunting experience when they are older, or the entire pack will be placed in a sanctuary. Colorado regulations state: "No wildlife taken from the wild shall be possessed by any commercial wildlife park, noncommercial wildlife park or wildlife sanctuary in Colorado." That takes Colorado Wolf and Wildlife Center and The Wild Animal Refuge off the table. The Denver Zoo Conservation Alliance and Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, however, are exempt from those regulations. No Disney movie ends with five wolves pacing a zoo enclosure."
The result of ballot box biology. A situation that serves no one INCLUDING the wildlife itself.
Keep this in mind when voting on the big cat hunting ban this November. If you are moved at all with compassion for the animals note that this kind of thoughtless and uninformed meddling has the potential to result in something like the above.
https://www.coloradopolitics.com/opinion/the-latest-victim-of-colorados-bungled-wolf-reintroduction-the-wolves-gabel/article_92b78c14-66f4-11ef-8b82-c750ce9cb730.html
Related:
On the topic of Ag in this state. I wasn't aware that it was on the table but apparently there was a bill during the special session that exempted some Ag equipment from property taxes permanently.
How big of a help? I'll leave it to those that know the business of Ag better than I (add to the comments if you'd like), but it's not nothing. Gov Polis just signed so now it's law.
More below.
https://www.coloradopolitics.com/news/colorado-gov-jared-polis-signs-bill-to-permanently-exempt-ag-equipment-and-greenhouses-from-property/article_4d5ac4ca-6c84-11ef-b8d5-33497ab5cddc.html#google_vignette