For the last few years, the number of Colorado households owing money to Xcel Energy has hovered around 250,000. Recent data submitted to state utility regulators show Abeyta is far from alone. “When I can’t catch up, are they going to shut my electricity off and make us freeze?” “What am I gonna do in the winter?” she said. Unable to pay, she now owes Xcel Energy about $1,400. The strategies worked well enough - until her monthly bill started to climb in the fall of 2022 from around $300 to a peak of around $450 in January. She stayed afloat thanks to bill assistance programs and a near obsession with energy efficiency.Ībeyta offset the costs of running power-hungry oxygen and CPAP machine that assist her breathing at night by unplugging the dishwasher and relying on LED nightlights.
The single mother of three from Lakewood has always struggled to pay off her outstanding debt to Xcel Energy, the state’s largest gas and electricity company.
0 kommentar(er)
