Colorado’s sky high utility bills are hurting businesses’ bottom lines and customers’ pockets.
So what’s the real story behind the spikes and what can business owners do to help find a solution?
Colorado had a record breaking frigid winter this year that led to utility bills spiking dramatically. Suddenly businesses were facing budgeting shortfalls and Colorado families weren’t patronizing local businesses as much in an effort to save money to pay their bills. This trend is unsustainable. Fortunately, there are some easy solutions - but they require business owners to join together and speak up!
What caused the spikes?
The wintertime spikes were caused by volatile natural gas prices that got pushed on to consumers - including Colorado’s small businesses, already hurting from inflation and other price increases. Continued volatility is predicted, but instead of moving away from gas, Colorado’s largest utility, Xcel, is seeing another opportunity to make record-breaking profits off of Colorado’s small businesses and has asked the state to let them keep investing in big new gas infrastructure. That’s the very same infrastructure that’s hurting us when it comes time to pay our bills!
Why should you care?
Well, the cost of energy affects your bottom line. Gas prices fluctuate wildly, wreaking havoc on your budget and financial projections. Meanwhile, rising utility bills eat into your profits, leaving less room for growth and innovation. But it doesn't have to be this way. By urging the PUC to tell utility companies to invest in cheaper, more stable, and cleaner energy alternatives, you are helping lower your businesses’ utility bills.
What can you do?
The PUC needs to tell utilities to invest in infrastructure that will bring businesses’ costs down, like clean & cheap renewable energy. Small businesses shouldn’t have to bear the burden of volatile natural gas investments, we need a break!
