Xcel says its wildfire safety settings can trip power off for hours in Garfield County. How a home battery keeps the essentials on.
Short answer: Xcel says the recent outages in Garfield County weren't planned shutoffs. It says they came from its wildfire safety settings, which make lines trip on faults that used to cause a blink, and then keep the power off until a crew has checked the line. That can take hours, with no warning. A home battery charged by solar carries the essentials through it, and Xcel has battery incentives that can bring the cost down.
If you live along the I-70 corridor west of Glenwood, you may have lost power for hours this year with no warning. Garfield County business owners raised concerns about the outages. At an October 2026 Garfield County commissioners meeting, Xcel Energy explained what's been going on, as the Aspen Times reported on Oct. 20, 2026.
Xcel's area manager, Brad McCloud, told commissioners the company has not called a Public Safety Power Shutoff in Western Colorado. "To be very clear, we have not had a PSPS," he said. The outages came from what Xcel calls Enhanced Power Safety Settings, or EPSS.
When the weather raises fire risk (high wind, low humidity, dry brush), Xcel switches its equipment to respond more sensitively. A tree branch, an animal, a car hitting a pole or a failed part can then cause a sustained outage instead of a short interruption. Crews have to inspect the line before they turn it back on, and depending on where the line runs, that can stretch an outage from a few minutes to several hours.
McCloud said that in red flag conditions, customers can assume the more sensitive settings are likely on. Xcel's goal is to limit an outage to as few as 125 customers instead of 4,000, and it has a $1.9 billion wildfire mitigation plan running through 2027. He also said New Castle's equipment hadn't been updated in years.
Xcel is aiming for smaller outages. They still come with no notice.
An outage with no warning is harder to plan around than a scheduled shutoff. You don't get a day to fill water jugs or charge phones. If you're on a well outside Silt, no power means no water. If the house in Rifle runs on an electric furnace blower, an outage means no heat until the line is cleared.
Rooftop solar on its own won't help here. Standard grid-tied solar shuts down whenever the grid does, so line crews aren't working on a live wire. It takes a battery set up for backup to keep the house running and let the panels recharge it during the day.
When the grid drops, a backup battery disconnects the house from the line and keeps your chosen circuits powered. With the Enphase systems we install, the switch is automatic.
We size the battery to a critical-load list we build with you. Often that's the fridge, lights, internet, the furnace fan and a few outlets. A well pump can go on the list if the system is sized for it. Our post on what you can run on a solar battery goes through it, and how long a battery lasts in an outage covers the sizing side.
Because EPSS outages give no notice, keep the battery's backup reserve set high for the whole fire season, not just on red flag days.
Most of our battery systems use the Enphase IQ Battery 10C. Each unit holds 10 kWh, and we install them in 10, 20, 30 or 40 kWh systems. Enphase's data sheet lists an operating range of -4°F to 122°F while charging, which matters in an unheated garage in Silt in January. If you already have solar, many systems can add storage after a site and electrical review.
Battery pricing depends on how many units you add and the electrical work your house needs. After the first battery, each added battery on the same system has run roughly $5,800 to $8,500 on our recent proposals, before any rebate. Your proposal shows the full price for your house.
Xcel's Renewable Battery Connect program reopened for 2026 on May 21, 2026. Per Xcel's program page:
If someone in the house relies on electric medical equipment, look at Xcel's PSPS Backup Battery Rebate. It offers up to $10,000 toward a whole-home or portable battery for Xcel residential customers in Colorado who are enrolled in Xcel's Medical Certification Program or the Colorado Medical Exemption Program and live in a Tier 2 or Tier 3 wildfire risk area. You can take part in both programs, but Xcel says you can't receive a rebate check from both.
Not every house between Glenwood and Rifle is on Xcel. Inside Glenwood Springs city limits, power comes from the city's own electric utility, and parts of the area are served by Holy Cross Energy. The programs above are Xcel's. If you're on Holy Cross, our post on fire safety outages and shutoffs and our batteries and backup page cover what applies to you.
Whoever your utility is, make sure they have your current phone number and email, and sign up for outage alerts.
Xcel says its Enhanced Power Safety Settings make its lines more sensitive when fire risk is high. A fault that used to cause a quick blink can now cause a longer outage, because crews inspect the line before restoring power.
Not by themselves. Standard grid-tied solar shuts down when the grid goes down. A battery set up for backup lets the solar keep running and powers your essentials.
Yes. Renewable Battery Connect pays general customers $250 per kW AC of battery discharge power, up to $5,000 per application, plus $100 a year for five years for joining control events. Customers on Xcel medical programs in Tier 2 or Tier 3 wildfire risk areas may qualify for up to $10,000 through the PSPS Backup Battery Rebate.
It depends on how many batteries you add and the electrical work your house needs. On our recent proposals, each battery added after the first has run roughly $5,800 to $8,500 before rebates. Your proposal shows the full price.
Battery projects need design, permitting and Xcel paperwork, so it's worth starting before the next fire season. Get a Free Quote, or call us at (970) 963-1060.
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