Plugged in to the energy needs of business.
The Colorado Public Utilities Commission has full regulatory authority over intrastate telecommunication services and investor-owned electric, gas, and water utilities, as well as partial regulatory control over municipal utility and electric associations.
Xcel Energy, the state's largest utility, is the primary provider of electricity and natural gas in the Metro Denver area. United Power and Intermountain Rural Electric Association also provide services in the region.
Metro Denver's utility rates are equitable compared to other large metropolitan areas. The average retail price of electricity in Colorado's commercial sector was only 7.71 cents per kilowatt in 2007, compared to the national average of 9.14 cents per kilowatt hour. See Xcel Energy's Web site for commercial and industrial rates.
And, Colorado is an important contributor to the nation's energy supply ranking the eighth for natural gas reserves, 11th in production of crude oil, and 7th for coal reserves.
Building a Renewable Energy Future
- Colorado Governor Bill Ritter signed into law House Bill 1281 requiring state utilities to get 20 percent of their electricity from renewable resources by 2020. The legislation effectively doubles Colorado's previous renewable standard of 10 percent.
- Xcel Energy provides various renewable energy programs for businesses interested in sustainable options and has the nation's largest voluntary "green power" program according to the National Renewable Energy Laboratory. Additionally, the company announced that it will make Boulder its first 'Smart Grid City' designed to provide environmental, financial and operational benefits.
- Xcel Energy is planning to add an additional 1,300 megawatts of natural gas-fired power between now and 2012. Further, the company will begin construction on a new $120 million transmission site from the northeast corner of the state to the Front Range in 2010 to accomodate additional power generation, including power from wind and natural gas.
- A 2006 report by the Metro Denver Economic Development Corporation, entitled Energy Efficiency: Bottom Line Opportunities for Metro Denver Companies, found that area companies could save $1.9 billion over the next 20 years by installing energy-efficient lighting and upgrades.
- And with the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Golden – the Department of Energy's premier laboratory for renewable energy research and development and a lead laboratory for energy efficiency – there's plenty of "energy" in Metro Denver to fuel a sustainable energy future and build profitable companies.