From Xcel Energy:

Service restored to 6,000 natural gas customers; electric restoration nearly complete

Natural gas service restoration expected to be substantially complete tomorrow

(Jan. 3, 2022) – Crews have made significant progress to restore service to both electric and natural gas customers in the Superior and Louisville area, including portions of Boulder and Broomfield. Electric service has been restored to most customers, and over 550 natural gas crew members are at work in the neighborhoods, going house to house to relight pilot lights of natural gas appliances.

Relights of pilot lights for customers’ appliances at their homes and businesses will continue through the evening and into tomorrow in all of the project regions where evacuation orders have been lifted. Because customers need to be home in order for a relight to be done, relights in the remaining areas will begin once evacuation orders are lifted. As of late this afternoon, natural gas restoration is nearing the halfway mark, with nearly 6,000 relights completed.

Relights must be done at each individual property, and crews are working to complete relights for most customers who are able to receive service by the end of the day Tuesday, for areas not under evacuation orders. If possible, customers are asked to please ensure the water is turned on at their homes before relights are done, so their water heater pilot light can be re-lit at the same time as their furnace.

Updates on natural gas restoration work in each region

As crews work to restore service to the approximately 13,000 customers whose service was turned off due to the fires, the restoration work has been divided into nine regions, with work progressing in each region. A map of the regions is available here.

With the exception of regions 5, 6, 7 and 8, customers should not call Xcel Energy to schedule relights of pilot lights on their appliances, unless they have received a door tag with instructions to do so. As crews go from door to door, they will confirm that the customer’s natural gas meter is working properly before completing their relights. Someone 18 years or older will need to be home for crews to do relights. If customers are not home, we will leave a door tag letting them know how to have their relight completed. Crews will knock on doors to do relights between 7 a.m. and 10 p.m.

As work progresses, customers can find updates on xcelenergy.com or on the company’s Facebook page. Updates for each region as of Monday morning are:

• Region 1 – Natural gas has been reintroduced to the system and crews are going door to door to re-light pilot lights in customers’ appliances, for portions of the region not under an evacuation order. Customers who are not home to have relights completed will receive a door tag with information on how to get their relight completed.
• Region 2 – Natural gas has been reintroduced to the system and crews are going door to door to re-light pilot lights in customers’ appliances, for portions of the region not under an evacuation order. Customers who are not home to have relights completed will receive a door tag with information on how to get their relight completed.
• Region 3 – Natural gas has been reintroduced to the system and crews are going door to door to re-light pilot lights in customers’ appliances, for portions of the region not under an evacuation order. Customers who are not home to have relights completed will receive a door tag with information on how to get their relight completed.
• Region 4 – Natural gas has been reintroduced to the system and crews are going door to door to re-light pilot lights in customers’ appliances, for portions of the region not under an evacuation order. Customers who are not home to have relights completed will receive a door tag with information on how to get their relight completed.
• Region 5 – Service is restored and pilot lights have been re-lit for the majority of customers in this area. If a customer in this region has not yet had natural gas service restored, please contact us at 800-895-2999.
• Region 6 – Service is restored and pilot lights have been re-lit for the majority of customers in this area. If a customer in this region has not yet had natural gas service restored, please contact us at 800-895-2999.
• Region 7 – Service is restored and pilot lights have been re-lit for the majority of customers in this area. If a customer in this region has not yet had natural gas service restored, please contact us at 800-895-2999.
• Region 8 – Service is restored and pilot lights have been re-lit for the majority of customers in this area. If a customer in this region has not yet had natural gas service restored, please contact us at 800-895-2999.
• Region 9 – Natural gas has been reintroduced to the system and crews are going door to door to re-light pilot lights in customers’ appliances, for portions of the region not under an evacuation order. Customers who are not home to have relights completed will receive a door tag with information on how to get their relight completed.

Public safety officials requested that natural gas service be turned off Thursday, Dec. 30 to minimize safety concerns related to the wildfires, as part of evacuation orders. Residents should also note that a number of roads are still closed in the area. Please view the Boulder Emergency Operations Center map for the latest on evacuation orders and road closures.

As an important safety reminder, if you ever detect a sulfur or “rotten egg” smell inside or near your home, it could be the odorant we put in natural gas to help detect leaks. If you notice that smell, leave your home immediately. Do not turn any electrical devices on or off and never use any phone until you are outside and safely away from the area. Then, call us at 1-800-895-2999. In a life-threatening emergency, call 9-1-1.

Electric heaters available to customers

To help customers heat their homes while their natural gas service is out, the company has provided more than 20,000 electric heaters to customers in the past few days. Heaters will be available for pickup today from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. at two locations: the Red Cross shelter at the YMCA in Lafayette at 2800 Dagny Way or the Superior Community Center at 1500 Coalton Rd. On Tuesday, heaters will be available only at the YMCA in Lafayette, from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Electric outage restoration in the Boulder area

Crews have also been working around the clock to restore electric service to customers affected by the fires and windstorm, and they have completed an evaluation of the area affected by the fires. All customers whose properties can accept electric service have had service restored, or that work is underway. If a crew is not already working on your outage and you would like to receive service to your property, please let us know by using our mobile app; our website, xcelenergy.com; or calling us at 1-800-895-1999 to have your power restored.