Coloradans Should Expect Much Higher Gas Bills in 2026

Colorado has had many wildfires, increasingly so over the recent years, including the devastating Marshall Fire of 2021. With two people dying and nearly 1,000 homes/structures being destroyed, somebody was going to pay. Now, will it come down to Colorado Xcel Energy customers?

A lawsuit was filed regarding the fire, arguing that a faulty power line operated by Xcel Energy caused the fire. Plaintiffs in the lawsuit, according to the Colorado Sun, included hundreds of residents who'd lost their homes, and almost 200 insurance companies; the case was settled out of court for $640 million.

While Xcel Energy wasn't the only defendant in the lawsuit (Qwest and Teleport Communications were also involved in the suit,) Xcel will be draining its coffers of a very large sum of money. With that, you have to expect that things at the energy company will be changing: the losing of employees, less infrastructure improvements for a while, and getting more money from its customer base.

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How many of us Xcel customers, already, have been having to deal with higher bills? I know that I shiver in winter, not only trying to keep the bill down, but when I open that "crazy" bill. I also know that I can't be alone in trying to figure out ever way possible to keep that bill from reaching upwards of $100/month in those "higher average" months.

If there's a "bright side" to the situation, it's that if the lawsuit had gone to trial, the damages could have resulted in more than $1 billion. We should also keep in mind, that though our monthly bills may be higher, we aren't paying the price that those who were effected by the fire did.