COLORADO SPRINGS – The Colorado Springs City Council has approved a seasonal increase in electricity and natural gas rates by Colorado Springs Utilities (CSU). What does this price change mean for your bill, along with another rate change proposed by Springs Utilities?

News5 spoke to people in downtown Colorado Springs and asked them what impact this increase will have on their wallets. The general perception is that people are angry.

“Yes, that’s much too high,” said Jeanne Braun.

“An additional fee will hurt working families,” said Shana Black.

“It’s a hard pill to swallow,” said Eric Aragon, assistant manager at Bread and Butter, a grocery store in downtown Colorado Springs.

CSU customers are becoming increasingly frustrated as they face rising electricity bills.

“Saving money and turning every penny around to offset these additional costs,” Aragon said.

He said everything, including utilities, was becoming too expensive.

The Colorado Springs City Council has approved a rate increase for gas and electricity. This increase will cost the average customer about $8.71 per month.

“$8 is a lot for a lot of people,” Braun said.

Braun said she has had good experiences with utility companies in the 50 years she has lived in Colorado Springs.

“But I don’t want the price to go above $8,” Braun said.

In addition, CSU last month proposed a base rate increase starting in 2025 to help fund infrastructure and comply with state regulations. If approved, that increase would mean customers would pay about $25 more per month starting in January than they do now.

“Yes, that is too big an increase and what is the justification for it,” said Braun.

Where will this $25 come from in your budget?

“It just has to come from somewhere, otherwise your power will be cut off. I mean, you just have to get it from somewhere else,” Black said.

“Good question, I don’t know. I’m not sure. It’s too much,” said Braun.

“Cutting on anything that is not absolutely necessary. I wish it wouldn’t get any more because we could use the money for other things that are important to us. But our utilities are important too,” Aragon said.

Black has lived in Colorado Springs since 2016. She says utility costs are lower there than in California, but she worries about how the rate increase will affect her daughter and grandchildren.

“They have very limited incomes and I would say seniors are on fixed incomes too, and that’s going to hurt,” Black said.

“Myself included, I’m on a fixed income, so, you know … it’s tough when you’re a senior and, you know, on a fixed income and you’re not getting big cost-of-living increases,” Braun said.

In order to save money, it ultimately comes down to being clever, said Braun.

“I mean, I try to turn off the lights whenever possible and not use a lot of electricity,” Braun said.

The last time Springs Utilities increased the seasonal fuel price was two years ago, in October 2022.

To mitigate the increase in costs, CSU offers some tips for the colder months, including the following:

• Sealing your doors and windows
• Change your furnace filter every 30 days
• Keep your thermostat at about 68° in winter

This year’s seasonal increase in gas and electricity tariffs comes into effect on October 1. The CSU adjusts these tariffs up or down four times a year.
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