Colorado Springs Utilities is rolling out a new program called Energy Wise, which charges customers different rates for energy that is used during different times of the day.
Currently, most customers are charged a flat rate for the energy they use, regardless of the time of day. However, starting now and continuing into April, the utility will roll out a higher rate for energy used during the peak hours of 5-9 p.m. Folks who became new utility customers starting in October 2025 are already affected by the new program.
For the standard Energy Wise program:
- Winter
- Off-peak hours rate is $.07
- Peak hours rate is $.14
- Summer
- Off-peak hours rate is $.07
- Peak hours rate is $.29
Tristen Gearheart, chief planning and financial officer of the utility, said the program won't likely bring in extra money. It's even possible that around half of utility customers could save money.
“For the other 50 percent of customers, they might see a two to $3 increase if they didn't change any of their behavior,” Gearhart said. “So if they kept using their energy the same way, really, it was almost completely neutral.”
Gearhart said the program could save money by reducing the need for extra infrastructure to support high peak-hour demand.
“If we're able to get us off that 5 to 9 peak, that helps us reduce our cost as a nonprofit utility provider, and by bringing our cost going down, we're able to pass that savings on through everyone's bills,” Gearhart said.
Customers can use an online tool to calculate possible changes to their bill based on what appliances they use and when.
