Hundreds of Colorado Springs residents packed into city hall Tuesday for a hearing on a proposal to increase solar customers’ monthly bills. After nine hours of testimony from Colorado Springs Utilities, pro-solar organizations, and comments from the public, city council informally voted 5-4 to kill the proposal.
At issue is a new Energy Wise program that Colorado Springs Utilities rolled out in October. The program charges normal grid electric users more for power used during the peak hours of 5-9 p.m. Mon-Fri. Solar users were not included in this change, and the goal was to level the field.
Tristen Gearheart, CFO of Colorado Springs Utilities, said solar users generate most of their energy during the morning or early afternoon hours when demand for energy is lower and supply is higher — making energy during these hours cheaper. But he said they still draw nearly the same amount of energy from the grid during peak hours…