Fort Collins Utilities Recognized Nationally for Energy Innovation

Contact: Pablo Bauleo

Sr. Energy Services Engineer

970-221-6855

[email protected]

Fort Collins, CO - Fort Collins Utilities has received national recognition for its innovative and resourceful approach to managing grid resources to help meet affordability and climate goals, earning the Excellence in Resourcefulness - Energy award from Frost & Sullivan.

This award highlights the utility's leadership in creating a smarter, cleaner, and more cost-effective energy future for the Fort Collins community.

Local Innovation, National Recognition

As a municipal utility, Fort Collins Utilities is committed to the climate goals of 100% renewable electricity by 2030 and carbon neutrality by 2050. The City has long championed programs that help customers use energy more efficiently, especially during peak demand times.

Key successes include the rollout of Time-of-Use (TOU) rates and a distributed energy resources management system (DERMS), which encourage shifting energy use to off-peak hours when electricity is cleaner and more affordable. These programs are powered in part by a long-standing partnership with Itron, a leading technology provider.

Together, Fort Collins and Itron have created a cutting-edge platform that integrates devices like smart thermostats, grid-interactive water heaters, and EV telematics charging, allowing the utility to actively manage and reduce demand in real time-right down to the neighborhood level.

Real Results for Our Community

Since launching these efforts, Fort Collins Utilities has:

• Shifted approximately 750 megawatt-hours (MWh) of energy annually-helping balance the grid and reduce emissions
• Extended the life of critical grid equipment by reducing peak stress
• Served as a national test bed for next-generation energy technologies, including smart EV integration

The utility's innovative use of flexible load and customer-owned devices is key to reaching its goal of having 5% of the 2030 peak load (about 16 megawatts) be fully dispatchable and grid-responsive.

"Our team has worked hard to bring advanced grid technologies from concept to reality," said Pablo Bauleo, Sr. Energy Services Engineer. "Every improvement we make-whether in smart controls or data analytics-helps us deliver more reliable, efficient energy to our community while paving the way for a cleaner future."

"This recognition reflects the smart, forward-thinking work happening right here in Fort Collins," said Farah Saeed, Director of Energy & Environment Growth Advisory at Frost & Sullivan. "These programs not only deliver measurable savings, but they also position Fort Collins as a national leader in clean, community-centered energy solutions."

Learn more: Frost & Sullivan Honors Fort Collins Utilities and Texarkana Water Utilities with Excellence in Resourcefulness Awards This link opens in a new browser tab