Open letter to Xcel CEO

On a regularly irregular basis, I receive a communication from Xcel telling me how my energy usage compares to that of my “neighbors.” I know not who those “neighbors” are. Neither do I know that they really are my neighbors. I only have the information in the communication, which is suspect.

This communication indicates my natural gas usage is “Great.” But, as for electricity, it’s only “Fair.” It’s time to write to the Xcel to let the CEO know what I really think about this communication. So, here goes.

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March 10, 2025

Bob Frenzel
Chairman, President, and Chief Executive Officer
Xcel Energy
414 Nicollet Mall Fl 5
Minneapolis, Minnesota 55401

 SUBJECT: SAVING MONEY

Dear Mr. Frenzel:

Today, I received another communication from your company that provided a comparison of my natural gas and electricity usage with my “neighbors.” With this letter, I wish to discuss the stupidity of this insanely expensive project that someone who clearly didn’t have anything valuable to do thought up. In case you think this is simply an incoherent rant of an old lady, let me expand on that comment.

First, nobody cares! When I talk with my real neighbors about this communication, they tell me they don’t even read it. Rather, it goes immediately into their trash or recycle, whichever bin is closest to where they open their mail. I say, again – NOBODY CARES!

Let me further expand. I am an 86-year-old woman who has no other creature living in her home. Not a dog. Not a snake. Not another human. My laundry consists of three loads of wash, weekly. Three loads that are completed during off-peak hours for electricity. Occasionally, a fourth load sneaks in when I launder the bedding on which I sleep.

Cooking is done in a microwave – only. And, never for more than four minutes at a meal; usually only for one meal a day when I warm the Meals-on-Wheels delivery that I receive on week days. Yes, I do have a frost-free refrigerator, as well as a frost-free freezer, the door of which is very rarely opened to cause extra cooling being necessary. And, I do use my electric dishwasher once per day; again, during off-peak hours. My garage door is electric and opens, perhaps, five times a week. (I stay at home a lot.) I turn off the lights when I leave a room. Medically, I’m required to use an oxygen concentrator at night; it runs for about ten hours per night, feeding oxygen into the CPAP machine that I am also medically required to use. My furnace does have a fan that requires electricity. However, you will see that it is used sparingly. My cell phone and my emergency button are charged daily. When we have inches of snow, I plug in the wire that melts the snow along the edge of my garage to prevent an ice build up that causes ruin to the roof shingles. After the electric snowblower is used to take care of snow, the batteries are charged.

I have a computer, three printers, and a copier. While the computer is configured so that I am not supposed to be shut it off (that was the computer company’s idea, not mine), the printers and copier only take on electricity when I print something. You see, I am a poet, a children’s writer, and I have a blog, called crankycronenews.com. So, yes, I do use electricity inside of my house. Oh, and I also have an outside, front porch light that is always on (we do not have very good street lighting). Any other outside door light is turned on and off as needed.

And, pretty much, except for the overhead and table lights that I have, that is an inventory of the electricity uses in my house.

The report is that natural gas usage comparison is only “FAIR.” So, let’s talk about the natural gas I use; we’ll start with those laundry loads. When using the washing machine (which by the way is a top-loader and not a front-loader that takes every so much time [and electricity] to complete a load), the water used is cold. Cold wash. Cold rinse. It takes around twenty minutes for a single load. Of course, the one occasional load of laundry of bed linens requires hot water. Bed linens have tiny, tiny mites, you know, and must be eradicated by washing. Even though the first part of this wash is with hot water, cold water is used for the rinse.

The one dishwasher load each day does use hot water, both wash and rinse. However, the dishes air dry; the heated dryer is turned off.

The temperature where I live can range from below zero to about 60 degrees, depending on the winter weather. During summer, temperatures often rise above one hundred degrees. Global warming is indeed having its way with our weather. During the winter, the inside of my house is usually about 60-65 degrees when using the furnace. On rising in the morning, I usually kick up the furnace temp two degrees higher than the current ambient temperature of the room at six o’clock. After the chill is off of the room, the thermostat is turned back to its 55 degrees, which is the temperature at which my house remains during the night. I do sleep under an electric blanker set at the 3 of 10 level allowing me to keep a very low house temp during the night. There is no point in keeping the entire house warm when all I need is warmth to sleep.

Let’s talk insulation. For some reason, the insulation that was originally installed in my home, seems to be sufficient enough to keep my house warm all day, after the night’s chill has been taken care of.

I do not have central air conditioning. During summer months, I let floor fans bring in the outside air. As the temperature rises, the house is closed up, leaving the hot air outside. I do have window AC in my bedroom; this AC is turned on about twenty minutes before I retire, then, turned off for the remainder of the night.

Your communications gives suggestions on what to do to “earn points” – whatever that is. Again, who cares? But, these undescribed points can be earned by:

Turning the hot water heater on vacation mode when leaving town – if I’m really lucky, I get to leave town for ten days, once a year.

Cover bare floors; how nice. I do have some floor coverings on my hardwood floors, but old people are cautioned to not have covered floors due to fall risk. And, as I said, I’m old.

Install smart thermostats: Again, how nice. But, that costs money, that most of us at my age, living on extremely limited incomes don’t have. In addition, those smart thermostats are, in my opinion, a technology that I don’t need. Do I need a piece of equipment determining when my furnace should work? I think not!

And, about the “water-saving” shower head. Do you think that taking a shower every five days, on average, is water-saving enough? Five days? Yes. Any more often, and I would be nothing but a pile of dry skin walking around in my home.

Now, let’s talk about those “neighbors” that are in the comparison model. “Use dual fuel.” Does that mean that they use both natural gas and electricity? No real words say that. “Within 6 miles.” Six miles? My neighbors do not live with six miles of me. Persons living within six miles are not even acquaintances! “Within +/- 300 SQFT.” Okay, so that must mean that their buildings are close to the size of my house.

Do those houses also have one person living there that I’ve described above? Probably not! So, let’s get off of the kick that this is a comparison of house/family to house/family like me and mine. If you are not comparing another household that is so similar to mine you would think we are the same household, you are comparing apples to oranges!

I’d really appreciate it if the brilliant mind that thought up this nonsense would be told: 1) Who cares? 2) Stop this wasteful process and put the money to good use; there are lots of charities that could use the cash. 3) Again, who cares. 4) Prove to me that the comparison is legitimate and meets exactly the same parameters that I’ve laid out about what goes on in my household. 6) Figure out some helpful way to spend the money this is costing! 7) Save the money so that you can apply it to my bill.

Thank you for your time.

Sincerely,

 And, my signature here

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ON A LIGHTER NOTE:  When was the last time you raised chickens in your back yard? And, if you buy chicks, how long will it be until they produce eggs? Assuming you didn’t buy roosters by  mistake?

Be Safe and Be Well
The Cranky Crone
Thoughtful comments are appreciated.