In Boulder, Xcel Energy provides electricity for most Boulder homes; Xcel Energy is Boulder's natural-gas utility; Boulder Water handles Boulder's water and sewer. The exact lineup depends on your Boulder address — even nearby Longmont and Westminster answer differently.
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In Boulder, you're not shopping for a provider — Colorado doesn't do retail choice, so your address decides who serves you. Across the addresses we sampled around the city, that means Xcel Energy for both electric and gas; Xcel handled both at every one of them. Water and sewer are a different story — those run through Boulder Water, not Xcel, so you're dealing with two names, not one. Confirm yours with the lookup.
Boulder has spent more energy than most cities thinking about who runs its power. For years the city pursued forming its own municipal electric utility to split from Xcel, fighting it out through ballot measures and regulators before ultimately signing a franchise agreement to stay. That backstory is why Xcel still shows up on the electric and gas side today, even in a town famous for going its own way on climate and energy.
Boulder sits where the plains slam into the Flatirons, a college town wrapped around the University of Colorado and hemmed in by a hard greenbelt that kept sprawl at bay. Pearl Street's pedestrian mall anchors downtown, Chautauqua's trailheads start where the neighborhoods end, and the whole place tilts toward the mountains that rise right at its western edge.
| Utility | Provider | Phone | Start service |
|---|---|---|---|
| ⚡ Electricity | Xcel Energy | (800) 895-2999 | Provider site |
| 🔥 Natural gas | Xcel Energy | (800) 895-2999 | Provider site |
| 💧 Water | Boulder Water | — | Look up address |
| 🚽 Sewer | Boulder Water | — | Look up address |
Based on 12 sampled Boulder addresses spanning ZIP codes 80301, 80302, 80303, 80304, 80305 (2026-07-20). Yours may differ — the Boulder lookup is the tiebreaker.
Boulder's boundaries wander. Cross into unincorporated Boulder County, out toward Gunbarrel, or up a foothills canyon and the setup can shift — homes out there may be on wells and septic rather than Boulder Water. Don't assume the city pattern holds; use the lookup.
The one-minute fix: run your Boulder address through the lookup and skip the guessing.
Moving to Boulder — whether you're chasing the August CU rush or landing off-season — square away utilities before your first night with this quick checklist.
At every one of the Boulder addresses we sampled, Xcel Energy was the electric utility. The exact Boulder provider depends on the address.
Generally no — Boulder electric territory is fixed by address: the utility holding your Boulder block is your utility, and at every one of sampled Boulder addresses that was Xcel Energy — Boulder is a one-signup town.
At every one of the Boulder addresses we sampled, Boulder Water was the water provider — sewer included. Other districts take over around Boulder's edges, so check your block.
No — at every one of the sampled Boulder addresses, Xcel Energy was the gas utility, but plenty of Boulder homes are all-electric and never open this account.
Xcel Energy. At every address we sampled across Boulder, Xcel handled both the electric and the gas. Colorado doesn't have retail energy choice, so this isn't something you shop for — your address determines your provider, not the other way around. Because coverage can change right at the city's edges, run your specific address through the lookup before you assume anything.
Water and sewer run through Boulder Water at every address we sampled — a separate name from Xcel, which covers your electric and gas. So expect to deal with more than one provider when you set up service. Just outside the city, in unincorporated county or the foothills, the water and sewer picture can look different, including wells and septic, so confirm your exact address with the lookup.
It's Xcel. Boulder spent years pursuing its own municipal electric utility, hoping to break from Xcel and chase more aggressive clean-energy goals. After a long run of ballot measures and regulatory fights, the city ultimately signed a franchise agreement and stayed with Xcel. That's why Xcel shows up for electric and gas at the addresses we sampled today. Your water and sewer, though, still go through Boulder Water.
One minute with the Boulder lookup above returns your Boulder address's exact providers, phone numbers included.
Moving somewhere just outside Boulder? Providers likely differ:
Boulder-level lists can't be precise. Your Boulder address can.
Find my providersBoulder provider data comes from our address-level utility lookup engine — 12 Boulder sample addresses spread across ZIPs 80301, 80302, 80303, 80304, 80305, refreshed 2026-07-20. Individual Boulder addresses vary — check yours directly. Here's how we verify Boulder provider data.