EV Charging Help
Utility programUpdated June 2026

Colorado Springs Utilities

Colorado Springs Utilities is a municipal, four-service utility owned by the City of Colorado Springs, serving about 260,682 electric customers in El Paso and Teller counties, Colorado, and is governed by City Council acting as the Utilities Board rather than the Colorado PUC. It has no EV-specific rate; EV owners use the default Energy Wise time-of-day rate, which charges roughly 7 cents per kWh off-peak. CSU offers commercial and multi-unit-dwelling charger rebates and a free managed-charging program delivered with Optiwatt, but no confirmed residential charger rebate.

At a glance

Municipal
Serves
Colorado
Customers
260,682
EV rate plan
EVSE rebate
Managed-charging program
Yes

EV time-of-use rate plans

Energy Wise Rate (time-of-day)

Verified Jun 2026

Peak
5pm-9pm weekdays
29.0¢/kWh
Off-peak
All other weekday hours plus all weekend and holiday hours
7.0¢/kWh

Default time-of-day rate for most residential smart-meter customers; not EV-specific, but it is the rate CSU directs EV owners to use. On-peak is about 29 cents per kWh in summer (June through September) and about 15 cents in winter; off-peak is about 7 cents year-round. Net-metered solar customers are excluded.

Commercial & multifamily rebates

Workplace and Fleet Level 2 Charging Rebate

Up to $1,200 per Level 2 port

Commercial customers installing Level 2 charging at workplaces or for fleets; first-come, first-served.

Apply / learn more →

Multi-Unit Dwelling Level 2 Charging Rebate

Up to $1,600 per Level 2 port

Multi-unit dwellings installing Level 2 charging; first-come, first-served.

Apply / learn more →

DC Fast Charger Rebate

Up to $12,000 per DCFC port

Commercial customers installing DC fast charging; first-come, first-served.

Apply / learn more →

Managed-charging programs

Managed Charging with Optiwatt

A free program delivered with Optiwatt that shifts EV charging into off-peak hours so it aligns with the Energy Wise rate. Customers set a departure time and charge limit and can override or opt out at any time.

Free to enroll; savings come from charging during off-peak Energy Wise pricing

Colorado Springs Utilities does not offer a separate EV rate. Instead, EV owners charge on the Energy Wise time-of-day rate, which is now the default for most residential smart-meter customers. On-peak runs weekdays from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m.; everything else, including all weekend and holiday hours, is off-peak. Off-peak energy costs about 7 cents per kWh year-round, while on-peak rises to about 29 cents per kWh in summer (June through September) and about 15 cents in winter. Charging overnight on this rate is well suited to EV owners.

CSU's charger rebates are commercial only. Workplaces and fleets can receive up to $1,200 per Level 2 port, multi-unit dwellings up to $1,600 per Level 2 port, and commercial sites up to $12,000 per DC fast charger port, all first-come, first-served. There is no confirmed residential charger rebate. For home charging, CSU instead points customers to its free managed-charging program, delivered with Optiwatt, which shifts charging into off-peak hours so it lines up with the Energy Wise rate.

CSU is a municipal, four-service utility owned by the City of Colorado Springs and governed by City Council acting as the Utilities Board, not by the Colorado Public Utilities Commission. That distinguishes it from Xcel's Public Service Company of Colorado and from Core Electric Cooperative, which serve other parts of the state. Because the city sets these rates directly, the Energy Wise structure and the rebate amounts can change through the city budget process rather than a PUC docket.

Service territory

Colorado

  • El Paso
  • Teller

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