Businesses feel helpless as fuel bills soar

Business Report Correspondent

There’s little relief in sight for businesses struggling with skyrocketing heating bills. Rate hikes in the past year mean most will could see heating bills twice as high as last year.

The Colorado Public Utilities Commission (PUC) approved a 40 percent rate increase Jan. 5 requested by Xcel Energy for its customers in Colorado. The hike took effect the next day. Together with two other hikes in the last

year, it means many heating bills have doubled in the past year.

At IBM in Boulder, “we’re up against the same type of increases,´ said spokesperson Ray Blomgren. IBM’s heating…