BENCO Electric Cooperative electricity rates
Electric cooperative · Minnesota · MRO region · MISO
BENCO Electric Cooperative is a member-owned electric cooperative, so its customers own it and elect its board, serving 18,500 homes in Minnesota. Its residential customers pay an average of 16.54¢/kWh including fixed and delivery charges, 8% less than the U.S. average.
Rate basis: EIA-861 2025 annual data, adjusted to the 12 months ending 2026-07 using the state's price trend.
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BENCO Electric Cooperative bill estimates
| Monthly use | At average all-in rate |
|---|---|
| 500 kWh | $82.70 |
| 1,000 kWh | $165.40 |
| 1,500 kWh | $248.10 |
| 2,000 kWh | $330.80 |
BENCO Electric Cooperative rate history
2015–2025: +27% change in the average residential rate (12.74¢ → 16.14¢). Annual EIA-861 data.
Outages & reliability
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Reliability history
| 2025 | BENCO Electric Cooperative | Minnesota avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|
| Outage minutes per customer (SAIDI) | 82 | 188 | 266 |
| Outages per customer (SAIFI) | 0.92 | 1.17 | 1.34 |
| Average restoration time (CAIDI) | 88 min | — | — |
| Outage minutes excluding major storms | 69 | 92 | 121 |
Outages in counties served (2025)
From ORNL EAGLE-I, which tracks customers without power every 15 minutes. These counts cover every utility in each county. Weighted across BENCO Electric Cooperative's counties, customers averaged 2 hr 19 min without power.
| County | Outage min/customer | Days with outages | Peak customers out | Worst day |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Le Sueur | 216 | 36 | 1,879 | 2025-07-29 |
| Blue Earth | 147 | 28 | 8,688 | 2025-10-11 |
| Sibley | 134 | 17 | 1,038 | 2025-06-13 |
| Nicollet | 94 | 19 | 2,533 | 2025-03-11 |
| Faribault | 64 | 14 | 513 | 2025-05-19 |
BENCO Electric Cooperative service area
BENCO Electric Cooperative serves 5 counties in Minnesota and 39 ZIP codes.
Blue Earth, Faribault, Le Sueur, Nicollet, Sibley
Cities: Mankato, North Mankato, New Ulm, Saint Peter, Le Sueur, Blue Earth, Lake Crystal, Janesville, Madelia, Wells, Gaylord, Mapleton, Winnebago, Winthrop, New Richland, Nicollet, Truman
Programs, smart meters & solar
| Smart meters (AMI) for homes | 100% |
| Customers with daily usage data online | 18,499 |
| Time-based rate programs | Time-of-use rates |
| Homes on time-based rates | 59 |
| Net-metered solar homes | 195 |
BENCO Electric Cooperative at a glance
| Ownership | Electric cooperative |
| Services | Distribution |
| Commercial rate | 14.14¢/kWh |
| Industrial rate | 9.54¢/kWh |
| Retail revenue (2025) | $52,012,000 |
| Electricity sold (2025) | 354,166 MWh |
| Peak demand | 69 MW summer · 57 MW winter |
| Line losses | 3.6% |
| Balancing authority | MISO |
| EIA utility ID | 1884 |
Other utilities in Minnesota
Frequently asked questions
What is BENCO Electric Cooperative's electricity rate?
BENCO Electric Cooperative residential customers pay an average of 16.54¢ per kWh, all charges included (EIA-861 2025 annual data, adjusted to the 12 months ending 2026-07 using the state's price trend). That's 2% above the Minnesota average of 16.22¢ and 8% below the U.S. average.
What is the average BENCO Electric Cooperative electric bill?
About $162 a month. The average BENCO Electric Cooperative home uses 978 kWh a month. At 1,000 kWh the bill would be about $165.
How many customers does BENCO Electric Cooperative have?
BENCO Electric Cooperative serves 18,500 residential customers and 20,086 customers in total in Minnesota, across 5 counties.
How reliable is BENCO Electric Cooperative?
In 2025, the average BENCO Electric Cooperative customer was without power for 82 min (SAIDI) over 0.92 interruptions (SAIFI), including major storms. Excluding major event days it was 69 min. The Minnesota average was 3 hr 8 min and the U.S. average 4 hr 26 min.
Does BENCO Electric Cooperative offer time-of-use rates?
BENCO Electric Cooperative reports offering time-of-use rates to residential customers. Running big appliances off-peak can cut their cost. Pick the plan in the calculator above to see by how much.
Does BENCO Electric Cooperative offer net metering for solar?
BENCO Electric Cooperative had 195 residential net-metered customers in 2025 with 3.5 MW of capacity. Estimate solar savings at this utility's rate.
Sources: EIA-861 2025 and EIA-861M (through July 2026), OpenEI URDB, ORNL EAGLE-I, U.S. Census. Methodology. Spot an error? Rates change often, so confirm with BENCO Electric Cooperative before making decisions.