Black Hills Electric Co-op electricity rates
Electric cooperative · South Dakota · WECC region · SPP
Black Hills Electric Co-op is a member-owned electric cooperative, so its customers own it and elect its board, serving 9,415 homes in South Dakota. Its residential customers pay an average of 15.56¢/kWh including fixed and delivery charges, 14% less than the U.S. average.
Rate basis: EIA-861M monthly utility data, 12 months ending 2026-07.
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Black Hills Electric Co-op bill estimates
| Monthly use | At average all-in rate | Base tariff charges* |
|---|---|---|
| 500 kWh | $77.80 | $60.25 |
| 1,000 kWh | $155.60 | $102.95 |
| 1,500 kWh | $233.40 | $139.74 |
| 2,000 kWh | $311.20 | $172.59 |
*Residential (effective 2011-10-01, $10.95/month customer charge), energy and fixed charges from the OpenEI Utility Rate Database. Riders, fuel adjustments and taxes are often billed separately, so real bills usually land closer to the all-in column. Calculate your bill.
Black Hills Electric Co-op residential rate plans
| Plan | Effective | Customer charge | Energy charges |
|---|---|---|---|
| Residential | 2011-10-01 | $10.95 | 9.86¢ first 500 kWh, 8.54¢ first 1,200 kWh, 6.57¢ after |
| Residential All-Electric Rate | 2011-10-01 | $12.00 | 7.00¢ |
Source: OpenEI U.S. Utility Rate Database. Rates change. Check the linked tariff or your bill for current figures.
Black Hills Electric Co-op rate history
2015–2025: +13% change in the average residential rate (13.10¢ → 14.79¢). Annual EIA-861 data.
Outages & reliability
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Reliability history
| 2025 | Black Hills Electric Co-op | South Dakota avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|
| Outage minutes per customer (SAIDI) | 2,487 | 257 | 266 |
| Outages per customer (SAIFI) | 3.41 | 1.24 | 1.34 |
| Average restoration time (CAIDI) | 12 hr 10 min | — | — |
| Outage minutes excluding major storms | 120 | 63 | 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 Black Hills Electric Co-op's counties, customers averaged 13 hr 59 min without power.
| County | Outage min/customer | Days with outages | Peak customers out | Worst day |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Custer | 3,961 | 35 | 5,295 | 2025-12-18 |
| Fall River | 934 | 23 | 4,310 | 2025-11-13 |
| Pennington | 777 | 37 | 41,253 | 2025-11-13 |
| Lawrence | 684 | 33 | 13,759 | 2025-11-13 |
| Meade | 505 | 34 | 10,065 | 2025-11-13 |
| Oglala Lakota | 126 | 8 | 816 | 2025-06-01 |
Black Hills Electric Co-op service area
Black Hills Electric Co-op serves 6 counties in South Dakota and 26 ZIP codes.
Custer, Fall River, Lawrence, Meade, Oglala Lakota, Pennington
Cities: Rapid City, Rapid Valley, Hot Springs, Lead, Blackhawk, Colonial Pine Hills, Custer, Oglala, Deadwood, Porcupine
Programs, smart meters & solar
| Smart meters (AMI) for homes | 100% |
| Customers with daily usage data online | 9,415 |
| Time-based rate programs | Time-of-use rates |
| Homes on time-based rates | 7,878 |
| Net-metered solar homes | 87 |
| Homes in demand response (e.g. thermostat rebates) | 790 |
Black Hills Electric Co-op at a glance
| Ownership | Electric cooperative |
| Services | Distribution |
| Commercial rate | 15.39¢/kWh |
| Industrial rate | 19.73¢/kWh |
| Retail revenue (2025) | $24,527,800 |
| Electricity sold (2025) | 166,008 MWh |
| Peak demand | 32 MW summer · 52 MW winter |
| Line losses | 7.6% |
| Balancing authority | SWPP |
| EIA utility ID | 1769 |
Other utilities in South Dakota
Frequently asked questions
What is Black Hills Electric Co-op's electricity rate?
Black Hills Electric Co-op residential customers pay an average of 15.56¢ per kWh, all charges included (EIA-861M monthly utility data, 12 months ending 2026-07). That's 10% above the South Dakota average of 14.20¢ and 14% below the U.S. average.
What is the average Black Hills Electric Co-op electric bill?
About $175 a month. The average Black Hills Electric Co-op home uses 1,122 kWh a month. At 1,000 kWh the bill would be about $156.
How many customers does Black Hills Electric Co-op have?
Black Hills Electric Co-op serves 9,415 residential customers and 11,478 customers in total in South Dakota, across 6 counties.
How reliable is Black Hills Electric Co-op?
In 2025, the average Black Hills Electric Co-op customer was without power for 41 hr 27 min (SAIDI) over 3.41 interruptions (SAIFI), including major storms. Excluding major event days it was 2 hr 0 min. The South Dakota average was 4 hr 17 min and the U.S. average 4 hr 26 min.
Does Black Hills Electric Co-op offer time-of-use rates?
Black Hills Electric Co-op 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 Black Hills Electric Co-op offer net metering for solar?
Black Hills Electric Co-op had 87 residential net-metered customers in 2025 with 0.7 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 Black Hills Electric Co-op before making decisions.