Black Hills Power electricity rates
Investor-owned utility · South Dakota · WECC region
Black Hills Power is a for-profit, investor-owned utility regulated by the state utility commission, serving 67,608 homes in South Dakota. Its residential customers pay an average of 15.36¢/kWh including fixed and delivery charges, 15% less than the U.S. average.
Rate basis: EIA-861M monthly utility data, 12 months ending 2026-07.
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Black Hills Power bill estimates
| Monthly use | At average all-in rate | Base tariff charges* |
|---|---|---|
| 500 kWh | $76.80 | $76.78 |
| 1,000 kWh | $153.60 | $144.31 |
| 1,500 kWh | $230.40 | $211.84 |
| 2,000 kWh | $307.20 | $279.37 |
*Residential Service: R (effective 2017-12-01, $9.25/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 Power residential rate plans
| Plan | Effective | Customer charge | Energy charges |
|---|---|---|---|
| Residential Service: R | 2017-12-01 | $9.25 | 13.51¢ |
| Total Electric Residential Service: RTE | 2017-12-01 | $12.00 | 11.05¢ |
| Residential Demand Service (Optional) | 2014-10-01 | $15.50 | 7.04¢ |
| Residential Service (R) | 2014-10-01 | $15.50 | 11.43¢ |
| Total Electric Residential Service (RTE) | 2014-10-01 | $15.50 | 11.33¢ |
| Utility Controlled Residential Service (UCR) | 2014-05-01 | $7.00 | 6.21¢ |
| Residential Demand Service (RD) | 2010-06-01 | $16.50 | 4.88¢ |
| Total Electric Residential Service | 1991-10-01 | $9.50 | 4.94¢ |
| Residential Service | 1991-10-01 | $7.00 | 6.13¢ |
Source: OpenEI U.S. Utility Rate Database. Rates change. Check the linked tariff or your bill for current figures.
Black Hills Power rate history
2015–2025: +8% change in the average residential rate (13.99¢ → 15.12¢). Annual EIA-861 data.
Outages & reliability
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Reliability history
| 2025 | Black Hills Power | South Dakota avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|
| Outage minutes per customer (SAIDI) | 541 | 257 | 266 |
| Outages per customer (SAIFI) | 2.27 | 1.24 | 1.34 |
| Average restoration time (CAIDI) | 3 hr 59 min | — | — |
| Outage minutes excluding major storms | 43 | 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 Power's counties, customers averaged 13 hr 56 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 |
| Butte | 135 | 8 | 3,573 | 2025-11-13 |
Black Hills Power service area
Black Hills Power serves 6 counties in South Dakota and 29 ZIP codes.
Butte, Custer, Fall River, Lawrence, Meade, Pennington
Cities: Rapid City, Spearfish, Box Elder, Rapid Valley, Ellsworth Air Force Base, Sturgis, Belle Fourche, Hot Springs, Lead, Blackhawk, Colonial Pine Hills, North Spearfish, Summerset, Custer, Deadwood
Programs, smart meters & solar
| Smart meters (AMI) for homes | 100% |
| Time-based rate programs | None reported |
| Net-metered solar homes | 233 |
| Residential efficiency incentives paid (2025) | $58,233 |
| Residential energy saved by programs | 49 MWh |
Black Hills Power at a glance
| Ownership | Investor-owned utility |
| Services | Generation, Transmission, Distribution, Wholesale Marketing |
| Commercial rate | 14.84¢/kWh |
| Industrial rate | 11.08¢/kWh |
| Retail revenue (2025) | $213,665,400 |
| Electricity sold (2025) | 1,526,786 MWh |
| Peak demand | 379 MW summer · 343 MW winter |
| Power from own generation | 55% (rest purchased) |
| Line losses | 9.5% |
| Balancing authority | WACM |
| EIA utility ID | 19545 |
| Website | puc.sd.gov/commission/dockets/electric |
Other utilities in South Dakota
Frequently asked questions
What is Black Hills Power's electricity rate?
Black Hills Power residential customers pay an average of 15.36¢ per kWh, all charges included (EIA-861M monthly utility data, 12 months ending 2026-07). That's 8% above the South Dakota average of 14.20¢ and 15% below the U.S. average.
What is the average Black Hills Power electric bill?
About $108 a month. The average Black Hills Power home uses 700 kWh a month. At 1,000 kWh the bill would be about $154.
How many customers does Black Hills Power have?
Black Hills Power serves 67,608 residential customers and 82,900 customers in total in South Dakota, across 6 counties.
How reliable is Black Hills Power?
In 2025, the average Black Hills Power customer was without power for 9 hr 1 min (SAIDI) over 2.27 interruptions (SAIFI), including major storms. Excluding major event days it was 43 min. The South Dakota average was 4 hr 17 min and the U.S. average 4 hr 26 min.
Does Black Hills Power offer net metering for solar?
Black Hills Power had 233 residential net-metered customers in 2025 with 1.5 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 Black Hills Power before making decisions.