City of Ames electricity rates
Municipal utility · Iowa · MRO region · MISO
City of Ames is a city-owned municipal utility, governed locally rather than by the state commission, serving 25,123 homes in Iowa. Its residential customers pay an average of 12.49¢/kWh including fixed and delivery charges, 31% 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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City of Ames bill estimates
| Monthly use | At average all-in rate |
|---|---|
| 500 kWh | $62.45 |
| 1,000 kWh | $124.90 |
| 1,500 kWh | $187.35 |
| 2,000 kWh | $249.80 |
City of Ames residential rate plans
| Plan | Effective | Customer charge | Energy charges |
|---|---|---|---|
| Residentialtime-of-use | 2013-01-01 | $8.00 | 11.7¢ (12am–12am) — summer weekdays |
Source: OpenEI U.S. Utility Rate Database. Rates change. Check the linked tariff or your bill for current figures.
City of Ames rate history
2015–2025: +8% change in the average residential rate (11.24¢ → 12.12¢). Annual EIA-861 data.
Outages & reliability
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Reliability history
| 2025 | City of Ames | Iowa avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|
| Outage minutes per customer (SAIDI) | 21 | 149 | 266 |
| Outages per customer (SAIFI) | 0.39 | 1.03 | 1.34 |
| Average restoration time (CAIDI) | 54 min | — | — |
| Outage minutes excluding major storms | 21 | 78 | 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 City of Ames's counties, customers averaged 65 min without power.
| County | Outage min/customer | Days with outages | Peak customers out | Worst day |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Story | 65 | 18 | 2,318 | 2025-01-30 |
City of Ames service area
City of Ames serves Story County in Iowa and 6 ZIP codes.
Story
Cities: Ames
Programs, smart meters & solar
| Smart meters (AMI) for homes | 4% |
| Time-based rate programs | Time-of-use rates |
| Homes on time-based rates | 20 |
| Net-metered solar homes | 851 |
| Home batteries paired with solar | 15 |
| Homes in demand response (e.g. thermostat rebates) | 10,479 |
| Residential efficiency incentives paid (2025) | $248,554 |
| Residential energy saved by programs | 303 MWh |
City of Ames at a glance
| Ownership | Municipal utility |
| Services | Generation, Transmission, Distribution |
| Commercial rate | 9.06¢/kWh |
| Industrial rate | 8.84¢/kWh |
| Retail revenue (2025) | $64,854,800 |
| Electricity sold (2025) | 672,597 MWh |
| Peak demand | 127 MW summer · 100 MW winter |
| Power from own generation | 36% (rest purchased) |
| Line losses | 3.1% |
| Balancing authority | MISO |
| EIA utility ID | 554 |
Other utilities in Iowa
Frequently asked questions
What is City of Ames's electricity rate?
City of Ames residential customers pay an average of 12.49¢ 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 12% below the Iowa average of 14.13¢ and 31% below the U.S. average.
What is the average City of Ames electric bill?
About $75 a month. The average City of Ames home uses 597 kWh a month. At 1,000 kWh the bill would be about $125.
How many customers does City of Ames have?
City of Ames serves 25,123 residential customers and 28,239 customers in total in Iowa, across 1 county.
How reliable is City of Ames?
In 2025, the average City of Ames customer was without power for 21 min (SAIDI) over 0.39 interruptions (SAIFI), including major storms. Excluding major event days it was 21 min. The Iowa average was 2 hr 29 min and the U.S. average 4 hr 26 min.
Does City of Ames offer time-of-use rates?
Yes. The OpenEI rate database lists 1 time-of-use residential plan, including Residential. Running big appliances off-peak can cut their cost. Pick the plan in the calculator above to see by how much.
Does City of Ames offer net metering for solar?
City of Ames had 851 residential net-metered customers in 2025 with 1.4 MW of capacity and 15 solar-paired batteries. 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 City of Ames before making decisions.