States › Colorado › Black Hills Colorado Electric, LLC
investor-owned utility · EIA utility 56146
Black Hills Colorado Electric, LLC
Average price is revenue divided by sales for the sector and year; it is not a tariff rate. Reliability figures are as reported by utilities to EIA on Form 861 and may use different calculation methods. Annual figures: Form EIA-861 for 2024, final release. Monthly state figures run to July 2026.
Black Hills Colorado Electric, LLC is an investor-owned utility that reported 89,252 residential customers in Colorado on Form EIA-861 for 2024, with a service territory that touches 7 counties.
Its average residential price that year was 17.05¢ per kilowatthour, 14% above the Colorado average of 14.92¢ and 3.5% above the US average of 16.48¢. The figure is residential revenue divided by residential sales, so it folds in fixed charges, riders and every rate schedule the utility bills under.
That works out to an average residential bill of $97.37 a month on average use of 571 kWh a month. Across Colorado the average bill was $100.57 on 674 kWh, so a bill gap reflects how much power households use as well as what each kilowatthour costs.
For reliability it reported a SAIDI of 323.3 minutes per customer with major event days included and 101.4 minutes with them excluded, calculated under IEEE 1366 standard. The median among Colorado utilities reporting was 157.8 minutes with major event days; this utility's figure is 105% above that median.
The average price is up 4.1% on 2019, against up 22.5% for Colorado as a whole, and down 2.1% on 2023. EIA's early release for 2025, which has not been fully edited, shows 18.71¢.
Compared with Colorado, the US and other investor-owned utilities
| Measure, 2024 | This utility | Investor-owned utilities, US median | Colorado | United States |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average residential price per kWh | 17.05¢ | 16.17¢ | 14.92¢ | 16.48¢ |
| Average monthly residential bill | $97.37 | $131.47 | $100.57 | $142.26 |
| Average monthly use, kWh | 571 | 787 | 674 | 863 |
| Residential price change, 1 year | -2.1% | — | +4.3% | +3.0% |
| Residential price change, 5 years | +4.1% | — | +22.5% | +26.7% |
| SAIDI, all events (minutes) | 323.3 | 278.7 | 157.8 median | 184.5 median |
| SAIDI, without major event days | 101.4 | 106.5 | 85.4 median | 99.8 median |
State and US prices, bills and use are EIA's own averages over every customer. The ownership column and the reliability columns are medians across utilities with at least 1,000 residential customers, computed on this site from the final 2024 file. In Colorado this utility's price ranks 4 of 30, counting from the highest.
Average price by year
Black Hills Colorado Electric, LLCColorado averageUS average
Year by year
| Year | ¢ per kWh | Colorado ¢ | Monthly bill | kWh a month | Residential customers | All sales |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 early release | 18.71¢ | 15.85¢ | $94.77 | 506 | 97,888 | 1.8 TWh |
| 2024 | 17.05¢ | 14.92¢ | $97.37 | 571 | 89,252 | 1.8 TWh |
| 2023 | 17.42¢ | 14.30¢ | $98.49 | 565 | 88,786 | 1.8 TWh |
| 2022 | 19.39¢ | 14.19¢ | $116.37 | 600 | 88,112 | 1.9 TWh |
| 2021 | 17.99¢ | 13.07¢ | $110.04 | 612 | 87,250 | 1.9 TWh |
| 2020 | 16.40¢ | 12.36¢ | $101.54 | 619 | 86,197 | 1.9 TWh |
| 2019 | 16.38¢ | 12.18¢ | $98.07 | 599 | 85,869 | 2 TWh |
| 2018 | 16.18¢ | 12.15¢ | $101.62 | 628 | 84,990 | 2 TWh |
| 2017 | 16.05¢ | 12.17¢ | $96.43 | 601 | 84,283 | 1.9 TWh |
| 2016 | 15.74¢ | 12.07¢ | $96.46 | 613 | 83,873 | 1.9 TWh |
| 2015 | 15.68¢ | 12.12¢ | $97.91 | 624 | 82,917 | 1.9 TWh |
| 2014 | 12.63¢ | 12.18¢ | $76.20 | 603 | 82,670 | 1.8 TWh |
| 2013 | 15.55¢ | 11.93¢ | $97.55 | 628 | 82,169 | 1.8 TWh |
Bundled residential service only in the price, bill and use columns. Bill = residential revenue ÷ customers ÷ 12; use = residential sales ÷ customers ÷ 12. EIA describes its early release as not fully edited; it is shown for this utility alone and enters no average, median or rank on this site.
Month by month
Black Hills Colorado Electric, LLCColorado average
Sales by sector, 2024
| Sector | Customers | Sales | Share of sales | Revenue | ¢ per kWh, bundled |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residential | 89,252 | 611.8 GWh | 34% | $104,284,000 | 17.05¢ |
| Commercial | 12,411 | 857 GWh | 47% | $103,298,000 | 12.05¢ |
| Industrial | 55 | 352 GWh | 19% | $34,814,000 | 9.89¢ |
Customers, sales and revenue count every service type the utility reported (bundled, energy-only and delivery-only). The price column uses bundled service alone, because part-bill revenue would understate it. Sources of energy: 2.5 TWh in total, of which 34.9% was its own net generation and 1.6 TWh was bought wholesale; summer peak demand 394 MW.
Reliability
Minutes of sustained interruption per customer in 2024, as the utility reported them under IEEE 1366 standard. SAIFI: 2.39 interruptions per customer with major event days, 1.42 without; CAIDI 135.3 minutes per interruption. EIA's Colorado total across all reporting utilities was 255.1 minutes with major event days and 119.0 without. Major event days are storms and similar events that a utility's chosen method sets apart; methods differ, so treat comparisons as approximate. What SAIDI and SAIFI mean.
| Year | SAIDI, all events | SAIDI, no major events | SAIFI, all events | SAIFI, no major events | Method |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 early release | 94.5 | 94.5 | 0.90 | 0.90 | IEEE 1366 |
| 2024 | 323.3 | 101.4 | 2.39 | 1.42 | IEEE 1366 |
| 2023 | 105.8 | 87.4 | 1.55 | 1.30 | IEEE 1366 |
| 2022 | 229.0 | 87.3 | 1.70 | 1.31 | IEEE 1366 |
| 2021 | 332.1 | 65.2 | 1.95 | 1.09 | IEEE 1366 |
| 2020 | 74.1 | 65.0 | 1.87 | 1.72 | IEEE 1366 |
| 2019 | 165.7 | 73.7 | 2.38 | 1.31 | IEEE 1366 |
| 2018 | 73.5 | 55.5 | 1.02 | 0.87 | IEEE 1366 |
| 2017 | 414.4 | 95.5 | 4.78 | 1.41 | IEEE 1366 |
| 2016 | 77.0 | 77.0 | 1.11 | 1.11 | IEEE 1366 |
| 2015 | 112.2 | 81.8 | 1.95 | 1.26 | IEEE 1366 |
| 2014 | 116.5 | 96.0 | 1.35 | 1.21 | IEEE 1366 |
| 2013 | 85.7 | 79.3 | 1.41 | 1.37 | IEEE 1366 |
Generation at plants it operates, 2025
- Wind 100% 250.1 GWh
Net generation of 250.1 GWh at power plants this utility operates, from Form EIA-923. It is not the mix delivered to customers: utilities also buy power wholesale (1.6 TWh in 2024), sell generation to others and may co-own plants that another company operates.
Counties in its service territory
Counties the utility listed on Form EIA-861 for 2024. Listing a county does not mean the utility serves all of it.
Other utilities in Colorado
| Utility | Ownership | Residential customers | ¢ per kWh | Monthly bill | SAIDI, all events | SAIDI, no major events |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Public Service Co of Colorado | Investor-owned | 1,365,053 | 15.05¢ | $90.26 | 351.7 | 158.0 |
| United Power, Inc | Cooperative | 101,502 | 15.75¢ | $127.70 | 76.9 | 76.9 |
| City of Fort Collins | Municipal | 70,803 | 13.21¢ | $82.07 | 11.1 | 11.1 |
| Mountain View Elec Assn, Inc | Cooperative | 59,789 | 15.52¢ | $139.24 | 55.6 | 42.0 |
| Holy Cross Electric Assn, Inc | Cooperative | 49,982 | 12.04¢ | $138.45 | 56.5 | 56.5 |
| Poudre Valley REA, Inc | Cooperative | 49,587 | 12.21¢ | $108.03 | 324.6 | 74.2 |
| CORE Electric Cooperative | Cooperative | 165,067 | 15.04¢ | $129.93 | 212.4 | 74.2 |
| City of Longmont | Municipal | 40,855 | 12.30¢ | $85.05 | 19.3 | 19.3 |
All Colorado utilities · Investor-owned utilities nationwide
Questions and answers
How much does electricity cost from Black Hills Colorado Electric, LLC?
Residential customers paid an average of 17.05¢ per kilowatthour in 2024. EIA derives this by dividing residential revenue by residential sales; it is an average across all rate schedules and charges, not a tariff rate.
How does that compare with Colorado?
The Colorado average residential price in 2024 was 14.92¢ and the US average 16.48¢; Black Hills Colorado Electric, LLC was 14% above the state figure. Among 30 utility filings with a bundled residential price in Colorado, it had the 4th highest.
What is the average Black Hills Colorado Electric, LLC bill?
$97.37 a month in 2024, on average residential use of 571 kWh a month (annual revenue and sales divided by customers and by twelve). The Colorado average was $100.57 on 674 kWh.
How reliable is Black Hills Colorado Electric, LLC service?
It reported 323.3 minutes of interruption per customer (SAIDI) including major event days and 101.4 minutes excluding them, with 2.39 interruptions per customer (SAIFI) in 2024. Utilities calculate these under differing methods, so comparisons are approximate.
Is the Black Hills Colorado Electric, LLC price rising?
The average residential price was down 2.1% in 2024 compared with 2023 and up 4.1% compared with 2019. EIA's early, not fully edited release for 2025 shows 18.71¢.
Which counties does Black Hills Colorado Electric, LLC serve?
Its Form EIA-861 service territory lists 7 counties: Crowley County, CO, Custer County, CO, El Paso County, CO, Fremont County, CO, Otero County, CO, Pueblo County, CO and Teller County, CO. A county can appear in several utilities' territories.
Provenance
Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration. Annual figures are from Form EIA-861 (sales to ultimate customers, reliability, operational data and service territory files), final release for 2024, respondent "Black Hills Colorado Electric, LLC", utility number 56146; the 2025 row is from EIA's early release. Monthly utility figures are from the Form EIA-861M sample. State and US averages are from the Form EIA-861M sales and revenue workbook, published through July 2026. Generation by fuel is from Form EIA-923, 2025 final. All are US government works in the public domain. Page built 1 Oct 2026. Errors in processing are corrected at the next build; see corrections. For tariffs and rate schedules, consult the utility or the state utility commission.