States › Iowa › Board of Water Electric & Communications
municipal utility · EIA utility 13143
Board of Water Electric & Communications
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.
Board of Water Electric & Communications serves 10,123 residential customers in Iowa as a municipal utility, according to its 2024 Form EIA-861 filing, with a service territory that touches 1 county.
Its average residential price that year was 12.63¢ per kilowatthour, 5.7% below the Iowa average of 13.40¢ and 23% below 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 $102.03 a month on average use of 808 kWh a month. Across Iowa the average bill was $111.54 on 832 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 40.8 minutes per customer with major event days included and 8.5 minutes with them excluded, calculated under IEEE 1366 standard. The median among Iowa utilities reporting was 85.7 minutes with major event days; this utility's figure is 52% below that median.
The average price is up 6.9% on 2019, against up 7.5% for Iowa as a whole, and little changed on 2023. EIA's early release for 2025, which has not been fully edited, shows 12.89¢.
Compared with Iowa, the US and other municipal utilities
| Measure, 2024 | This utility | Municipal utilities, US median | Iowa | United States |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average residential price per kWh | 12.63¢ | 12.45¢ | 13.40¢ | 16.48¢ |
| Average monthly residential bill | $102.03 | $113.02 | $111.54 | $142.26 |
| Average monthly use, kWh | 808 | 905 | 832 | 863 |
| Residential price change, 1 year | +0.4% | — | +0.7% | +3.0% |
| Residential price change, 5 years | +6.9% | — | +7.5% | +26.7% |
| SAIDI, all events (minutes) | 40.8 | 64.4 | 85.7 median | 184.5 median |
| SAIDI, without major event days | 8.5 | 40.3 | 70.5 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. Among the 6 filings by municipal utilities in Iowa, the median price was 12.89¢. In Iowa this utility's price ranks 18 of 22, counting from the highest.
Average price by year
Board of Water Electric & CommunicationsIowa averageUS average
Year by year
| Year | ¢ per kWh | Iowa ¢ | Monthly bill | kWh a month | Residential customers | All sales |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 early release | 12.89¢ | 13.72¢ | $107.43 | 833 | 10,105 | 873.7 GWh |
| 2024 | 12.63¢ | 13.40¢ | $102.03 | 808 | 10,123 | 874.6 GWh |
| 2023 | 12.58¢ | 13.31¢ | $102.49 | 815 | 10,122 | 853.7 GWh |
| 2022 | 12.06¢ | 13.15¢ | $101.02 | 837 | 10,131 | 870.4 GWh |
| 2021 | 11.94¢ | 12.73¢ | $103.10 | 864 | 9,995 | 867.6 GWh |
| 2020 | 11.77¢ | 12.46¢ | $98.32 | 835 | 9,958 | 840.9 GWh |
| 2019 | 11.81¢ | 12.46¢ | $100.36 | 850 | 9,924 | 845 GWh |
| 2018 | 11.06¢ | 12.24¢ | $99.59 | 901 | 9,917 | 865.2 GWh |
| 2017 | 11.35¢ | 12.34¢ | $94.43 | 832 | 9,867 | 838.3 GWh |
| 2016 | 10.72¢ | 11.94¢ | $94.18 | 878 | 9,842 | 828.8 GWh |
| 2015 | 10.47¢ | 11.63¢ | $89.81 | 858 | 9,796 | 840.7 GWh |
| 2014 | 9.94¢ | 11.16¢ | $87.52 | 881 | 9,752 | 837 GWh |
| 2013 | 9.36¢ | 11.04¢ | $84.42 | 902 | 9,731 | 835.2 GWh |
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.
Sales by sector, 2024
| Sector | Customers | Sales | Share of sales | Revenue | ¢ per kWh, bundled |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residential | 10,123 | 98.1 GWh | 11% | $12,394,200 | 12.63¢ |
| Commercial | 1,585 | 138.8 GWh | 16% | $13,314,000 | 9.60¢ |
| Industrial | 16 | 637.8 GWh | 73% | $40,733,900 | 6.39¢ |
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: 1.5 TWh in total, of which 36.7% was its own net generation and 968.7 GWh was bought wholesale; summer peak demand 141 MW.
Reliability
Minutes of sustained interruption per customer in 2024, as the utility reported them under IEEE 1366 standard. SAIFI: 0.53 interruptions per customer with major event days, 0.21 without; CAIDI 76.5 minutes per interruption. EIA's Iowa total across all reporting utilities was 166.7 minutes with major event days and 89.8 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 | 19.1 | 11.0 | 0.27 | 0.16 | IEEE 1366 |
| 2024 | 40.8 | 8.5 | 0.53 | 0.21 | IEEE 1366 |
| 2023 | 42.6 | 13.7 | 0.65 | 0.21 | IEEE 1366 |
| 2022 | 5.1 | 5.1 | 0.16 | 0.16 | IEEE 1366 |
| 2021 | 8.2 | 8.2 | 0.15 | 0.15 | IEEE 1366 |
| 2020 | 36.4 | 8.2 | 0.29 | 0.07 | IEEE 1366 |
| 2019 | 32.4 | 18.7 | 0.74 | 0.38 | IEEE 1366 |
| 2018 | 15.3 | 15.3 | 0.18 | 0.18 | Other |
| 2017 | 48.0 | 35.5 | 0.55 | 0.43 | Other |
| 2016 | 11.5 | 11.5 | 0.13 | 0.13 | Other |
| 2015 | 9.5 | 9.5 | 0.25 | 0.25 | Other |
| 2014 | 20.8 | 20.8 | 0.34 | 0.34 | Other |
| 2013 | 34.0 | 34.0 | 0.57 | 0.57 | Other |
Generation at plants it operates, 2025
- Coal 99.7% 746.1 GWh
- Natural gas 0.2% 1.2 GWh
- Petroleum 0.1% 804 MWh
Net generation of 748.1 GWh at power plants this utility operates, from Form EIA-923. It is not the mix delivered to customers: utilities also buy power wholesale (968.7 GWh 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 Iowa
| Utility | Ownership | Residential customers | ¢ per kWh | Monthly bill | SAIDI, all events | SAIDI, no major events |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cedar Falls Utilities | Municipal | 17,772 | 10.42¢ | $81.94 | 3.2 | — |
| City of Ames | Municipal | 24,979 | 12.10¢ | $68.99 | 39.2 | 18.8 |
| City of Maquoketa | Municipal | 2,805 | 13.15¢ | $91.48 | — | — |
| City of Independence | Municipal | 2,719 | 13.82¢ | $89.48 | 10.7 | 10.7 |
| Iowa Lakes Electric Coop | Cooperative | 9,714 | 13.78¢ | $199.00 | 44.9 | 44.7 |
| North West Rural Electric Coop | Cooperative | 9,400 | 9.26¢ | $203.60 | 45.4 | 45.4 |
| Maquoketa Valley Rrl Elec Coop | Cooperative | 11,051 | 13.76¢ | $145.65 | 133.5 | 70.9 |
| Access Energy Coop | Cooperative | 8,850 | 14.95¢ | $158.50 | 192.0 | 173.0 |
All Iowa utilities · Municipal utilities nationwide
Questions and answers
How much does electricity cost from Board of Water Electric & Communications?
Residential customers paid an average of 12.63¢ 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 Iowa?
The Iowa average residential price in 2024 was 13.40¢ and the US average 16.48¢; Board of Water Electric & Communications was 5.7% below the state figure. Among 22 utility filings with a bundled residential price in Iowa, it had the 18th highest.
What is the average Board of Water Electric & Communications bill?
$102.03 a month in 2024, on average residential use of 808 kWh a month (annual revenue and sales divided by customers and by twelve). The Iowa average was $111.54 on 832 kWh.
How reliable is Board of Water Electric & Communications service?
It reported 40.8 minutes of interruption per customer (SAIDI) including major event days and 8.5 minutes excluding them, with 0.53 interruptions per customer (SAIFI) in 2024. Utilities calculate these under differing methods, so comparisons are approximate.
Is the Board of Water Electric & Communications price rising?
The average residential price was little changed in 2024 compared with 2023 and up 6.9% compared with 2019. EIA's early, not fully edited release for 2025 shows 12.89¢.
Which counties does Board of Water Electric & Communications serve?
Its Form EIA-861 service territory lists 1 county: Muscatine County, IA. 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 "Board of Water Electric & Communications", utility number 13143; the 2025 row is from EIA's early release. 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.