IOU Colorado

Black Hills Colorado Electric, LLC

106min
SAIDI 2023
1.55
SAIFI 2023
101,100
Customers

What This Utility Data Tells You

Black Hills Colorado Electric, LLC is a investor-owned utility operating in Colorado under EIA identifier 56146. It reports service to approximately 101,100 customer accounts and generated about $0.25 billion in annual electric revenue, with a service footprint spanning 72 ZIP codes. As an investor-owned utility, it operates under state public utility commission oversight that reviews rate cases and reliability performance.

In 2023, the average Black Hills Colorado Electric, LLC customer experienced 105.8 minutes of power interruptions — a metric called SAIDI (System Average Interruption Duration Index). That sits within the 120–180 minute national benchmark range, indicating performance typical of U.S. distribution utilities. SAIFI — the average number of outage events per customer — was 1.55 for the same period, so customers statistically faced roughly 2 distinct interruptions that year. Excluding major event days (hurricanes, ice storms), SAIDI drops to 87.4 minutes — the gap between that figure and the headline 105.8 reveals how much weather, not day-to-day infrastructure, drove outages.

The EIA dataset includes 4 years of continuous reporting (2020–2023) for Black Hills Colorado Electric, LLC, which lets you see whether reliability is trending up or down rather than judging from a single snapshot. SAIDI has increased from 74.1 to 105.8 minutes, which may reflect either worsening weather exposure or delayed grid modernization. All figures on this page come directly from EIA Form 861, the federal annual electric power industry survey, with service territory ZIPs sourced from OpenEI — you can cross-reference them with your own utility bill or use them when comparing providers before relocating.

SAIDI

106 min per year

Average outage minutes (2023)

SAIFI

1.55 interruptions/yr

Outage frequency (2023)

Customers

101,100

Served in Colorado

SAIDI vs. National Average (180 min) 26.4%

106 minutes per customer per year

Black Hills Colorado Electric, LLC SAIDI

Minutes without power per year (2023)

106 SAIDI106 SAIDINat. avg 120120SAIDI106SAIDI

Good

Reliability Trend (2020–2023)

Year SAIDI (min) SAIDI nMED SAIFI Customers
2020 74.1 65.0 1.871 98,735
2021 332.1 65.2 1.952 99,535
2022 229.0 87.3 1.696 100,423
2023 105.8 87.4 1.548 100,349

SAIDI nMED = SAIDI without major event days. Source: EIA Form 861.

Service Area

Black Hills Colorado Electric, LLC serves 72 ZIP codes in Colorado.

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Frequently Asked Questions

How reliable is Black Hills Colorado Electric, LLC?

Black Hills Colorado Electric, LLC had a SAIDI of 105.8 minutes in 2023, meaning the average customer experienced about 106 minutes of outages that year. This is near the national average.

What type of utility is Black Hills Colorado Electric, LLC?

Black Hills Colorado Electric, LLC is classified as a IOU serving Colorado. Investor-owned utilities (IOUs) are for-profit companies regulated by state public utility commissions.

What does SAIDI mean for Black Hills Colorado Electric, LLC?

SAIDI (System Average Interruption Duration Index) measures the average total minutes per year that a customer of Black Hills Colorado Electric, LLC experiences power outages. A lower SAIDI indicates better reliability. The national average is roughly 120-180 minutes per year, so comparing Black Hills Colorado Electric, LLC's SAIDI to that benchmark shows whether this utility is above or below average.

How many customers does Black Hills Colorado Electric, LLC serve?

Black Hills Colorado Electric, LLC serves approximately 101,100 customers in Colorado. Customer count can affect reliability metrics because larger utilities may face different infrastructure challenges compared to smaller ones.

How has Black Hills Colorado Electric, LLC's reliability changed over time?

Black Hills Colorado Electric, LLC has 4 years of reliability data (2020-2023). SAIDI has remained relatively stable over this period. Review the trend table above for year-by-year detail.

What is SAIDI without major event days?

SAIDI "without major event days" (SAIDI nMED) excludes outages caused by hurricanes, ice storms, and other catastrophic weather events. It better reflects day-to-day infrastructure reliability rather than vulnerability to extreme weather. Both standard SAIDI and SAIDI nMED are shown in the reliability trend table above.

Utility Profile

Type
IOU
State
Colorado
Customers
101,100
Annual Revenue
$0.25B
EIA ID
56146
Data Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration Form 861 annual electric power industry survey. ZIP service territory from OpenEI.

Related

Data sourced from official EIA reliability statistics and OpenEI utility rate database. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainUtility Editorial

Disclaimer: This information is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute professional advice. Data is sourced from the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) Form 861. Consult a qualified professional before making decisions based on this data.