Municipal · Iowa · EIA 554

City of Ames - (IA)

Municipal · Iowa · 28K customers. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration's EIA Form 861, reliability for 2023 shows SAIDI 33 minutes/customer.

Reliability detail ↓ Iowa utilities

Reliability verdict

City of Ames - (IA) shows above-average chronic reliability in 2023: 15 minutes SAIDI excluding major events (33 minutes including them) across 28K customers.

33 min
SAIDI 2023
0.40
SAIFI 2023
15 min
SAIDI ex-MED
28K
Customers

Chronic reliability judged on SAIDI excluding major event days when reported (IEEE 1366). Source: EIA Form 861 · August 2026.

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Signature read: short interruption minutes vs the 911 utility cohort (≤96 min tercile cut).

What short-outage City of Ames - (IA) filings show

City of Ames - (IA) is a municipally-owned utility operating in Iowa under EIA identifier 554. It reports service to approximately 27,940 customer accounts and generated about $0.06 billion in annual electric revenue, with a service footprint spanning 6 ZIP codes. Being municipally owned, the utility answers to a local board or city council rather than a state commission, and carries a federal income tax exemption.

In 2023, the average City of Ames - (IA) customer experienced 33.2 minutes of power interruptions, a metric called SAIDI (System Average Interruption Duration Index). Excluding major weather events from that total, that places this utility well below the 120–180 minute national benchmark, signaling strong grid hardening and fast restoration practices. The SAIFI figure, which tracks average outage events per customer, came in at 0.40 for the same period, meaning customers statistically saw about 0 distinct interruptions that year. Strip out major event days (hurricanes, ice storms) and SAIDI falls to 15.1 minutes; the difference from the headline 33.2 shows how much of the outage total came from weather rather than everyday grid issues.

With 4 consecutive years of EIA data (2020–2023), City of Ames - (IA)'s reliability record can be judged on trend rather than one isolated year. Over that window, SAIDI moved from 2136.9 down to 33.2 minutes, a trend worth noting for anyone weighing capital investment outcomes. Note: this figure is unusually low compared to typical U.S. utility performance and may reflect an incomplete EIA filing for this year rather than a genuine reliability improvement -- treat with caution and cross-check against City of Ames - (IA)'s other reported years.

A+
Reliability Score
90/100
City of Ames - (IA) · 3 of 3 dimensions reported

Based on this utility's own EIA Form 861 reliability record -- baseline (major-event- excluded) outage duration, total outage duration, and outage frequency -- each benchmarked against every reporting utility nationwide. Not a measure of electricity rates or customer service, which this portal does not track.

Baseline Reliability A+ 15.1 min/yr
SAIDI excluding major-event days — day-to-day grid performance
Total Outage Duration A 33.2 min/yr
SAIDI including storms and major events — the full-year experience
Outage Frequency A 0.40/yr
SAIFI — average number of interruptions per customer per year
SAIDI vs. national mean (341 min) 4.4%

33 outage minutes per customer annually

City of Ames - (IA) SAIDI

Annual minutes without electric service (2023)

33 SAIDI33 SAIDINat. avg 341341SAIDI33SAIDI

Excellent

SAIDI by year (2020-2023)

Minutes per customer-year · EIA Form 861

Year-by-year SAIDI for City of Ames - (IA) from the same EIA filings as the table below. Lower is better; major-event years can spike the headline figure.

Source: U.S. EIA Form 861 As of August 2026

City of Ames - (IA) SAIDI trend

0 500 1000 1500 2000 2500 2020 2021 2022 2023 2136.9 37.4 68.8 33.2
Year-by-year SAIDI from the same EIA filings as the table below. Lower is better; major-event years can spike the headline figure.

City of Ames - (IA) vs the nationwide SAIDI distribution

Where this utility's headline SAIDI sits among every EIA Form 861 utility with a reported figure

33 Among the lowest fewer outage minutes than 90% of 911 utilities

Utilities nationwide, banded by latest reported SAIDI (minutes)

Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more utilities. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count and share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Source U.S. EIA Form 861 reliability filings · August 2026

Price vs. reliability

Where City of Ames - (IA) sits on price vs. reliability

Among the 781 U.S. utilities large enough to report both revenue per customer and a recent outage record, City of Ames - (IA) charges more per customer than 33% of them, and is more reliable (lower SAIDI) than 92% of them, placing it in the quadrant where it pays less while still being more reliable, the best-value quadrant. Revenue per customer and outage minutes are independent figures: paying more does not guarantee fewer outages.

City of Ames - (IA) vs. a 40-utility national peer sample, price percentile vs. reliability percentile. Scatter plot of 41 data points (bubble-sized by third dimension). 050100150 050100150 Best valuePays for itCheap + riskyWorst deal Price percentile Reliability percentile Point, Price percentile: 0 · Reliability percentile: 22Point, Price percentile: 3 · Reliability percentile: 32Point, Price percentile: 5 · Reliability percentile: 25Point, Price percentile: 8 · Reliability percentile: 75Point, Price percentile: 10 · Reliability percentile: 37Point, Price percentile: 13 · Reliability percentile: 87Point, Price percentile: 15 · Reliability percentile: 10Point, Price percentile: 18 · Reliability percentile: 17Point, Price percentile: 20 · Reliability percentile: 12Point, Price percentile: 23 · Reliability percentile: 72Point, Price percentile: 25 · Reliability percentile: 5Point, Price percentile: 28 · Reliability percentile: 45Point, Price percentile: 30 · Reliability percentile: 55Point, Price percentile: 33 · Reliability percentile: 52Point, Price percentile: 38 · Reliability percentile: 30Point, Price percentile: 40 · Reliability percentile: 35Point, Price percentile: 43 · Reliability percentile: 65Point, Price percentile: 45 · Reliability percentile: 43Point, Price percentile: 48 · Reliability percentile: 0Point, Price percentile: 50 · Reliability percentile: 7Point, Price percentile: 53 · Reliability percentile: 77Point, Price percentile: 55 · Reliability percentile: 82Point, Price percentile: 57 · Reliability percentile: 90Point, Price percentile: 60 · Reliability percentile: 70Point, Price percentile: 63 · Reliability percentile: 2Point, Price percentile: 65 · Reliability percentile: 62Point, Price percentile: 68 · Reliability percentile: 97Point, Price percentile: 70 · Reliability percentile: 67Point, Price percentile: 73 · Reliability percentile: 47Point, Price percentile: 75 · Reliability percentile: 40Point, Price percentile: 78 · Reliability percentile: 95Point, Price percentile: 80 · Reliability percentile: 15Point, Price percentile: 83 · Reliability percentile: 100Point, Price percentile: 85 · Reliability percentile: 27Point, Price percentile: 88 · Reliability percentile: 20Point, Price percentile: 90 · Reliability percentile: 80Point, Price percentile: 93 · Reliability percentile: 57Point, Price percentile: 95 · Reliability percentile: 85Point, Price percentile: 98 · Reliability percentile: 60Point, Price percentile: 100 · Reliability percentile: 50City of Ames - (IA), Price percentile: 33 · Reliability percentile: 92
City of Ames - (IA) vs. a 40-utility national peer sample, price percentile vs. reliability percentile.

Revenue per customer: $2,262/year · Latest SAIDI: 33.2 minutes/year.

SAIDI 2023 breakdown: 33.2 minutes

Reliability Trend (2020–2023)

Year SAIDI (min) SAIDI nMED SAIFI Customers
2020 2136.9 34.7 1.770 27,187
2021 37.4 37.4 0.600 27,352
2022 68.8 15.5 1.500 27,650
2023 33.2 15.1 0.400 27,356

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

Service Area

City of Ames - (IA) serves 6 ZIP codes in Iowa.

500105001150012500135001450134

Frequently Asked Questions

How reliable is City of Ames - (IA)?

City of Ames - (IA) had a SAIDI of 33.2 minutes in 2023 including major weather events, but 15.1 minutes excluding them (the industry-standard measure of routine reliability, so the gap traces back to a major storm that year, not a chronic issue). Excluding major storm impacts, this beats the national average, a sign of above-average reliability.

What type of utility is City of Ames - (IA)?

City of Ames - (IA) is classified as a Municipal serving Iowa.

How many customers does City of Ames - (IA) serve?

City of Ames - (IA) serves approximately 27,940 customers in Iowa.

How has City of Ames - (IA)'s reliability changed over time?

City of Ames - (IA) 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.

Utility Profile

Type
Municipal
State
Iowa
Customers
27,940
Annual Revenue
$0.06B
EIA ID
554

Explore

Utilities with similar EIA profiles

Two cross-state peer sets for City of Ames - (IA). Same-state SAIDI neighbors stay in Read-with below; these neighborhoods are nearest other-state utilities with at least 10,000 reported customers.

Similar customer count

Nearest utilities by Form 861 customers (28K here), outside Iowa.

Taylor County Rural E C C 28K · KY Clark County Rural E M C - (IN) 28K · IN Surry-Yadkin Elec Member Corp 28K · NC Dixie Escalante R E A, Inc 28K · AZ

Similar chronic SAIDI

Nearest utilities by latest SAIDI minutes (33.2 here), outside Iowa, excluding the customer-peer set.

Provo City Corp 33.2 min · UT Overton Power District No 5 33.3 min · NV Town of Middleborough - (MA) 32.9 min · MA Greer Commission of Public Wks 33.8 min · SC

Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration Form 861 annual electric power industry survey · ZIP service territory: OpenEI. Disclaimer: informational only, not professional advice. See full disclaimer · methodology.