Cooperative · Colorado · EIA 5862
Empire Electric Assn, Inc
Cooperative · Colorado · 16K customers. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration's EIA Form 861, reliability for 2023 shows SAIDI 116 minutes/customer.
Reliability verdict
Empire Electric Assn, Inc shows near-benchmark chronic reliability in 2023: 116 minutes SAIDI excluding major events across 16K customers.
- 116 min
- SAIDI 2023
- 1.45
- SAIFI 2023
- 116 min
- SAIDI ex-MED
- 16K
- Customers
Chronic reliability judged on SAIDI excluding major event days when reported (IEEE 1366). Source: EIA Form 861 · August 2026.
Signature read: mid-cohort SAIDI between the 96 and 258 minute tercile cuts.
What mid-pack Empire Electric Assn, Inc filings show
Empire Electric Assn, Inc is a member-owned electric cooperative operating in Colorado under EIA identifier 5862. It reports service to approximately 15,715 customer accounts and generated about $0.06 billion in annual electric revenue, with a service footprint spanning 21 ZIP codes. Cooperative ownership means the utility is run for the benefit of the ratepayer-members who elect its board, rather than for shareholder returns, which can shift how rate and investment decisions get made.
In 2023, the average Empire Electric Assn, Inc customer experienced 116.4 minutes of power interruptions, a metric called SAIDI (System Average Interruption Duration Index). That lands within the usual 120–180 minute national benchmark band, roughly on par with typical U.S. distribution-utility performance. Over the same period, SAIFI (outage events per customer) was 1.45, putting the typical customer at roughly 1 distinct interruption that year. Excluding major event days (hurricanes, ice storms), SAIDI drops to 116.4 minutes, the gap between that figure and the headline 116.4 reveals how much weather, not day-to-day infrastructure, drove outages.
With 4 consecutive years of EIA data (2020–2023), Empire Electric Assn, Inc's reliability record can be judged on trend rather than one isolated year. SAIDI dropped from 123.2 to 116.4 minutes across that span, a direction regulators and prospective customers tend to watch closely.
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.
116 min/year per customer
Power-out minutes per year (2023)
SAIDI by year (2020-2023)
Minutes per customer-year · EIA Form 861
Year-by-year SAIDI for Empire Electric Assn, Inc from the same EIA filings as the table below. Lower is better; major-event years can spike the headline figure.
Empire Electric Assn, Inc SAIDI trend
Empire Electric Assn, Inc vs the nationwide SAIDI distribution
Where this utility's headline SAIDI sits among every EIA Form 861 utility with a reported figure
116 Lower than most fewer outage minutes than 61% 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 Empire Electric Assn, Inc sits on price vs. reliability
Among the 781 U.S. utilities large enough to report both revenue per customer and a recent outage record, Empire Electric Assn, Inc charges more per customer than 88% of them, and is more reliable (lower SAIDI) than 65% of them, placing it in the quadrant where it pays more and is more reliable. Revenue per customer and outage minutes are independent figures: paying more does not guarantee fewer outages.
Revenue per customer: $3,533/year · Latest SAIDI: 116.4 minutes/year.
SAIDI 2023 breakdown: 116.4 minutes
Reliability Trend (2020–2023)
| Year | SAIDI (min) | SAIDI nMED | SAIFI | Customers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 123.2 | 123.2 | 0.970 | 16,151 |
| 2021 | 225.2 | 225.2 | 1.550 | 16,151 |
| 2022 | 232.3 | 232.3 | 1.511 | 16,915 |
| 2023 | 116.4 | 116.4 | 1.454 | 17,088 |
SAIDI nMED = SAIDI without major event days. Source: EIA Form 861.
Service Area
Empire Electric Assn, Inc serves 21 ZIP codes in Colorado.
Frequently Asked Questions
How reliable is Empire Electric Assn, Inc?
Empire Electric Assn, Inc had a SAIDI of 116.4 minutes in 2023. Excluding major weather events, this is near the national average.
What type of utility is Empire Electric Assn, Inc?
Empire Electric Assn, Inc is classified as a Cooperative serving Colorado.
How many customers does Empire Electric Assn, Inc serve?
Empire Electric Assn, Inc serves approximately 15,715 customers in Colorado.
How has Empire Electric Assn, Inc's reliability changed over time?
Empire Electric Assn, Inc 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
- Cooperative
- State
- Colorado
- Customers
- 15,715
- Annual Revenue
- $0.06B
- EIA ID
- 5862
Explore
Utilities with similar EIA profiles
Two cross-state peer sets for Empire Electric Assn, Inc. 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 (16K here), outside Colorado.
Similar chronic SAIDI
Nearest utilities by latest SAIDI minutes (116.4 here), outside Colorado, excluding the customer-peer set.
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.