Black Hills Colorado Electric Rate Selection Guide
Black Hills Colorado Electric, LLC (operating as Black Hills Energy) is a regulated investor-owned utility serving roughly 102,000 electric customers across southern Colorado's Pueblo region. Customers access billing data and 15-minute AMI interval data through the MyAccount portal and formal data requests, with third-party access governed by Colorado PUC consent rules. This is the electric division and is distinct from Black Hills Energy's multi-state natural gas operations.
Black Hills Colorado Electric Rate Schedule Comparison
| Schedule | Type | Rate | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Large General Service | Industrial | $64/mo + $23.33/kW demand + $0.011/$0.00442 per kWh | Large demand-metered C&I |
| General Service / Small Commercial | Commercial | Fixed charge + ~$0.09-$0.11/kWh (demand >10 kW) | Small-mid commercial |
| Commercial Time-of-Day | Commercial | Peak/off-peak energy + demand | Shiftable load |
| EV DC Fast Charging | EV | $7.62/kW demand + energy | DCFC stations |
Market Overview
A regulated IOU under Colorado PUC jurisdiction. Base rates, riders and adjustment clauses are approved through PUC rate cases (most recently a 6.7% base-rate increase effective March 2025). No retail choice or CCA is available to Black Hills electric customers in Colorado.
Need to pull your actual usage data to compare rates? See the Black Hills Colorado Electric Data Access Guide →
Current Rate Schedules
Black Hills Colorado Electric C&I rates combine a fixed monthly customer charge, a billing demand charge per kW, and energy charges per kWh, all set by the Colorado PUC. The published Large General Service schedule carries a $64.00/month customer charge, a $23.33/kW billing demand charge, and energy charges of $0.01100/kWh for the first 200 kWh per kW and $0.00442/kWh beyond, plus adjustment riders. A PUC-approved 6.7% base-rate increase took effect in March 2025; small business energy moved into roughly the 9-11 cents/kWh range. EV DC fast-charging carries a $7.62/kW demand charge.
Effective: March 22, 2025 · Full Tariff Book →
| Schedule | Type | Applicability | Structure | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Large General Service (LGS) | industrial | Large commercial and industrial customers with demand metering. | Customer charge $64.00/month; billing demand charge $23.33/kW; energy $0.01100/kWh for the first 200 kWh per actual kW and $0.00442/kWh thereafter, plus applicable adjustment riders. | Energy $0.011 / $0.00442 per kWh (declining block)+ $23.33/kW billing demand |
| General Service / Small Commercial | commercial | Small and mid-size commercial customers; demand metering required above 10 kW (and up to 50 kW). | Fixed monthly customer charge plus per-kWh energy; small business energy rose to roughly 9-11 cents/kWh after the March 2025 increase, with no increase to the fixed customer charge. Demand charges apply for demand over 10 kW. See tariff for exact values. | ~$0.09-$0.11/kWh (small business, post-2025)+ Applies for demand over 10 kW |
| Commercial Time-of-Day (TOD) | commercial | Commercial/industrial customers electing time-differentiated pricing (supports EV charging and load shifting). | Peak and off-peak energy pricing with demand components; specific period rates per the commercial TOD tariff. See Black Hills commercial TOD page and tariff for current values. | Peak vs off-peak (see tariff)+ Per TOD schedule |
| EV DC Fast Charging Service | ev | Commercial DC fast-charging stations (DCFC). | Demand charge of $7.62/kW based on the highest average kW over 15 consecutive minutes of maximum use in the billing period, plus energy charges. See tariff for full terms. | Energy + demand (see tariff)+ $7.62/kW (DCFC) |
Rate Recommendations by Use Case
Large industrial / commercial facility (demand-metered)
Large C&I sites take Large General Service, where the $23.33/kW billing demand charge typically dominates the bill over the low declining-block energy rate.
With demand priced at $23.33/kW and energy as low as $0.00442/kWh beyond the first block, shaving peak kW yields far more savings than reducing kWh.
- Request 15-minute interval data to pinpoint the monthly peak
- Stagger large equipment startups to flatten demand
- Evaluate battery storage for peak shaving against the $23.33/kW charge
Small / mid-size commercial business
Small businesses on General Service pay a fixed customer charge plus roughly 9-11 cents/kWh after the 2025 increase, with demand charges once demand exceeds 10 kW.
Below 10 kW the bill is energy-driven; crossing 10 kW adds demand charges, so managing peak demand near that threshold matters.
- Track demand to avoid unnecessarily crossing the 10 kW demand-metering threshold
- Improve lighting/HVAC efficiency to cut energy cost
- Compare General Service vs Time-of-Day if load is shiftable
Facility with shiftable load or EV charging
Commercial sites that can shift load (or operate EV charging) may benefit from the Commercial Time-of-Day rate; dedicated DC fast charging carries a $7.62/kW demand charge.
Moving consumption to off-peak periods lowers TOD energy cost; for DCFC, managing the 15-minute peak controls the $7.62/kW demand charge.
- Use interval data to quantify shiftable load before electing TOD
- Schedule EV charging and flexible processes off-peak
- Limit simultaneous DCFC dispensing to control demand
Large-building owner benchmarking energy use
Owners of qualifying large Colorado buildings can obtain free whole-building energy data under HB 21-1286 for benchmarking and compliance.
Whole-building data supports benchmarking and identifies efficiency/demand-management opportunities that reduce the dominant demand charge.
- Register the building and link all meters
- Request the 12-month dataset for benchmarking
- Use results to prioritize demand-reduction projects
Historical Rate Trends
Black Hills Colorado Electric rates are reset through Colorado PUC rate cases. The most recent case produced a base-rate increase of about 6.7%, effective March 22, 2025, raising small-business energy into roughly the 9-11 cents/kWh range with no increase to the fixed customer charge. Adjustment riders continue to move with fuel and other recovery costs.
March 22, 2025
Colorado PUC-approved base-rate increase of approximately 6.7% took effect; small-business energy rose toward 9-11 cents/kWh with no change to the fixed monthly customer charge.
+6.7%Overall trend: Upward, driven by the 2025 PUC-approved base-rate increase and ongoing cost-recovery riders.
Next expected change: Future PUC rate cases and periodic rider adjustments
Cost Optimization Strategies
For Black Hills Colorado Electric C&I customers, the $23.33/kW billing demand charge is the largest controllable cost. Demand management (peak shaving, scheduling, storage), load shifting under TOD, and HB 21-1286 benchmarking are the most effective strategies.
Peak demand management
For: Large General Service C&I
Use 15-minute interval data to find and shave the monthly demand peak that drives the $23.33/kW charge.
Battery peak shaving
For: Facilities with predictable peaks
Discharge storage during predicted peaks to cap billing demand.
Time-of-Day load shifting
For: Shiftable load / EV charging
Move flexible load and EV charging to off-peak periods under the commercial TOD rate.
HB 21-1286 benchmarking
For: Large-building owners
Use free whole-building data to benchmark and target efficiency/demand projects.
To implement these strategies, you need your 15-minute interval data. Learn how to download Black Hills Colorado Electric interval data →
Frequently Asked Questions
How does a C&I customer get 15-minute interval data from Black Hills Colorado Electric?▾
Submit a formal '15-Minute Interval Data Request' by email to customerservice@support.blackhillsenergy.com or by phone at 888-890-5554, specifying the account number, service address, date range (up to 13 months) and Excel/CSV format. Data is delivered securely in about 10-30 business days. The MyAccount portal only shows visual usage graphs, not raw interval downloads.
How does a third party (consultant or aggregator) get authorized access?▾
The customer completes the Colorado consent-to-disclose utility customer data form (required under PUC Rules 3028/3033), naming the third party, data types and duration. The third party then submits a data request with the signed form attached; Black Hills validates and delivers data securely, typically within 10-30 business days. An NDA may be required for large-scale access.
What is the demand charge on Black Hills Colorado Electric's Large General Service rate?▾
The published Large General Service schedule carries a billing demand charge of $23.33 per kW, alongside a $64.00 monthly customer charge and declining-block energy of $0.01100/kWh for the first 200 kWh per kW and $0.00442/kWh thereafter, plus adjustment riders. Because demand dominates the bill, peak shaving is the main savings lever.
Did Black Hills Colorado Electric rates change recently?▾
Yes. The Colorado PUC approved a base-rate increase of about 6.7% effective March 22, 2025. Small-business energy moved toward 9-11 cents/kWh with no increase to the fixed monthly customer charge. Cost-recovery riders continue to adjust periodically.
Can a Black Hills Colorado Electric business shop for a competitive supplier?▾
No. Black Hills Colorado Electric is a regulated investor-owned utility and Colorado does not offer retail electric competition for its customers. Businesses buy bundled service at Colorado PUC-approved tariff rates; there is no competitive supplier choice or community choice aggregation.
Does Black Hills offer Green Button or an API?▾
No. There is no Green Button Download My Data, Connect My Data / ESPI, or public API. Billing data exports as Excel/PDF from MyAccount, and interval data is provided via formal request. Large-building owners can also obtain whole-building data free under Colorado HB 21-1286.
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