Black Hills rate case

The Clean Energy Districts of Iowa (CEDI) has agreed to join a settlement agreement between Black Hills Energy (BHE) and the Office of the Consumer Advocate (OCA) to increase natural gas base rates. CEDI acknowledged that some level of increase was inevitable but objected to the magnitude as well as proposed riders and treatment of credit card fees, all of which were eliminated in the settlement agreement. The final base rate increase was only 8.2%, compared to the 14.6% originally proposed.

Approximately 35% of BHE’s Iowa customers live in the counties represented by CEDI’s member energy districts, and CEDI’s testimony included information about the energy burdens (the percentage of gross household income spent on energy) in those counties, which are generally higher in those counties than in Iowa and the US. For example, in Howard County, an average of 5% of household income is spent on energy, compared to 3% in all of Iowa and the US. This figure increases to 24% for households below the federal poverty level, so energy is a very important part of their household costs.

The mission of the Clean Energy Districts of Iowa, and of its constituent county energy districts, is to implement and accelerate the locally-owned, clean, efficient, and fair energy transition. Howard County Energy District is a founding member of CEDI.

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