HomeBilling and paymentsRates and regulatory information

Colorado rates and regulatory information

Colorado electric

Tariff and regulatory documents

A tariff is a group of schedules filed with our regulatory commissions. Tariffs contain basic rates, supplemental rates or riders, and general terms and conditions for providing utility service.

The rates don’t apply to a residence used for commercial, professional or business activities. But if the domestic use can be separately metered from the business activities, then these rates would apply to the domestic part.

We consider a single-family dwelling one in which four sleeping rooms or more are rented or are available for rent as non-domestic, and the applicable general service rate applies.

We’ve filed a rate review application with the Colorado Public Utilities Commission requesting an increase in base electric rates to recover necessary infrastructure investment and operating costs, including pay and benefits for local employees, required to deliver safe and reliable electric service to power customer homes and businesses.  

•    Hearing Exhibit 100, BHCOE Advice Letter No. 871
•    Hearing Exhibit 100, Attachment 1-BHCOE Tariffs
•    Hearing Exhibit 100, Attachment 2-BHCOE Customer Notice

On Nov. 15, 2024, Black Hills Energy filed an amended tariff at the Colorado Public Utilities Commission. The filing was assigned Proceeding No. 24AL-0496E.  The filing amends the CSG Annual Bill Credits and implements the first year of fixed bill credits for customers subscribing to Community Solar Gardens. If approved, the amended CSG Annual & Fixed Bill Credits will become effective on Jan. 1, 2025, as shown below in Appendix A.

You may view the filing documents here.

You may contact Black Hills Energy at BHESolar@blackhillscorp.com with questions or call 888-890-5554. 

On Nov. 27, 2024, the company filed an advice letter with revised tariff to amend the Energy Payment Rate (Avoided Cost Rate or Average Hourly Incremental Cost of Electricity) in the Company’s Colorado P.U.C. No. 11 Tariff for Co-generation and Small Power Production Facilities. The proposed effective date is Jan. 1, 2025. The revised tariff will decrease the Energy Payment rate by 29.8% from $0.04217/kWh to $0.02963/kWh.

This tariff affects any customers serviced under the Co-generation and Small Power Production rate. The company currently has no customers serviced under this rate.

Some customers served under the Company’s net metering service are affected by the rate amendment. Net metering customers can elect to receive payment at this filed rate at the end of the calendar year for any excess generation produced from their systems that is above the amount of their energy consumption. They can also choose to roll any excess kWh over as a usage bill credit to the next calendar year rather than take the cash payment. The amendment decreases the payment that Black Hills makes to net metering customers for excess energy produced from a customer’s energy production system.

Black Hills Energy has filed to adjust its ECA rate on Jan. 1, 2025, pending approval by the Colorado Public Utilities Commission in Proceeding No. 24AL-0521E. The new rate will increase to $0.03714 per kWh, increasing annualized Company revenues by approximately $4M. The current rate is $0.03540 per kWh. The new rate will increase a typical residential bill by $1.10, or 1.04%, and increase a typical small commercial bill by $4.21, or 1.21%.

2024 COE Resource Adequacy Annual Report

On September 13, 2024, Black Hills Electric filed the ("EASBC") Energy Assistance System Benefit Charge to be effective on October 1, 2024.

On Nov. 15, 2024, the Company filed an advice letter with revised tariffs to amend the Purchased Capacity Cost Adjustment ("PCCA") rates. The revision will decrease rates for all customer classes beginning January 1, 2025. The PCCA recovers the incremental cost of purchased capacity above the level of purchased capacity costs included in base rates. The average residential customer monthly bill, under Rate Schedule RS-1 with an average usage of 600 kWh per month, will decrease $0.52, from $106.13 to $105.61, or -0.49%. The average small commercial customer monthly bill, under Rate Schedule SGS-N with an average usage of 2,300 kWh per month, will decrease $2.80, from $347.19 to $344.396, or 0.81%. Please see the below filing documents for further information.

On Nov. 27, 2024, the Company filed an amended advice letter with revised tariffs to amend the Demand Side Management Cost Adjustment ("DSMCA") rates. The revision will decrease rates for all customer classes beginning January 1, 2025. The customer bill impacts of updating the DSMCA results in a $0.01 decrease in the average residential bill from $106.13 to $106.12 and for small commercial, a $0.04 decrease in the average bill from $347.19 to $347.15. Please see the filing documents below for further information.

Colorado natural gas

Tariff and regulatory documents

A tariff is a group of schedules filed with our regulatory commissions. Tariffs contain basic rates, supplemental rates or riders, and general terms and conditions for providing utility service.

More information

Filings and adjustments

We’ve filed a rate review application with the Colorado Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) requesting an increase of $26.7 million in base rates to recover the necessary capital infrastructure and operational costs required to enable safe, reliable natural gas service for customers in Colorado. We’re also seeking to help protect customers from regional price spikes by introducing a Colorado state-wide natural gas cost adjustment to be implemented over a two-year period.

On September 13, 2024, Black Hills Energy submitted the Energy Assistance System Benefit Charge ("EASBC") to be effective October 1, 2024.

On November 26, 2024, the Company filed a request with the Public Utilities Commission of the State of Colorado that reflects a proposed change to the Company’s GCA rate. The proposed amendment reflects updates to the forecasted gas commodity and upstream demand costs for the period July 1, 2024, through September 30, 2024.  The proposed GCA tariff will affect all retail customers if the Commission allows the tariff to become effective. If approved, the amendments will become effective January 1, 2025.  The Commission has opened Proceeding No. 24AL-0514G for the Company’s filing. The filing documents are below for your viewing. Estimated customer bill impacts can be found on “GCA Attachment No. 7” in the “BHCG GCA Public Attachments 1-12” document below: