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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.

Black Hills Energy has filed to adjust its TEPR rates on June 1, 2025, pending approval by the Colorado Public Utilities Commission in Proceeding No. 25AL-0140E. The proposed rates will have varying impacts depending upon the customer class. The proposed residential rate remains unchanged at $0.00020/kWh and will have no impact on the average residential monthly bill. The proposed small commercial TEPR rate is an increase from $0.00016/kWh to $0.00147/kWh. The average monthly small commercial bill will increase by approximately $3.16, from $391.15 to $394.31, or 0.87%. For more information regarding the proposed rate change, please see the filing documents below.

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 rates on July 1, 2025, pending approval by the Colorado Public Utilities Commission in Proceeding No. 25AL-0237E. This is the first quarter in which Black Hills Energy will implement voltage differentiated rates. The ECA rate for secondary voltage customers (which includes residential and small commercial customers) will increase from $0.04154/kWh to $0.04867/kWh. The average residential bill will increase by $4.54 from $199.26 to $123.80, or 3.81%. The average small commercial bill will increase $17.38 from $396.37 to $413.75, or 4.44%. The rate for primary voltage customers will increase to $0.04786/kWh and the rate for transmission voltage customers will increase to $0.04715/kWh. There are two primary drivers behind the rate increase. First, the forecasted purchased power costs increased for the coming twelve months, contributing to the increased ECA rate. Second, the Company's recovery true-up balance which recovers historical generation and purchased power costs increased in the most recently concluded quarter. 

For more information, please see the filing documents below:

 

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 March 31, 2025, the Company filed an advice letter with revised tariffs to amend the Demand Side Management Cost Adjustment ("DSMCA") rates. If permitted to go into effect, the revision will increase rates for all customer classes beginning July 1, 2025. The customer bill impacts of updating the DSMCA results in a $0.04 increase in the average residential bill from $115.76 to $115.80 and for small commercial, a $0.14 increase in the average bill from $380.03 to $380.17. Please see the filing documents below for further information.

Black Hills Colorado Electric has filed to adjust the monthly BHEAP funding fee for all customers to take effect on July 16, 2025, pending approval by the Colorado Public Utilities Commission in Proceeding No. 25AL-0263E. The reason for the increase is to comply with the final decision in the Company's recently concluded electric rate case in which it was ordered to sufficiently address the waitlist for participation in the BHEAP electric program. Accordingly, the Company made this filing with the intent on addressing the BHEAP electric waitlist. Black Hills anticipates that the rate increase will support an increase in enrollments to the energy assistance program from the current 2,600 customers to approximately 3,800 customers. In order to support the increased enrollment, the Company proposed to increase the monthly fee by 45% for all customers. The average monthly residential bill will increase by $0.45 of 0.38% per month from $119.26 to $119.71. The average small commercial bill will increase by $2.43 or 0.61% per month from $396.37 to $398.80.  For more information on the proposed increase to the monthly BHEAP funding fee please see the documents below.

 

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.

  • This tariff cancels and supersedes in its entirety the following tariffs
    Black Hills/Colorado Gas Utility Company, Inc. 
    Colorado P.U.C. Volume No. 3  And

    Black Hills Gas Distribution, LLC 
    Colorado P.U.C. Volume No. 7


 

More information

Filings and adjustments

On May 30, 2025, the Company filed an advice letter with revised tariffs to amend the Demand-Side Management Cost Adjustment ("DSMCA") rates. If permitted to go into effect, the revision will increase rates for all customer classes beginning July 1, 2025. The average residential monthly bill will increase between $0.19 and $0.23, and the average non-residential bill will increase between $0.85 and $5.42, depending on the base rate area, GCA region, and customer class. Please see the filing documents below for further information.

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 February 28, 2025, 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. This filing ends the Extraordinary Gas Cost Recover Rider (EGCRR) for the Central and North/Southwest GCA region customers, effective April 1, 2025.  Then to implement the Western and Eastern GCA structure effective April 1, 2025. Next to update the GCA Minimum, Maximum and Midpoint for the Gas Price Risk Management Rider (GPRMR) to reflect the Western and Eastern GCA structure effective April 1, 2025.  Last to modify the Company's Gas Cost Adjustment (GCA) rates in order to recover forecasted GCA commodity costs and deferred GCA costs effective April 1, 2025.