Dakota Electric is making investments to improve our electric grid. We are replacing old meters with advanced meters, similar to what other cooperatives and utilities around the country have already done.

The advanced meter recovery fee is a separate line item on your monthly bill to recover costs associated with installing advanced or “smart” meters and communication equipment. This fee is applied to each meter at a premise and will be adjusted annually depending on ongoing project costs. This fee will eventually be eliminated once these costs are covered in base rates.

Benefits of new meters:
• Replacement of aging infrastructure
• Increased system efficiencies
• Improved outage notification & restoration
• More energy information for members

The Resource and Tax Adjustment (RTA) charge will increase on most members’ bills in 2020.

How much is the increase?

For residential members, the 2020 RTA charge will be $0.0036 per kilowatt-hour, which is $0.0011 higher than December 2019. This will increase the average residential member’s bill by less than 80 cents per month. Commercial accounts should contact an account representative to discuss the RTA charge for their rate class.

What is the RTA?

Dakota Electric uses the RTA to adjust prices according to changes in wholesale power cost, property and real estate taxes and conservation spending. The charge is a direct pass-through of costs and is reviewed by the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission.

Dakota Electric submitted a general rate case petition to the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission (PUC) on Sept. 19, 2019, requesting an overall annual revenue increase of about $8.7 million or 4.3%.

The rate case continues to move through the regulatory review process, with state agencies submitting written comments. Two meetings were held on January 13 to receive public comments.

In compliance with Minnesota Rules Relating to Cogeneration and Small Power Production, Chapter 7835, Dakota Electric Association is required to interconnect with and purchase electricity from cogenerators and small power producers that satisfy the conditions of a qualifying facility.

Dakota Electric will provide free information to all interested members regarding rates and interconnection requirements. An interconnection application is required and subject to approval from the cooperative before a qualifying facility interconnects and operates in parallel with the cooperative’s distribution system.

Any disputes over interconnections, sales and purchases are subject to resolution by the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission.

When: Wednesday, Mar. 4
Time: 9 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Where: Dakota Electric Association

Sponsored by Dakota Electric Association, the Sourtheast Irrigators Association and the University of Minnesota Extension, Dakota County.