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Our Co-op History

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Our Co-op History

First Lights

1930s

1936: President Franklin D. Roosevelt established the Rural Electrification Administration (REA) providing a way to electrify rural homes. 

1937: Dakota County Electric Cooperative was founded by a group of farmers with the help of the REA.

1938: The first lights were turned on. (Photo 1)

1939: The first annual meeting was held at Farmington high school.

German POW

1940s

1940: Kilowatthour Booster, the first monthly newsletter was created.

1941: The co-op now had 1,100 members.

1944: German prisoners of war kept at the prison camp in Faribault were used to build lines at the new Byllesby substation. (Photo 2)

1947: The co-op now had 12 full-time employees.

1949: The last unserved farms within the service area were connected to the co-op’s lines.

 

1950s

1950: The co-op had 2,286 members and 15 full-time employees.

1956: Burnsville substation was built, becoming the sixth substation.

1959: A company was hired to perform tree trimming near power lines for the first time.

First Bucket Truck

1960s

1961: The co-op purchased its first bucket truck. (Photo 3)

1962: The member newsletter, Circuits, was created.

1964: The board approved the first payout of capital credits to members and the member services department was created. 

1968: First year the co-op sent a student to the NRECA Youth Tour in D.C. 

1969: The co-op changed its name to Dakota Electric Association.

New Office

1970s

1970: The co-op had 12,712 members and 73 full-time employees.

1976: The co-op leased its first mainframe computer system.

1978: The co-op moved to its current headquarters location. (Photo 4)

1980s

1980: Members voted to have the co-op regulated by the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission (PUC) and the co-op has been regulated since.

1983: The co-op purchased its first personal computer.

1987: The co-op was now serving 50,000 members.

1988: The co-op began its Cycled Air Conditioning® program and purchased the geographical information system (GIS) that digitized maps.

Down PowerLine

1990s - 2000s

1995: The co-op created the Helping Neighbors® trust to help struggling families pay their electric bills.

1998: A destructive wind and rain storm left roughly 75% of members without power and caused significant damage. (Photo 5)

2002: The co-op participated in its first GreenTouch event.

2007: The co-op added its first hybrid vehicle to its fleet.

2008: The co-op was now serving 100,000 members.

Meter contractor and homeowner

2010s - Present

2010: The first bilingual member services representative was hired.

2017: The co-op embarked on an advanced meter project. (Photo 6)

2021: A large storm hit leaving roughly 34,000 members without power. 

2022: The co-op now has 112,000+ members and 189 employees. 

allie.shetlerDEA2022-09-30T09:38:35-06:00September 30th, 2022|Categories: Circuits|

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Contact Us

Dakota Electric Association

4300 220th Street West

Farmington, Minnesota 55024

7a.m.-5:30p.m. Mon.-Fri.

24-Hour Emergency Service

Local: 651-463-6201

Toll-Free: 1-800-430-9722

Live Chat

Chat With Us!

Billing & Account Inquiries 

Local: 651-463-6212

Toll-Free: 1-800-874-3409

Hearing Impaired: Dial 711

Social Media

Recent News

allie.shetlerDEA2023-01-10T14:17:31-06:00

Dakota Electric provides McGruff safety kits for children

allie.shetlerDEA2023-01-05T08:41:34-06:00

Dakota Electric announces Ryan Hentges as new CEO

allie.shetlerDEA2022-12-29T15:53:47-06:00

M.O.M.S. Program wins local Touchstone Energy Community Award

allie.shetlerDEA2022-12-21T14:51:28-06:00

Dakota Electric and CoBank donate $20,000 to local organizations

Resources

Trees & Power Lines

Careers

Electric Service Handbook

Advanced Meter Upgrade

Today’s Load Management

Continuity of Service

Circuits Newsletter Signup

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Circuits Newsletter

Dakota Electric sends out Circuits monthly newsletter to our members each month. Inside, members can find valuable money- and energy-saving tips, special event details, news about Dakota Electric and electric utility industry information that may impact electric bills.

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Contact Us

Dakota Electric Association
4300 220th Street West
Farmington, Minnesota 55024

7a.m.-7p.m. Mon.-Fri.

Local: 651-463-6212

Toll-Free: 1-800-874-3409

Hearing Impaired: 651-463-6144

Live Chat

24-Hour Emergency Service

Local: 651-463-6201

Toll-Free: 1-800-430-9722

Social Media

Recent News

allie.shetlerDEA2023-01-10T14:17:31-06:00

Dakota Electric provides McGruff safety kits for children

allie.shetlerDEA2023-01-05T08:41:34-06:00

Dakota Electric announces Ryan Hentges as new CEO

allie.shetlerDEA2022-12-29T15:53:47-06:00

M.O.M.S. Program wins local Touchstone Energy Community Award

allie.shetlerDEA2022-12-21T14:51:28-06:00

Dakota Electric and CoBank donate $20,000 to local organizations

Resources

Careers

Electric Service Handbook

Advanced Meter Upgrade

Today’s Load Management

Continuity of Service

Member Services

  • Update Your Account
  • Trees & Power Lines
  • Construction Design Services
  • Streetlights
  • Resources

Community

  • Community Involvement
  • Touchstone Energy Community Award
  • Helping Neighbors®
  • Education Programs
  • Economic Development

Renewable Energy

  • Wellspring Renewable Energy®
  • Dakota Electric Solar
  • Connect Your Own System

Safety

  • Powerline Safety
  • Call Before You Dig (#811)
  • Safety Education Presentations

News & Events

  • Newsroom
  • Circuits Monthly Newsletter
  • Event Calendar

About Us

  • The Cooperative Difference
  • Dakota Electric at a Glance
  • Board of Directors and Leadership
  • Capital Credits
  • Service Area Map
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