South Dakota Electricity Rates
Rate data for South Dakota is being refreshed. The regulator and market facts below are current; figures return with the next data load.
Can you choose your electricity supplier in South Dakota?
No. South Dakota has not opened its residential electricity market to competition, so the utility that delivers your power also sells it. Its prices are set in rate cases before the South Dakota Public Utilities Commission, and the rate you pay depends on which utility serves your address, your rate schedule, and the season.
Grid operator: MISO and SPP (split). Wholesale power costs flow through to retail bills on the regulator's schedule rather than month to month, which is why regulated-state rates move more slowly than the market-based states listed below.
Want to shop for a supplier? Retail choice is open on this site in Massachusetts, New Jersey, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas, Washington DC.
South Dakota's consumer protections (deposit cap of one-sixth of the annual bill, 7% deposit interest, the extra 30 days before a winter shutoff) apply only to the six investor-owned utilities, because state law excludes the 28 member-owned cooperatives and 35 city-owned systems that serve much of the state from PUC rate regulation, and with legally assigned exclusive territories your new address, not a shopping decision, fixes both your utility and its rules.
Who will deliver your power in South Dakota
The utility is fixed by your address. These are the largest in the state, with what each says it needs from a new customer.
Black Hills Energy (Black Hills Power, Inc.)investor-owned
Western South Dakota: its PUC-filed residential tariff is available on company distribution lines in Butte, Custer, Fall River, Lawrence, Meade and Pennington counties, with headquarters and customer service in Rapid City.
The customer-service page says to call 888-890-5554 (Monday-Friday, 7 a.m.-5 p.m. MT) and that documentation such as leases, identification or landlord forms can be submitted through the online contact form. The PUC-filed rules let the company require a deposit of up to one-sixth of the estimated annual bill, with interest at the PUC-prescribed rate and automatic refund after 12 consecutive months with no nonpayment disconnection and no more than two disconnect notices; the posted Residential Service sheet (effective January 1, 2019) is a $12.00 customer charge plus $0.08827/kWh before cost adjustments.
Start service with Black Hills Energy →Sources: blackhillsenergy.com, blackhillsenergy.com, puc.sd.gov, puc.sd.gov
NorthWestern Energyinvestor-owned
Eastern South Dakota (per the company's 'Our Company' page), with its South Dakota office listed by the PUC at 3010 W. 69th St., Sioux Falls. About 850,300 customers across Montana, South Dakota, Nebraska and Yellowstone National Park combined (per NorthWestern 'Our Company'); South Dakota count not stated.
New residential customers start service online through the 'Activate Now' form (have account-holder information and the address ready) or by calling 800-245-6977 for South Dakota. The PUC-filed General Terms bill a $20.00 Customer Connection Charge on every new account connected 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Friday, or $65.00 outside business hours; the Residential Service Rate No. 10 is a $7.00 monthly customer charge plus declining energy blocks starting at $0.11186/kWh for the first 200 kWh, and the company's August 1, 2026 tariff summary puts the first block at $0.15925/kWh once the transmission and ad valorem clauses, the phase-in rate rider and the fuel adjustment are added.
Start service with NorthWestern Energy →Sources: northwesternenergy.com, northwesternenergy.com, northwesternenergy.com, northwesternenergy.com, northwesternenergy.com
Otter Tail Power Companyinvestor-owned
Northeastern South Dakota from its Milbank customer service center, serving towns such as Milbank, Sisseton, Britton, Clear Lake, De Smet, Lake Preston, Castlewood, Waubay, Roslyn, Grenville, Wilmot and Summit; the company's whole territory covers 70,000 square miles across western Minnesota, eastern North Dakota and northeastern South Dakota.
Give Otter Tail at least two business days' notice to connect service (the SD tariff and customer brochure both say so); start online with no login or call 800-257-4044 during business hours. Applicants must be 18, a one-time $15.00 service connection fee appears on the first bill, and a deposit (only for unsatisfactory or unknown credit, on 15 days' notice) cannot exceed one-sixth of the estimated annual bill, earns 7% interest and is refunded after 12 consecutive months of prompt payment; the Standard Residential Rate is an $11.00 monthly customer charge plus $0.10022/kWh year-round.
Start service with Otter Tail Power Company →Sources: otpco.com, otpco.com, otpco.com, otpco.com, otpco.com, otpco.com
Sioux Valley Energycooperative
Member-owned distribution co-op serving Brookings, Lake, Moody, Minnehaha and Kingsbury counties in South Dakota (plus Pipestone and Rock counties in Minnesota), including Brandon, Hartford, Humboldt and Chester, from offices in Brandon, Colman and Hartford; it buys its South Dakota power from East River Electric Power Cooperative. About 30,813 meters and 6,273 miles of line (per Sioux Valley Energy); member count not stated.
Submit the online residential/apartment service request (service address, start date, whether you are buying or renting), then call Member Services at 877-511-8062 (Monday-Friday 7:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.) to finish setup; you will be asked for your Social Security number and date of birth for identity verification. No deposit, membership fee or lead time is stated on the co-op's pages; residential rates effective January 1, 2026 are a $30.00 basic charge plus $0.1281/kWh in town ($65.00 basic charge for rural single-phase service), after a 9.1% average increase the board attributed to higher power-supply costs.
Start service with Sioux Valley Energy →Sources: siouxvalleyenergy.com, siouxvalleyenergy.com, siouxvalleyenergy.com, siouxvalleyenergy.com, siouxvalleyenergy.com, siouxvalleyenergy.com, siouxvalleyenergy.com
Watertown Municipal Utilitiesmunicipal
City-owned electric, water and natural gas utility for Watertown, SD (office at 901 4th Avenue SW), and one of 12 South Dakota member cities of Missouri River Energy Services. About over 10,000 residential and 2,000 commercial customers (per WMU About Us).
Complete the Application and Agreement for Residential/Commercial Utility Service (asks for birthdate, SSN, employer, landlord if renting, and photo ID is recorded by staff) and contact the office at 605-882-6233 (Monday-Friday 8 a.m.-5 p.m.); accounts go in one individual's name only. Customers without one year of non-delinquent history pay a deposit ($175.00 for a non-heating residential account, $325.00 for an electric-heating account, per the Deposits & Fees page) unless they provide a satisfactory credit reference letter from another electric utility, and deposits are refunded after 12 consecutive on-time payments; the 2026 residential rate is a $13.85 monthly customer charge plus $0.091/kWh on July-September bills and $0.074/kWh on October-June bills.
Start service with Watertown Municipal Utilities →Sources: watertownmu.com, watertownmu.com, watertownmu.com, watertownmu.com, watertownmu.com, mrenergy.com
Brookings Municipal Utilitiesmunicipal
City-owned electric, water/wastewater and broadband utility for Brookings, SD (525 Western Ave.), buying about 70% of its power from Missouri River Energy Services and about 30% from the Western Area Power Administration's Missouri River hydro dams.
Applicants must be 18 or older and provide at least two of a driver's license or state ID, Social Security number, or passport number; connections need 24 hours' notice and are done Monday-Friday 8 a.m.-5 p.m. (call 605-692-6325, billing 605-697-8467, or submit forms online). A residential deposit equal to two months' average billing may be required and is refunded after 12 consecutive non-delinquent months, a one-time $20 (+tax) administrative fee applies to a move or account change, and 2026 residential rates are a $21.00 monthly fixed fee plus $0.085/kWh October-June and $0.100/kWh July-September.
Start service with Brookings Municipal Utilities →Sources: brookingsutilities.com, brookingsutilities.com, brookingsutilities.com, brookingsutilities.com
Deposits, ID, and supplier choice in South Dakota
Deposits. For the six PUC-regulated investor-owned utilities, ARSD 20:10:19 lets a utility require a cash deposit of no more than one-sixth of the estimated annual bill, a guarantor, or placement on an early-payments list, on at least 15 days' notice, and only from applicants with 'unsatisfactory' or 'unknown' credit; an applicant with no energy-purchase history chooses which option to use, a customer who cannot pay the full deposit must be allowed installments over up to four months, deposits earn 7% simple interest, are refunded automatically after 12 consecutive months without a nonpayment disconnection or three or more disconnection notices, and a transfer within the same utility's territory does not require a second deposit. 'Satisfactory credit' (no disconnection for nonpayment and fewer than three disconnection notices in the last year) means no deposit can be required. (sdlegislature.gov)
Choosing a supplier. There is no residential supplier choice: SDCL 49-34A-42 gives each electric utility the exclusive right to serve retail customers in its PUC-assigned service area, and EIA's 2024 state profile records zero energy-only (competitive supplier) sales in South Dakota. https://sdlegislature.gov/Statutes/49-34A-42
The PUC regulates the rates and service rules of only the investor-owned utilities (Black Hills Energy, MidAmerican, Montana-Dakota, NorthWestern, Otter Tail, Xcel); by statute, municipal utilities and rural electric cooperatives are excluded from the 'public utility' definition for rate-regulation purposes, so the 28 distribution co-ops and 35 municipal systems set their own deposits and rules through member-elected or city boards. Regulated utilities may not disconnect a residential customer for nonpayment without a 20-day payment period plus a 10-day notice period, and from November 1 to March 31 must add a further 30 days and tell the customer about the extension (ARSD 20:10:20:10); a physician's or social-services certificate postpones disconnection for a single 30-day period.
Sources: sdlegislature.gov, sdlegislature.gov, sdlegislature.gov, sdlegislature.gov, puc.sd.gov, puc.sd.gov, eia.gov, sdrea.coop, sdpublicpower.org
Help paying an electric bill in South Dakota
Low Income Energy Assistance Program (LIEAP)
South Dakota Department of Social Services, Office of Energy Assistance (Pierre)
Households responsible for home heating costs whose gross income over the prior three months is within the 2025-2026 limits ($7,825 for one person, $10,575 for two, $16,075 for four, $23,014 for eight); payment goes directly to the energy supplier, applications are processed within 60 days, and the Energy Crisis Intervention Program (year-round) helps income-eligible households with a disconnection notice or less than 20% fuel in the tank (call 800-233-8503). The federal LIHEAP Clearinghouse lists SD's FY2026 heating benefit at $668-$3,437 and crisis benefit up to $2,400, with 24,510 heating households served in FY2024.
Sources: dss.sd.gov, liheapch.acf.gov, puc.sd.gov
Weatherization Assistance Program
South Dakota Department of Social Services, delivered by four community action agencies (Inter-Lakes Community Action, Rural Office of Community Services, GROW South Dakota, Western South Dakota Community Action)
Income-eligible households (three-month income at 200% of poverty, e.g. $7,825 for one person, $16,075 for four), with priority for the elderly, people with disabilities, families with children and single-family homes; there is no cost, waiting lists are possible, and renters qualify with the landlord's written permission and a landlord contribution.
Sources: dss.sd.gov, puc.sd.gov
Black Hills Energy (funded by voluntary customer and employee donations)
Eligible Black Hills Energy customers in need, for help paying Black Hills Energy bills or emergency energy-related expenses; the company's South Dakota resources page also lists a Medical Extension program for residential customers whose service a physician certifies as medically essential, payment arrangements, and a 'Here to help' contact form.
Sources: blackhillsenergy.com, blackhillsenergy.com
NorthWestern Energy payment assistance
NorthWestern Energy
Any South Dakota customer who calls 800-245-6977 before the due date can set up a payment arrangement, extend a due date, or be pointed to local assistance; the page refers low-income households to the DSS energy and weatherization programs.
Source: northwesternenergy.com
Budget / averaged monthly billing (all six investor-owned utilities)
Black Hills Energy, MidAmerican, Montana-Dakota, NorthWestern, Otter Tail and Xcel Energy (listed by the SD PUC)
Not a discount: the utility averages past bills into a level monthly payment and adjusts it as needed; the PUC page links each company's plan (Otter Tail's Even Monthly Payment plan, for example, averages the past 12 months and reviews the amount twice a year).
Sources: puc.sd.gov, otpco.com
Programs that change what you pay
- Rooftop solar (net metering)limited
- No statewide net-metering rule appears on the PUC's energy, solar or consumer pages; instead SDCL 49-34A-108 requires every electric utility to file its minimum purchase rate for power from renewable facilities of 100 kW or less, and the PUC posts those filings (East River on behalf of 17 co-ops and the City of Elk Point, Missouri River Energy Services for 12 cities, Rushmore Electric for eight co-ops, and the six IOU tariffs), with filed rates not subject to PUC approval except PURPA avoided-cost rates.
Source: puc.sd.gov
- Time-of-use ratesavailable
- Xcel Energy's South Dakota Residential Time of Day Service (E02/E04, effective July 1, 2026) keeps the $10.00 customer charge and bills on-peak energy (9 a.m.-9 p.m. weekdays, excluding listed holidays) at $0.24724/kWh June-September and $0.20738/kWh other months versus $0.06210/kWh off-peak, with a 12-month minimum stay and a three-month trial open to up to 100 customers at a time; the PUC tariff index also lists an optional Time-of-Day Residential Rate 16 for Montana-Dakota and an Otter Tail 'Residential Time of Day Service-Pilot' at Section 9.04, which Otter Tail's own current SD tariff index marks 'Reserved for Future Use'.
Sources: puc.sd.gov, puc.sd.gov, otpco.com
Questions people ask before moving to South Dakota
How far ahead should I set up electricity before moving to South Dakota?
Lead times are set by each utility, not the state: Otter Tail asks for at least two business days' notice, Montana-Dakota says its online forms cannot be used for service needed within two business days (new customers must call), and Brookings Municipal Utilities needs 24 hours' notice for weekday connections. NorthWestern bills a $20.00 connection charge for weekday-business-hour connections and $65.00 after hours, so scheduling inside business hours saves money.
Sources: otpco.com, montana-dakota.com, brookingsutilities.com, northwesternenergy.com
Will I have to pay a deposit as a new resident?
With a PUC-regulated utility (Xcel, Black Hills Energy, NorthWestern, Otter Tail, Montana-Dakota, MidAmerican) a deposit can only be required if your credit is 'unsatisfactory' or 'unknown', is capped at one-sixth of the estimated annual bill, can be replaced by a guarantor or an early-payments list, earns 7% interest, and is refunded after 12 consecutive months of paid bills with no shutoff for nonpayment and fewer than three disconnection notices. Co-ops and city utilities write their own rules: Brookings may charge two months' average billing, and Watertown requires a deposit unless you have a year of clean history or a credit reference letter from another electric utility.
Sources: sdlegislature.gov, brookingsutilities.com, watertownmu.com
Can I shop for a cheaper electricity supplier in South Dakota?
No. State law (SDCL 49-34A-42) gives each electric utility the exclusive right to serve every customer inside its PUC-assigned service area, and EIA records zero competitive 'energy-only' sales in the state; your address decides whether you are served by one of six investor-owned utilities, one of 28 distribution cooperatives, or one of 35 municipal systems.
Sources: sdlegislature.gov, eia.gov, puc.sd.gov, sdrea.coop, sdpublicpower.org
How do South Dakota electricity rates compare with what I pay now?
EIA's Electric Power Monthly puts South Dakota's average residential price at 15.37 cents/kWh in July 2026 against a U.S. average of 18.31 cents, and the state's 2024 all-sector average of 10.87 cents ranked 36th among states, with wind the primary generation source. Published residential tariffs run from about 7.4-9.1 cents/kWh plus a $13.85 charge at Watertown Municipal Utilities to 12.81 cents/kWh plus a $30 basic charge at Sioux Valley Energy, so the utility you land in matters more than the state average.
Sources: eia.gov, eia.gov, watertownmu.com, siouxvalleyenergy.com
Can my power be shut off in a South Dakota winter?
For PUC-regulated utilities there is no outright ban, but ARSD 20:10:20:10 adds 30 days to the normal 20-day payment plus 10-day notice periods before any residential disconnection between November 1 and March 31, and a physician's or social-services certificate postpones disconnection for one 30-day period. If you get a disconnect notice and are income-eligible, DSS's Energy Crisis Intervention Program (800-233-8503) can pay the supplier directly.
Sources: sdlegislature.gov, otpco.com, dss.sd.gov
How do I find out which utility serves my new address?
The PUC publishes directories of the six investor-owned electric companies, the electric cooperatives, and the municipal electric systems, and Sioux Valley Energy notes that co-op territory boundaries are approved by the state commission. East River Electric alone supplies 24 distribution co-ops and one city system in eastern South Dakota and western Minnesota, a territory that takes in 41 eastern South Dakota counties, and Missouri River Energy Services supplies 12 South Dakota cities including Brookings, Watertown, Vermillion and Pierre.
Sources: puc.sd.gov, puc.sd.gov, puc.sd.gov, siouxvalleyenergy.com, eastriver.coop, mrenergy.com
Researched 2026-10-16 from utility, regulator, and agency pages; every statement links to where it was read. Rules change: confirm deposits and program dates with the utility or agency before you rely on them.
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