East Central Energy electricity rates
East Central Energy charges an average of 16.89 cents per kilowatt-hour to residential customers, and the average household on its system paid $138 a month using 820 kilowatt-hours, according to its 2024 filing with the U.S. Energy Information Administration.
Member-owned cooperative MISO Minnesota
Where East Central Energy sits
It serves 55,250 residential customers in Minnesota. At 16.89¢ per kilowatt-hour it tracks the Minnesota average of 16.95¢ closely, which is what you would expect from a utility large enough to shape that average itself.
Consumption is close to the national norm at 820 kilowatt-hours a month against 871, so the rate translates fairly directly into the bill.
Owned by the customers it serves, with directors elected by members. Co-ops are frequently outside state rate regulation. That matters because a bill is not only the cost of generating electricity: it also carries the cost of the network, and who owns that network changes how it is paid for.
| Rate | Monthly bill | Monthly kWh | |
|---|---|---|---|
| East Central Energy | 16.89¢ | $138 | 820 |
| Minnesota average | 16.95¢ | $119 | 737 |
| United States average | 18.44¢ | $155 | 871 |
Utility figures: U.S. Energy Information Administration, Form EIA-861 annual electric power industry report, 2024. State and national figures: Electric Power Monthly, May 2026. Methodology
Where East Central Energy delivers
Its service territory covers 10 Minnesota counties, either wholly or in part. Utility boundaries follow historic franchise agreements rather than county lines, so a county appearing here does not mean every address in it is served by East Central Energy.
- Aitkin
- Benton
- Chisago
- Isanti
- Kanabec
- Mille Lacs
- Morrison
- Pine
- Sherburne
- Washington
How often the power goes out
In 2024 the average East Central Energy customer went 178 minutes without electricity across 0.6 interruptions. The median across the 941 utilities that report this is 185 minutes.
That is better than the typical American utility, though the figure includes major storm days and can move sharply from one year to the next.
Rooftop solar on this system
615 residential customers had net-metered solar in 2024, totalling 7.84 megawatts. That works out to 11.1 installations per thousand customers, against a median of 8 across the utilities reporting it.
Adoption is above the national median, which generally tracks the retail rate more closely than it tracks sunshine. What exports are actually worth.
Other Minnesota utilities
| Utility | Rate | Bill | Customers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Northern States Power Co - Minnesota | 16.98¢ | $100 | 1.2 million |
| Connexus Energy | 13.66¢ | $105 | 134,095 |
| Rochester Public Utilities | 17.91¢ | $100 | 54,943 |
| Wright-Hennepin Coop Elec Assn | 14.59¢ | $131 | 53,714 |
| Otter Tail Power Co | 11.33¢ | $95 | 50,118 |
East Central Energy rates: common questions
How much does East Central Energy charge per kilowatt-hour?
An average of 16.89 cents per kilowatt-hour across its residential customers in 2024. That is -0.4% against the Minnesota average of 16.95¢ and -8.4% against the national average of 18.44¢. It is an all-in average across every residential rate schedule the utility offers, not a specific tariff.
What is the average East Central Energy bill?
$138 a month, based on total residential revenue divided by residential customers over the 2024 survey year, at an average of 820 kWh a month. The national average bill is $155 at 871 kWh.
Who owns East Central Energy?
It is classified by the EIA as a member-owned cooperative. Owned by the customers it serves, with directors elected by members. Co-ops are frequently outside state rate regulation.
Is East Central Energy expensive compared with other Minnesota utilities?
It ranks #6 of the 44 Minnesota utilities covered here, counting from the most expensive. Nationally it ranks #210 of 1369.