Iowa power outages by utility

12 Iowa utilities report outage minutes to EIA. The state median is 68 minutes a year; the range runs from 9 to 116.

Ranking by outage minutes

Iowa, SAIDI without major event days, 2024; lower is better; 12 utilities.

Rank	Iowa utility	Owner type	Iowa home accounts	SAIDI min	Interruptions (SAIFI)	SAIDI with storms	Iowa storm share	Price ¢/kWh
1	Board of Water Electric & Communications	Municipal	10,123	9	0.21	41	79%	12.63
2	City of Independence	Municipal	2,719	11	0.41	11	0%	13.82
3	City of Ames	Municipal	24,979	19	0.26	39	52%	12.10
4	East-Central Iowa Rural Elec Coop	Cooperative	7,368	38	0.53	38	0%	13.28
5	Iowa Lakes Electric Coop	Cooperative	9,714	45	0.48	45	0%	13.78
6	Butler County Rural Elec Coop	Cooperative	3,898	66	0.64	86	23%	15.43
7	Heartland Power Coop	Cooperative	4,351	70	0.77	78	10%	12.67
8	Maquoketa Valley Rrl Elec Coop	Cooperative	11,051	71	0.82	134	47%	13.76
9	MidAmerican Energy Co	Investor Owned	632,436	88	0.82	219	60%	11.01
10	Consumers Energy Coop	Cooperative	6,922	96	1.00	493	81%	15.00
11	Eastern Iowa Light & Power Coop	Cooperative	20,749	99	0.90	220	55%	13.56
12	Linn County REC	Cooperative	30,323	116	1.50	116	0%	14.23

Iowa outage minutes by owner type

In Iowa, 53% of 1,448,818 home accounts sit with the 12 qualifying utilities out of 21 in the file. Iowa customer-weighted SAIDI is 84 minutes against a median of 68, and 1 of 12 Iowa utilities exceed the U.S. median of 99. Counting major event days adds a median 35% to SAIDI.

Iowa owner type	Iowa utilities	Iowa home accounts	Iowa median SAIDI	Iowa weighted SAIDI	Iowa median SAIFI	Iowa storm share	Iowa median price ¢/kWh
Investor Owned	1	632,436	88	88	0.82	60%	11.01
Cooperative	8	94,376	70	88	0.79	17%	13.77
Municipal	3	37,821	11	15	0.26	52%	12.63

By owner type, Municipal utilities have the lowest median SAIDI in Iowa (11 minutes, 3 of 12) and Investor Owned the highest (88 minutes, 1 of 12).

Iowa utilities that stand out

Why it stands out	Iowa utility	Iowa owner type	Iowa accounts	Iowa SAIDI min	Iowa SAIDI rank	Iowa SAIFI	Iowa SAIDI with storms	Iowa price ¢/kWh	Iowa price rank
the most reliable	Board of Water Electric & Communications	Municipal	10,123	9	1 of 12	0.21	41	12.63	3 of 12
the least reliable	Linn County REC	Cooperative	30,323	116	12 of 12	1.50	116	14.23	10 of 12
the largest	MidAmerican Energy Co	Investor Owned	632,436	88	9 of 12	0.82	219	11.01	1 of 12
the most storm-driven	Consumers Energy Coop	Cooperative	6,922	96	10 of 12	1.00	493	15.00	11 of 12
the most improved	City of Ames	Municipal	24,979	19	3 of 12	0.26	39	12.10	2 of 12
the one that slipped most	City of Independence	Municipal	2,719	11	2 of 12	0.41	11	13.82	9 of 12
the priciest	Butler County Rural Elec Coop	Cooperative	3,898	66	6 of 12	0.64	86	15.43	12 of 12

Does a higher price buy fewer outages?

Each dot is one of 12 Iowa utilities.

Iowa, 2024: first 8 of 12 rows

	Home price, cents per kWh	SAIDI, minutes a year
Board of Water Electric & Communications	12.63	9
City of Independence	13.82	11
City of Ames	12.10	19
East-Central Iowa Rural Elec Coop	13.28	38
Iowa Lakes Electric Coop	13.78	45
Butler County Rural Elec Coop	15.43	66
Heartland Power Coop	12.67	70
Maquoketa Valley Rrl Elec Coop	13.76	71

12 rows from EIA-861 survey.

CSV

Iowa utilities, change in their own SAIDI

First to last year each utility reported, best change first.

Rank	Iowa utility	Iowa years	Iowa SAIDI first	Iowa SAIDI last	Iowa change
1	City of Ames	2015 to 2025	39	21	-46%
2	Board of Water Electric & Communications	2019 to 2025	19	11	-41%
3	Eastern Iowa Light & Power Coop	2015 to 2025	103	79	-23%
4	MidAmerican Energy Co	2015 to 2024	94	88	-6%
5	Consumers Energy Coop	2015 to 2025	96	94	-2%
6	Iowa Lakes Electric Coop	2015 to 2025	53	54	+2%
7	East-Central Iowa Rural Elec Coop	2019 to 2025	62	67	+9%
8	Butler County Rural Elec Coop	2022 to 2025	76	85	+12%
9	Heartland Power Coop	2015 to 2025	49	67	+37%
10	Linn County REC	2015 to 2025	96	135	+41%
11	Maquoketa Valley Rrl Elec Coop	2015 to 2025	39	63	+60%
12	City of Independence	2015 to 2025	1	4	+166%

Analyst note

The worst Iowa record, 116 minutes, ranks 38 of 40 among state worst cases. Of 12 Iowa utilities with 1,000+ home accounts that report SAIDI, Board of Water Electric & Communications is lowest at 9 minutes a year and Linn County REC highest at 116, a 13.6 to 1 spread. The state median is 68 minutes, -32% against the U.S. median reporter. Over each utility's own record, City of Ames improved most (39 to 21 minutes, -46%, 2015 to 2025) and City of Independence changed the other way (1 to 4, +166%); 5 of 12 fell. Home price and outage minutes line up at r = +0.25 across 12 Iowa utilities: price tells almost nothing here. That is Iowa's pattern, not a cause.

Questions on Iowa outages

How bad is the worst Iowa utility?

Linn County REC reports 116 minutes, rank 38 of 40 among state worst cases.

Which Iowa utility has the fewest outage minutes?

Board of Water Electric & Communications: 9 minutes a year, SAIDI without major events, 2024.

Which Iowa utility has the most?

Linn County REC: 116 minutes a year in 2024.

What is the typical SAIDI in Iowa?

The median of 12 reporting utilities is 68 minutes, -32% on the U.S. median reporter.

Do cheaper Iowa utilities have more outages?

Across 12 utilities r = +0.25, so the link is weak.

How much of Iowa outage time comes from storms?

At Consumers Energy Coop 81% of all-event SAIDI is major event days.

How reliable is the largest Iowa utility?

MidAmerican Energy Co serves 632,436 home accounts and reports 88 minutes, rank 9 of 12; weighted by customers the state figure is 84.

Do Iowa co-ops and investor-owned utilities differ?

3 owner types report in Iowa: Municipal 3 utilities with 37,821 home accounts, Cooperative 8 utilities with 94,376 home accounts, Investor Owned 1 utility with 632,436 home accounts.

What share of Iowa home accounts do these utilities serve?

53% of 1,448,818 accounts, 12 of 21 utilities; 1 are above the U.S. median of 99 minutes.