COVID-19 Preparedness

Please refer to this site often for the most up-to-date information regarding coronavirus (COVID-19) preparedness at Dakota Electric.

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Update – May 5, 2021

The COVID pandemic is now over a year old and has been difficult for many of our members. Dakota Electric Association is a critical service and we play an important role as we keep the lights on for you, our members. At the start of the COVID pandemic, we temporarily suspended all late-payment fees and disconnections to assist our members during this time.

Dakota Electric and other regulated utilities are working with the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission and will be resuming collection activity on including disconnections and late fees based on account status. Our plan includes these key dates:

June 1, 2021: Begin mailing disconnect notices to members with past-due accounts.
August 2, 2021: Resume disconnections and late fees as necessary based on the account status as of the proposed disconnection date.

We encourage you to contact your local energy assistance agency if you have issues paying your electric bill.

CAP (Scott, Carver, Dakota) 651-322-3500
Three Rivers CAP (Goodhue, Rice) 1-800-277-8418
Dakota County Emergency Assistance 651-554-5611
Salvation Army 952-898-9367

Energy assistance agencies have a limited amount of funding which is available on a first come, first serve basis. Therefore, it is crucial that you contact them as soon as possible. It is also important that you reach out to us if you are unable to pay your bill. We will work with you to establish a payment plan for your account. Our Member Services staff is available Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. at 651-463-6212 or 1-800-874-3409.

Thank you for being a member of Dakota Electric Association.

Local Business Resources

Scott-Carver-Dakota CAP Agency
651-322-3500 | 2496 145th St. W., Rosemount, MN 55068

360 Communities
952-985-5300 501 East Highway 13, Suite 112, Burnsville, MN 55337

Dakota County Economic Assistance
651-554-5611 | 1 Mendota Road W., Suite 100, West St. Paul, MN 55118

Goodhue County Health & Human Services
651-385-3200 | 426 West Ave., Red Wing, MN 55066

Three Rivers Community Action, Inc.
507-316-0610 | 1414 North Star Dr., Zumbrota, MN 55992

Rice County Social Services
507-332-6115 | 320 3rd St. NW., Faribault, MN 55021

Scott County Human Services 952-445-7751 | 200 4th Ave. W., Shakopee, MN 55379

Update – April 1
A letter from Dakota Electric’s President & CEO, Greg Miller, and Board Chair, Jerry Pittman.

The COVID-19 pandemic has dominated our thoughts and actions these past few weeks. We recognize that Dakota Electric Association is a critical service and that we play an important role as we keep the lights on for you, our members. To keep doing this we have taken steps to keep our valued employees safe by minimizing exposures, practicing social distancing, and following guidelines from the CDC and others. Our preventative measures include enhanced sanitation and cleaning, closing the lobby to all visitors, staggering work shifts for outside crews, working from home for nearly all office personnel, and conducting only virtual meetings. We also have eliminated all non-emergency appointments that require our employees to enter a home or business.

That said, we are fully staffed and open for business. Our crews continue to install new services, maintain our lines, and trim trees out in the field. Our Control Center is staffed 24-hours a day, seven days a week to respond to power outages and coordinate all distribution system operations. Our member service call center and drive-up window are available weekdays from 7:00 AM to 7:00 PM. We are here to help, so do not hesitate to call, chat, or visit our website. Our information services employees are managing our technology and communication systems with added vigilance protecting against cyberattacks.

We also recognize that many of our members may be experiencing financial difficulties during these unusual times. To address this, we have taken the following measures to work with our members and help ease their worries during the COVID-19 pandemic:

  • We have suspended disconnecting services for non-payment for the foreseeable future.
  • We will reconnect any of our members that were previously disconnected without fees or deposits.
  • Our Board of Directors proactively waived late fees for past due balances for residential and small business accounts on a go forward basis.
  • We will provide even greater flexibility in making payment arrangements while our members get back on their feet.
  • We are supporting our communities by increasing our donations to local organizations that provide food shelves, housing and other assistance for basic living needs.
  • We are helping to connect our members to resources that provide energy assistance programs.

Your electric cooperative has been overcoming obstacles and providing safe, reliable electricity for over eighty years. We are hard at work during the COVID-19 crisis on your behalf. On behalf of our employees and board of directors, thank you for your continued support and patience.

As a critical service, Dakota Electric continues to provide its’ communities with the safe and reliable electricity they expect. In keeping this commitment, we are taking every precaution to protect our members’ safety, and the safety of our employees. Here are the steps we are taking:
  • Office closed. Our office lobby is closed to the outside public. The drive-up window remains open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., Monday through Friday.
  • Remote work. A portion of our workforce is working remotely, and we are prepared to have more team members do so — if needed.
  • Plans prepared. We have staffing plans in place to ensure your power stays on. Additionally, our line crews are working staggered work schedules to practice social distancing and reduce large group interactions.
  • Outside resources. We continue to work with our power supplier, Great River Energy, and our statewide and national associations to coordinate efforts and share information.
  • Latest information. We are staying up to date with the latest information from the Minnesota Department of Health and the Center for Disease Control.

Currently, Dakota Electric is not disconnecting service. Please contact us to make payment arrangements if you are facing a financial hardship.

Please use the links below for your outage and account/billing inquiries. You can also call customer service at 651-463-6212 or email [email protected]. Thank you for your patience and understanding during this time.

As the world continues to watch the active pandemic known as coronavirus (COVID-19) unfold, Dakota Electric, and our wholesale power supplier, Great River Energy, are taking steps to protect employees’ well-being to be better prepared to keep your lights on.

We are focused on maintaining a healthy workforce and keeping key personnel—such as line workers and member service representatives— available to provide the excellent service members expect from us. As a level of precaution, we have implemented our pandemic plan, including the following practices:

  • Employees are practicing social distancing measures.
  • We will not disconnect service during this time. Please contact us to make payment arrangements if you are facing a financial hardship.
  • Our lobby is closed until further notice. Our drive-up window remains open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday.
  • For account and billing inquiries, please call 651-463-6212 or email [email protected].

Because a pandemic could impact our normal operations, we developed and refined a pandemic plan. We are prepared whether an outbreak causes a mild disruption or severe interruption of personnel, equipment and supplies.

If you are inquiring about paying your bill or reporting an outage, please use the links below. Thank you for your patience and understanding during this time.

Looking for energy-saving tips? View our handy guide here.

Dakota Electric Association is deeply concerned about the well-being of its communities, and understands the difficult position many members are facing due to COVID-19. More than ever, we remain steadfast on delivering safe and reliable electricity.

Members typically experience approximately a 25% increase in utility bills when one person works from home. Members who now have adults working from home, and children home from school, should expect to see an increase in their utility bills.

To help members manage their electric costs, Dakota Electric suspended disconnections for non-payment and are waiving late fees for residential and small commercial members. Please contact us at 651-463-6212 to make payment arrangements if you need help with your electric bill.

Looking for emergency energy management planning resources? View our handy guide here. 

Dakota Electric Association is deeply concerned about the well-being of its communities, and understands the difficult position many members are facing due to COVID-19. More than ever, we remain steadfast on delivering safe and reliable electricity.

To help members manage their electric costs, we suspended disconnections for non-payment and are waiving late fees for residential and small commercial members. Please contact us at 651-463-6212 to make payment arrangements if you need help with your electric bill.

Understanding Your Electric Bill
Most commercial account bills are primarily made up of two components; demand and consumption. Electricity use is comparable to driving a car. Your overall kilowatt-hour consumption is like total miles driven in the month. Demand, billed as kW, is like your maximum speed within the billing period.

Check your statement
If your facility is vacant for an entire billing period, the maximum demand should be less than previous months. If your facility is vacant for a portion of a billing period or an entire billing period, the total consumption should be less than previous months.

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