Minnesota Energy Resources Corporation (MERC) Rate Selection Guide
Minnesota Energy Resources Corporation (MERC) is a WEC Energy Group subsidiary delivering regulated natural gas service to roughly 226,000 customers across 179 Minnesota communities. Commercial and industrial customers access usage and billing data through the My Account portal, the Energy Information System (EIS) for transportation customers, and third-party authorization forms. MERC is rate-regulated by the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission.
Minnesota Energy Resources Corporation (MERC) Rate Schedule Comparison
| Schedule | Type | Rate | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| General Service - Small C&I | commercial | Customer Charge + per-therm distribution (varies by area) + pass-through commodity | Most commercial buildings, multi-family, and small industrial loads on firm bundled service. |
| General Service - Large C&I | industrial | Higher Customer Charge + volumetric/declining-block distribution + pass-through commodity | High-volume industrial and large commercial facilities. |
| Interruptible Sales / Transportation | industrial | Lower per-therm rate in exchange for curtailment risk | Dual-fuel or curtailable industrial loads seeking lower delivery costs. |
| Firm Transportation | industrial | MERC delivery charge + separately contracted commodity via marketer | Large C&I that can manage gas procurement through a broker. |
Market Overview
Natural gas distribution in Minnesota is regulated by the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission. MERC provides bundled, regulated gas sales to most customers; there is no residential commodity choice. Eligible commercial and industrial customers may elect transportation service and buy gas supply from approved marketers/brokers, with MERC continuing to provide regulated delivery and balancing.
Need to pull your actual usage data to compare rates? See the Minnesota Energy Resources Corporation (MERC) Data Access Guide →
Current Rate Schedules
MERC bills C&I customers under MPUC-approved tariff rate schedules. Each bill combines a fixed monthly Customer Charge, a volumetric Distribution Charge (per therm, varies by area and rate class), and a pass-through Natural Gas Cost (the commodity, transportation and storage cost, charged at no markup). MERC's most recent base-rate case, Docket G011/GR-22-504, settled in October 2023 with the company lowering its requested increase from about $32.7M to about $21.2M. Specific per-therm distribution charges are published by area in the MERC Minnesota Rate Book; the dollar figures below are described structurally where a verified per-therm rate was not isolated in a single source.
Effective: October 1, 2023 · Full Tariff Book →
| Schedule | Type | Applicability | Structure | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| General Service - Small Commercial & Industrial (Firm Sales) | commercial | Multi-family, commercial and industrial customers taking firm bundled gas sales service below the large-volume threshold. | Fixed monthly Customer Charge + volumetric Distribution Charge per therm + pass-through Natural Gas Cost per therm. Per-therm distribution charges vary by service area; see the Minnesota Rate Book. | Per-therm distribution charge varies by area (see tariff); commodity is pass-through at market with no markup.+ None for firm general service |
| General Service - Large Commercial & Industrial (Firm Sales) | industrial | Larger-volume commercial and industrial firm sales customers exceeding the small general-service volume threshold. | Higher fixed monthly Customer Charge + declining/volumetric Distribution Charge per therm + pass-through Natural Gas Cost. Large-volume blocks reduce the per-therm distribution charge. | Volumetric distribution charge per therm by area/block (see tariff); commodity pass-through.+ None for firm sales; see tariff for any reservation components |
| Interruptible Sales Service | industrial | Large C&I customers willing to curtail or switch fuels on notice in exchange for lower-cost interruptible gas service; typically telemetered. | Customer Charge + interruptible per-therm distribution charge + commodity; service may be curtailed during system constraints. | Discounted interruptible per-therm rate vs. firm service (see tariff Section 5).+ None; curtailment in lieu of demand charges |
| Firm Transportation Service (C&I) | industrial | Eligible C&I customers (Class 1-5) that purchase gas supply from an approved marketer/broker while MERC provides regulated delivery. | Customer Charge + per-therm transportation/delivery charge billed by MERC; commodity is contracted separately with the marketer. Managed through EIS/PEGASys. | Per-therm transportation charge per tariff Section 6; commodity priced by the customer's marketer.+ May include balancing/imbalance charges per tariff |
| Interruptible Transportation Service | industrial | Transportation customers accepting interruptible delivery in exchange for lower delivery charges. | Customer Charge + lower interruptible per-therm delivery charge; subject to curtailment. Customer sources commodity via marketer. | Discounted interruptible transportation per-therm rate (see tariff Section 6).+ Imbalance/balancing provisions per tariff |
Rate Recommendations by Use Case
Large industrial facility seeking lowest gas cost
Evaluate transportation service with competitively procured commodity, and interruptible delivery if the load can curtail or switch fuels.
Commodity is the largest bill component and is pass-through under bundled service; buying supply via a marketer plus accepting curtailment risk can materially reduce per-therm costs.
- File the Notice of Intent to Switch by Aug 1 to switch Nov 1
- Use EIS daily volume data to manage nominations and avoid imbalance penalties
- Compare interruptible savings against curtailment frequency and backup-fuel costs
Multi-site commercial portfolio / energy manager
Centralize billing and usage access via My Account with third-party authorization so a consultant can pull data across all accounts.
MERC has no public API; authorized portal access plus Bill Analyzer is the most reliable way to aggregate monthly therm and cost data across sites.
- Have each customer sign the Third-Party Authorization Form (valid up to 2 years)
- Allow 3 business days for activation
- Use Large Building Benchmarking requests for ESPM reporting on buildings >50,000 sq ft
Building owner with ESG / benchmarking obligations
Use MERC's Large Building Benchmarking data request to obtain 12 months of ESPM-compatible gas data for ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager.
MERC delivers benchmarking data free under state law in a format that imports directly into Portfolio Manager, satisfying Minnesota's benchmarking mandate.
- Submit requests well before the June 1 reporting deadline
- Confirm the building is >50,000 sq ft and in MERC territory
- Pair gas data with electric-utility data for whole-building scores
Historical Rate Trends
MERC adjusts the commodity portion of bills periodically via the Purchased Gas Adjustment (PGA), which passes wholesale gas costs through at no markup. Base distribution rates change through MPUC rate cases.
October 1, 2023
MPUC approved the MERC rate-case settlement in Docket G011/GR-22-504, lowering the requested increase from about $32.7M to roughly $21.2M and resetting base distribution rates.
settled (lower than requested)February 1, 2026
Routine Purchased Gas Adjustment (PGA) updates continue to pass wholesale commodity costs through to customers at no markup.
market-based (PGA)Overall trend: Base delivery rates rose modestly following the 2022 rate case settlement; commodity costs fluctuate monthly with wholesale gas markets.
Next expected change: Ongoing monthly PGA adjustments; next base-rate change would follow any new MERC rate-case filing with the MPUC.
Cost Optimization Strategies
C&I customers can lower total gas costs through rate-class optimization, transportation service, interruptible options, and efficiency measures. MERC also offers business rebates and energy analysis.
Evaluate transportation service
For: Class 1-5 commercial and industrial customers
Large C&I customers can elect firm or interruptible transportation service and procure commodity through an approved marketer, often beating the bundled PGA commodity price.
Consider interruptible service
For: Industrial loads able to curtail or switch fuels on notice
Customers with dual-fuel capability or curtailable loads can take interruptible sales/transportation at a lower per-therm rate.
Use Bill Analyzer and EIS data
For: All C&I customers
Track monthly therm usage and (for transportation customers) daily volumes in EIS to manage load, detect anomalies, and plan budgets.
Capture business rebates and efficiency
For: Commercial and industrial facilities
MERC offers business rebates and energy analysis that reduce therm consumption and lower the volumetric portion of the bill.
To implement these strategies, you need your 15-minute interval data. Learn how to download Minnesota Energy Resources Corporation (MERC) interval data →
Frequently Asked Questions
Does MERC offer Green Button or an API for C&I usage data?▾
No. MERC does not provide Green Button (ESPI) or a public REST/SOAP API. C&I customers access monthly usage and billing through the My Account portal, and authorized agents use the Third-Party Authorization Form. Transportation customers get daily volumes through the Energy Information System (EIS).
How can a consultant access our gas data across multiple sites?▾
Have each account holder complete MERC's Third-Party Authorization Form selecting account-access scope, then submit to MERC (about 3 business days to activate; valid up to 2 years). For transportation accounts, use the EIS third-party access process to obtain agent credentials.
What rate options can lower our commercial or industrial gas costs?▾
Larger loads can elect firm or interruptible transportation service and buy commodity from an approved marketer, and curtailable loads can take interruptible service for a lower per-therm rate. Because commodity is pass-through under bundled service, procurement and interruptibility are the biggest levers; see tariff Sections 5-6.
Is interval (sub-monthly) gas data available for our facility?▾
Only in limited cases. Most C&I customers receive monthly therm usage. Interruptible customers with telemetry and transportation customers in EIS can access daily/interval flow data; there is no standardized interval export for general-service customers.
When did MERC last change base rates?▾
MERC's most recent base-rate case, MPUC Docket G011/GR-22-504, settled in October 2023, with the company lowering its requested increase from about $32.7M to roughly $21.2M. Commodity costs continue to adjust periodically through the Purchased Gas Adjustment at no markup.
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