Otter Tail Power Company Rate Selection Guide
Otter Tail Power is an investor-owned electric utility serving about 134,000 Minnesota customers across a three-state territory (MN, ND, SD). It offers billing and interval data through the MyMeter portal and 25 months of C&I interval analytics via PowerProfiler, and is subject to Minnesota's Open Data Access Standards — though it has no Green Button, EDI, or public API.
Otter Tail Power Company Rate Schedule Comparison
| Schedule | Type | Rate | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small General Service (<20 kW) | Commercial | $18.50/mo; 7.546¢/kWh summer, 5.595¢/kWh winter (secondary) | Small businesses under 20 kW |
| Standard General Service (20 kW+) | Commercial | $39/mo; $2.00/kW summer demand; ~4.6-5.3¢/kWh energy | Mid-size commercial 20-80 kW |
| Large General Service (80 kW+, secondary) | Industrial | $93/mo; $13.99/kW summer demand; ~2.6-3.0¢/kWh energy | Large industrial loads |
| Large General Service Time-of-Day (611) | Industrial | On-peak 3.6¢ vs. off-peak 1.6¢/kWh summer; on-peak demand $11.65/kW | Large plants with shiftable load |
Market Overview
Otter Tail operates under traditional cost-of-service regulation by the Minnesota PUC (and the ND and SD commissions). It participates in MISO for wholesale markets and is subject to FERC Order 888 open-access requirements, but retail customers have no supplier choice.
Need to pull your actual usage data to compare rates? See the Otter Tail Power Company Data Access Guide →
Current Rate Schedules
Minnesota C&I rates below are verified from Otter Tail's published Commercial Rate Summary and reflect charges in effect during the 2025-2026 period; an interim rate adjustment from the pending Minnesota rate case applies effective January 1, 2026. Minnesota rates are seasonal (summer June-September vs. winter October-May) and split by secondary, primary, and transmission voltage. Figures exclude taxes, riders, and fuel/energy adjustments.
Effective: January 1, 2026 · Full Tariff Book →
| Schedule | Type | Applicability | Structure | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Small General Service (less than 20 kW) — MN | commercial | Non-residential customers with demand below 20 kW (secondary code 404, primary 405). | Customer charge plus seasonal kWh charge; no demand charge. | Secondary (404): customer charge $18.50/mo; energy 7.546¢/kWh summer, 5.595¢/kWh winter+ None |
| Standard General Service (20 kW+) — MN Secondary | commercial | Non-residential customers with measured demand of at least 20 kW, secondary service (code 401). | Customer charge + facilities charge per kW + seasonal energy + seasonal demand charge. | Customer charge $39.00/mo; energy 4.644¢/kWh summer, 5.272¢/kWh winter; facilities $1.50/kW+ $2.00/kW summer, $1.00/kW winter (min 20 kW) |
| General Service — Time of Use (MN, code 708) | commercial | Non-residential customers with at least 20 kW demand opting into three-period time-of-use pricing. | Customer + facilities charge + three TOU energy periods + intermediate demand charge; steep declared-peak pricing. | Customer charge $59.00/mo; off-peak energy 2.350¢/kWh summer; declared-peak 79.499¢/kWh summer+ Intermediate $2.92/kW summer, $4.44/kW winter |
| Large General Service (80 kW+) — MN Secondary (603) | industrial | Non-residential customers with at least 80 kW demand, secondary service (code 603). | Customer + facilities charge per kW + seasonal demand (billing demand) + seasonal energy. | Customer charge $93.00/mo; energy 2.590¢/kWh summer, 2.950¢/kWh winter+ $13.99/kW summer, $11.25/kW winter (min 80 kW) |
| Large General Service — MN Primary (602) | industrial | Large non-residential customers taking primary-voltage service (code 602), 80 kW+. | Higher customer charge + lower facilities/energy reflecting primary voltage + seasonal billing demand. | Customer charge $253.00/mo; energy 2.230¢/kWh summer, 2.530¢/kWh winter+ $13.64/kW summer, $10.89/kW winter (min 80 kW) |
| Large General Service — Time of Day (MN, 611) | industrial | Non-residential customers with at least 80 kW demand on three time-of-day periods (secondary code 611). | Customer + facilities charge + on-peak/shoulder/off-peak energy and demand charges. | Customer charge $102.00/mo; on-peak energy 3.600¢/kWh summer; off-peak 1.600¢/kWh summer+ On-peak $11.65/kW summer, $8.63/kW winter |
Rate Recommendations by Use Case
Mid-size Minnesota commercial facility (20-80 kW)
Standard General Service charges a modest $2.00/kW summer demand and seasonal energy (~4.6-5.3¢/kWh). Summer demand is the swing cost.
Because summer demand and energy charges exceed winter, trimming summer peak demand and evaluating the TOU option (off-peak 2.35¢/kWh) can lower bills for facilities with shiftable load.
- Pull MyMeter hourly data to find summer peak hours.
- Model the General Service TOU rate before opting in — declared-peak pricing is punishing.
- Confirm whether primary-voltage service lowers your facilities and energy charges.
Large industrial plant (80 kW+)
Large General Service demand charges reach ~$13.99/kW in summer (secondary), so peak demand dominates the bill. Primary and transmission voltage cut both demand and energy charges.
Taking service at primary or transmission voltage and shaving summer peak demand yields the largest savings. The Time-of-Day option rewards plants that shift load to off-peak (summer off-peak demand is $0.00/kW).
- Use 25 months of PowerProfiler history to baseline summer peaks.
- Evaluate moving to primary/transmission voltage if feasible.
- Watch reactive-power (KVAR) adders — excess demand is added per 10 KVAR above 50% of metered kW.
Energy-intensive, trade-exposed (EITE) manufacturer
Minnesota offers an EITE Rider exemption that discounts per-kWh charges equal to the EITE surcharge for Commission-approved accounts under Minn. Stat. 216B.1696.
Qualifying EITE manufacturers can secure a surcharge exemption; very large greenfield loads (25 MW+, 80%+ load factor) may qualify for Super Large General Service contract pricing.
- Confirm EITE eligibility with the Idea Center and Commission process.
- For greenfield loads, request a Super Large General Service rate quote.
- Layer EITE exemption analysis on top of voltage and demand optimization.
Historical Rate Trends
Otter Tail's Minnesota rates are set through periodic rate cases at the Minnesota PUC. A rate increase was filed October 31, 2025; the PUC approved an interim increase effective January 1, 2026 pending a final decision expected in early 2027.
January 1, 2026
Minnesota PUC approved an interim rate increase (effective Jan 1, 2026) while reviewing Otter Tail's Oct 31, 2025 rate-increase request.
n/aMarch 13, 2023
Minnesota PUC order refining Open Data Access Standards, expanding community-level CEUD and machine-readable format requirements.
n/aOverall trend: Upward, driven by AMI/grid investment and generation costs. Interim rate adjustments now apply to standard charges while the 2025 rate case is reviewed.
Next expected change: Final Minnesota rate-case decision expected early 2027; interim rates in effect since January 1, 2026.
Cost Optimization Strategies
With no retail choice in MN/ND/SD, Otter Tail C&I customers optimize through voltage-level selection, summer peak-demand management, time-of-use/time-of-day rate adoption, and EITE exemptions — all informed by PowerProfiler interval data.
Summer Peak Demand Management
For: All demand-metered C&I accounts
Summer (June-September) demand charges far exceed winter — up to ~$13.99/kW on Large General Service. Reducing the summer monthly peak directly cuts the largest bill component.
Take Service at Higher Voltage
For: Large customers able to own/operate transformation
Primary (602) and transmission (632) service carry lower facilities, energy, and demand charges than secondary. Customers able to take primary/transmission service can save materially.
Adopt Time-of-Day / Time-of-Use
For: C&I accounts with shiftable load
TOD (611) and TOU (708) rates offer steep off-peak discounts (summer off-peak demand $0.00/kW; off-peak energy 1.6¢/kWh). Shiftable loads benefit; non-shiftable loads risk punishing declared-peak charges.
Pursue EITE Exemption
For: Qualifying manufacturers under Minn. Stat. 216B.1696
Minnesota's EITE Rider exemption discounts per-kWh charges equal to the EITE surcharge for qualifying energy-intensive, trade-exposed accounts approved by the Commission.
To implement these strategies, you need your 15-minute interval data. Learn how to download Otter Tail Power Company interval data →
Frequently Asked Questions
How does a C&I customer get interval data from Otter Tail Power?▾
Enroll in PowerProfiler by calling the Idea Center at 800-493-3299. Once your interval meter is confirmed, you receive login credentials within 1-2 business days and can generate nine report types over 25 months of history, exporting to Excel, CSV, or PDF.
Does Otter Tail Power support Green Button or an API?▾
No. Otter Tail does not implement Green Button or a public customer-data API. It has cited ESPI implementation costs in regulatory comments. Machine-readable downloads are available through MyMeter and PowerProfiler, and Minnesota's Open Data Access Standards require machine-readable aggregated data.
How can a consultant or aggregator access a customer's Otter Tail data?▾
Either the customer adds the consultant as an authorized MyMeter user, or the customer completes the Customer Energy Usage Data Consent Form and submits it to Otter Tail, after which the third party requests data directly. Nectar can also retrieve billing and interval data via customer authorization — see docs.nectarclimate.com.
What commercial and industrial rate schedules does Otter Tail offer in Minnesota?▾
Minnesota C&I options include Small General Service (under 20 kW), Standard General Service (20 kW+, secondary/primary), General Service Time-of-Use, Large General Service (80 kW+, secondary/primary/transmission), Large General Service Time-of-Day, and Super Large General Service for very large loads. Rates rise to demand charges of about $13.99/kW (summer) on Large General Service.
Are Otter Tail's Minnesota rates changing?▾
Yes. Otter Tail filed a Minnesota rate increase on October 31, 2025. The PUC approved an interim rate increase effective January 1, 2026 while it reviews the full request, with a final decision expected in early 2027. Interim rate adjustments apply to current charges.
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