Energy & Power · United States; 18 rural electric cooperatives across three regions

DOE study quantifies rural cooperative outage costs

A DOE-backed survey found 24-hour outages cost rural cooperative businesses an average $15,106 and will inform a 2027 calculator update.

Infraday · Published Nov 6, 2026 · 2 min read · News Brief

At a glance

Survey size: More than 1,300 members of 18 cooperatives
Average 24-hour business outage cost: $15,106
Calculator update: Expected in early 2027

A Department of Energy-backed survey has produced new interruption-cost data for rural electric cooperative members, addressing a gap in the information utilities use to evaluate grid-resilience investments.

DOE’s Office of Electricity worked with Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Resource Innovations and the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association to survey more than 1,300 residential and business members of 18 cooperatives during 2025. Participants represented the Southeast, Great Plains and Upper Midwest, and Intermountain West.

The survey found that a momentary outage cost residential members an average of $2 and a 24-hour outage an average of $54. For businesses, the corresponding averages were $1,283 and $15,106. Advance notice of an outage reduced reported business costs by 27% to 59%. Researchers also found backup generators at 31% of responding households and 20% of non-residential locations.

Dr. Chukwuemeka Obikwelu, director of grid systems in DOE’s Office of Electricity, said the results will feed the next major update of the free Interruption Cost Estimate Calculator, expected in early 2027.

The study does not announce a grant, contract award or open procurement. Its practical effect is to give cooperative utilities and regulators more current evidence when comparing the cost of outages with proposed reliability and resilience investments. The early-2027 calculator update is the next disclosed milestone.