Algona Municipal Utilities has received national recognition for achieving exceptional electric reliability in 2024. The recognition comes from the American Public Power Association (APPA), a trade group representing over 2,000 not-for-profit, community-owned electric utilities.
APPA helps electric utilities track power outages and restoration data through its subscription-based eReliablity Tracker service. Once per year, APPA’s Reliability Team compares this data to national statistics tracked by the U.S. Energy Information Administration for all types of electric utilities.
“Year after year, data consistently demonstrate public power utilities provide highly reliable service,” said APPA Director of Research and Development Paul Zummo. “The utilities recognized here are truly elite when it comes to keeping the lights on. Their communities should be proud of their local power providers’ hard work and dedication, like AMU, as they earn this truly deserved recognition.”
Public power customers experience outages with less than half the duration compared to other utility customers nationwide.
“We are proud to receive this recognition. It is a testament to the hard work of all our staff to ensure that we keep Algona powered,” said John Bilsten, General Manager at Algona Municipal Utilities.
The Department of Energy – Energy Information Administration tracks outage indices for all electric utilities across the United States. Outage data from 2023 shows that AMU has a System Average Interruption Duration Index (SAIDI) of 28.3 with and without major weather events like tornados compared to the national average of 376.90. SAIDI is the average duration in minutes of an interruption per customer served by the utility during a specific time frame. For the same period, AMU has a System Average Interruption Frequency Index (SAIFI) of 0.57 with and without major weather events compared to the national average of 1.71. SAIFI is the average instance a customer on the utility system will experience a sustained interruption during a specific time frame.
Julie Murphy, chair of the AMU Board of Trustees, said, “AMU has experienced fewer outages compared to the national average for several years. AMU’s investment in electric distribution, transmission, and generation, along with a committed and well-trained staff, have resulted in outstanding customer reliability and resilience.”