In short: Nearly all of the Des Moines metro buys power from MidAmerican Energy, which averaged about 11.0¢ per kWh for homes in 2024, against 17.9¢ at Alliant Energy, Iowa’s other big utility (EIA). Outages were the weak spot: 219 minutes per customer with major storms counted, 88 without. So here, backup power often matters more than bill savings.
This page covers what is specific to Des Moines, West Des Moines, Ankeny, Waukee and Urbandale: MidAmerican’s solar billing and time-of-use rate, local storm risk, permits and public charging. For statewide rules, including the July 1, 2027 date in Iowa’s solar law and the five-year property tax exclusion for solar, see our Iowa energy guide.
Des Moines at a glance
- MidAmerican Energy serves electric customers in Des Moines, West Des Moines, Ankeny, Waukee and Urbandale (MidAmerican community list). Homes paid about 11.0¢ per kWh on average in 2024 and used about 790 kWh a month (EIA-861).
- MidAmerican outages (2024): 219 minutes per customer including major events, 88 minutes without; 1.27 interruptions a year, 0.82 without major events (EIA-861, IEEE method).
- Co-ops on the edges: parts of rural Polk County, near Ankeny, are served by Consumers Energy Cooperative (about 15.0¢ in 2024, with 493 outage minutes counting major events and 96 without). Midland Power Cooperative and Guthrie County REC also serve rural parts of Polk and Dallas counties (EIA-861).
- Sun: about 4.09 kWh per square meter per day, from 1.7 in December to 6.4 in July (NASA POWER, 2001 to 2020). Our rough estimate: about 1,190 kWh a year per kW of panels.
- Top hazards: Polk County’s overall risk is “relatively moderate,” but strong wind rates “very high,” and cold wave, drought, hail, heat wave, ice storm, tornado and winter weather “relatively high.” Dallas County (Waukee and part of West Des Moines) rates “relatively low” overall, with drought “relatively high” (FEMA National Risk Index, December 2025).
- Public charging: 109 ports at 41 locations in Des Moines, plus 40 in West Des Moines, 27 in Waukee, 24 in Ankeny and 15 in Urbandale (AFDC, October 3, 2026).
- Home solar: 4,482 MidAmerican homes in Iowa had net-metered solar in 2024, under 1 in 100 residential customers, and none reported a battery with it (EIA-861).
Your utility and what it means
- Solar billing (Iowa inflow/outflow rate): MidAmerican measures what you take from the grid and what you send to it separately, in 15-minute periods. You pay the retail per-kWh rate, including riders, for everything you take, and you are credited the same retail per-kWh rate for everything you send. Extra credits roll forward to later bills but expire at the end of the annual billing year you choose (January or April). Details are on MidAmerican’s interconnection and rates page.
- Getting connected: you or your installer file an interconnection application with a fee, MidAmerican reviews it and may require a transformer upgrade at your cost, and after installation it does a witness test ($125 in Iowa) and swaps the meter before you may turn the system on. See its customer generation page. You still get a monthly bill with a basic service charge.
- Time-of-use rate (RST): off-peak is 10 p.m. to 8 a.m. On-peak is 1 to 6 p.m. on summer weekdays (June to September), when power costs “significantly more.” Outside summer, the first 1,000 kWh each month are cheaper than the regular rate at any hour. MidAmerican installs the time-of-use meter at no charge, you must stay on the rate 12 months, and it sends a yearly comparison. Its time-of-use page says EV owners who charge at home off-peak are “more likely to save.”
- Co-op members: Consumers Energy, Midland Power and other co-ops write their own solar and EV rules. Ask yours before you sign.
Backup power in Des Moines
The Des Moines numbers have a clear split. On ordinary days MidAmerican customers lost about an hour and a half of power in 2024. With major events counted, the figure was 219 minutes, about 3.7 hours. That gap is what storms do here, and 2024 had several: MidAmerican’s foundation funded tree replanting in Windsor Heights after “a tornado and a derecho” that year, and its staff helped with recovery in Des Moines and Pleasant Hill.
Strong wind, the county’s top-rated hazard, brings trees down on lines, and those outages can run for days in summer heat or winter cold. Plan for the long one. A portable power station covers phones, Wi-Fi, a CPAP and lights. For a sump pump, furnace blower and fridge over several days, look at a natural gas standby generator or a larger home battery. Compare them in backup power options and size them with the battery backup calculator or the generator sizing tool.
Safety first: the CPSC says to run portable generators outdoors only, at least 20 feet from the house with the exhaust pointed away, never in a garage. Fit battery-backed CO alarms. A transfer switch or interlock must be installed by a licensed electrician (generator installation).
Solar in Des Moines
Des Moines gets about 1,190 kWh a year per kW of panels by our rough estimate. At MidAmerican’s 2024 average of about 11.0¢, that is worth about $130 a year per kW, whether you use the power or send it out, because inflow/outflow credits exports at the same retail rate. That is a labelled estimate, and it is a lower value than in Alliant territory, where the same panel would offset about 17.9¢ power. Low prices are the main reason solar pays back more slowly here.
Two things to check before you sign: how big the system is compared with your use (credits that pile up past your annual reset date are lost), and what Iowa’s 2027 review could mean for new systems (see the state page). Run your roof through the solar potential tool and the solar savings calculator, and read solar installation and how net metering works.
Batteries in Des Moines
No MidAmerican solar customer in Iowa reported a battery in EIA’s 2024 data, and that makes sense: with exports credited at full retail, a battery adds little to solar savings. Its value in Des Moines is backup during those storm outages, and possibly time shifting if you join the time-of-use rate. We found no MidAmerican home battery program. Decide what the battery must run, for how long, then compare in home battery installation and home battery cost.
EV charging in Des Moines
Home charging is cheap at MidAmerican’s prices: at about 30 kWh per 100 miles, roughly $3.30 per 100 miles at the 2024 average (our estimate), and less if you charge off-peak on the time-of-use rate. The metro has about 215 public ports across the five cities (AFDC, October 3, 2026), and MidAmerican runs its own network of 100 DC fast chargers around Iowa. A Level 2 charger needs a 240-volt circuit and an electrical permit. See EV charger installation and the EV charging cost calculator.
Drive on another fuel? See every alternative fuel station in Des Moines: hydrogen, propane, natural gas, E85 ethanol, biodiesel and renewable diesel.
Permits and inspections
- Des Moines: the city’s Permit and Development Center handles residential permits. Ask it which building and electrical permits your solar, battery, generator or charger needs.
- Suburbs: West Des Moines, Ankeny, Waukee and Urbandale each run their own building inspection office. Unincorporated areas go through the county.
- Who does the wiring: Iowa licenses electricians and electrical contractors statewide (see the state page for the lookup). Use a licensed electrician for solar, batteries, transfer switches and chargers.
- Utility and HOA: MidAmerican must sign off on the interconnection before solar or a battery runs. If you have an HOA, get its approval in writing.
Cities we cover
- Des Moines
- West Des Moines
- Ankeny
- Waukee
- Urbandale
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Des Moines energy FAQ
Who is my electric utility in Des Moines?
MidAmerican Energy, in Des Moines and in West Des Moines, Ankeny, Waukee and Urbandale. Some rural addresses at the edge of the metro are served by co-ops such as Consumers Energy or Midland Power. Your bill shows which.
How does MidAmerican pay for solar exports in Iowa?
Under its inflow/outflow rate, power you send to the grid is credited at the same retail per-kWh rate, including riders, that you pay for power you take, measured every 15 minutes. Extra credits carry forward but expire at your annual reset in January or April, so size the system to your use.
Is solar worth it with MidAmerican’s low rates?
It pays back more slowly than in higher-priced areas. By our estimate each kW of panels is worth about $130 a year at MidAmerican’s 2024 average price. Get several quotes, ask for the payback math in writing, and check how the 2027 state review could affect new systems.
Does MidAmerican have an EV rate?
It has no EV-only rate, but its residential time-of-use rate (RST) prices off-peak power, 10 p.m. to 8 a.m., lower. Summer weekday afternoons from 1 to 6 p.m. cost much more, so it suits drivers who charge overnight. You stay on it at least 12 months.
Do I need a generator in Des Moines?
Not for the average outage, which was about an hour and a half in 2024. Storms are the reason to plan: with major events, MidAmerican customers averaged 3.7 hours, and Polk County’s strong wind risk is rated very high. Homes with sump pumps, medical needs or no tolerance for cold should plan for several days.
Sources
Utilities, prices, outages and solar counts: U.S. Energy Information Administration, EIA-861 data for 2024. MidAmerican Energy community list, interconnection and rates, customer generation, time-of-use, fast-charging and newsroom pages. Sun: NASA POWER, 2001 to 2020. Hazards: FEMA National Risk Index, December 2025. Charging: Alternative Fuels Data Center. Generator safety: CPSC. All checked October 3, 2026.