Bismarck–Mandan Energy Guide: Solar, Batteries, Backup, EV

In short: Bismarck–Mandan power is cheap, about 11.7¢ per kWh from Montana-Dakota Utilities in 2024, and outages averaged about 83 minutes. But MDU credits surplus solar at just 2.69¢ per kWh, so panels pay only for power you use yourself. FEMA rates Burleigh County very high for ice storms and winter weather: plan backup for heat.

Below: what MDU’s export credit means for sizing solar, how the area’s ice-storm risk shapes backup choices, what Bismarck’s sun is worth, and where Bismarck and Mandan permits come from. For statewide rules (net metering for investor-owned utilities, the five-year property tax exemption, electrician licensing), see our North Dakota energy guide.

Bismarck–Mandan at a glance

• Utilities: Montana-Dakota Utilities (MDU) is the investor-owned utility in both Burleigh and Morton counties. EIA also lists Capital Electric Cooperative, KEM Electric Cooperative and Otter Tail Power in Burleigh County, and Mor-Gran-Sou Electric Cooperative in Morton County. Your bill tells you which one is yours.
• Price, 2024 average: MDU about 11.7¢ per kWh; Capital Electric about 12.3¢ (EIA-861, revenue divided by sales, fixed charges included).
• Outages, 2024: MDU (North Dakota) about 83 minutes per customer with major events and 79 without, about one interruption a year. Capital Electric reported 37 minutes under a different measuring standard, so it is not directly comparable (EIA-861).
• Sun: about 4.03 kWh per square meter per day in Bismarck, a little more than Fargo (NASA POWER, 2001–2020). Our rough estimate: about 1,180 kWh a year per kW of panels.
• Top hazards: FEMA’s National Risk Index (December 2025) rates Burleigh County “very high” for ice storms and winter weather and “relatively high” for cold waves and hail; Morton County “relatively high” for hail, ice storms and winter weather.
• Public charging: 29 public ports at 10 locations in Bismarck and 6 at 5 in Mandan (AFDC, October 2026).

Your utility and what it means

Montana-Dakota Utilities follows the state net metering rule for investor-owned utilities (see the state page), and its own solar page puts a number on it: in North Dakota, any amount over your usage in a monthly billing period is net billed at MDU’s avoided cost rate, $0.0269 per kWh. That is less than a quarter of the retail price. Every kilowatt-hour your panels use in the house saves about 11.7¢; every kilowatt-hour sent to the grid beyond your monthly use earns about 2.7¢. As an illustration, 2,000 surplus kWh a year would earn about $54 instead of about $234 at retail. EIA recorded no net-metered home solar systems on MDU’s North Dakota lines at the end of 2024, so expect to be among the first.

Capital Electric Cooperative serves members in Burleigh County and, as a co-op, is not covered by the state net metering rule. It publishes interconnection resources for members, but we could not load its website to confirm how it credits surplus power, so ask Capital Electric for its current policy and rate before you size a system. The same goes for KEM Electric and Mor-Gran-Sou members.

Backup power in Bismarck–Mandan

Ice is the local threat. FEMA rates Burleigh County “very high” for ice storms, which coat lines and trees until they snap, and “relatively high” for cold waves, so the worst outage here is a long one in deep cold. Most furnaces and boilers need electricity even when they burn gas, and homes on wells in the rural subdivisions around Bismarck and Mandan lose water too.

• Standby or portable generator: natural gas or propane runs for days without refueling in a storm. Install through a transfer switch or interlock. See generator installation and the generator sizing tool.
• Home battery: carries a gas furnace’s blower, the fridge and lights through a typical outage with no fuel to store; keep it in a heated space. See battery installation and the battery backup calculator.
• Portable power station: phones, internet and medical devices. See portable power stations.

Compare the options in our backup power guide. Run a generator outdoors only, at least 20 feet from the house, exhaust away from doors, windows and vents, and keep battery-powered carbon monoxide alarms inside (CPSC). After an ice storm, stay clear of downed lines and call MDU or your co-op.

Solar in Bismarck–Mandan

By our rough estimate, a 6 kW system in Bismarck makes about 7,050 kWh a year. If you used all of it in the house, it would be worth about $830 a year at MDU’s 2024 average price. But because surplus is credited at 2.69¢, the real value depends on how much you use while the sun shines: a smaller system that rarely exports beats a large one. Daytime loads such as an EV, a heat pump or a well pump help. These are estimates, not quotes.

Model your roof and your usage with the solar potential tool and the solar savings calculator, then read how solar installation works, what it costs and how net metering works.

Home batteries in Bismarck–Mandan

MDU’s low export credit is the one place where a battery adds savings here: storing midday solar for the evening turns 2.7¢ kilowatt-hours into 11.7¢ ones. On a typical home that is still a modest sum a year, so the main reason to buy one remains backup through ice-storm and cold-wave outages. We found no MDU battery program in North Dakota. See home batteries and battery costs.

EV charging in Bismarck–Mandan

Home charging is cheap: by our estimate at 30 kWh per 100 miles, about $3.50 per 100 miles at MDU’s 2024 average price and $3.70 on Capital Electric, more in winter when cold cuts range. Bismarck has 29 public ports and Mandan 6, so a Level 2 charger at home does most of the work. It needs a 240-volt circuit, a licensed electrician and a permit. See EV charger installation and the EV charging cost calculator.

Drive on another fuel? See every alternative fuel station in Bismarck: hydrogen, propane, natural gas, E85 ethanol, biodiesel and renewable diesel.

Permits and inspections

• City of Bismarck: the Building Inspections Division (221 N. 5th St.) covers the city and its extra-territorial area. Contractors and the public apply for permits and request inspections online through eTRAKiT (Bismarck Building Inspections).
• City of Mandan: the city’s Building Inspection department issues permits (Mandan Building Inspection).
• Outside city limits: ask Burleigh or Morton County.
• Utility approval: MDU or your co-op must approve a grid-tied system before it is switched on.

Use a North Dakota licensed electrician (license search on the state page). In an HOA, check its rules on roof panels and standby generators first.

Cities we cover

• Bismarck
• Mandan

Get help in Bismarck–Mandan

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Bismarck–Mandan energy questions

How does Montana-Dakota Utilities credit extra solar power?

In North Dakota, MDU nets your use and production each month, and anything beyond your monthly use is billed at its avoided cost rate, which its solar page gives as $0.0269 per kWh. Power your panels use directly in the house saves the full retail price, so size the system to your daytime use.

What is the biggest outage risk in Bismarck?

Ice storms and winter weather, both rated “very high” for Burleigh County by FEMA’s National Risk Index. MDU’s ordinary reliability was good in 2024, about 83 minutes per customer, but a long winter outage is what to plan for: keep the furnace, sump pump and fridge running with a generator or battery.

How do I get a permit in Bismarck?

Apply through eTRAKiT, Bismarck’s online system for permits and inspection requests, run by the Building Inspections Division. It also covers the extra-territorial area around the city. Your installer usually files, and MDU or your co-op must approve a grid-tied system.

Is a battery worth it with Montana-Dakota Utilities?

For savings alone, rarely: it shifts surplus solar from a 2.7¢ credit to 11.7¢ self-use, a modest yearly gain. For backup through ice storms and cold snaps it can be, especially for homes that want silent, automatic power for a gas furnace’s blower, the fridge and lights.

Sources

EIA-861, 2024 (price = residential revenue ÷ sales; outages; service territory; net-metered systems); Montana-Dakota Utilities renewable and solar energy page (archived April 2026); City of Bismarck Building Inspections; City of Mandan; NASA POWER, 2001–2020; FEMA National Risk Index, December 2025; AFDC station data; CPSC. Read October 2026 unless noted. Estimates are ours and labelled.