| Resource Type | Tool |
| Author / Source | LBNL, Resource Innovations (U.S. DOE) |
| Publication Date | July 2011 |
| Location | United States |
| Initiative Type | Technology |
| Project Complexity | Intermediate |
| Recommended For | Staff, Board |
Estimated reading time: 15 minutes
Why This Matters for Rural Electric Co-ops
Reliability upgrades are easier to justify when their value is shown in dollars. The Interruption Cost Estimate (ICE) Calculator is a free public tool that estimates the economic costs customers face from power interruptions, and utility planners routinely use it to estimate the benefits of reliability and resilience improvements. That gives a co-op a way to show what an outage actually costs its members, not just how long it lasted.
A co-op can use it to compare the member value of undergrounding, sectionalizing, vegetation work, or backup storage against project cost. That helps prioritize capital plans and explain rate impacts to the board and members. Because it is free, it is a low-cost starting point before paying for a custom value of service study.
Key Takeaways
| › | ICE 2.0 is built on new survey data from 24 U.S. utility service territories and covers outages from momentary blips to 24-hour disruptions. |
| › | Residential costs are measured by what customers would pay to avoid an outage, while non-residential costs are measured directly. Commercial and industrial loads often drive the largest estimated losses. |
| › | Translating outages into member costs strengthens the business case for hardening and resilience projects in capital planning and board discussions. |
| › | Estimates are averages, so co-ops with unusual member mixes should treat results as a benchmark rather than a precise local figure. |
Implementation Considerations
- Regulatory or Governance Considerations: Results work best as one input in a broader cost benefit analysis. Boards should understand the assumptions before using the figures to justify rate or capital decisions.
- Staffing or Technology Requirements: Meaningful results require reliability data such as outage frequency, duration, and customer counts by class. Smaller co-ops may need help from their statewide association, G&T, or an engineering consultant to set up inputs and interpret results.
- Time-Sensitive Information: The tool is being updated in phases. A combined Phase 1 and 2 report was published in 2026, so dollar estimates and rural coverage may change. The developers plan to update the calculator as each phase finishes, with an aim of representing more customer types, including those served by rural electric cooperatives.
Notable Examples
- Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory: Developed the tool for DOE and leads the multi-phase update, documented in the ICE 2.0 Phase 1 Final Report.
- Resource Innovations: Research partner that co-led the ICE 2.0 surveys and redesign with utility stakeholder input.
- U.S. Department of Energy: Funded the original calculator and its ongoing updates.
Estimated reading time: 15 minutes
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