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RATE CHOICES BACKGROUND

Prior to September 2024,  BREC billing statements did not separate the 3 charges that make up the total bill amount. There was no way to know how much was the Usage cost or Account cost.  Without this information a customer could not understand how the total amount due was derived.   Peak demand cost was not a thing at that time.  

Example 

In the summer of 2024, Blue Ridge Electric Cooperative overhauled its rate structure. The EmPOWERment rate was designed to give members more control over their bills and ease the demand on our regional power grid. It took effect in September 2024.  These new features appeared: 

• Power Cost Adjustment: "Power Cost Adjustment" (PCA) is a charge that reflects fluctuations in the cost of purchased power, essentially adjusting your bill based on the actual cost of electricity the company buys to provide to you; it can appear as a credit or a charge depending on market fluctuations, and is usually listed separately on your bill. This adjustment is applied per kilowatt-hour used, so the amount added or credited to your bill will depend on your energy consumption.  [The USAGE CHARGE to which the adjustment is applied is the amount of KWHs used multiplied by $0.10443 (As of 3/4/2025)]

• Demand: The new rate structure gives you significantly more control over your bill. The key is to focus on WHEN you use most of your electricity at home. Members can save the most money on the rate structure by reducing the amount of energy used during peak hours and shifting those tasks to off-peak hours when the rate is lowest.

Summer Peak Hours are 3 p.m. - 6 p.m. April 1 - October 31

Winter Peak Hours are 6 a.m. - 9 a.m. November 1 - March 31

Peak hours are determined by the times when electricity demand is the highest across the entire electric grid. This typically coincides with the seasons, i.e. cold winter mornings and hot summer afternoons, because that is when HVAC units are working the hardest

 The peak charge of $13 per kilowatt is for the single highest hour of consumption during peak times on one single day per billing cycle, not every day. 

You can see your daily usage for any date range.  Also by clicking on the bar of a specific day you can see your hourly usage and peak usage.  The time reported is the ending hour of the use that starting the preceding hour.  Ex: usage reported at 9AM is the usage between 8AM - 9AM

• Account Charge: This covers the cost of providing electricity to your home. It includes power lines, equipment, labor, substations and other operating costs necessary to serve each meter in our service territory. The account charge is not a new charge. We have always built in a fixed fee in your monthly bill to cover our operating costs. Now, we will be clearly showing how it factors into your total. It is $1.10 for each day in the billing cycle,

See More FAQs about the Empowerment Plan

While the EmPOWERment rate was designed to give members more control over their bills and ease the demand on our regional power grid. Since its initial launch, the cooperative has studied a new, pilot two-part rate program that was similar to the old rate before the introduction of EmPOWERment. We know our membership values options. Members can enroll in the two-part rate under certain agreed-upon conditions if they believe this format will benefit their household. 

Click here for the details 

Do a Rate Comparison to see if the two-part program may work for you

Peak Energy Demand Forgiveness Program 

How do I compare this coming summer to last years?

If staying with the current Empowerment Plan

The only cost in common (usage cost) is to compare usage cost and add an estimate of a Peak Demand to last summer's bill

If going to the Flat Rate Plan

Use the comparative worksheet and plug in your KWH from last summer's bill