On November 29, 2023, Prairie Energy Cooperative’s Board of Directors approved an adjustment in charges affecting prices for the electric service that you receive. The changes will apply to your usage beginning February 1, 2024.
The rate adjustment applies to the facility charge, idle service/line retention fee, and posting fee while all other rates remain the same. Although the effect of the increase on your bill will vary depending upon your designated revenue class, the primary classes affected are as follows:
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|
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General Service <50 kVa |
$30.00 |
$15.00 |
$45.00 |
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General Service >50 kVa |
$45.00 |
$15.00 |
$60.00 |
|
Medium Power <100 kVa |
$55.00 |
$15.00 |
$70.00 |
|
Large Power/ C&I |
$250.00 |
$50.00 |
$300.00 |
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Idle Service/Line Retention Single-Phase |
$20.00 |
$10.00 |
$30.00 |
|
Idle Service/Line Retention Multi-Phase |
$40.00 |
$20.00 |
$60.00 |
|
Disconnect Posting |
$40.00 |
$60.00 |
$100.00 |
A written explanation of current rate schedules and charges is available without charge from our local business office. If you have any questions, please contact us.
A. It’s no secret that inflation is an issue here in the United States and the electric industry is not immune to that. We have seen significant increases in material cost and availability over the last two years. Part of our commitment to our members is to ensure fiscal responsibility so that we can meet all of our financial obligations. This includes performing annual budgets as well as 10-year financial forecasts.
Among other items, our forecasting models considered the following:
- Fixed costs - including materials, vehicle expenses, insurance, tools, technology, equipment, etc.
- Aging grid – annual construction work plan
- Regulations – government regulations often require costly changes for compliance.
Taking into consideration all factors, not just those listed above, our models found that an increase was necessary.
A. Prairie Energy Cooperative (PECO) works with other cooperatives along with our power suppliers, Corn Belt Power Cooperative and Basin Electric Power Cooperative, on improving efficiency and sharing resources to mitigate rising costs. For our members this means we are ensuring future power supply, investing in new technology to improve efficiency and reliability, assisting consumers as they invest in energy-efficient technology, and using alternative energy options whenever they are more cost-effective.
A. The facility charge supports PECO in covering our fixed costs. It helps insure we can fix and maintain the poles, wires, meters, insulators, and so on that serve your property. As mentioned above, one of the main drivers in our forecasting models is the rising cost of materials and fuel. Both materials and fuel are expenses we incur every month (i.e., fixed cost), regardless of how much electricity is used by our membership. The co-op has seen and endured these inflationary prices as long as possible, however, we are unable to sustain the rates as they are with the current market conditions.
A. The increase will apply to usage beginning on February 1, 2024. This is the bill you will receive in March 2024.
A. There are a number of things members can do to help: 1) consider adopting more energy-efficient practices, and remember that we offer free energy assessments in which our member service advisor will come to your home, assess your usage, and offer suggestions for savings; 2) use SmartHub, our free, web-based bill payment system and energy tracker to view your usage online; 3) take advantage of energy efficiency rebates; and 4) if you have an electric water heater, contact us to participate in load management, in which the power to your water heater would be interrupted during peak energy use time.
A. There are many local agencies that provide assistance throughout the year for those in need. Contact the agency in your county for more information.