Appalachian Power Rate Selection Guide
Appalachian Power (APCo), an AEP company, delivers electricity to roughly 967,000 customers across Virginia, West Virginia and Tennessee. With AMI deployed to ~99% of customers, it offers 15-minute interval data, Green Button Download My Data, and Connect My Data, plus AEP's developer portal and EDI for competitive suppliers. Data-access and rate rules vary significantly by state.
Appalachian Power Rate Schedule Comparison
| Schedule | Type | Rate | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small General Service (SGS) | commercial | Service charge + per-kWh energy; see Tariff 28 | Small commercial sites with modest demand |
| Large General Service (LGS) | commercial | Per-kW demand + per-kWh energy; see Tariff 28 | Larger commercial with significant demand |
| Large Power / Industrial Service | industrial | Per-kW demand + per-kWh energy; see Tariff 28 | Industrial / high-demand facilities |
| General Service Time-of-Use (rider) | commercial | On/off-peak per-kWh + demand; see tariff | Commercial loads that can shift to off-peak |
Market Overview
Appalachian Power is a regulated, vertically integrated utility in Virginia, West Virginia and Tennessee. Virginia has a limited electric-choice framework (Competitive Service Providers), but APCo remains the default regulated supplier for most customers and the delivery utility for all; EDI automation for choice is not currently available in Virginia. West Virginia and Tennessee are regulated with no retail choice. There is no community choice aggregation. AEP's Ohio territory operates a fully competitive CRES retail market, but that is a separate operating company (AEP Ohio).
Need to pull your actual usage data to compare rates? See the Appalachian Power Data Access Guide →
Current Rate Schedules
Appalachian Power's Virginia non-residential service is governed by S.C.C. Tariff No. 28 (effective January 1, 2026) and includes Small General Service (SGS) for smaller commercial loads and Large General Service / large power schedules for demand-metered commercial and industrial customers, plus optional time-of-use riders. Demand-metered schedules bill a per-kW demand charge plus per-kWh energy, with generation, distribution, fuel and rider components shown separately. Specific dollar figures are set by the Virginia SCC and change with each proceeding; consult the tariff book. As a verified reference point, APCo's published Virginia Residential Smart Time-of-Use plan (effective Jan 1, 2025) carries a $7.96 basic service charge and on/off-peak energy rates near 10.672 cents and 5.083 cents per kWh, illustrating the generation/distribution rate structure. Virginia fuel costs were reduced in October 2025 (about a 24% residential fuel-cost reduction).
Effective: January 1, 2026 · Full Tariff Book →
| Schedule | Type | Applicability | Structure | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Small General Service (SGS) | commercial | Smaller, non-demand or low-demand commercial customers in Virginia. | Monthly basic service charge plus per-kWh energy (generation + distribution), with fuel and riders. See Tariff No. 28 for current rates. | — |
| Large General Service (LGS) | commercial | Larger commercial customers exceeding SGS demand thresholds. | Demand-metered: per-kW demand charge plus per-kWh energy, with fuel and riders. See Tariff No. 28 for current rates. | — |
| Large Power / Industrial Service | industrial | Large industrial and high-demand customers in Virginia. | Demand-metered with per-kW demand and per-kWh energy plus fuel and riders; primary/transmission-voltage options. See Tariff No. 28 for current rates. | — |
| General Service Time-of-Use (rider) | commercial | Commercial customers electing time-of-use pricing where available. | On-peak / off-peak per-kWh energy with demand component; verified residential TOU reference: $7.96 service charge, ~10.672 cents on-peak and ~5.083 cents off-peak per kWh (eff. Jan 1, 2025). See tariff for C&I TOU values. | — |
Rate Recommendations by Use Case
Small commercial site (Virginia)
Small commercial customers generally take Small General Service (SGS). Track demand to see whether growth pushes the site into demand-metered LGS.
SGS fits modest, mostly energy-driven loads before demand charges dominate.
- Pull Green Button XML to confirm peak kW
- Watch for crossing into LGS demand thresholds
Larger commercial with demand charges
Demand-metered commercial customers on Large General Service should prioritize peak-kW management and evaluate TOU options.
Demand charges drive LGS bills; shaving peaks and shifting load off-peak yield the biggest savings.
- Use 15-minute interval data to find peaks
- Model TOU vs standard before electing
Industrial / high-demand facility
Industrial sites should evaluate Large Power / Industrial Service and manage coincident peak demand using AMI interval data.
Large power schedules match high, steady demand; primary/transmission-voltage options can lower delivery costs.
- Confirm voltage-level service options
- Target coincident peak reduction
- Automate interval data via the AEP API
Multi-state portfolio (VA / WV / TN)
Portfolios spanning APCo states should centralize Green Button / API interval data and account for separate state tariffs and fuel factors.
VA, WV and TN have distinct tariffs and choice rules; consistent interval data enables fair cross-state benchmarking.
- Use Green Button Connect or the AEP API for all sites
- Track each state's fuel factor and riders
- Note EDI is VA-unavailable but supported for OH CRES
Historical Rate Trends
Appalachian Power Virginia rates are adjusted through Virginia SCC base-rate cases and periodic fuel-cost (fuel factor) and rider updates; Tariff No. 28 is the current Virginia standard tariff.
October 22, 2025
Appalachian Power announced a reduction in Virginia residential fuel costs (about a 24% fuel-cost reduction), lowering bills effective around late 2025 following SCC action.
-24% (fuel cost)January 1, 2026
Virginia S.C.C. Tariff No. 28 update took effect January 1, 2026 (including sales-and-use-tax update), setting the current standard rate schedules.
n/a (tariff update)Overall trend: Mixed; fuel costs fell in late 2025 while base-rate pressures persist.
Next expected change: Subsequent fuel-factor and rider updates per Virginia SCC proceedings.
Cost Optimization Strategies
Because APCo C&I bills are demand-driven, the largest levers are reducing peak kW, improving load factor, and shifting load off-peak. With ~99% AMI coverage, 15-minute interval data (via portal, Green Button or API) makes peak analysis straightforward.
Peak demand management
For: Demand-metered commercial and industrial (LGS, large power)
Use 15-minute interval data to identify and shave monthly peak kW, directly lowering demand charges on LGS and large power schedules.
Time-of-use load shifting
For: Commercial customers on TOU options
Where TOU pricing applies, shift discretionary load to off-peak periods to cut energy charges.
Interval data automation
For: Multi-site and multi-state portfolios
Connect Green Button or the AEP developer API to continuously monitor usage and benchmark across sites and states.
To implement these strategies, you need your 15-minute interval data. Learn how to download Appalachian Power interval data →
Frequently Asked Questions
How does a business get 15-minute interval data from Appalachian Power?▾
Log in at the customer portal and use the energy usage dashboard (about six weeks of 15-minute data) or download Green Button ESPI XML. For longer history, request up to 12 months via provider/customer support (Virginia charges roughly $50 per 12-month history). Third-party apps can use Green Button Connect or the AEP developer API with customer authorization.
Does Appalachian Power support Green Button and a developer API?▾
Yes. APCo supports Green Button Download My Data (ESPI XML) for AMI customers and Connect My Data (OAuth 2.0) in supported states. AEP also runs a developer portal at developer.aep.com with usage, billing and AMI APIs using OAuth 2.0 / API keys.
How does a consultant or aggregator access a customer's APCo data?▾
Either the customer authorizes a Green Button Connect / developer-portal app via OAuth 2.0, or the consultant submits the AEP Customer Letter of Authorization to inforelease@aep.com (processed in ~5-10 business days) to receive billing and usage data directly. Platforms such as Nectar (docs.nectarclimate.com) use these standardized paths to retrieve billing and interval data with customer authorization.
What C&I rate schedules does Appalachian Power offer in Virginia?▾
Virginia non-residential service (S.C.C. Tariff No. 28) includes Small General Service (SGS) for smaller commercial loads and Large General Service / large power schedules for demand-metered commercial and industrial customers, plus optional time-of-use riders. Larger schedules bill a per-kW demand charge plus per-kWh energy. Exact rates are set by the Virginia SCC; see the tariff book.
Why do Appalachian Power rates and data rules differ by state?▾
APCo serves Virginia, West Virginia and Tennessee under separate state commissions, and AEP's Ohio operations are a distinct competitive market. Each jurisdiction has its own tariffs, fuel adjustments and supplier-choice rules, so demand charges, EDI availability and choice programs differ. Virginia rates are governed by S.C.C. Tariff No. 28.
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