Berkeley Electric Cooperative Rate Selection Guide
Berkeley Electric Cooperative is South Carolina's largest member-owned, not-for-profit electric cooperative, serving ~133,248 accounts across Berkeley, Charleston, and Dorchester counties. It runs on NISC's iVUE/SmartHub platform with system-wide AMI; first-party billing and hourly usage are accessible via SmartHub, and community tools expose 15-minute interval data, but there is no confirmed Green Button, EDI, or formal third-party aggregator program.
Berkeley Electric Cooperative Rate Schedule Comparison
| Schedule | Type | Rate | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| General Service (20/21) | Commercial | Daily service charge + energy ($/kWh); demand components for larger loads | General commercial accounts |
| GS Time-of-Day (82/83) | Commercial | Service charge + peak/off-peak energy | Commercial loads that can shift off peak |
| Net Metering Rider | Commercial | Net-metering credit on underlying schedule | Commercial members with solar |
Market Overview
As a not-for-profit electric cooperative, Berkeley Electric is owned by its members and is the sole electric provider in Berkeley, Charleston, and Dorchester counties. There is no retail supplier choice in South Carolina. Wholesale power is purchased primarily from Santee Cooper through Central Electric Power Cooperative; rate adjustments are driven by these wholesale costs and approved by the cooperative's board.
Need to pull your actual usage data to compare rates? See the Berkeley Electric Cooperative Data Access Guide →
Current Rate Schedules
Berkeley Electric's most recent rate adjustment took effect March 1, 2025, with an ~11% change for the average residential member. Verified residential figures: energy charge rose from $0.1223 to $0.1262/kWh and the daily service charge from $0.99 to $1.50. The increase was driven by a ~20% average rise in Santee Cooper wholesale power costs for SC co-ops in 2025. Commercial members are billed under General Service schedules (e.g. rate 20/21) and a commercial Time-of-Day option (82/83), which pair a daily service charge with energy and, for larger loads, demand components; exact commercial $ figures should be confirmed in BEC's C&I rate summary.
Effective: March 1, 2025 · Full Tariff Book →
| Schedule | Type | Applicability | Structure | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| General Service (rate 20/21) | commercial | Small/medium commercial members. | Daily service charge plus per-kWh energy charge; larger accounts may carry demand-related components. See C&I rate summary for current figures. | — |
| General Service Time-of-Day (rate 82/83) | commercial | Commercial members electing time-of-day pricing. | Service charge plus time-differentiated peak/off-peak energy rates rewarding off-peak load shifting. See C&I rate summary. | — |
| Net Metering Rider | commercial | Members with qualifying on-site solar/renewable generation. | Net-metering rider applied to an underlying service schedule. See renewable energy / rate pages. | — |
Rate Recommendations by Use Case
Commercial member that can shift load off peak
Elect the commercial Time-of-Day rate (82/83) and use Beat the Peak alerts.
Because rates are wholesale-driven and peak periods cost the most, shifting load off peak under a TOD schedule is the clearest commercial savings lever.
- Sign up for Beat the Peak alerts
- Map your load shape in SmartHub Usage Explorer
- Shift discretionary loads (HVAC pre-cool, processes) off peak
General commercial account
General Service (20/21) is the standard commercial schedule.
Most commercial members fall under General Service; bills combine a daily service charge with energy, plus demand components for larger loads.
- Confirm current figures in the C&I rate summary
- Track the fixed daily service charge after the 2025 increase
- Use free audits to target efficiency upgrades
Analyst/consultant needing interval data
Use SmartHub hourly data, the reverse-engineered 15-minute API, or a Key Accounts request.
There is no official API or Green Button confirmation, so granular data comes from SmartHub Usage Explorer, the community 15-minute tool, or a staff-mediated request.
- Verify Green Button status at the Green Button Alliance directory
- For 15-minute data, configure electric-usage-downloader with member credentials
- For formal/bulk access, route a signed authorization through Key Accounts
Commercial member with on-site solar
Apply the Net Metering Rider on the underlying commercial schedule.
Members with qualifying on-site generation can net excess output against consumption via the net-metering rider.
- Review renewable-energy and net-metering terms
- Pair with TOD if load can shift
- Confirm interconnection requirements with BEC
Historical Rate Trends
Effective March 1, 2025, Berkeley Electric implemented an ~11% rate change for the average residential member, raising the energy charge from $0.1223 to $0.1262/kWh and the daily service charge from $0.99 to $1.50. The increase followed the end of a Santee Cooper rate freeze (Dec 31, 2024) and a ~20% average rise in wholesale power costs for SC co-ops.
March 1, 2025
~11% adjustment for the average residential member: energy charge $0.1223 to $0.1262/kWh; daily service charge $0.99 to $1.50. Driven by ~20% Santee Cooper wholesale increase.
+11%Overall trend: Rising — driven by wholesale power cost increases after the Santee Cooper rate-freeze expiry.
Next expected change: Future adjustments tied to Santee Cooper wholesale costs (including disputed rate-freeze recovery) and board action.
Cost Optimization Strategies
With rates driven by wholesale power costs and a higher fixed service charge, C&I savings at Berkeley Electric come from shifting load off peak, managing demand on larger accounts, and using free audits/rebates. SmartHub usage data and Beat the Peak alerts are the core monitoring tools.
Time-of-Day load shifting
For: Commercial members with shiftable load
Elect the commercial Time-of-Day rate (82/83) and shift discretionary load to off-peak periods, using Beat the Peak alerts to anticipate peaks.
Peak awareness via Beat the Peak
For: All members
Sign up for free EnergySmartSC Beat the Peak alerts to reduce usage during projected system peaks (cold winter mornings, hot summer afternoons).
Free commercial energy audit
For: Commercial and industrial members
Request a free energy audit and pursue commercial lighting rebates (up to 50% of project cost) and efficiency loans.
Monitor usage in SmartHub
For: All members
Use SmartHub Usage Explorer (or the reverse-engineered 15-minute data) to find high-usage equipment and set high-usage alerts.
To implement these strategies, you need your 15-minute interval data. Learn how to download Berkeley Electric Cooperative interval data →
Frequently Asked Questions
How can a C&I member get 15-minute interval data from Berkeley Electric?▾
AMI meters capture 15-minute data, but the native portal CSV export was removed around January 2024. Today the practical options are: (1) view hourly data in SmartHub's Usage Explorer, (2) use the community reverse-engineered NISC SmartHub API (electric-usage-downloader) with member credentials to pull raw 15-minute data, or (3) request data through Commercial Energy Services / Key Accounts.
Does Berkeley Electric support Green Button or EDI?▾
Green Button status is unconfirmed — NISC SmartHub supports it broadly, but BEC's certification is not publicly verified, so confirm via the Green Button Alliance directory or by calling 1-800-327-9615. EDI is not offered; South Carolina is a regulated, non-shopping market where the deregulated-market EDI transaction sets do not apply.
Is there a formal third-party / aggregator data program?▾
No formal Share My Data or aggregator program is documented. Third-party access is case-by-case: a member can download and share data, or a consultant can submit a signed authorization to Commercial Energy Services / Key Accounts (Tony Vincent, (843) 761-8200). A data-sharing agreement may be required.
What rate schedules apply to commercial members?▾
Berkeley Electric publishes General Service commercial schedules (e.g. General Service rate 20/21) and a commercial Time-of-Day option (rate 82/83), alongside residential standard (10/11) and TOD (80/81) and a net-metering rider. Commercial schedules combine a daily service charge with energy and, for larger accounts, demand-related components; consult the C&I rate summary for current figures.
Why did Berkeley Electric rates rise in 2025?▾
Effective March 1, 2025, the average residential member saw an ~11% rate change — the residential energy charge rose from $0.1223 to $0.1262/kWh and the daily service charge from $0.99 to $1.50. The driver is wholesale power costs: Santee Cooper's wholesale costs rose ~20% on average for SC co-ops in 2025, and over 70% of BEC's expenses are power purchases. Commercial rates moved on the same wholesale pressure.
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