Blue Ridge Electric Cooperative (South Carolina) Rate Selection Guide
Blue Ridge Electric Cooperative is a member-owned, not-for-profit electric utility serving over 73,000 members across five upstate South Carolina counties. It offers daily and hourly usage data through its member portal and BREC app, but does not currently support Green Button, EDI, or a formal third-party data API.
Blue Ridge Electric Cooperative (South Carolina) Rate Schedule Comparison
| Schedule | Type | Rate | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| EmPOWERment Rate (TOU) | commercial | Account + energy + peak charge; verified $13/kW peak charge | Members who can shift load off the single peak hour. |
| Flat Use Rate | commercial | ~10.09 cents/kWh average commercial (Find Energy 2023) | Small/medium commercial preferring predictable two-part billing. |
| Commercial / Industrial Three-Phase | industrial | ~12.48 cents/kWh average industrial (Find Energy 2023) | Larger three-phase industrial loads with demand billing. |
Market Overview
Blue Ridge Electric is a member-owned, not-for-profit cooperative serving an exclusive territory in upstate South Carolina. Members cannot shop for a competitive supplier; rates are set by the member-elected board and the co-op does not file tariffs with the SC PSC. Wholesale power is supplied via Central Electric Power Cooperative. Customer data sharing is governed by S.C. Code Regs. section 103-823.2.
Need to pull your actual usage data to compare rates? See the Blue Ridge Electric Cooperative (South Carolina) Data Access Guide →
Current Rate Schedules
Blue Ridge Electric does not file public PSC tariffs (cooperative-regulated). Independent data (Find Energy, 2023) shows an average commercial rate of about 10.09 cents/kWh and an average industrial rate of about 12.48 cents/kWh, versus a residential average around 16.74 cents/kWh. Its flagship structure is the three-part EmPOWERment time-of-use rate with a verified peak demand charge of $13/kW. The cents/kWh figures and the $13/kW peak charge are verified; remaining schedule components should be confirmed with the co-op.
Effective: August 1, 2024 · Full Tariff Book →
| Schedule | Type | Applicability | Structure | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EmPOWERment Rate (time-of-use) | commercial | Residential and general service members, including small/medium commercial, opting into time-of-use. | Three parts: fixed account charge, energy charge per kWh, and a peak charge applied to the single highest peak-hour kW, plus a power cost adjustment. Verified peak demand charge of $13/kW. Peaks: summer 3-6 PM, winter 6-9 AM. | — |
| Flat Use Rate (two-part) | commercial | General service members preferring a two-part (non-time-of-use) structure. | Fixed account charge plus energy charge per kWh and power cost adjustment; no peak charge. Average commercial rate approximately 10.09 cents/kWh (Find Energy 2023). | — |
| Commercial / Industrial Three-Phase Service | industrial | Commercial or industrial members requiring three-phase service with larger demand. | Account charge plus demand (kW) charge plus energy (kWh) charge, plus power cost adjustment. Average industrial rate approximately 12.48 cents/kWh (Find Energy 2023); demand components per co-op rate sheet (not publicly filed). | — |
| Time of Use Rate | commercial | Members choosing a dedicated time-of-use option distinct from EmPOWERment. | Time-differentiated energy charges plus account charge and power cost adjustment. | — |
Rate Recommendations by Use Case
Small/medium commercial deciding on a rate
Compare the three-part EmPOWERment TOU rate against the two-part Flat Use rate using the co-op's calculator, then shift load if peaky.
At ~10.09 cents/kWh average commercial pricing, peaky loads benefit from peak-hour shifting on EmPOWERment, while flat loads may prefer the predictable two-part rate.
- Run the bill comparison calculator at blueridge.coop with your account number
- Identify loads that can move out of 3-6 PM (summer) / 6-9 AM (winter)
- Track the single peak hour each month
Three-phase industrial load
Treat the demand (kW) charge as the primary lever; flatten peaks and pursue efficiency.
Industrial accounts average ~12.48 cents/kWh, and demand plus power cost adjustment can dominate the bill for spiky loads.
- Flatten production peaks to lower billed kW
- Request a dedicated account manager for custom reporting
- Commission a demand-management/efficiency audit
Energy manager needing data across sites
Plan for manual data collection: no API or Green Button, so build a process around portal exports and the utility's authorization form.
No programmatic access means days of latency and per-account authorization paperwork under S.C. Code Regs. 103-823.2.
- Collect signed authorization forms up front
- Use portal hourly views plus PDF bills for the data record
- Budget time for 5-10 business day manual fulfillment
Historical Rate Trends
Blue Ridge restructured its rate design in 2024, introducing the three-part EmPOWERment time-of-use rate alongside the two-part Flat Use option. As a cooperative it adjusts rates by board action and a monthly power cost adjustment rather than PSC rate cases.
August 1, 2024
Introduced the three-part EmPOWERment time-of-use rate (account + energy + peak charge, $13/kW peak) and a two-part Flat Use alternative.
n/aOverall trend: Upward pressure on wholesale power costs has driven recent rate restructuring; the co-op highlights peak-shifting as the primary way for members to manage bills.
Next expected change: Not publicly scheduled; subject to board action and monthly power cost adjustments.
Cost Optimization Strategies
Because Blue Ridge has no competitive supply option, C&I bill management focuses on peak-hour load shifting, rate-structure selection, and efficiency.
Peak-hour load shifting
For: EmPOWERment / TOU accounts
On the EmPOWERment rate, the peak charge applies to the single highest usage hour during peak windows (summer 3-6 PM, winter 6-9 AM). Shifting HVAC and process loads out of those hours lowers the peak charge.
Rate-structure selection
For: General service and small/medium commercial
Use the bill comparison calculator to choose between three-part EmPOWERment and two-part Flat Use based on how peaky the load is.
Demand management (three-phase C&I)
For: Commercial/Industrial three-phase accounts
Flatten production peaks and stagger equipment startups to lower billed kW on demand-billed three-phase service.
On-site solar with net metering
For: Facilities with suitable solar capacity
Offset energy charges with solar and sell back excess generation for credits.
To implement these strategies, you need your 15-minute interval data. Learn how to download Blue Ridge Electric Cooperative (South Carolina) interval data →
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a commercial customer get interval (15-minute) data from Blue Ridge Electric?▾
Not at 15-minute resolution. The portal shows daily kWh with drill-down to hourly kWh plus peak kW and peak time, but there is no 15-minute data and no machine-readable export. C&I customers needing finer or exportable data should request a dedicated account manager at 800-240-3400.
Does Blue Ridge Electric support Green Button or a data API?▾
No. There is no Green Button Download/Connect My Data, no ESPI API, no NAESB REQ.21 compliance, and no developer portal. Energy managers must use customer-mediated sharing or the utility's manual authorization process.
How does a third party get authorized to access account data?▾
The customer requests a Third-party Data Access Authorization form (800-240-3400), completes it with account number, third-party details, scope, and duration, and submits it to Blue Ridge. Under S.C. Code Regs. 103-823.2 the utility may then provide data manually, typically within 5-10 business days.
How does the EmPOWERment time-of-use rate affect a commercial bill?▾
EmPOWERment splits the bill into an account charge, an energy charge, and a peak charge applied to the single highest usage hour during peak periods (summer 3-6 PM, winter 6-9 AM), plus a power cost adjustment. Shifting load off that peak hour directly lowers the peak charge. Use the bill calculator at blueridge.coop/empowerment-bill-calculator to model impact.
What rate schedules apply to large commercial and industrial accounts?▾
Blue Ridge offers three-phase commercial/industrial service for larger loads (with demand and peak charges) and the time-of-use EmPOWERment rate. As a cooperative it does not file public PSC tariffs, so contact Business Development at 800-240-3400 for the current schedule that fits your demand and load profile.
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