Blue Ridge Electric Membership Corporation Rate Selection Guide
Blue Ridge Electric Membership Corporation (Blue Ridge Energy) is a member-owned electric cooperative serving roughly 81,000 accounts across seven counties in northwestern North Carolina. Customer billing and daily usage data are available through the Meridian Customer Portal and the Usage Tracker, with third-party access handled via a manual Data Disclosure Agreement.
Blue Ridge Electric Membership Corporation Rate Schedule Comparison
| Schedule | Type | Rate | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Schedule GS | Commercial | Energy 5.55/3.45 cents/kWh (dist.) + 6.70 cents/kWh (supply); grid charge $30 single / $44 three-phase | Small commercial loads under 25 kW |
| Schedule LP | Commercial | Demand $2.95/$1.95 per kW (dist.) + $4.20/kW (supply); tiered energy; grid $44/$68 | Mid-size C&I over 25 kW |
| Schedule I | Industrial | Demand-and-energy; see tariff | Large industrial 1,000+ kW |
| Schedule LP-CEV | EV | Large-power EV rate; see tariff | EV charging infrastructure 25-1,000 kW |
| Schedule IEDT | Industrial | Economic development textile rate; see tariff | Large textile manufacturers 3,000+ kW |
Market Overview
Blue Ridge Energy is a member-owned electric cooperative. There is no retail electricity choice; the cooperative is the sole provider in its service territory and its Board of Directors approves rate schedules. Wholesale power is purchased and passed through, with a Wholesale Power Cost Adjustment (Schedule 8.1) applied across rate classes.
Need to pull your actual usage data to compare rates? See the Blue Ridge Electric Membership Corporation Data Access Guide →
Current Rate Schedules
Commercial and industrial members are served on Schedule GS (under 25 kW), Schedule LP (over 25 kW), Schedule I (1,000+ kW), and specialty schedules (LP-CEV, GZP, IEDT). Verified figures below are from the Schedule GS and Schedule LP tariffs effective on bills rendered after October 2, 2024; demand-billed schedules combine distribution and wholesale power-supply components plus the Wholesale Power Cost Adjustment.
Effective: October 2, 2024 · Full Tariff Book →
| Schedule | Type | Applicability | Structure | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Schedule GS - General Service | commercial | Commercial/general service members with a maximum load under 25 kW (or temporary construction service under 25 kW). | Grid service charge plus tiered distribution energy charge plus flat wholesale energy supply charge. No demand charge. | Distribution energy 5.55 cents/kWh first 7,000 kWh, 3.45 cents/kWh over 7,000 kWh; wholesale energy supply 6.70 cents/kWh+ None (non-demand schedule) |
| Schedule LP - Large Power Service | commercial | Commercial, general service, or manufacturing members with load greater than 25 kW. | Grid service charge (single-phase $44/mo, three-phase $68/mo) plus distribution demand charge plus distribution and wholesale energy charges (declining tiers per kW of billing demand) plus wholesale power supply demand charge. Billing demand is the higher of max 30-minute demand or 50% of the 12-month peak. | Distribution energy 3.62/2.21/1.79 cents/kWh tiers; wholesale energy supply 5.74/4.49/3.41 cents/kWh tiers+ Distribution demand $2.95/kW (0-25 kW), $1.95/kW (over 25 kW); wholesale power supply demand $4.20/kW |
| Schedule I - Industrial | industrial | Manufacturing/commercial members averaging at least 1,000 kW over the trailing 12 months or at least 6,000,000 kWh/year. | Demand-plus-energy industrial rate combining distribution and wholesale power-supply demand and energy components, plus the Wholesale Power Cost Adjustment. See tariff for specific figures. | See Schedule I tariff (specific per-unit charges not published in summary form)+ Demand-billed; see Schedule I tariff for current per-kW figures |
| Schedule LP-CEV - EV Charging | ev | Commercial/manufacturing members with 25-1,000 kW load dedicated to EV charging infrastructure. | Large-power EV charging rate; see tariff for demand and energy components. | See LP-CEV tariff+ Demand-billed; see LP-CEV tariff |
| Schedule GZP - Growth Zone Power | commercial | Commercial/industrial members with 75 kW or greater three-phase load at new facilities in a designated growth zone. | Three-phase growth-zone economic development rate; see tariff for components. | See GZP tariff+ Demand-billed; see GZP tariff |
| Schedule IEDT - Industrial Economic Development (Textile) | industrial | Textile-mill (SIC Code 22) manufacturing members averaging at least 3,000 kW or 20,000,000 kWh/year with >50% of energy used in manufacturing. | Industrial economic development demand-and-energy rate; see tariff for components. | See IEDT tariff+ Demand-billed; see IEDT tariff |
Rate Recommendations by Use Case
Small commercial / office under 25 kW
Light commercial loads stay on the non-demand Schedule GS, paying a grid charge plus tiered energy.
With no demand charge, GS is the lowest-cost option for sites that stay under 25 kW and avoid the demand-meter trigger.
- Keep monthly demand under 25 kW to avoid migration to Schedule LP
- Watch the 5,000 kWh/month threshold that can trigger a demand meter
- Track daily usage in the Usage Tracker
Mid-size C&I over 25 kW
Most commercial and light-manufacturing members above 25 kW are billed on Schedule LP with separate demand and energy components.
Schedule LP captures demand-billed loads with declining energy tiers per kW; managing peak demand and power factor directly lowers the bill.
- Flatten the 30-minute peak to manage billing demand
- Keep power factor above 85% to avoid correction
- Be aware of the 50% 12-month demand ratchet
Large industrial 1,000+ kW
Facilities averaging 1,000+ kW or 6M+ kWh/year qualify for Schedule I; very large textile manufacturers may qualify for IEDT.
Industrial schedules are tailored to high-load-factor manufacturing; eligible textile mills can access IEDT economic development pricing.
- Request the Schedule I and IEDT tariffs for current per-kW figures
- Optimize load factor to spread demand charges across more kWh
- Evaluate qualification for IEDT if SIC Code 22
EV charging operators
Sites dedicating 25-1,000 kW to EV charging infrastructure can use the specialized Schedule LP-CEV rate.
LP-CEV is designed for EV charging load profiles, which can otherwise incur heavy demand charges on standard large-power rates.
- Confirm dedicated EV metering qualifies
- Stagger charging sessions to limit coincident peak demand
- Review the LP-CEV tariff for current charges
Historical Rate Trends
Blue Ridge restructured its commercial schedules in 2024, separating distribution service from wholesale power supply and updating per-kW and per-kWh figures effective on bills rendered after October 2, 2024 (Board approval July 25, 2024).
October 2, 2024
Updated Schedule GS and Schedule LP figures and restructured commercial rates into distribution + wholesale power supply components.
n/aApril 29, 2025
Updated Schedule IEDT (industrial economic development textile) tariff.
n/aOverall trend: Rates are adjusted periodically by the Board, with monthly variation driven by the Wholesale Power Cost Adjustment (Schedule 8.1) tracking wholesale power costs.
Next expected change: Set by Board of Directors; monitor the commercial rate schedules page for updates.
Cost Optimization Strategies
Because Schedule LP and the industrial schedules are demand-billed with a 50% 12-month ratchet, the biggest C&I savings come from reducing and flattening peak demand and maintaining good power factor.
Manage peak demand
For: Demand-billed C&I (LP, I, GZP, IEDT)
Stagger equipment startups and shift flexible loads off the monthly 30-minute peak window to lower billing demand on Schedule LP and Schedule I.
Maintain power factor above 85%
For: Schedule LP and other demand schedules
Add capacitor correction so the demand-billed schedules do not apply the 85%/actual power-factor multiplier that inflates billed kW.
Confirm correct rate class
For: Small-to-mid commercial
Members near the 25 kW threshold should verify whether Schedule GS (non-demand) or Schedule LP is more economical given their load factor.
Use Usage Tracker and Beat the Peak
For: All C&I members
Monitor daily/hourly usage in the portal and respond to Beat the Peak alerts to time-shift load.
To implement these strategies, you need your 15-minute interval data. Learn how to download Blue Ridge Electric Membership Corporation interval data →
Frequently Asked Questions
How can a C&I customer get interval or usage data from Blue Ridge Energy?▾
Commercial members can view daily kWh with hourly drill-down in the Usage Tracker. For structured exports (CSV/Excel/XML), submit a Data Disclosure Agreement specifying the data, date range, and format; delivery typically takes 1-5 business days and may carry an assembly fee.
Does Blue Ridge Energy support Green Button or an API for third-party energy managers?▾
No. Blue Ridge Energy has not implemented Green Button Download My Data or Connect My Data, and there is no public REST API. Third-party energy managers should use the Data Disclosure Agreement, which authorizes the cooperative to share data with a named provider on nondiscriminatory terms.
How does a consultant get authorized to access a member's data?▾
The member completes the Data Disclosure Agreement naming the consultant and the data scope. The consultant then contacts Blue Ridge at 1-800-451-5474 with their company details to confirm and arrange delivery via email, secure portal, or SFTP.
Can large industrial accounts exchange data via EDI?▾
EDI is not publicly documented, but it may be available to high-volume C&I accounts through a direct business relationship. Contact customer service at 1-800-451-5474 and ask for Business Data Integration to discuss transaction sets, format, and connection method.
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