Bryan Texas Utilities (BTU) Rate Selection Guide
Bryan Texas Utilities (BTU) is a municipal electric utility serving over 68,000 customers in the Bryan/College Station area. It is not part of ERCOT retail competition, so rates are set by the City of Bryan. BTU has deployed AMI smart meters, but customer-facing data access is currently limited to the billpay portal and manual interval-data requests; Green Button and a public API are not yet available.
Bryan Texas Utilities (BTU) Rate Schedule Comparison
| Schedule | Type | Rate | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| City Secondary Service Demand | commercial | $37.00 customer + $0.0086/kWh energy + $0.0358/kWh PSA + $5.00/kW TCOS + $2.79/kW delivery + $6.60/kW demand | In-city commercial/industrial, 25-1,000 kW |
| Rural Secondary Service Demand | commercial | $21.00 customer + $0.0104/kWh energy + $0.0363/kWh PSA + $3.04/kW TCOS + $3.06/kW delivery + $5.96/kW demand | Out-of-city commercial/industrial, 25-1,000 kW |
| Primary Service Demand | industrial | Primary-voltage demand rate per Ordinance 2498 (structure only) | Largest industrial loads >= 1,000 kW |
| Small Commercial (City/Rural) | commercial | Customer + energy + PSA, no demand charge (per Ordinance 2498) | Small commercial loads under 25 kW |
Market Overview
BTU is a City-owned municipal electric utility. It operates within ERCOT but is exempt from ERCOT retail competition, so there is no retail provider choice or Power to Choose. Rates are set by City of Bryan ordinance; BTU passes through PUCT-set TCOS and a fuel/power-supply adjustment.
Need to pull your actual usage data to compare rates? See the Bryan Texas Utilities (BTU) Data Access Guide →
Current Rate Schedules
BTU C&I customers are billed under City of Bryan ordinance rate schedules (Ordinance 2498 and successors). Commercial/industrial demand customers (25-1,000 kW) take the City or Rural Secondary Service Demand Rate; the largest customers (1,000+ kW) take the Primary Service Demand Rate; smaller commercial loads take Small Commercial rates. Verified per-component charges for the City and Rural Secondary Service Demand Rates are listed below (BTU rate explanation sheets). All demand customers pay a customer charge, an energy charge ($/kWh), a Power Supply Adjustment ($/kWh fuel pass-through), a Regulatory Pass-Through (TCOS, $/kW), a delivery charge ($/kW) and a demand charge ($/kW); demand is metered in 15-minute intervals.
Effective: March 18, 2026 · Full Tariff Book →
| Schedule | Type | Applicability | Structure | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| City Secondary Service Demand Rate | commercial | Commercial/industrial inside Bryan city limits with billed peak demand >= 25 kW and < 1,000 kW. | Customer charge $37.00/mo; Energy charge $0.0086/kWh; Power Supply Adjustment $0.0358/kWh; Regulatory Pass-Through (TCOS) $5.00/kW; Delivery charge $2.79/kW; Demand charge $6.60/kW. Demand metered in 15-minute intervals. | — |
| Rural Secondary Service Demand Rate | commercial | Commercial/industrial outside Bryan city limits (within BTU service area, excluding College Station city limits) with billed peak demand >= 25 kW and < 1,000 kW. | Customer charge $21.00/mo; Energy charge $0.0104/kWh; Power Supply Adjustment $0.0363/kWh; Regulatory Pass-Through (TCOS) $3.04/kW; Delivery charge $3.06/kW; Demand charge $5.96/kW. | — |
| Primary Service Demand Rate | industrial | Large commercial/industrial customers with billed peak demand >= 1,000 kW, metered at primary voltage. | Customer charge + energy charge ($/kWh) + Power Supply Adjustment + Regulatory Pass-Through (TCOS, $/kW) + delivery and demand charges ($/kW), at primary-voltage rates set in Ordinance 2498. Specific per-component figures per the ordinance rate sheets. | — |
| City Small Commercial Rate | commercial | Small commercial customers inside Bryan city limits with demand below 25 kW (non-demand-metered). | Customer charge + energy charge ($/kWh) + Power Supply Adjustment; no demand charge. Per-component figures per Ordinance 2498 rate sheets. | — |
| Rural Small Commercial Rate | commercial | Small commercial customers outside Bryan city limits with demand below 25 kW. | Customer charge + energy charge ($/kWh) + Power Supply Adjustment; no demand charge. Per-component figures per Ordinance 2498 rate sheets. | — |
Rate Recommendations by Use Case
C&I facilities/energy managers
Pull 15-minute interval data from BTU and target the monthly demand peak; the per-kW charges (demand + delivery + TCOS) are the largest controllable cost.
City Secondary bills ~$14.39/kW in combined per-kW charges plus the demand charge structure; shaving peak kW directly reduces the bill.
- Request 12-24 months of interval data via (979) 821-5700
- Identify and stagger coincident peaks
- Model peak-shaving battery/controls against $6.60/kW
Large industrial (~1,000+ kW)
Evaluate the Primary Service Demand Rate with primary-voltage metering versus secondary service.
At >= 1,000 kW, primary-voltage service can lower delivery-related per-kW charges; confirm specific figures in Ordinance 2498.
- Compare primary vs secondary total $/kW
- Account for transformer ownership/loss adjustments
- Engage Energy Management at (979) 821-5715
Site selection / out-of-city C&I
Compare City vs Rural Secondary economics; in-city has higher customer/TCOS but the Rural rate has higher delivery+demand $/kW and energy/PSA.
City: $37 customer, $5.00 TCOS, $2.79 delivery, $6.60 demand; Rural: $21 customer, $3.04 TCOS, $3.06 delivery, $5.96 demand — the better rate depends on load factor and demand.
- Model both rates against your load shape
- Factor in metering voltage and location
- Re-verify charges before committing
Third-party consultants / solar designers
Obtain signed customer authorization and request AMI interval data from BTU for solar/storage sizing and energy audits.
No Green Button/API exists, so interval data must be requested manually with authorization; 15-minute data supports accurate solar/storage modeling.
- Email contactBTU@btutilities.com with authorization + company info
- Specify meter number, date range and CSV/Excel format
- Allow 5-10 business days
Historical Rate Trends
BTU electric rates are set by City of Bryan ordinance (Ordinance 2498). The energy and demand charges are relatively stable; the Power Supply Adjustment varies with fuel/wholesale costs and is passed through one-for-one, and the Regulatory Pass-Through tracks annually-set PUCT TCOS. Tariff snapshot last verified March 2026.
March 18, 2026
Tariff snapshot last verified; City Secondary demand-rate components confirmed (customer $37.00, demand $6.60/kW, etc.).
n/a (verification)September 1, 2021
Ordinance 2498 rate schedules in effect (City/Rural residential, small commercial, secondary and primary demand rates).
ordinance baselineOverall trend: Stable base demand/energy charges; variable PSA (fuel) and annual TCOS adjustments.
Next expected change: Annual TCOS update; PSA adjusts as wholesale/fuel costs change. Watch for new portal/rate updates following the 2025 self-service RFP.
Cost Optimization Strategies
For BTU C&I customers, demand charges and the Power Supply Adjustment dominate the bill. Savings come from cutting 15-minute peak demand, improving load factor, optimizing metering voltage, and using interval data for targeted load management.
Reduce 15-minute peak demand
For: Demand customers (25-1,000+ kW)
Demand is billed on the highest 15-minute kW. Staggering equipment startups and using peak-shaving controls or storage lowers the $6.60/kW (City) or $5.96/kW (Rural) demand charge plus delivery and TCOS per-kW charges.
Improve load factor
For: All C&I demand customers
Spreading the same energy over more hours raises load factor and lowers demand-per-kWh cost, since per-kW charges are fixed against peak.
Evaluate primary-voltage / Primary Service rate
For: Large industrial (~1,000+ kW)
Customers near or above 1,000 kW should compare Primary Service Demand (primary-voltage metering) against secondary service; primary metering can reduce delivery-related charges.
Use interval data + Energy Management programs
For: All C&I
Request AMI interval data and engage BTU Energy Management for efficiency incentives and DER/interconnection to manage demand and reduce kWh.
To implement these strategies, you need your 15-minute interval data. Learn how to download Bryan Texas Utilities (BTU) interval data →
Frequently Asked Questions
Can my business download interval data directly from BTU?▾
Not via self-service. BTU has AMI meters that collect interval data (typically 15-minute), but there is no online download. Call (979) 821-5700 or email contactBTU@btutilities.com to request a CSV/Excel interval export, providing your account number, meter number and date range.
Does BTU support Green Button or a public data API?▾
No. BTU does not offer Green Button (Download or Connect My Data) or a published customer data API. A 2025 RFP (#028-06-25) to replace the customer self-service software may add these capabilities in the future. Public ArcGIS GIS/outage layers are available but do not include billing data.
Can I shop for a competitive retail electricity provider with BTU?▾
No. BTU is a municipal utility within ERCOT but exempt from ERCOT retail competition. There is no Power to Choose or retail provider choice; BTU is the sole bundled provider and rates are set by City of Bryan ordinance.
Which commercial rate applies to my business?▾
Commercial/industrial customers with demand of 25-1,000 kW take the City or Rural Secondary Service Demand Rate (depending on location); 1,000+ kW takes Primary Service Demand; under 25 kW takes Small Commercial. The City Secondary rate is verified at $37/mo customer charge, $0.0086/kWh energy, $0.0358/kWh PSA, $5.00/kW TCOS, $2.79/kW delivery and $6.60/kW demand.
How do third parties get a customer's BTU data?▾
With a signed customer authorization (account number, data types, date range, purpose) emailed to contactBTU@btutilities.com along with company details. There is no automated portal; expect 5-10 business days. Nectar provides API access to this utility's billing data — see docs.nectarclimate.com.
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