The Empire District Electric Company Rate Selection Guide
Empire District Electric, doing business as Liberty Utilities (an Algonquin Power company), serves about 188,000 Missouri electric customers. It offers Green Button Download My Data (XML) and hourly AMI usage via the My Account portal; Green Button Connect My Data and EDI are not yet available but Connect My Data is under MPSC review.
The Empire District Electric Company Rate Schedule Comparison
| Schedule | Type | Rate | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Large Power Service (LP) | Industrial | $283.55 access + $18.61/$10.27 per kW + tiered energy | Large industrial 1,000 kW+ |
| NS-LG / TC-LG | Commercial | Demand + energy (standard or time-of-use) | Large commercial |
| NS-SP | Commercial | Demand + energy at primary voltage | Primary-voltage commercial |
| Transmission Service (TS) | Industrial | Demand + energy at transmission voltage | Largest transmission-voltage loads |
Market Overview
Empire/Liberty operates as a regulated monopoly under Missouri PSC oversight (with adjacent regulated territory in KS, OK, AR). There is no retail electric choice or community choice aggregation in Missouri. C&I customers manage cost through tariff selection (Large General Service vs. Large Power vs. Transmission Service), demand management, and time-of-use plans rather than supplier shopping.
Need to pull your actual usage data to compare rates? See the The Empire District Electric Company Data Access Guide →
Current Rate Schedules
Empire/Liberty Missouri C&I rates are filed with the MPSC. The Large Power Service schedule (Schedule LP, effective June 1, 2022) carries a verified $283.55 customer access charge, a seasonal demand charge of $18.61/kW (summer) and $10.27/kW (winter), a $1.88/kW facilities charge, and energy charges of $0.06790/$0.05995 per kWh for the first 350 hours-use of demand and $0.03528/$0.03394 per kWh additional, with a 1,000 kW billing-demand floor. A multi-year rate increase from Case ER-2024-0261 was approved Jan 14, 2026 and phases in over three years, so current per-unit figures should be verified against the latest tariff sheets.
Effective: June 1, 2022 · Full Tariff Book →
| Schedule | Type | Applicability | Structure | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Large Power Service (Schedule LP) | industrial | Large general-service/industrial customers; demand at or above the 1,000 kW billing-demand floor. | Verified (eff. 2022-06-01): customer access charge $283.55; demand $18.61/kW summer, $10.27/kW winter; facilities $1.88/kW; energy first 350 hrs-use $0.06790 (summer)/$0.05995 (winter) per kWh, additional $0.03528/$0.03394 per kWh; billing demand floor 1,000 kW; plus FAC and DSIM riders. | — |
| Non-Standard Large General Service (NS-LG) | commercial | Large general-service commercial customers below the Large Power threshold, standard (non-time-of-use) pricing. | Demand-based large general service with customer, demand, and energy charges plus FAC and DSIM riders. Per-unit figures published in the NS-LG tariff sheet. | — |
| Time Choice Large General Service (TC-LG) | commercial | Large general-service customers electing time-of-use pricing to shift load off peak. | Time-differentiated energy (and demand) charges with on/off-peak periods; rewards load shifting. Per-unit figures in the TC-LG tariff sheet. | — |
| Non-Standard Small Primary Service (NS-SP) | commercial | Commercial customers taking service at primary voltage with moderate demand. | Demand-based primary-voltage service with customer, demand, and energy charges plus riders. Per-unit figures in the NS-SP tariff sheet. | — |
| Transmission Service (TS) | industrial | The largest industrial customers taking service at transmission voltage. | Transmission-voltage service with customer, demand, and energy charges; metering adjustments for transmission delivery. Per-unit figures in the TS tariff sheet. | — |
Rate Recommendations by Use Case
Large industrial facility (1,000 kW+)
Steady, high-utilization industrial loads fit Large Power Service, where the second energy tier (after 350 hours-use) is roughly half the first-tier rate.
With summer demand at $18.61/kW vs $10.27/kW in winter and a 1,000 kW floor, controlling summer peak and maximizing load factor are the biggest levers; transmission-voltage service can further reduce metered demand.
- Aggressively manage the summer 15-minute peak
- Maximize load factor to push kWh into the lower energy tier
- Evaluate Transmission Service if served at transmission voltage
- Reconcile FAC and DSIM rider charges monthly
Large commercial able to shift load
Large general-service customers with flexible operations should compare standard NS-LG against Time Choice (TC-LG) time-of-use pricing.
Time-of-use pricing rewards moving usage off peak; customers with shiftable load can lower energy cost versus standard demand-based service.
- Pull hourly Green Button data to model on/off-peak split
- Quantify shiftable load before electing TOU
- Re-evaluate annually against standard NS-LG
C&I needing interval data for analytics
Use Green Button Download My Data to feed energy analytics, solar sizing, and demand-response modeling today; prepare for Connect My Data automation.
Hourly ESPI XML is free and sufficient for most facility analytics; full automation (and premise/rate fields needed for SPP wholesale participation) awaits Connect My Data in Case ER-2024-0261.
- Download Green Button XML monthly for trend analysis
- Note the file lacks premise, rate, and demand fields
- Track MPSC ER-2024-0261 for the CMD launch timeline
Primary-voltage commercial customer
Mid-large commercial sites served at primary voltage should evaluate Small Primary Service against Large General Service based on demand and load shape.
Primary-voltage service can reduce demand-related costs versus secondary service; the right schedule depends on demand level and facilities ownership.
- Compare NS-SP vs NS-LG using 12 months of interval data
- Confirm metering voltage and facilities charges
- Consider customer-owned transformer/substation credits
Historical Rate Trends
Empire/Liberty's Missouri rates are set in MPSC base-rate cases plus pass-through riders (Fuel Adjustment Clause, DSIM, Securitized Utility Tariff Charge). A significant rate case (ER-2024-0261) concluded with an MPSC-approved settlement on January 14, 2026, phasing the increase over three years.
January 14, 2026
MPSC approved a settlement in rate case ER-2024-0261; the base-rate increase is phased in over three years for Missouri electric customers.
~+4.9% year one (residential 1,000 kWh)March 31, 2024
Green Button Download My Data made available to AMI customers per MPSC Order in Case ER-2021-0312.
N/AOverall trend: Rising. A multi-year increase was approved in January 2026 and is phased in over three years to ease customer impact; AMI and system investments are key drivers.
Next expected change: Three-year phase-in from Case ER-2024-0261 (approved Jan 2026); future cases periodically before the MPSC.
Cost Optimization Strategies
Because Empire/Liberty C&I bills are demand-driven with much higher summer demand charges, the highest-impact strategies target summer peak kW and load factor. Tariff selection, time-of-use election, and service voltage are the main controllable levers in this regulated market.
Summer peak demand management
For: Large Power Service and large general service
Reduce and shift the summer 15-minute peak, since summer demand ($18.61/kW) is ~80% higher than winter ($10.27/kW); mind the 1,000 kW billing-demand floor.
Improve load factor
For: High-utilization industrial loads
Flatten consumption to push more kWh into the lower second energy tier (after 350 hours-use of demand).
Time-of-use election
For: Large general service with shiftable load
Move flexible load off peak under Time Choice (TC-LG) where operations allow.
Optimize service voltage
For: Large primary/transmission customers
Take service at primary or transmission voltage to reduce metered demand (transmission multiplier 0.9756) and capture facilities credits.
To implement these strategies, you need your 15-minute interval data. Learn how to download The Empire District Electric Company interval data →
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Empire/Liberty support Green Button for C&I customers?▾
Yes for Download My Data. Since March 31, 2024 (MPSC Case ER-2021-0312), AMI customers can download hourly kWh usage as ESPI XML or CSV from My Account. Green Button Connect My Data (an automated OAuth API) is proposed in Case ER-2024-0261 but not yet available.
Is there an EDI program for Missouri C&I billing?▾
No. EDI is not offered in Empire's Missouri service area because Missouri is a regulated, no-retail-choice market. C&I customers automate billing intake through My Account exports today, or via future Connect My Data.
What interval granularity can a commercial customer get?▾
Hourly. AMI meters record 15-minute intervals at the device, aggregated to hourly in My Account and Green Button. Typically a 24-hour lag with 12-24 months of history. The Green Button file omits premise address, rate, and demand fields.
How does a consultant or aggregator access a client's data?▾
Today it is manual: the customer downloads a Green Button XML or spreadsheet file and shares it. There is no automated API. Aggregators seeking continuous or wholesale-market (SPP) data should track Connect My Data in MPSC Case ER-2024-0261.
Which rate schedules apply to large commercial and industrial customers?▾
Large Missouri C&I customers take service under Large General Service (Non-Standard, Time Choice), Large Power Service (Schedule LP), Small Primary Service, or Transmission Service. Large Power Service is demand-based with seasonal demand charges and a 1,000 kW billing-demand floor.
Did Liberty's Missouri rates change recently?▾
Yes. The MPSC approved a settlement in rate case ER-2024-0261 on January 14, 2026. The increase is phased in over three years to ease customer impact; large C&I customers should review updated Large General Service and Large Power Service tariff sheets.
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