EnergyUnited Electric Membership Corporation Rate Selection Guide
EnergyUnited is North Carolina's largest electric cooperative, serving roughly 142,000 members across 19 counties. Member usage and billing data are accessed through the My EnergyHub portal (powered by SmartHub), with AMI smart meters deployed system-wide and Green Button export likely available via the SmartHub platform.
EnergyUnited Electric Membership Corporation Rate Schedule Comparison
| Schedule | Type | Rate | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small General Service (SGS) | commercial | $50/$95 facilities + 7.48 to 5.72 cents/kWh tiered (2025) | Small businesses under 50 kW with no demand metering |
| Large General Service | commercial | Facilities + per-kW demand + energy (per-kW filed in Docket EC-82) | Demand-metered commercial accounts over 50 kW |
| Industrial Service | industrial | Facilities + demand + energy + WPCA (per-kW filed in Docket EC-82) | Large industrial loads |
Market Overview
North Carolina is a vertically regulated electricity market. EnergyUnited, as a member-owned cooperative, is the sole provider in its certificated territory and sets rates through its board, filed with the NCUC under Docket EC-82. There is no competitive retail supplier market for C&I members.
Need to pull your actual usage data to compare rates? See the EnergyUnited Electric Membership Corporation Data Access Guide →
Current Rate Schedules
EnergyUnited's 2025 rate schedules (NCUC Docket EC-82, Sub 26, effective January 1, 2025) publish residential and Small General Service rates with specific figures. Larger demand-metered commercial and industrial schedules are part of the same docket. A new residential rate structure (Grid Access + on/off-peak) takes effect April 2026; EnergyUnited notes C&I members have long been on a similar demand-based design.
Effective: January 1, 2025 · Full Tariff Book →
| Schedule | Type | Applicability | Structure | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Small General Service (SGS) | commercial | Individually metered non-residential accounts whose demand does not exceed 50 kW. | Basic Facilities Charge $50.00 single-phase / $95.00 three-phase. Tiered energy: first 1,200 kWh @ 7.48 cents; next 1,300 kWh @ 6.57 cents; next 9,500 kWh @ 6.18 cents; over 12,000 kWh @ 5.72 cents per kWh. Power-factor (reactive demand) charge of $0.45 per billed kVAr applies below 90% lagging. Verified, effective 2025-01-01. | — |
| Large General Service / demand-metered C&I | commercial | Commercial and industrial accounts exceeding the 50 kW SGS threshold. | Three-part structure: monthly basic facilities charge, a per-kW demand charge applied to 15-minute maximum demand (with a ratchet provision typical of EnergyUnited schedules), and energy charges, plus power-factor and Wholesale Power Cost Adjustment riders. Specific per-kW rates are filed under NCUC Docket EC-82 and were not in the public 2025 residential/SGS PDF; confirm current figures with EnergyUnited. Structure described qualitatively. | — |
| Industrial Service | industrial | Large industrial loads served under EnergyUnited's industrial schedule. | Demand-plus-energy design with facilities charge, per-kW demand charge on 15-minute peak demand, energy charges, and Wholesale Power Cost Adjustment and power-factor riders. Per-kW figures filed in Docket EC-82; not published in the 2025 residential/SGS PDF. Described qualitatively. | — |
Rate Recommendations by Use Case
Mid-size commercial building (over 50 kW)
Demand-metered accounts should treat the per-kW demand charge as the primary cost driver.
With 15-minute maximum-demand billing and a likely ratchet, a single uncontrolled peak can raise charges for months.
- Stagger HVAC and equipment startups
- Monitor 15-minute demand in My EnergyHub
- Correct power factor to avoid reactive charges
Industrial facility / large load
Large industrial loads should engage Key Accounts and manage demand plus power factor aggressively.
Demand and Wholesale Power Cost Adjustment riders make peak and wholesale exposure the dominant levers.
- Establish a Key Accounts relationship for monitoring data
- Implement automated peak-shaving / load curtailment
- Track WPCA pass-through monthly
Small business under 50 kW
Small accounts on SGS benefit most from energy efficiency since there is no demand charge.
SGS is energy-only with declining tiered rates (7.48 to 5.72 cents/kWh in 2025), so total kWh drives the bill.
- Reduce overall consumption to reach lower tiers
- Keep power factor above 90% to avoid the $0.45/kVAr charge
- Use My EnergyHub to spot usage spikes
Multi-site energy/data team
Teams managing multiple EnergyUnited accounts should standardize on Green Button exports and Key Accounts data feeds.
No automated API exists, so Green Button XML plus authorized-user portal access is the most reliable data pipeline.
- Collect Green Button XML per site
- Add analysts as authorized portal users
- Request Key Accounts cloud monitoring for large sites
Historical Rate Trends
EnergyUnited files annual rate schedules with the NCUC under Docket EC-82 (Sub 26 effective January 2025). A new residential rate structure adding Grid Access and on/off-peak energy charges takes effect April 2026 and is explicitly described as a rate increase intended to give members more control.
January 1, 2025
2025 rate schedules effective under NCUC Docket EC-82, Sub 26 (approved November 2024).
n/aApril 1, 2026
New residential rate structure: Grid Access charge plus on-peak/off-peak energy charges; described by EnergyUnited as a rate increase.
n/aOverall trend: Rising; new time-differentiated residential structure in 2026 reflects higher wholesale power costs.
Next expected change: April 2026 (residential Grid Access + on/off-peak structure).
Cost Optimization Strategies
Because C&I bills are dominated by per-kW demand charges and a power-factor penalty, the highest-value actions are peak-demand management, power-factor correction, and load shifting outside defined peak windows.
Peak demand management
For: Demand-metered C&I (Large General / Industrial)
Stagger startup of large equipment and cap simultaneous load to lower the 15-minute maximum demand that sets the demand charge.
Power-factor correction
For: Accounts with inductive loads (motors, HVAC)
Maintain power factor at or above 90% lagging to avoid the $0.45 per billed kVAr reactive demand charge (SGS verified; similar riders on larger schedules).
Peak-window load shifting
For: All C&I members
Move discretionary load out of winter (6-10 AM) and summer (3-7 PM) peak windows using EnergyUnited's My EnergyHub usage and demand tools.
Demand response participation
For: All members
Use Beat the Peak alerts (and any C&I demand-response offerings) to curtail during forecasted peaks.
To implement these strategies, you need your 15-minute interval data. Learn how to download EnergyUnited Electric Membership Corporation interval data →
Frequently Asked Questions
Can my energy consultant pull our EnergyUnited interval data automatically?▾
Not through an automated API. EnergyUnited has no published Green Button Connect My Data or developer API. The practical path is for the member to download Green Button XML from My EnergyHub/SmartHub and share it, add the consultant as an authorized portal user, or arrange data delivery through the Key Accounts team.
Does EnergyUnited support EDI for commercial billing data?▾
No. EnergyUnited does not publish an EDI trading-partner program and is not listed in the DOE EDI utilities database. C&I members needing structured data should use Green Button exports or a Key Accounts arrangement.
How are commercial and industrial rates structured?▾
Small non-residential accounts (under 50 kW) fall on Small General Service with a $50 single-phase / $95 three-phase basic facilities charge and tiered energy rates (7.48 cents declining to 5.72 cents per kWh in 2025). Larger demand-metered C&I accounts pay a basic facilities charge, a per-kW demand charge, and energy charges under EnergyUnited's large general/industrial schedules filed in NCUC Docket EC-82.
Are there time-of-use or peak windows that affect C&I bills?▾
Yes. EnergyUnited's peak demand windows are 6:00-10:00 AM in winter (Nov-Mar) and 3:00-7:00 PM in summer (Apr-Oct). Demand-metered C&I accounts are billed on 15-minute maximum demand, so shifting large loads outside these windows directly reduces demand charges.
Can we shop for a competitive electricity supplier?▾
No. North Carolina does not have retail electric choice, and as a member-owned cooperative EnergyUnited is the exclusive provider in its territory. Cost optimization happens within EnergyUnited's tariff (load shifting, power-factor correction, demand management).
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