Farmers Electric Cooperative (Texas) Rate Selection Guide
Farmers Electric Cooperative (FEC) is a member-owned, not-for-profit distribution cooperative headquartered in Greenville, Texas, serving roughly 100,000 services across East Texas. As a Texas co-op that opted out of ERCOT retail competition, FEC is both the wire and the energy provider, and offers strong data access via the NISC SmartHub portal with Green Button download and Connect My Data.
Farmers Electric Cooperative (Texas) Rate Schedule Comparison
| Schedule | Type | Rate | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| General Service (Small Commercial) | Commercial | Service charge + per-kWh energy + fuel adj. (obtain from FEC) | Smaller commercial accounts below the demand threshold |
| Large Power / Demand-Metered | Industrial | Service charge + $/kW demand + energy + fuel adj. (obtain from FEC) | Larger demand-metered C&I facilities |
| System average (bundled) | All | ~14.02 cents/kWh (EIA-861-based); avg residential bill ~$178.78/mo | Benchmark vs. ~14.48 cents/kWh Texas average |
Market Overview
Farmers EC is a not-for-profit cooperative that opted out of ERCOT retail competition. It is the sole electricity provider in its service territory, setting rates through its member-elected board. Texas co-ops are not rate-regulated by the PUC in the way investor-owned utilities are, and members have no competitive supplier choice.
Need to pull your actual usage data to compare rates? See the Farmers Electric Cooperative (Texas) Data Access Guide →
Current Rate Schedules
Farmers EC sets its own rates through its member-elected board and serves as both wire and energy provider. The cooperative's average bundled residential rate is about 14.02 cents/kWh (below the ~14.48 cents/kWh Texas average, per EIA-861-based data), with an average residential monthly bill of about $178.78. Commercial and industrial customers are served under general service and large power / demand-metered schedules, but FEC does not post per-kWh and demand-charge dollar amounts online; C&I customers must obtain current schedules directly from the cooperative. Bills include applicable fuel/power-cost and tax adjustments.
Effective: June 4, 2026 · Full Tariff Book →
| Schedule | Type | Applicability | Structure | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| General Service (Small Commercial) | commercial | Non-residential commercial accounts below the large-power demand threshold. | Monthly service availability charge plus per-kWh energy charge, with applicable fuel/power-cost adjustment. Dollar amounts not posted online; obtain the current schedule from FEC. | — |
| Large Power / Demand-Metered Service | industrial | Larger commercial and industrial accounts that exceed the demand threshold and are demand-metered. | Monthly service charge plus a demand charge ($/kW of billing demand) plus a per-kWh energy charge, with fuel/power-cost adjustment. Dollar amounts not posted online; obtain the current schedule from FEC. | — |
| Fuel / Power Cost Adjustment | commercial | All schedules; recovers wholesale power cost. | Per-kWh adjustment factor applied on top of base energy charges; varies with wholesale cost. Factor not posted online. | — |
Rate Recommendations by Use Case
Large commercial/industrial facility (demand-metered)
Larger C&I facilities are demand-metered and pay a $/kW demand charge plus energy and the fuel/power-cost adjustment.
Demand charges typically drive a large share of demand-metered bills, so reducing coincident peak demand is the top savings lever. FEC's 15-minute AMI data via Green Button makes demand analysis straightforward.
- Request the current large-power schedule (energy + demand $/kW) from FEC at (903) 455-1715
- Download 15-minute Green Button data to find and shave demand peaks
- Model load-shifting or battery against the demand charge
- Confirm the fuel/power-cost adjustment factor on recent bills
Small/mid-size business
Smaller commercial accounts take General Service: a monthly service charge plus per-kWh energy and the fuel/power-cost adjustment, with no demand charge.
Without a demand charge, reducing kWh and improving efficiency are the main levers. FEC's bundled rate is below the Texas average, but the fuel adjustment still moves with wholesale cost.
- Confirm the current general-service energy charge with FEC
- Use SmartHub usage analytics to spot waste
- Export hourly CSV or 15-minute Green Button data for audits
Automated data integration for energy management
Energy managers and software vendors can pull FEC interval data automatically via Green Button Connect My Data (ESPI / OAuth 2.0) on SmartHub.
FEC's NISC SmartHub supports standards-based Connect My Data, so authorized third parties get automated, secure 15-minute interval feeds without manual downloads, ideal for benchmarking and M&V across many accounts.
- Register the application with Farmers EC / NISC (1-2 week approval)
- Have each customer authorize via SmartHub (OAuth 2.0)
- Query ESPI UsagePoint / MeterReading / IntervalBlock endpoints
- Maintain ESPI and Data Guard compliance
Multi-site portfolio / aggregator
Portfolios with many FEC accounts can arrange a recurring data feed under a data-sharing agreement, or scale via Connect My Data.
For bulk needs, a direct utility data agreement or Connect My Data at scale avoids manual per-account downloads and supports portfolio-level demand and cost optimization.
- Contact FEC business services at (903) 455-1715 to set up a recurring feed
- Collect customer authorizations up front
- Standardize on ESPI XML for cross-account analysis
Historical Rate Trends
As a member-owned cooperative, Farmers EC sets rates through its board to recover cost of service plus a fuel/power-cost adjustment that tracks wholesale cost. The cooperative's bundled rate has remained below the Texas average. Specific historical rate-change percentages are not published online.
January 1, 2026
Rates and fees are reviewed and adjusted periodically by the member-elected board; the fuel/power-cost adjustment continues to track wholesale energy costs. No specific public percentage change is documented for 2026.
N/AOverall trend: Generally stable and below the Texas average; the fuel/power-cost adjustment varies with wholesale energy prices.
Next expected change: Rate changes are set by the cooperative's board as needed; no public schedule. Monitor FEC member communications and the Service Fees & Charges page.
Cost Optimization Strategies
For Farmers EC C&I customers, the main levers are reducing peak demand on demand-metered accounts and cutting kWh subject to the fuel/power-cost adjustment. FEC's 15-minute AMI data via Green Button makes demand and consumption analysis straightforward.
Peak demand management
For: Large power / demand-metered C&I accounts
Use 15-minute interval data to identify and shave demand peaks, lowering the $/kW demand charge on demand-metered accounts.
Leverage Green Button data for M&V
For: All C&I accounts
Pull 15-minute Green Button data (download or Connect My Data) to benchmark, run audits and verify efficiency-project savings.
Manage fuel/power-cost adjustment exposure
For: All C&I accounts
Reduce kWh, especially during high-wholesale-cost periods, to lower the per-kWh fuel/power-cost adjustment portion of the bill.
On-site solar / renewable generation
For: Facilities with suitable roof/land
FEC supports net metering and renewable generation; on-site generation offsets energy and fuel-adjustment cost.
To implement these strategies, you need your 15-minute interval data. Learn how to download Farmers Electric Cooperative (Texas) interval data →
Frequently Asked Questions
Can my business download 15-minute interval data from Farmers EC?▾
Yes. Farmers EC has 100,000+ AMI smart meters and supports Green Button on the NISC SmartHub portal. Log into farmerselectric.smarthub.coop, open My Usage > Download My Data, choose a date range (up to 14 months) and download the Green Button XML (ESPI) file with 15-minute intervals. CSV exports are available at hourly granularity, and authorized third parties can pull data automatically via Green Button Connect My Data.
Which rate schedule applies to a commercial or industrial facility?▾
Smaller commercial accounts take General Service (monthly service charge plus per-kWh energy and the fuel/power-cost adjustment). Larger facilities that exceed the demand threshold are demand-metered and take a Large Power schedule that adds a $/kW demand charge. Farmers EC does not post C&I dollar amounts online, so request the current schedule from the cooperative at (903) 455-1715.
Can a consultant or software platform access our data via API?▾
Yes. Through NISC SmartHub, Farmers EC supports Green Button Connect My Data using the ESPI standard and OAuth 2.0. The third party registers with Farmers EC / NISC (about a 1-2 week approval), the customer authorizes the application in SmartHub, and the application then queries ESPI endpoints (UsagePoint, MeterReading, IntervalBlock). NISC does not publish formal public API docs; use the ESPI / Green Button Alliance documentation.
Can Farmers EC business customers shop for a competitive electricity provider?▾
No. Although most of Texas is in the deregulated ERCOT retail market, Farmers EC opted out of retail competition. As a member-owned cooperative it is both the wire and energy provider in its territory, and there is no power-to-choose option for FEC accounts; rates are set by the cooperative's member-elected board.
How do Farmers EC rates compare to the rest of Texas?▾
Farmers EC's system-average bundled rate is about 14.02 cents/kWh, below the Texas average of roughly 14.48 cents/kWh and the U.S. average of about 15.76 cents/kWh (EIA-861-based data). The average residential monthly bill is about $178.78. C&I customers should still confirm their specific energy and demand charges with the cooperative, since dollar amounts are not posted online.
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