Grayson-Collin Electric Cooperative Rate Selection Guide
Grayson-Collin Electric Cooperative (GCEC) is a member-owned, not-for-profit rural electric cooperative serving roughly 95,500 accounts across Grayson and Collin counties in North Texas. As a cooperative outside ERCOT's competitive retail market, GCEC sets its own rates and delivers billing and usage data through the NISC SmartHub portal, with Green Button XML export and a smart-meter rollout enabling 15-minute interval data.
Grayson-Collin Electric Cooperative Rate Schedule Comparison
| Schedule | Type | Rate | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small Commercial | Commercial | $80 base; $0.11490/kWh; demand $10/kW above 10 kW | Businesses under 50 kW |
| Large Commercial | Commercial | $200 base; $0.10/kWh; $10/kW demand; 20% school discount | Facilities over 50 kW |
| Security Lighting | Commercial | $5.50/mo metered; $12.50/mo non-metered | Outdoor/security lighting |
Market Overview
As a distribution cooperative outside ERCOT's competitive market, GCEC provides bundled electric service at board-set rates. There is no retail electric choice, REP shopping, or CCA available to members.
Need to pull your actual usage data to compare rates? See the Grayson-Collin Electric Cooperative Data Access Guide →
Current Rate Schedules
GCEC publishes rates on its website with verified commercial figures. Small Commercial (under 50 kW/month): $80 base, demand $0/kW first 10 kW then $10/kW above 10 kW, energy $0.11490/kWh. Large Commercial (over 50 kW/month, 20% school discount): $200 base, $10/kW demand on metered kW, energy $0.10/kWh. A monthly Power Cost Recovery Factor (PCRF), about $0.01/kWh, is the only variable component and is reviewed monthly. Rates reflect the most recent published schedule (last general change effective November 1, 2023).
Effective: November 1, 2023 · Full Tariff Book →
| Schedule | Type | Applicability | Structure | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Small Commercial (under 50 kW/month) | commercial | Commercial accounts with demand under 50 kW per month | Base charge $80.00/mo; Demand charge $0 for first 10 kW, $10.00/kW above 10 kW; Energy charge $0.11490/kWh; plus monthly PCRF (~$0.01/kWh). | $0.11490/kWh energy (verified)+ $0 first 10 kW; $10.00/kW above 10 kW (verified) |
| Large Commercial (over 50 kW/month) | commercial | Commercial accounts with demand over 50 kW per month; 20% school discount available | Base charge $200.00/mo; Demand charge $10.00/kW on metered kW; Energy charge $0.10/kWh; plus monthly PCRF (~$0.01/kWh). 20% discount for schools. | $0.10/kWh energy (verified)+ $10.00/kW metered (verified) |
| Security Lighting (Metered) | commercial | Metered security/outdoor lighting service | Base charge $5.50/mo plus PCRF (~$0.01/kWh). Non-metered option: $12.50/mo base. | $5.50/mo base (metered, verified)+ None |
| Large Commercial - Schools (20% discount) | commercial | Qualifying schools on the Large Commercial rate | Large Commercial rate ($200 base, $10/kW demand, $0.10/kWh energy) with a 20% discount applied. | $0.10/kWh less 20% school discount (verified)+ $10.00/kW metered (less applicable discount) |
Rate Recommendations by Use Case
Large commercial / industrial facility (over 50 kW)
Large Commercial accounts pay a $10/kW demand charge on all metered kW, so peak demand management is the single biggest cost lever.
With a $10/kW demand charge applied to maximum metered demand plus $0.10/kWh energy, shaving and smoothing peak kW directly reduces the bill. Schools should confirm the 20% discount is applied.
- Use SmartHub Green Button interval data to find peak intervals
- Stagger large equipment startups to cut coincident peak
- Improve load factor to lower the demand-to-energy ratio
- Schools: verify the 20% discount appears on the bill
- Evaluate solar/storage to offset energy and demand
Small business (under 50 kW)
Small Commercial accounts have no demand charge on the first 10 kW, so keeping peak demand low and watching energy use are the main levers.
Demand above 10 kW is billed at $10/kW, so a business that keeps peak demand near or below 10 kW avoids most demand charges; energy at $0.11490/kWh is the rest of the bill.
- Track peak kW in SmartHub to stay under the 10 kW threshold where possible
- Shift heavy loads to avoid simultaneous peaks
- Export Green Button XML for efficiency analysis
- Monitor the monthly PCRF as the variable cost component
Consultants & ESCOs needing data
Third parties supporting GCEC commercial members should standardize on Nectar for reliable, authorized data access.
GCEC offers no official API, but Nectar collects billing and interval data with member authorization and delivers it via REST API, avoiding the unsupported reverse-engineered SmartHub endpoint.
- Review docs.nectarclimate.com and verify GCEC coverage
- Collect member authorization via Nectar's connect flow
- Use Green Button DMD for one-off pulls
- Avoid the unofficial reverse-engineered SmartHub API
Historical Rate Trends
GCEC's most recent general rate change took effect November 1, 2023, projected to raise electric rate revenues by about $18.3 million (~8.75%). As a cooperative, GCEC also adjusts a monthly Power Cost Recovery Factor (PCRF) to track wholesale power costs, which is the only variable component of the rates.
November 1, 2023
General rate change increasing electric rate revenues by approximately $18,310,863 (about 8.75%).
+8.75%June 1, 2026
Monthly Power Cost Recovery Factor (~$0.01/kWh) adjusted each month to reflect actual wholesale power costs.
Variable (monthly PCRF)Overall trend: Rising, driven by wholesale power costs; the monthly PCRF absorbs ongoing fluctuations between scheduled rate changes.
Next expected change: Not announced; monitor GCEC news and the monthly PCRF
Cost Optimization Strategies
GCEC commercial bills are driven by base charge, demand ($10/kW), energy, and a monthly PCRF. The biggest savings come from demand management and improving load factor, supported by SmartHub interval visibility.
Peak demand reduction
For: Large Commercial (and Small Commercial above 10 kW)
Lower maximum metered kW by staggering equipment and capping coincident peak, since the demand charge applies to the monthly peak.
Load factor improvement
For: Large Commercial
Flatten the load profile to spread the same energy over more hours, reducing the demand-to-energy ratio and per-kWh effective cost.
School discount verification
For: Schools on Large Commercial
Confirm the 20% Large Commercial school discount is correctly applied on qualifying accounts.
Interval-data-driven efficiency
For: All commercial members with smart meters
Use SmartHub Green Button interval data to target efficiency and load-shifting investments and validate savings.
To implement these strategies, you need your 15-minute interval data. Learn how to download Grayson-Collin Electric Cooperative interval data →
Frequently Asked Questions
How does a commercial member get interval data from GCEC?▾
If the account has an Itron smart meter installed, log into SmartHub at graysoncollin.smarthub.coop, open My Usage, and use Green Button Download My Data to export up to 14 months of usage as ESPI XML at 15-minute, hourly, daily, or monthly granularity. Because the AMI rollout (40,000 meters over 5-7 years) is ongoing, interval availability depends on whether your meter has been upgraded.
Can a third party (ESCO, consultant) pull our GCEC data programmatically?▾
GCEC has no official public API. The recommended production path is Nectar: the member authorizes access through Nectar's connect flow, and the third party queries standardized billing and interval data via Nectar's REST API — see docs.nectarclimate.com. Alternatively, the member can submit a letter of authorization to GCEC at (903) 482-7100 for a manual data export.
What are GCEC's commercial electric rates?▾
GCEC publishes two commercial classes. Small Commercial (under 50 kW/month) has an $80 base charge, a demand charge of $0 for the first 10 kW and $10/kW above 10 kW, and a $0.11490/kWh energy charge. Large Commercial (over 50 kW/month, with a 20% school discount) has a $200 base charge, a $10/kW demand charge on all metered kW, and a $0.10/kWh energy charge. A monthly Power Cost Recovery Factor (PCRF) of about $0.01/kWh also applies.
Is GCEC part of the competitive Texas (ERCOT) retail market?▾
No. GCEC is a member-owned distribution cooperative outside ERCOT's competitive retail choice area, so members cannot shop for a Retail Electric Provider. GCEC sets its own rates as a not-for-profit and is not served by Smart Meter Texas, which only covers ERCOT TDSPs like Oncor and CenterPoint.
How can a large commercial customer lower its GCEC bill?▾
On the Large Commercial rate the $10/kW demand charge applies to all metered demand, so reducing peak kW is the primary lever. Use SmartHub interval data to identify and stagger peak loads, improve load factor, and (for schools) confirm the 20% discount is applied. Solar and energy efficiency can also reduce both energy and demand components.
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