Northern States Power Company - Wisconsin (Xcel Energy) Rate Selection Guide
Northern States Power Company - Wisconsin (NSP-WI), an Xcel Energy operating company, serves roughly 250,000 electric and 114,000 natural gas customers in western and northern Wisconsin and Michigan's Upper Peninsula. As a PSCW-regulated investor-owned utility, NSP-WI offers comprehensive data access through Xcel's My Account portal, Green Button Connect, the InfoWise interval program, and EDI.
Northern States Power Company - Wisconsin (Xcel Energy) Rate Schedule Comparison
| Schedule | Type | Rate | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small General Service | Commercial electric | $17.00/mo + ~$0.072-0.083/kWh energy (seasonal) + $0.042/kWh delivery | Small businesses under 25 kW demand |
| General Time-of-Day Service | Commercial electric (demand) | $42.00/mo + $11-13/kW demand + on/off-peak energy | Mid-size C&I, 25-200 kW |
| Large General Time-of-Day Service | Industrial electric (demand) | $180/mo mandatory + voltage-tiered demand + energy charges | Large facilities 200 kW or more |
| General Service (Gas) | Commercial gas | $29.00/mo + $0.2006/therm distribution + monthly supply | Non-residential firm gas customers |
| Interruptible Gas | Industrial gas | $100-550/mo + $0.077-0.128/therm distribution by volume tier | Large gas users able to interrupt |
Market Overview
NSP-WI operates as a vertically integrated, PSCW-regulated investor-owned utility providing bundled electric and gas distribution, energy, and supply. There is no retail competition; rates are set in multi-year general rate cases. The most recent case set rates for 2026-2027 at a 9.8% authorized return on equity.
Need to pull your actual usage data to compare rates? See the Northern States Power Company - Wisconsin (Xcel Energy) Data Access Guide →
Current Rate Schedules
NSP-WI C&I electric rates are demand-tiered: Small General Service (demand under 25 kW) is energy-only with seasonal rates; General Time-of-Day Service (25-200 kW) and Large General Time-of-Day Service (200 kW or more) add monthly demand charges that vary by voltage level (secondary, primary, transmission) and season. Natural gas General Service is non-residential firm service with a customer charge plus distribution and monthly gas supply charges; distribution-only and interruptible options exist for larger users. The dollar figures below are documented C&I rates from Xcel's official Wisconsin C&I rate schedule (effective Jan 1, 2021); the PSCW approved a multi-year increase in November 2025 raising bills in 2026 and 2027, so current per-unit charges are higher. Always confirm against the live Wisconsin rate book.
Effective: January 1, 2026 · Full Tariff Book →
| Schedule | Type | Applicability | Structure | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Small General Service (Cg-1) | commercial | Non-residential customers with demand under 25 kW per month | Customer charge $17.00/mo single-phase metered ($20.50 three-phase); delivery $0.042000/kWh; energy $0.083180/kWh summer, $0.071650/kWh winter (per official 2021 C&I schedule; current rates higher post-2025 rate case). | — |
| Small General Time-of-Day Service | commercial | Non-residential customers under 25 kW electing time-of-day pricing | Customer charge $17.00/mo single-phase ($20.50 three-phase); delivery $0.042000/kWh; on-peak energy $0.160000/kWh summer, $0.135000/kWh winter; off-peak $0.035750/kWh (2021 official schedule; current rates higher). | — |
| General Time-of-Day Service | commercial | Demand 25 kW to less than 200 kW per month | Customer charge $42.00/mo; demand charge secondary $13.00/kW summer, $11.00/kW winter (primary $12.35/$10.45); delivery $0.50/kW; on-peak energy secondary $0.075210/kWh summer, $0.070210/kWh winter; off-peak $0.056020/kWh; 2.0% primary discount (2021 official schedule; current rates higher). | — |
| Large General Time-of-Day Service | industrial | Demand 200 kW or more per month | Customer charge $180.00/mo mandatory ($65.00 optional); on-peak demand charge secondary $13.00/kW summer, $11.00/kW winter (primary, transmission-transformed, and transmission-untransformed tiers lower); distribution demand charge $2.50/kW secondary to $0.00 transmission-untransformed; on-peak energy secondary $0.084710/kWh summer, $0.076210/kWh winter; off-peak $0.049820/kWh; energy discounts 2.0% primary, 9.5%/10.0% transmission (2021 official schedule; current rates higher). | — |
| General Service (Gas) | commercial | Non-residential firm natural gas customers | Customer charge $29.00/mo; distribution charge $0.2006/therm; gas supply charge (PSCW-approved, varies monthly, ~$0.4205/therm as documented). Distribution-only service available with $50/mo admin fee for customers procuring their own supply (2021 official schedule; current charges higher). | — |
| Interruptible Gas Service (Small / Medium / Large) | industrial | Large non-residential gas customers meeting interruptible requirements | Tiered by annual volume: Small (<200,000 therms) $100/mo + $0.1275/therm; Medium (200,000-2,000,000) $325/mo + $0.0969/therm; Large (>2,000,000) $550/mo + $0.0769/therm; gas supply ~$0.3314/therm (2021 official schedule; current charges higher). | — |
Rate Recommendations by Use Case
Mid-size commercial building (25-200 kW)
General Time-of-Day Service with active demand management.
Demand charges drive the bill at this size; flattening peaks and shifting load off-peak yields the most savings.
- Pull 15-minute interval data via My Account or InfoWise
- Stagger HVAC and equipment startups to cap demand
- Target off-peak operation for deferrable loads
Large industrial facility (200 kW+)
Large General Time-of-Day Service, evaluate primary/transmission voltage.
Higher-voltage service earns energy discounts up to 10% and lower demand charges; wide on/off-peak spread rewards load shifting.
- Evaluate customer-owned transformation for voltage discounts
- Maintain high load factor to qualify for the energy charge credit
- Monitor demand with InfoWise near-real-time data
Large gas-intensive operation
Evaluate interruptible or distribution-only gas service.
Interruptible tiers cut distribution charges for high-volume users; distribution-only lets you procure your own supply.
- Confirm you meet interruptible service requirements
- Compare self-procured supply against the bundled gas supply charge
- Factor the $50/mo distribution-only admin fee
Multi-site C&I portfolio
Automate data via EDI 810 and Green Button Connect.
Automated billing and interval feeds enable portfolio-wide benchmarking and demand management without manual exports.
- Set up EDI 810 over SFTP for invoices
- Use Green Button Connect for interval data
- Auto-upload to ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager
Historical Rate Trends
NSP-WI sets rates through multi-year general rate cases before the PSCW. The most recent case, approved in November 2025, raised electric and gas rates in 2026 and 2027.
January 1, 2026
PSCW-approved general rate increase: average residential electric bill up about $13.47/month and gas up about $7.08/month vs 2025; $85.9M electric revenue increase granted for 2026.
+9.8% ROEJanuary 1, 2027
Second-year step: average residential electric bill up about $24.91/month and gas up about $8.70/month vs 2025; cumulative $148.3M revenue increase.
+8% (cumulative)January 1, 2021
Two-year settlement approved Dec 12, 2019 lowered typical electric bills about 1% and gas about 5% vs January 2018.
-1% to -5%Overall trend: Increasing — multi-year increases approved for 2026 and 2027 after a period of relatively flat rates following the 2019 settlement.
Next expected change: Second-year (2027) step increase already approved; the next general rate case would follow the 2027 test year.
Cost Optimization Strategies
The largest savings levers for NSP-WI C&I customers are managing peak demand, shifting load off-peak, and taking service at higher voltage where feasible.
Peak demand management
For: All C&I demand-metered accounts (25 kW+)
Demand charges of $11-13/kW per month on time-of-day schedules make peak shaving the highest-value lever. Use 15-minute interval data from My Account or InfoWise to identify and flatten demand peaks.
Higher-voltage service election
For: Large facilities 200 kW or more
On Large General Time-of-Day Service, taking primary or transmission voltage earns energy discounts of 2.0% to 10.0% and lower demand charges. Worthwhile for facilities that can own transformation.
Load shifting to off-peak
For: C&I with deferrable load
On-peak summer energy (~$0.085/kWh) is roughly 70% higher than off-peak (~$0.050/kWh) on large service. Shifting flexible loads off-peak captures the spread.
Interruptible / distribution-only gas
For: Large gas users
Large gas users can move to interruptible service (lower distribution charges by volume tier) or distribution-only service to procure their own supply (adds $50/mo admin fee).
To implement these strategies, you need your 15-minute interval data. Learn how to download Northern States Power Company - Wisconsin (Xcel Energy) interval data →
Frequently Asked Questions
How does a commercial customer get 15-minute interval data from NSP-WI?▾
Smart-meter C&I customers can view and export 15-minute interval data from My Account or download it as Green Button XML. For faster refresh (daily or near-real-time) and load-profile analytics, enroll in the Empower Intelligence with InfoWise program through the MyMeter portal.
Can a third-party energy manager pull our usage data automatically?▾
Yes. Approved providers use Green Button Connect My Data over OAuth 2.0 for automated access once your business authorizes sharing. Property managers and consultants can also use the Rental Usage Portal for authorized monthly consumption data.
Does NSP-WI support EDI billing for multi-site C&I accounts?▾
Yes. Xcel supports ANSI X12 004010 EDI 810 invoices over SFTP or VAN for commercial and industrial customers and authorized aggregators after executing a Trading Partner Agreement.
Is NSP-WI in a deregulated market with supplier choice?▾
No. Wisconsin retail electric and gas service is fully regulated by the PSCW. NSP-WI provides bundled distribution and supply; there is no competitive retail supplier choice.
How far back does interval and billing history go?▾
Up to 24 months of billing and 15-minute interval data is available through My Account and Green Button.
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