Ocala Electric Utility Rate Selection Guide
Ocala Electric Utility (OEU) is a municipal electric utility serving 59,000+ customers across central Florida. OEU has deployed full AMI with daily usage visibility via the MyUsage platform, but offers limited formal programmatic data access (no Green Button, API, or EDI) compared to larger utilities.
Ocala Electric Utility Rate Schedule Comparison
| Schedule | Type | Rate | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| General Services | Commercial | $23.00/mo + ~$0.1031/kWh (+PCA) | Small commercial accounts without significant demand. |
| Large Power < 150 kVA | Commercial/Industrial | $57.00/mo + $8.50/kVA + ~$0.0667/kWh (+PCA) | Mid-size commercial with moderate demand. |
| Large Power 150-499 kVA | Industrial | $57.00/mo + $8.80/kVA + ~$0.0662/kWh (+PCA) | Industrial loads in the mid demand band. |
| Large Power > 499 kVA | Industrial | $57.00/mo + $9.50/kVA + ~$0.0658/kWh (+PCA) | Large industrial facilities with high demand. |
| Large Power > 499 kVA TOU | Industrial | $13.31/kVA on-peak demand + $0.0541/kWh | Large loads that can shift to off-peak (lower demand charges). |
Market Overview
Florida is a regulated, vertically integrated market. Ocala Electric Utility is municipally owned; rates are set by City Council and filed with the Florida PSC. C&I customers cannot select a competitive supplier and are served on OEU's bundled tariff schedules.
Need to pull your actual usage data to compare rates? See the Ocala Electric Utility Data Access Guide →
Current Rate Schedules
Rates below reflect the OEU Electric Rate Schedule effective March 1, 2024 (FY2023-2024 schedule, Resolution 2024-10). C&I customers are served on General Service and tiered Large Power schedules with unbundled energy, transmission, and distribution components plus a kVA demand charge. A Power Cost Adjustment (PCA) is applied and changes throughout the year by resolution.
Effective: March 1, 2024 · Full Tariff Book →
| Schedule | Type | Applicability | Structure | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| General Services | commercial | Small commercial customers. | Customer charge $23.00/mo; subtotal usage charge $0.1031/kWh (energy $0.0805 + transmission $0.00611 + distribution $0.01649), plus Power Cost Adjustment. | — |
| Large Power < 150 kVA | commercial | Commercial/industrial demand under 150 kVA. | Customer charge $57.00/mo; demand charge $8.50/kVA; subtotal usage charge $0.0667/kWh (energy $0.05304 + transmission $0.00322 + distribution $0.01044), plus PCA. | — |
| Large Power 150 - 499 kVA | industrial | Industrial demand 150-499 kVA. | Customer charge $57.00/mo; demand charge $8.80/kVA; subtotal usage charge $0.06620/kWh (energy $0.05598 + transmission $0.00313 + distribution $0.00709), plus PCA. | — |
| Large Power > 499 kVA | industrial | Largest industrial loads above 499 kVA. | Customer charge $57.00/mo; demand charge $9.50/kVA; subtotal usage charge $0.0658/kWh (energy $0.05458 + transmission $0.00361 + distribution $0.00761), plus PCA. | — |
| General Service Low Load Factor | commercial | Commercial accounts with low utilization / no demand charge. | Customer charge $57.00/mo; subtotal usage charge $0.1488/kWh (energy $0.12608 + transmission $0.00324 + distribution $0.01948), plus PCA. | — |
| Large Power > 499 kVA Time of Use | industrial | Large industrial loads on time-of-use pricing. | Customer charge $57.00/mo; on-peak demand $13.31/kVA, off-peak demand $2.38/kVA; on-peak and off-peak energy $0.0541/kWh, plus PCA. | — |
Rate Recommendations by Use Case
Mid-size commercial facility (<150 kVA)
A retail or office facility under 150 kVA demand should take the Large Power <150 kVA schedule and focus on power factor and peak management.
At $8.50/kVA demand and ~$0.0667/kWh energy, this schedule beats General Service Low Load Factor (~$0.1488/kWh) for any account with meaningful, steady usage.
- Install power factor correction to lower billed kVA
- Monitor daily usage in MyUsage to spot demand spikes
- Avoid the Low Load Factor schedule if usage is steady
Industrial plant (150-499 kVA)
A manufacturing or processing plant in the mid demand band should pursue load-factor improvement to capture High Load Factor Credits.
Demand charge is $8.80/kVA; raising load factor above 75% earns up to $1.50/kVA in credits, and power factor correction reduces billed kVA.
- Target ≥75% load factor for the maximum credit
- Stagger equipment startups to flatten demand peaks
- Correct power factor with capacitor banks
Large industrial load (>499 kVA) with flexible operations
A large facility that can shift load should evaluate the Large Power >499 kVA Time-of-Use schedule.
Off-peak demand is billed $2.38/kVA versus $13.31/kVA on-peak; shifting production off-peak can dramatically cut demand cost versus the flat >499 kVA schedule.
- Schedule heavy production off-peak
- Consider customer-owned transformer for the $0.15/kVA discount and primary metering credits
- Use battery storage to shave on-peak demand
C&I customer needing usage data for energy management
Because OEU offers no API or 15-minute data, build your energy program around MyUsage daily data plus bulk extracts requested from the utility.
Daily kWh is the finest granularity available; consultants should obtain customer authorization early since all third-party access is manual.
- Register for MyUsage (Utility #61) for daily graphs
- Request bulk historical interval extracts in writing
- Secure customer authorization before submitting third-party requests
Historical Rate Trends
OEU adjusts base rates by City Council resolution and applies a Power Cost Adjustment (PCA) that changes during the year. The FY2023-2024 schedule (effective 3-1-2024) raised base energy and demand charges across C&I classes versus the prior FY2022-2023 column.
March 1, 2024
FY2023-2024 Electric Rate Schedule effective: Large Power <150 kVA demand charge rose from $7.03 to $8.50/kVA and energy charge from $0.0471 to $0.05304/kWh; General Services energy charge rose to $0.0805/kWh.
+12%March 1, 2024
Ocala City Council approved a bulk power cost reduction / PCA adjustment effective March 1, 2024, partially offsetting base-rate increases for customers.
variesOverall trend: Gradual increases in base energy, demand, and customer charges across C&I schedules in the FY2023-2024 update; PCA fluctuates with wholesale power costs.
Next expected change: Next annual rate resolution expected in the FY2025-2026/2026-2027 budget cycle; PCA updates occur throughout the year.
Cost Optimization Strategies
Because OEU bills demand on kVA at actual power factor, C&I cost optimization centers on power factor correction, demand management, and load factor improvement to capture available credits.
Power Factor Correction
For: All Large Power C&I accounts
Demand is billed on kVA at actual power factor, so installing capacitors to raise power factor directly lowers billed kVA demand.
Improve Load Factor for Credits
For: High-utilization industrial loads
OEU's High Load Factor Credit pays up to $1.50/kVA at ≥75% load factor (tiered down to $0.75 at 60-64%). Smoothing consumption to raise load factor captures these credits.
Time-of-Use Demand Shifting
For: Loads that can shift timing
On Large Power TOU schedules, off-peak demand is billed far lower ($2.38 vs $13.31/kVA on >499 kVA). Shifting load off-peak materially reduces demand cost.
Customer-Owned Transformer
For: Large facilities that own transformers / take primary service
OEU offers a Transformer Owned Discount of $0.15/kVA of billing demand plus primary metering kWh credits (5% transmission / 2.5% distribution loss).
To implement these strategies, you need your 15-minute interval data. Learn how to download Ocala Electric Utility interval data →
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a C&I customer or consultant get automated interval data from Ocala Electric Utility via API?▾
No. OEU does not offer a customer-data API, Green Button Connect, or Share My Data. AMI is deployed but only daily kWh is exposed via MyUsage. Automated/bulk access requires a direct request to customer service and is delivered manually.
What interval granularity is available for commercial accounts?▾
Daily kWh through MyUsage. The AMI meters are hardware-capable of 15-minute data, but OEU does not currently expose sub-daily intervals to customers. Bulk interval extracts may be requested directly from the utility (5-10 business days).
How does a third party (energy consultant) access a business customer's data?▾
Through manual, customer-authorized access: the customer signs a written authorization specifying scope and the third party, then emails customerservice@ocalafl.gov. There is no formal aggregator portal, so expect manual delivery of bills/usage summaries.
Which rate schedule applies to a large commercial or industrial facility?▾
Large Power schedules apply based on demand: Large Power <150 kVA, 150-499 kVA, and >499 kVA, each with a customer charge, kVA demand charge, and unbundled energy/transmission/distribution charges. A General Service Low Load Factor schedule exists for low-utilization accounts, and time-of-use variants are available.
Are demand charges based on kW or kVA at Ocala?▾
Demand charges are applied to kVA based on actual power factor. OEU offers a High Load Factor Credit (up to $1.50/kVA at ≥75% load factor) and a Transformer Owned Discount ($0.15/kVA), making power factor and load factor management valuable for C&I accounts.
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