Pedernales Electric Cooperative Rate Selection Guide
Pedernales Electric Cooperative (PEC) is the largest electric distribution cooperative in the US, serving ~458,000 member accounts across the Texas Hill Country. As a member-owned co-op, it is not part of Texas retail choice; billing and usage data are accessed through the NISC SmartHub portal, with limited programmatic third-party options.
Pedernales Electric Cooperative Rate Schedule Comparison
| Schedule | Type | Rate | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Large Power (≥50 kW) | industrial | Service Availability $150/mo; Peak Capacity $6.74/kW; TCOS $6.15/kW (or $0.019930/kWh); TOU energy $0.0435-$0.1618/kWh | Commercial/industrial members 50 kW and above |
| Small Power (<50 kW) | commercial | Service availability plus energy (see Small Power Rates page) | Smaller commercial members and street lighting |
Market Overview
PEC is governed by an elected member board that sets rates via the Tariff and Business Rules. As a Texas cooperative that has not opted into retail competition, members buy power directly from the co-op and cannot select a competitive retail electric provider, even though PEC sits within ERCOT.
Need to pull your actual usage data to compare rates? See the Pedernales Electric Cooperative Data Access Guide →
Current Rate Schedules
PEC commercial accounts are split into Small Power (<50 kW rolling 12-month average demand) and Large Power (≥50 kW). Verified Large Power figures (from mypec.com/large-power-rates, updated June 2026): Service Availability Charge $150.00/month; Peak Capacity Charge $6.74/kW (measured as the highest 15-minute interval in the billing period); Transmission Cost of Service (TCOS) Pass-Through $6.15/kW (based on the member's prior-summer Four Coincident Peak, updated monthly) or $0.019930/kWh for members without an established 4CP; plus a Time-of-Use Base Power Charge. Rates are set by the PEC Board and updated periodically (base power/TOU rates were raised effective March 1, 2026). The Tariff and Business Rules is the authoritative source.
Effective: March 1, 2026 · Full Tariff Book →
| Schedule | Type | Applicability | Structure | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Large Power Rate (≥50 kW) | industrial | Commercial/industrial members with a rolling 12-month average demand of 50 kW or more. | Service Availability Charge $150.00/mo; Peak Capacity Charge $6.74/kW (highest 15-minute interval in the billing period); TCOS Pass-Through $6.15/kW (prior-summer 4CP, updated monthly) or $0.019930/kWh if no 4CP established; plus Time-of-Use Base Power Charge. Summer (Jun-Sep) TOU base power: Off-Peak $0.043481/kWh, Mid-Peak $0.093169/kWh, Peak (4-8pm) $0.161843/kWh. | — |
| Large Power — Time-of-Use Base Power (Shoulder season) | industrial | Large Power members during shoulder months (March, April, May, October, November). | Off-Peak $0.043481/kWh (12:01am-5pm; 9:01pm-12am); Mid-Peak $0.086442/kWh (5:01-9pm). Applied on top of Service Availability, Peak Capacity, and TCOS charges. | — |
| Large Power — Time-of-Use Base Power (Winter season) | industrial | Large Power members December-February. | Off-Peak $0.043481/kWh; Mid-Peak $0.086442/kWh (5:01-9am and 5:01-9pm). Applied on top of Service Availability, Peak Capacity, and TCOS charges. | — |
| Small Power Rate (<50 kW) | commercial | Commercial/industrial members with rolling 12-month average demand under 50 kW, plus street lighting. | Small commercial rate with service availability and energy charges; specific current amounts are published on the PEC Small Power Rates page and in the Tariff. Described qualitatively here — verify on the live rate page. | — |
Rate Recommendations by Use Case
Large industrial/commercial member at or above 50 kW
Treat the ERCOT 4CP and your own 15-minute peak as the two levers; curtail aggressively on forecast peak days.
TCOS ($6.15/kW) and Peak Capacity ($6.74/kW) together exceed $12/kW, so demand management is the dominant savings opportunity.
- Sign up for PEC summer 4CP forecast emails
- Automate curtailment 4-6pm on forecast peak days
- Stagger large-equipment startups to limit the 15-minute peak
Summer-peaking facility (HVAC-heavy, daytime operations)
Pre-cool and pre-process before 4pm and minimize the 4-8pm summer load to cut both demand and TOU energy.
Summer peak energy is $0.161843/kWh — nearly 4x off-peak — and the 4-6pm window also drives the 4CP and Peak Capacity charges.
- Pre-cool buildings before 4pm
- Battery storage to clip the 4-8pm peak
- Schedule heavy loads to off-peak hours
Multi-site / portfolio member needing programmatic data
Because PEC lacks Green Button CMD and a public API, use Nectar for aggregated monthly data or member-mediated CSV exports.
No official third-party API exists; Nectar provides API access to billing and usage data (see docs.nectarclimate.com), and SmartHub CSV exports cover hourly usage.
- Use Nectar for programmatic PEC data — docs.nectarclimate.com
- Standardize monthly SmartHub CSV exports per site
- Advocate to PEC for Green Button CMD / ESPI
Energy consultant requiring 15-minute interval data
Obtain written member consent and use the community electric-usage-downloader tool for 15-minute data, understanding it is unsupported.
Official 15-minute data is unavailable (CSV is hourly-only); the reverse-engineered SmartHub API is the only path until PEC enables ESPI.
- Get written member authorization first
- Secure stored SmartHub credentials (chmod 600)
- Plan for the API to break if NISC changes SmartHub
- Push PEC to implement Green Button CMD
Historical Rate Trends
PEC's elected Board sets rates through the Tariff and Business Rules. Effective March 1, 2026, PEC raised base power and time-of-use rates. Large Power TCOS and Peak Capacity charges update periodically (TCOS per-kW monthly; energy/TCOS-kWh rate each June and October) as pass-through transmission costs fluctuate.
March 1, 2026
PEC raised base power and time-of-use rates effective March 1, 2026, per the updated Tariff and Business Rules.
n/aOverall trend: Rising — base power and TOU rates increased March 1, 2026.
Next expected change: TCOS per-kW updates monthly; the kWh TCOS rate updates each June and October; base power rates revisited periodically by the Board.
Cost Optimization Strategies
Large Power bills hinge on two peaks: the member's own 15-minute Peak Capacity and the ERCOT 4CP that sets TCOS. Reducing demand during 4-6pm summer windows lowers both, and shifting energy off the 4-8pm summer peak cuts the TOU base power charge.
Reduce the ERCOT 4CP to lower TCOS
For: Large Power members (≥50 kW)
TCOS is set by the member's demand during the four ERCOT summer coincident peaks. Curtailing load on forecast 4CP days (summer peaks usually 4-6pm) lowers TCOS for the following January-December.
Shave the 15-minute Peak Capacity
For: Large Power members
The Peak Capacity Charge ($6.74/kW) is based on the single highest 15-minute interval in the billing period. Staggering equipment and limiting simultaneous startups reduces it.
Shift energy off the summer 4-8pm peak
For: Large Power members in summer (Jun-Sep)
Summer TOU base power is $0.161843/kWh during the 4-8pm peak vs $0.043481/kWh off-peak. Moving production or pre-cooling out of that window cuts energy cost ~73%.
Subscribe to PEC 4CP forecast alerts
For: Large Power members
PEC's C&I Accounts team sends summer 4CP forecast emails so members know when to curtail on likely peak days.
To implement these strategies, you need your 15-minute interval data. Learn how to download Pedernales Electric Cooperative interval data →
Frequently Asked Questions
Can PEC commercial members choose a competitive electricity supplier?▾
No. PEC is a member-owned cooperative that has not opted into Texas retail competition, so members buy power directly from the co-op at Board-approved rates and cannot select a competitive retail electric provider, even though PEC operates within ERCOT.
Which rate applies to my commercial or industrial account?▾
It depends on your rolling 12-month average demand. Members at or above 50 kW take the Large Power Rate; members under 50 kW (and street lighting) take the Small Power Rate.
How can a third party access our PEC interval and billing data?▾
PEC has no Green Button Connect My Data, ESPI, or public API. Options are: member-mediated SmartHub CSV/PDF exports, Nectar's API (see docs.nectarclimate.com), or, for 15-minute data, the unsupported community reverse-engineered SmartHub API with member consent.
How do we lower a PEC Large Power bill?▾
Focus on demand. The Peak Capacity Charge ($6.74/kW) is set by your highest 15-minute interval and TCOS ($6.15/kW) by your prior-summer ERCOT 4CP. Curtailing load on forecast summer peak days (usually 4-6pm) and shifting energy off the 4-8pm summer peak ($0.161843/kWh) cuts both demand and energy charges.
Is 15-minute interval data available from PEC?▾
Not through official channels. SmartHub shows 30-minute/hourly usage and CSV export is hourly-only (15-minute was removed in January 2024). 15-minute data is only obtainable via a community reverse-engineered SmartHub API, and AMI deployment is still rolling out.
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