Sam Houston Electric Cooperative Rate Selection Guide
Sam Houston Electric Cooperative is a member-owned electric cooperative serving roughly 93,000 meters across 10 East Texas counties. It runs the mySamHouston portal on the NISC SmartHub platform with AMI smart meters, but has not publicly enabled Green Button, EDI, or an official third-party API.
Sam Houston Electric Cooperative Rate Schedule Comparison
| Schedule | Type | Rate | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small General Service (SGS) | commercial | ~12.5 cents/kWh (EIA commercial avg); tariff $ not posted | Small businesses below large-power thresholds |
| General Rate Service (GS) | commercial | Energy + demand (tariff-defined) | Mid-size commercial loads |
| Large Power Service (LP) | industrial | ~9.25 cents/kWh (EIA industrial avg) + demand | Large industrial demand accounts |
| Large Power High Load Factor (HLF) | industrial | Energy + demand, high-LF optimized | 24/7 high-load-factor industrial sites |
Market Overview
Sam Houston Electric Cooperative is a member-owned, non-profit distribution cooperative. It operates in the ERCOT region but has opted out of ERCOT retail competition, so there is no competitive supplier choice. Rates are set by the member-elected Board of Directors with certain oversight by the Public Utility Commission of Texas.
Need to pull your actual usage data to compare rates? See the Sam Houston Electric Cooperative Data Access Guide →
Current Rate Schedules
Sam Houston Electric's revised rate structure took effect March 1, 2025 — the first change since May 2018. Affected schedules are Residential (R), Small General Service (SGS), General Rate Service (GS), Large Power Service (LP), Large Power High Load Factor (HLF), and Large School Service (LSS). The residential base charge rose from $19.75 to $31.75/month. Per-kWh energy and demand charges for the C&I schedules are set in the member-policies tariff but are not posted as line items online; EIA-derived averages are roughly 12.5 cents/kWh for commercial and 9.25 cents/kWh for industrial accounts. Verify exact figures in the tariff or with Member Services.
Effective: March 1, 2025 · Full Tariff Book →
| Schedule | Type | Applicability | Structure | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Small General Service (SGS) | commercial | Small commercial accounts with modest demand; non-residential lighting and power. | Monthly base charge plus per-kWh energy charge (specific $ set in the member-policies tariff; not posted online). EIA-derived commercial average ~12.5 cents/kWh. | — |
| General Rate Service (GS) | commercial | General commercial accounts above small-service thresholds. | Monthly base charge plus per-kWh energy charge, with demand component for larger loads (tariff-defined; $ not posted online). | — |
| Large Power Service (LP) | industrial | Large power / industrial accounts with significant demand. | Base charge plus per-kWh energy charge plus demand ($/kW) charge (tariff-defined; $ not posted online). EIA-derived industrial average ~9.25 cents/kWh. | — |
| Large Power High Load Factor (HLF) | industrial | Large industrial accounts operating at high, consistent load factors. | Base plus energy plus demand structure optimized for high load factor; favorable demand pricing relative to LP (tariff-defined; $ not posted online). | — |
| Large School Service (LSS) | commercial | Large school / institutional accounts. | Base plus per-kWh energy charge tailored to school load profiles (tariff-defined; $ not posted online). | — |
Rate Recommendations by Use Case
Mid-size commercial facility (office, retail, light industrial)
Confirm placement on the correct general-service schedule and obtain the tariff's exact energy and demand $ from Member Services.
Choosing between SGS and GS depends on demand level; the 2025 restructure raised fixed charges, so schedule fit matters.
- Request the member-policies tariff for current line-item rates
- Ask whether a demand meter is installed and how demand is billed
- Track monthly peak kW via the portal
Large industrial / high-demand account
Evaluate Large Power Service vs. Large Power High Load Factor and prioritize demand management.
High-load-factor operations can secure better demand pricing under HLF; demand charges dominate large bills.
- Request interval (15-minute) data via Member Services for load analysis
- Model LP vs. HLF using actual demand profile
- Consider the Industrial Critical Load program if applicable
Energy consultant / aggregator managing C&I clients
Plan for manual data workflows since there is no Green Button or official API.
Data access requires customer authorization and direct Member Services coordination.
- Collect signed customer authorizations up front
- Request CSV/interval exports through Business Services
- Confirm Green Button status before promising automated feeds
Historical Rate Trends
Rates were unchanged from May 2018 until the restructure effective March 1, 2025, driven by inflation in transformers (+244%), wire (+195%), and drought-related vegetation management.
March 1, 2025
First rate change since 2018; residential base charge raised from $19.75 to $31.75 and several C&I schedules (SGS, GS, LP, HLF, LSS) revised.
+$12 baseMay 1, 2018
Prior rate level, which remained in effect for roughly seven years.
n/aOverall trend: Stable for ~7 years, then a 2025 increase concentrated in fixed/base charges.
Next expected change: No specific date announced; future adjustments depend on wholesale power and operating costs.
Cost Optimization Strategies
Because the 2025 restructure shifted cost recovery toward fixed and demand charges, the biggest C&I savings levers are demand management and selecting the right large-power schedule.
Demand (peak kW) management
For: Commercial and industrial demand-metered accounts
Stagger large equipment startups and flatten load to reduce billed demand on LP/GS demand charges.
High Load Factor schedule selection
For: Continuous-operation industrial sites
Operations that run steadily around the clock may qualify for the Large Power High Load Factor (HLF) schedule with more favorable demand pricing than standard LP.
Interval-data-driven efficiency
For: All C&I accounts
Pull interval data (via Member Services or unofficial export) to identify high-usage periods and target efficiency upgrades.
To implement these strategies, you need your 15-minute interval data. Learn how to download Sam Houston Electric Cooperative interval data →
Frequently Asked Questions
How can a commercial or industrial member get interval (15-minute) meter data from Sam Houston Electric?▾
There is no self-service raw 15-minute export in mySamHouston. C&I members should call Member Services at 1-800-458-0381 and request a dedicated commercial/industrial representative, then ask for interval data exports (CSV) and historical billing under a data-sharing agreement.
Does Sam Houston Electric support Green Button or an official API for energy data?▾
Not as of this research. NISC SmartHub supports Green Button at the platform level, but Sam Houston Electric has not publicly enabled Download My Data, Connect My Data, or an official third-party API. Confirm current status by calling 1-800-458-0381.
Can an energy consultant or aggregator access a member's data on their behalf?▾
There is no formal third-party authorization portal. Consultants should obtain written customer authorization and either have the member export their data or call Business Services at 1-800-458-0381 to arrange a secure data feed.
Can C&I members shop for a competitive retail electric provider?▾
No. Although Sam Houston Electric is in the ERCOT footprint, as a cooperative it opted out of ERCOT retail competition, so members cannot choose a competitive REP. Rates are set by the member-elected Board.
When did Sam Houston Electric last change its rates?▾
Rates had been unchanged since May 2018 until a revised rate structure took effect March 1, 2025, which raised the residential base charge from $19.75 to $31.75 and adjusted several commercial schedules.
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