Sawnee Electric Membership Corporation Rate Selection Guide
Sawnee Electric Membership Corporation is a member-owned electric cooperative serving roughly 202,000 accounts across seven counties in northern Georgia. It provides billing and interval data through the SmartHub portal and supports Green Button (ESPI XML) downloads, but does not offer a formal EDI program or a public developer API.
Sawnee Electric Membership Corporation Rate Schedule Comparison
| Schedule | Type | Rate | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Schedule G-23 | commercial | $55.39/mo base + tiered $0.0803-$0.1246/kWh; $6.00/kW demand min over 5 kW | Mid-size multi-phase commercial loads |
| Schedule LPS-8 | industrial | Case-by-case demand/energy + $3.76/kW distribution + $100/mo + 1% | Single large industrial loads >= 900 kW |
| Schedule SCHS-24 | commercial | Demand + energy (see tariff) | Schools and educational facilities |
Market Overview
Sawnee EMC is a member-owned, not-for-profit electric cooperative. Georgia assigns exclusive service territories under the Territorial Act, so there is no retail electric choice for Sawnee's C&I customers; they take bundled service under board-approved rate schedules.
Need to pull your actual usage data to compare rates? See the Sawnee Electric Membership Corporation Data Access Guide →
Current Rate Schedules
Sawnee EMC C&I rates are set by its Board of Directors and adjusted via a monthly Wholesale Power Cost Adjustment (WPCA). For January 2026 the Board lowered the WPCA and adjusted base charges modestly (roughly $2-$3/month higher base), with most members seeing flat-to-slightly-lower bills. Verified schedule figures below are from Sawnee's published commercial rate documents.
Effective: March 4, 2024 · Full Tariff Book →
| Schedule | Type | Applicability | Structure | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Large General Service - Schedule G-23 | commercial | Commercial/industrial loads needing multi-phase service. | Base charge $55.39/month; tiered energy (incl. demand) of $0.1246/kWh first 1,500 kWh, $0.1100/kWh next 8,500, $0.0874/kWh next 90,000, $0.0803/kWh over 100,000; reduced rates of $0.0331/kWh (200-400 kWh per kW of billing demand) and $0.0227/kWh (over 400 kWh/kW); minimum includes $6.00/kW of demand over 5 kW; excess kVAR billed $0.30. (Schedule G-23.) | — |
| Large Power Service - Schedule LPS-8 | industrial | Single consumer at a single location with connected load of 900 kW or greater. | Power-supply demand and energy charges determined case-by-case; ITS substation cost $0.37/kW; distribution $3.76/kW of monthly maximum billing demand; corporation service charge $100.00/month plus 1% of power-supply and ITS costs; excess kVAR $0.30. Power-supply billing demand based on highest 60-minute summer peak. (Schedule LPS-8.) | — |
| School Service - Schedule SCHS-24 | commercial | Qualifying schools and educational facilities. | Dedicated demand-and-energy commercial schedule for schools; see tariff for current per-kWh and per-kW charges. | — |
| Commercial Virtual Solar Rider - CVSR-2 | commercial | Commercial members participating in the cooperative virtual/community solar program. | Optional rider layered on the base commercial schedule; subscription-based solar pricing per the rider document. | — |
Rate Recommendations by Use Case
Mid-size multi-phase commercial facility
Take Large General Service (G-23) and focus on demand and power-factor management.
G-23 has a $55.39 base charge and declining-block energy from $0.1246 down to $0.0803/kWh, with a $6.00/kW demand minimum over 5 kW - so high load factor and controlled peaks lower the effective rate.
- Use SmartHub to track 15-minute demand peaks
- Maintain power factor >= 90% to avoid $0.30/kVAR excess charges
- Push consumption into lower-priced blocks where operationally feasible
Single large industrial load (>= 900 kW)
Move to Large Power Service (LPS-8) and negotiate power-supply pricing, while aggressively managing summer peaks.
LPS-8 sets power-supply demand from the highest 60-minute peak in June-September that then bills for a full year, plus $3.76/kW distribution and a $100/mo + 1% service charge - so summer peak control is critical.
- Plan maintenance/curtailment around summer peak windows
- Negotiate power-supply pricing case-by-case with the cooperative
- Correct power factor to avoid excess-kVAR charges
Energy consultant / analytics platform
Use customer-mediated Green Button XML as the data pipeline since there is no API.
With no Connect My Data or developer API, the only machine-readable feed is the member-downloaded Green Button ESPI XML (up to 14 months).
- Have each customer download Green Button XML from SmartHub
- Build ESPI XML parsing into your platform
- Set a cadence for customers to re-download for fresh data
School or educational facility
Evaluate the dedicated School Service schedule (SCHS-24) against G-23 for the best fit.
Sawnee maintains a dedicated school service schedule that may better match educational load profiles than general commercial rates.
- Compare SCHS-24 demand/energy terms to G-23 for your load profile
- Engage Energy Services for a rate analysis
Historical Rate Trends
Sawnee adjusts retail rates and the monthly Wholesale Power Cost Adjustment (WPCA) periodically by board action. For 2026 the Board took a balanced approach - lowering the WPCA while modestly raising base charges.
January 1, 2026
Balanced 2026 rate approach: WPCA lowered ~$4.72/month (at 1,500 kWh) while base charges rose ~$2-$3/month; most members see flat-to-slightly-lower bills.
~flatMarch 4, 2024
Large Power Service Schedule LPS-8 last revised/effective (Nov 16, 2023 revision).
n/aOverall trend: Roughly flat for 2026: WPCA reduced ~$4.72/month for a 1,500 kWh account, offset by ~$2-$3/month higher base charges.
Next expected change: Future WPCA adjustments are set monthly by the Board as wholesale power costs change.
Cost Optimization Strategies
With declining-block energy and explicit demand charges, the biggest C&I savings at Sawnee come from peak demand management, power-factor correction, and choosing the right schedule for the load size.
Peak demand management
For: Demand-billed commercial and industrial accounts
Use SmartHub 15-minute and 60-minute demand views to shave peaks; on G-23 each kW over 5 kW carries a $6.00 minimum, and LPS-8 demand is set from 60-minute summer peaks that bill for a full year.
Power-factor correction
For: Facilities with motor/inductive loads
Keep power factor at or above 90% lagging to avoid excess-kVAR charges of $0.30 per excess kVAR on G-23 and LPS-8.
Right-size the rate schedule
For: Large commercial and industrial customers
Match load to the correct schedule - move qualifying single large loads (>=900 kW) to LPS-8 for negotiated power-supply pricing, or stay on G-23 where declining blocks favor high-load-factor sites.
To implement these strategies, you need your 15-minute interval data. Learn how to download Sawnee Electric Membership Corporation interval data →
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Sawnee EMC support Green Button for commercial data?▾
Yes. Members (including commercial accounts) can download Green Button XML or CSV from SmartHub under My Usage, covering up to 14 months of interval data in the NAESB REQ.21 ESPI format. This is the primary way to feed data into third-party analytics tools.
Is there an API or automated (Connect My Data) feed for ongoing data?▾
No. Sawnee EMC offers Green Button Download My Data only - there is no Connect My Data API or public developer API. Data must be downloaded manually and re-pulled to refresh.
How is commercial demand measured and billed?▾
For demand-based commercial schedules, Sawnee records the highest kW in any 15-minute interval during the billing period (reset at each reading). On Large Power Service (LPS-8), billing demand and power-supply demand are determined from 60-minute peaks over defined periods. Use SmartHub demand tools to manage peaks.
Can an energy consultant or aggregator get data for multiple customers?▾
There is no formal third-party program. Each customer must download and share Green Button XML, or you can contact Customer Service (770-887-2363) to discuss case-by-case custom reporting for larger accounts.
Which rate schedule applies to a larger commercial or industrial site?▾
Mid-size multi-phase loads typically take Large General Service (Schedule G-23); single large loads of 900 kW or greater take Large Power Service (LPS-8), where demand and energy charges are determined case-by-case. Confirm eligibility with Energy Services.
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