Tri-County Electric Cooperative, Inc. (TX) Rate Selection Guide
Tri-County Electric Cooperative (TCEC) is a member-owned electric utility serving roughly 139,000 members across 16 North Texas counties. It runs the NISC SmartHub platform (MyTriCountyTX) with 140,000+ AMI smart meters delivering 15-minute interval data, Green Button XML export, and self-service billing.
Tri-County Electric Cooperative, Inc. (TX) Rate Schedule Comparison
| Schedule | Type | Rate | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| General Service (202.2) | commercial | $18/$30 customer + $0.1432/kWh (energy-only) | Small commercial under 50 kVA |
| Large General Service-1 (202.3) | commercial | $30 customer + $1.95/kW demand + $0.1362/$0.1162/$0.1092 tiered energy | Demand-metered commercial 50 kVA+ |
| Substation Service (202.5) | industrial | $8.50/kW demand + $0.0995/kWh | Large loads adjacent to a substation |
| Large Industrial Service-10 (202.15) | industrial | $250 customer + $2.30/kW demand + power at cost | Industrial loads over 10,000 kW |
Market Overview
TCEC is a member-owned cooperative that opted out of ERCOT retail competition; it is the exclusive retail provider in its territory with no supplier switching. Rates are board-approved and filed in the cooperative's Tariff for Electric Service, with a PCRF and Brazos Rider passing through wholesale power costs.
Need to pull your actual usage data to compare rates? See the Tri-County Electric Cooperative, Inc. (TX) Data Access Guide →
Current Rate Schedules
Verified from TCEC's Tariff for Electric Service, Section II Rate Schedules, effective January 16, 2024. The cooperative applied a demand-charge adjustment effective on April 2025 statements with no change to the customer charge, per-kWh energy rate, or Brazos Rider. A PCRF passes through wholesale power costs. C&I schedules are demand-metered on 15-minute maximum demand with a 75% ratchet.
Effective: January 16, 2024 · Full Tariff Book →
| Schedule | Type | Applicability | Structure | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| General Service (202.2) | commercial | Individually metered commercial/industrial and commercial farm accounts whose transformer capacity is less than 50 kVA. | Customer Charge $18.00 single-phase / $30.00 three-phase per meter; Energy Charge $0.1432 per kWh (energy-only, no demand charge). Verified, effective 2024-01-16. Subject to PCRF and Brazos Rider. | — |
| Large General Service-1 (202.3) | commercial | Commercial/industrial and three-phase residential/public buildings with connected transformer capacity 50 kVA or over. | Customer Charge $30.00/meter; Demand Charge $1.95 per kW of billing demand (15-minute maximum, billed no less than 75% of highest demand in the prior 11 months); tiered Energy Charge: first 200 kWh/kW @ $0.13620, next 200 kWh/kW @ $0.11620, over 400 kWh/kW @ $0.10920. Primary-service credit of $0.10/kW above 300 kW. Verified, effective 2024-01-16. | — |
| Substation Service (202.5) | industrial | Large power uses located adjacent to a substation (where available and approved). | Energy Charge $0.0995 per kWh; Demand Charge $8.50 per billing kW (15-minute maximum, 75% ratchet). Verified, effective 2024-01-16. Subject to PCRF and Brazos Rider. | — |
| Large Industrial Service-10 (202.15) | industrial | Industrial facility with contract demand greater than 10,000 kW at one point of delivery. | Customer Charge $250.00/meter; Demand Charge $2.30 per kW of billing demand (15-minute maximum, 75% ratchet); Energy Charge $0.0000/kWh with the cost of wholesale power passed through at cost. Verified, effective 2024-01-16. | — |
| Large General Service-2 (202.4, closed) | commercial | Closed to new customers; demand-metered C&I qualifying for arranged wholesale power supply (50 kVA or over). | Customer Charge $25.00/meter; Demand Charge $5.50 per kW (15-minute maximum, 75% ratchet); Energy Charge $0.11873 per kWh. Verified, effective 2024-01-16. | — |
Rate Recommendations by Use Case
Mid-size commercial building (50 kVA+)
LGS-1 accounts should manage peak kW first; the demand charge plus ratchet drives the bill.
At $1.95/kW with a 75% ratchet, one uncontrolled 15-minute peak raises billed demand for 11 months.
- Stagger HVAC and equipment startups
- Track 15-minute demand in the Usage Explorer
- Pursue the primary-service credit if demand exceeds 300 kW
Large industrial facility (>10,000 kW)
Large Industrial Service-10 separates a low fixed demand charge from wholesale power passed through at cost.
With $2.30/kW demand and energy at wholesale cost, total spend tracks the wholesale market and peak demand directly.
- Engage businessdevelopment@tcectexas.com for the contract and data
- Automate peak-shaving against the 75% ratchet
- Model wholesale/PCRF pass-through monthly
Load adjacent to a substation
Substation Service offers low energy ($0.0995/kWh) but a high $8.50/kW demand charge, rewarding flat load shapes.
The high demand charge means peak control matters even more than energy price for high-load-factor sites.
- Maintain a flat, high-load-factor profile
- Aggressively manage 15-minute peaks
- Correct power factor
Energy consultant / multi-site manager
Use Authorized User delegation plus Green Button XML for a reliable, repeatable 15-minute data pipeline.
TCEC has no automated API, but delegated portal access gives ongoing 15-minute data without monthly manual requests.
- Have each client add you as a view-only Authorized User
- Export Green Button XML per site
- Avoid the slow manual data-request path
Historical Rate Trends
TCEC publishes its Tariff for Electric Service with rate schedules effective January 16, 2024. The board approved a demand-charge adjustment effective on April 2025 statements, with no change to the customer charge, per-kWh energy rate, or Brazos Rider for any rate class. Monthly PCRF adjustments track wholesale power costs.
January 16, 2024
Tariff for Electric Service rate schedules effective; verified C&I demand and energy charges.
n/aApril 1, 2025
Demand-charge adjustment applied on April 2025 statements; no change to customer charge, per-kWh energy rate, or Brazos Rider.
n/aOverall trend: Stable base energy rates with periodic demand-charge adjustments; monthly PCRF variability.
Next expected change: Board-approved adjustments are periodic; check the latest tariff and PCRF page for current values.
Cost Optimization Strategies
With demand charges and a 75% ratchet driving C&I bills, the highest-value actions are minimizing 15-minute peak demand, maintaining power factor, and selecting the most favorable applicable schedule. Verified demand charges range $1.95-$8.50/kW.
Peak demand shaving
For: Demand-metered C&I (LGS-1, Substation, Industrial)
Stagger equipment startup and limit coincident load to lower the 15-minute maximum demand; with a 75% ratchet, a single peak inflates billed demand for 11 months.
Power-factor correction
For: Accounts with significant motor/HVAC load
Demand is adjusted for power factor; correcting low power factor reduces billed kW.
Schedule selection / primary service
For: Larger LGS-1 accounts taking primary service
Confirm the account is on the lowest-cost applicable schedule; LGS-1 offers a $0.10/kW credit for primary-service demand above 300 kW.
Monitor PCRF exposure
For: All C&I members
Track the monthly Power Cost Recovery Factor and Brazos Rider to anticipate wholesale-driven bill swings and time discretionary load.
To implement these strategies, you need your 15-minute interval data. Learn how to download Tri-County Electric Cooperative, Inc. (TX) interval data →
Frequently Asked Questions
Can our energy consultant access TCEC interval data without us sharing files each month?▾
Yes. The recommended method is Authorized User delegation: in MyTriCountyTX, add the consultant's email as a view-only Authorized User. They get ongoing access to download 15-minute Green Button XML and billing data directly. This avoids the slow manual data request and there is no automated API.
What interval granularity does TCEC provide?▾
Verified 15-minute intervals (96 data points per day) from AMI meters, available in the Usage Explorer and via Green Button XML export with a 1-2 hour delay. CSV export may be limited to hourly/daily depending on configuration.
How are commercial and industrial rates structured at TCEC?▾
Demand-metered C&I accounts pay a customer charge plus a per-kW demand charge on 15-minute maximum demand (with a 75% ratchet) plus energy charges. Verified 2024 figures: Large General Service-1 is $30/meter customer charge, $1.95/kW demand, and tiered energy ($0.1362 / $0.1162 / $0.1092 per kWh by block). Substation Service is $8.50/kW demand + $0.0995/kWh. Large Industrial (>10,000 kW) is $250/meter + $2.30/kW demand with power supply passed through at cost. Small General Service (under 50 kVA) is energy-only at $0.1432/kWh.
Is there a power cost pass-through that affects bills?▾
Yes. A Power Cost Recovery Factor (PCRF) and Brazos Rider pass through wholesale power costs and appear as separate line items, so total cost moves with TCEC's wholesale supply costs beyond the base tariff rates.
Can TCEC members choose a competitive retail electricity provider?▾
No. Although the territory overlaps Oncor's area, TCEC opted out of ERCOT retail competition and is the sole retail provider. There is no retail choice, no supplier-switching EDI, and Smart Meter Texas access only applies to any deregulated, non-TCEC-served portions of the area.
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