Trinity Valley Electric Cooperative Rate Selection Guide
Trinity Valley Electric Cooperative (TVEC) is a member-owned electric distribution cooperative serving 88,000+ accounts across six North Texas counties. As a cooperative, TVEC opted out of ERCOT retail competition, so it both delivers and sells power. Member data access runs through the NISC SmartHub portal, which supports usage graphs, Green Button Download My Data, and (unofficially) 15-minute interval data via the SmartHub API.
Trinity Valley Electric Cooperative Rate Schedule Comparison
| Schedule | Type | Rate | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Commercial Single-Phase | Small commercial | $28.00/mo + $0.109628/kWh | Small businesses under 50 kW with single-phase service |
| Commercial Three-Phase | Mid-size commercial | $50.00/mo + tiered $0.144640 / $0.117140 / $0.089440 per kWh | Three-phase loads under 50 kW where higher load factor lowers the blended energy rate |
| Large Power | C&I demand | $85.00/mo + $10.00/kW + $0.071407/kWh | Facilities at or above 50 kW; demand management drives the bill |
| Large Power — Explorer Pipeline | Transmission contract | $500.00/mo + $2.75/kW NCP + power cost | Single 138 kV pipeline-station contract |
Market Overview
TVEC is a member-owned distribution cooperative in ERCOT that opted out of Texas retail electric competition. It is both the wires utility and the energy provider; there is no competitive retail electric provider choice. Rates are approved by TVEC's member-elected Board of Directors, and wholesale power is sourced through Rayburn Electric Cooperative.
Need to pull your actual usage data to compare rates? See the Trinity Valley Electric Cooperative Data Access Guide →
Current Rate Schedules
Rates below are taken verbatim from TVEC's Tariff for Electric Service, last revised January 2026 (effective 1/27/2026). All schedules are additionally subject to the monthly Power Cost Recovery Factor (PCRF) and applicable billing adjustments. A 3% primary-voltage discount applies to Large Power demand and energy where TVEC provides primary service.
Effective: January 27, 2026 · Full Tariff Book →
| Schedule | Type | Applicability | Structure | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Commercial — Single-Phase (202.4) | commercial | Commercial customers with less than 50 kW of maximum demand, single-phase secondary service. | Customer Charge $28.00/meter; Energy Charge $0.109628/kWh; plus PCRF. | — |
| Commercial — Three-Phase (202.4) | commercial | Commercial customers with less than 50 kW of maximum demand, three-phase secondary service. | Customer Charge $50.00/meter; tiered demand-based energy: first 150 kWh/kW @ $0.144640, next 100 kWh/kW @ $0.117140, over 250 kWh/kW @ $0.089440; plus PCRF. | — |
| Large Power (202.5) | industrial | All services at one point of delivery requiring 50 kW or more of maximum demand; single- or three-phase, primary or secondary voltage. | Customer Charge $85.00/meter; Demand Charge $10.00/kW of billing demand (floor: 50 kW or 65% of prior 11-month peak); Energy Charge $0.071407/kWh; 3% primary-voltage discount; plus PCRF. 3-year minimum agreement. | — |
| Large Power — Explorer Pipeline (202.6) | industrial | Contract service to Explorer Pipeline's Mabank Station (Location 258), Van Zandt County, at 138 kV three-phase. | Customer Charge $500.00/meter; NCP Demand Charge $2.75/kW of NCP billing demand (floor 5,000 kW); pass-through Power Cost via Rayburn Electric wholesale rate. | — |
Rate Recommendations by Use Case
Mid-size commercial facility approaching 50 kW
Below 50 kW you stay on the flat/tiered commercial schedule with no demand charge; crossing 50 kW triggers Large Power with a $10/kW demand charge and ratchet.
The economics change sharply at 50 kW. Knowing where your peak sits relative to that threshold determines whether demand management or energy management drives savings.
- Pull SmartHub interval data to confirm your true 15-minute peak
- If you straddle 50 kW, evaluate keeping peaks under the threshold
- Watch the three-phase tiered energy rate — higher load factor lowers your blended cost
Industrial / Large Power account (50 kW+)
On the Large Power schedule, peak demand and the 11-month ratchet dominate the bill. Demand discipline and primary-voltage service are the top levers.
At $10/kW with a 65%/11-month ratchet, a single peak event can inflate billed demand for nearly a year, so peak control compounds.
- Stage equipment start-ups to avoid coincident peaks
- Request primary-voltage service for the 3% discount
- Maintain high power factor to avoid demand uplift
- Negotiate the required 3-year agreement terms up front
Energy consultant / aggregator onboarding a TVEC member
With no Connect My Data program, plan for customer-mediated Green Button or a written-authorization data pull, or pursue a NISC SmartHub API integration for ongoing 15-minute data.
Automated third-party access isn't published, so the data-access path materially affects engagement timing and refresh cadence.
- Default to Green Button XML for fast, customer-controlled sharing
- For ongoing interval data, scope a SmartHub API integration with Business Development
- Allow 5-10 business days for written-authorization data requests
Historical Rate Trends
TVEC adjusted its monthly customer charges and energy rates entering 2026, with a further customer-charge step scheduled for April 2026. The Power Cost Recovery Factor (PCRF) is adjusted monthly to track wholesale power costs from Rayburn Electric.
January 27, 2026
January 2026 tariff revision: residential and commercial single-phase energy set to $0.109628/kWh; customer charges raised (residential $25, commercial single-phase $28).
n/aApril 1, 2026
Scheduled second customer-charge step: residential $30.75, commercial single-phase $35.50, commercial three-phase $60, Large Power $95.
n/aOverall trend: Rising customer charges through 2026; energy rate increases driven by wholesale power costs.
Next expected change: April 2026 customer-charge increase (residential to $30.75; commercial single-phase to $35.50; commercial three-phase to $60; Large Power to $95).
Cost Optimization Strategies
For TVEC C&I accounts, the biggest savings levers are managing peak demand under the Large Power schedule, capturing the primary-voltage discount, and using SmartHub interval data to flatten load.
Manage peak demand and the ratchet
For: Large Power (50 kW+) accounts
Large Power billing demand is the greater of actual peak, 50 kW, or 65% of the highest adjusted demand in the prior 11 months. Shaving a single spike can lower billed demand for nearly a year, so staging equipment start-ups and limiting coincident peaks pays off.
Take service at primary voltage
For: Large Power accounts able to take primary service
Where TVEC can provide primary-distribution service, Large Power demand and energy charges are reduced by 3%. Larger facilities able to own/operate transformation should request primary service.
Improve power factor
For: Demand-billed C&I accounts
Demand is adjusted for power factor; correcting low power factor reduces adjusted billing demand and avoids penalty adjustments.
Use SmartHub interval data to flatten load
For: All C&I accounts
Export Green Button / 15-minute data to identify peak drivers and shift flexible loads off-peak, directly lowering billed demand and the tiered three-phase energy charge.
To implement these strategies, you need your 15-minute interval data. Learn how to download Trinity Valley Electric Cooperative interval data →
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a commercial customer get 15-minute interval data from TVEC?▾
TVEC's AMI meters capture sub-hourly data and SmartHub shows hourly/daily usage, but TVEC does not publish an official 15-minute export tool. Technical users can retrieve 15-minute interval and cost data through the undocumented NISC SmartHub API (the open-source electric-usage-downloader project demonstrates this), or request a formal API integration through TVEC Business Development at 1-800-766-9576.
How does a consultant or aggregator access a TVEC member's data?▾
TVEC has no formal Connect My Data / Share My Data program. The two reliable paths are (1) customer-mediated Green Button — the member downloads ESPI XML from SmartHub and shares it, or (2) written customer authorization submitted to Member Services, after which TVEC provides a CSV/XML export in roughly 5-10 business days.
Does TVEC support EDI for commercial billing?▾
TVEC does not publish any EDI program, transaction sets, or trading-partner process. Because TVEC opted out of ERCOT retail competition, the EDI transaction flows used by competitive Texas REPs do not apply. Commercial customers needing structured data should use Green Button XML or discuss API access with Business Development.
What rate applies to a large commercial or industrial TVEC account?▾
Accounts with 50 kW or more of maximum demand take the Large Power schedule: an $85.00 monthly customer charge, a $10.00 per kW demand charge (billing demand never below 50 kW or 65% of the prior 11-month peak), and a $0.071407 per kWh energy charge, plus the Power Cost Recovery Factor. Primary-voltage service earns a 3% discount on demand and energy. A 3-year minimum service agreement is required.
Can a TVEC commercial customer shop for a competitive electricity supplier?▾
No. As a cooperative, TVEC opted out of Texas retail electric competition. Members cannot choose a competitive retail electric provider — TVEC is both the distribution utility and the energy supplier, with rates set by its member-elected Board.
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