Upper Peninsula Power Company Rate Selection Guide
Upper Peninsula Power Company (UPPCO) is a regulated investor-owned electric utility serving about 53,900 customers across Michigan's Upper Peninsula. UPPCO offers portal billing access and manual data requests under its MPSC Customer Data Privacy Tariff, and is implementing Green Button Connect My Data under MPSC Case U-20959.
Upper Peninsula Power Company Rate Schedule Comparison
| Schedule | Type | Rate | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cp-U (Secondary) | Large C&I (>=200 kW) | $250/mo + $6.62/kW cust demand + $5.52/kW on-peak; energy $0.06101 on-peak / $0.03967 off-peak | Plants and large facilities metered under 6,000 V. |
| Cp-U (Primary) | Large C&I (>=200 kW) | $325/mo + $3.07/kW cust demand + $3.23/kW on-peak; energy $0.05881 / $0.03823 | Customers taking primary-voltage (6-15 kV) service. |
| Cp-U (Transmission) | Large C&I (>=200 kW) | $750/mo + $0.00/kW cust demand + $2.38/kW on-peak + $0.87/kVA substation; energy $0.05666 / $0.03683 | Largest loads served from company substation (>15 kV). |
| RAST | Retail access (distribution-only) | Cp-U distribution charges to UPPCO; power supply from competitive supplier | Large customers electing a competitive power-supply contract. |
Market Overview
Michigan is primarily regulated but maintains a capped Retail Open Access program (statewide ~10% load limit). UPPCO's Cp-U tariff splits Distribution from Power Supply charges, so a large customer on Retail Access Service (RAST) pays UPPCO for distribution and procures power supply from a competitive alternative electric supplier. Bundled regulated service under MPSC oversight remains the default for most C&I load.
Need to pull your actual usage data to compare rates? See the Upper Peninsula Power Company Data Access Guide →
Current Rate Schedules
UPPCO's verified Large Commercial & Industrial Service (Cp-U) tariff (MPSC Vol. 8, Sheet D-25.10+) applies to customers >=200 kW for three consecutive months. Distribution customer charge: $250/mo (secondary), $325 (primary), $750 (transmission). Customer demand charge: $6.62/kW (secondary), $3.07 (primary), $0.00 (transmission). On-peak firm demand: $5.52/$3.23/$2.38 per kW. Optional Power Supply on-peak energy: $0.06101/kWh (secondary), $0.05881 (primary), $0.05666 (transmission); off-peak: $0.03967/$0.03823/$0.03683. Substation transformer capacity $0.87/kVA. Rates are subject to a monthly Power Supply Cost Recovery (PSCR) factor and an Energy Optimization surcharge. The settlement in Case U-21555 raised total rates ~$9M effective Jan 1, 2025.
Effective: January 1, 2025 · Full Tariff Book →
| Schedule | Type | Applicability | Structure | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Large Commercial & Industrial Service (Cp-U) - Secondary | industrial | C&I customers with demand >=200 kW for three consecutive months (and standby), metered under 6,000 volts. | Distribution: $250/mo customer charge; customer demand $6.62/kW (11-month basis); on-peak firm/interruptible demand $5.52/kW (7am-11pm M-F). Optional Power Supply on-peak total demand $8.57/kW; energy $0.06101/kWh on-peak, $0.03967/kWh off-peak. Subject to PSCR + Energy Optimization surcharge. 15-minute, 200 kW minimum, 60% demand ratchet. | — |
| Large Commercial & Industrial Service (Cp-U) - Primary | industrial | Cp-U customers metered at primary voltage (6,000-15,000 volts). | Distribution: $325/mo customer charge; customer demand $3.07/kW; on-peak firm/interruptible demand $3.23/kW. Optional Power Supply on-peak total demand $8.28/kW; energy $0.05881/kWh on-peak, $0.03823/kWh off-peak. Subject to PSCR + EO surcharge. | — |
| Large Commercial & Industrial Service (Cp-U) - Transmission | industrial | Cp-U customers taking service directly from a company-owned substation / metered over 15,000 volts. | Distribution: $750/mo customer charge; customer demand $0.00/kW; on-peak firm/interruptible demand $2.38/kW; substation transformer capacity $0.87/kVA. Optional Power Supply on-peak total demand $8.00/kW; energy $0.05666/kWh on-peak, $0.03683/kWh off-peak. Subject to PSCR + EO surcharge. | — |
| Retail Access Service (RAST) - distribution only | commercial | Cp-U customers electing competitive power supply; pay UPPCO Distribution Charges only. | Customer pays the Cp-U Distribution Charges (customer + demand) to UPPCO; Power Supply Charges are procured from an alternative electric supplier. Subject to Michigan's capped retail access program. | — |
Rate Recommendations by Use Case
Large industrial plant (>=200 kW)
Optimize voltage tier and crush the 15-minute on-peak demand peak.
Transmission service zeroes the $6.62/kW customer demand charge and lowers on-peak demand to $2.38/kW; combined with peak-shaving against the 60% ratchet, savings are substantial.
- Model primary vs transmission net of the $750 customer + $0.87/kVA substation charges
- Target the 7am-11pm weekday window for peak control
- Use AMI 15-minute data to verify the ratchet baseline
Mid-large commercial site approaching 200 kW
Confirm whether Cp-U (secondary) or a smaller GS demand schedule minimizes total cost.
Cp-U requires >=200 kW for three consecutive months; below that, a general/secondary demand schedule may be cheaper. Compare the $250 customer charge and demand structure at your load factor.
- Track whether demand sustains >=200 kW
- Compare GS vs Cp-U total bill at actual load factor
- Request interval data to model both
Energy consultant / aggregator onboarding a UPPCO account
Use Informed Customer Consent now; plan for Green Button CMD later.
There is no live API; the customer must authorize you by phone under tariff C-31.40, after which UPPCO delivers data by end of next business day. Track the MPSC U-20959 Green Button rollout for automated OAuth access.
- Have the customer name your firm explicitly in the consent
- Request both billing and 15-minute interval data
- Watch MPSC U-20959 for CMD registration
Historical Rate Trends
UPPCO rates are reset through MPSC rate cases plus a monthly Power Supply Cost Recovery (PSCR) factor. Recent settlements raised base rates in 2023 and again effective January 1, 2025.
January 1, 2025
MPSC Case U-21555 settlement raised total rates ~$9M; typical 500 kWh residential bill up ~$7.52/mo.
+5.7%April 1, 2023
MPSC Case U-21286 settlement raised rates ~$10.8M; typical 500 kWh residential bill up ~$12.30/mo.
+10.1%Overall trend: Upward: two consecutive rate-case increases (2023 and 2025) plus PSCR pass-through.
Next expected change: UPPCO references a 2026 rate review; monitor MPSC dockets for the next case and effective date.
Cost Optimization Strategies
For Cp-U customers, the largest levers are voltage-tier selection, 15-minute on-peak demand control, on/off-peak energy shifting, and evaluating Retail Access (RAST) for the power-supply component.
Voltage-tier optimization
For: Cp-U Large C&I
Take service at primary or transmission voltage to cut customer demand charges from $6.62/kW (secondary) toward $3.07 or $0.00/kW, weighed against the higher customer charge and substation costs.
On-peak demand management
For: Cp-U Large C&I
Shave the 15-minute on-peak demand window (7am-11pm weekdays); the 60% ratchet means a single spike inflates demand billing for up to 11 months (min 200 kW).
On/off-peak energy shifting
For: Cp-U on bundled power supply
Shift discretionary load to off-peak (11pm-7am, weekends, holidays) to capture the ~$0.021/kWh energy spread on the power-supply schedule.
Evaluate Retail Access (RAST)
For: Large C&I within RAST cap
Where the retail-access cap allows, procure power supply competitively and pay UPPCO distribution only; compare a supplier offer against the Cp-U power supply totals.
To implement these strategies, you need your 15-minute interval data. Learn how to download Upper Peninsula Power Company interval data →
Frequently Asked Questions
How does a third-party consultant get our UPPCO facility's interval and billing data?▾
Today it is manual: the customer calls UPPCO, names the consultant, verifies account ownership, and gives Informed Customer Consent under the Customer Data Privacy Tariff (C-31.40). UPPCO then releases the requested billing and usage data (Excel or PDF) by end of the next business day. Automated OAuth access via Green Button Connect My Data is in development under MPSC Case U-20959 but not yet live.
What rate schedule applies to large commercial and industrial sites?▾
Large Commercial & Industrial Service (Cp-U) applies to customers with monthly demand at or above 200 kW for three consecutive months. It separates Distribution and (optional) Power Supply charges. Verified distribution customer charge is $250/month (secondary), $325 (primary), $750 (transmission), with customer demand of $6.62/kW (secondary) plus on-peak demand of $5.52/kW (secondary). Optional power supply energy is $0.06101/kWh on-peak and $0.03967/kWh off-peak (secondary).
Can our Michigan facility buy power from a competitive supplier?▾
Possibly. Michigan has a capped Retail Access (RAST) program (statewide ~10% load cap). Under the Cp-U tariff, RAST customers pay UPPCO's Distribution Charges and buy Power Supply from an alternative electric supplier. Availability depends on the cap; most C&I load remains on bundled regulated service. Check current RAST availability and the queue with UPPCO/MPSC.
Does UPPCO support EDI for invoices or B2B data?▾
No EDI program (ANSI X12/EDIFACT) is advertised for data access. UPPCO's primary mechanisms are the online portal and manual data-release requests. Business customers needing EDI/B2B integration should email customerservice@uppco.com or call (906) 449-2014 to ask about options.
How recently did UPPCO rates change?▾
The MPSC approved a settlement in Case U-21555 raising rates about $9 million effective January 1, 2025 (~5.7% for a typical 500 kWh residential customer). An earlier 2023 case (U-21286) raised rates ~$10.8 million (~10.1% residential). C&I rates are governed by the Cp-U tariff in MPSC Rate Book Vol. 8 and a monthly Power Supply Cost Recovery (PSCR) factor.
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