Verdigris Valley Electric Cooperative Inc. (VVEC) Rate Selection Guide
Verdigris Valley Electric Cooperative (VVEC) is Oklahoma's third-largest electric cooperative, serving roughly 39,000 meters across five northeastern counties. VVEC runs NISC SmartHub with TWACS smart meters collecting hourly usage, but has not deployed Green Button, an official API, or EDI programs — third-party access today is manual, via data release authorization or a community-built SmartHub downloader.
Market Overview
Oklahoma is a non-deregulated (regulated) retail electricity market. VVEC is a member-owned distribution cooperative providing bundled service; there is no retail supplier choice, which is one reason formal EDI choice-market transactions are not offered.
Need to pull your actual usage data to compare rates? See the Verdigris Valley Electric Cooperative Inc. (VVEC) Data Access Guide →
Current Rate Schedules
VVEC, Oklahoma's third-largest electric cooperative, publishes simple cost-based rates on vvec.com. Commercial accounts split into General Service Small (energy-only, by phase) and General Service Large (demand-billed with a declining-block energy charge keyed to 150 kWh per kW of billing demand). All bills carry a Power Cost Adjustment (PCA) that floats with wholesale power costs against a ~59.87 mills/kWh base, plus a 2% gross receipts tax. Billing demand is the highest 15-minute interval, measured by VVEC's TWACS AMI system.
Effective: January 1, 2025 · Full Tariff Book →
| Schedule | Type | Applicability | Structure | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Commercial — General Service Small (Single-Phase) | commercial | Small commercial accounts on single-phase service without demand metering | Customer charge $40.00/month plus energy charge $0.0843/kWh (all kWh); PCA and 2% gross receipts tax apply | $0.0843/kWh plus PCA |
| Commercial — General Service Small (Three-Phase) | commercial | Small commercial accounts requiring three-phase service | Customer charge $50.00/month plus energy charge $0.0976/kWh (all kWh); PCA and 2% gross receipts tax apply | $0.0976/kWh plus PCA |
| Commercial — General Service Large | commercial | Larger commercial and industrial accounts billed on measured 15-minute demand | Customer charge $75.00/month; demand charge $6.57/kW on all billing kW; declining-block energy charge of $0.0818/kWh on the first 150 kWh per kW of billing demand and $0.0518/kWh thereafter; PCA applies | $0.0518-0.0818/kWh depending on load factor+ $6.57/kW of monthly billing demand |
| Power Cost Adjustment (PCA) Rider | commercial | All rate classes | Monthly per-kWh charge or credit reconciling VVEC's actual purchased power cost against the embedded base of 59.87 mills/kWh; appears as a separate line (e.g., PCA per kWh) on the bill | — |
Rate Recommendations by Use Case
Small commercial site (convenience store, office, shop)
Small businesses across Nowata, Osage, Rogers, Tulsa, and Washington counties on energy-only commercial service.
With no demand charge, total cost tracks kWh directly. Three-phase service costs about 1.3¢/kWh more than single-phase, so equipment that genuinely needs three-phase power should justify the premium.
- Watch the PCA line on each bill — it can swing total cost several percent month to month
- Use SmartHub's hourly TWACS data to find after-hours waste (HVAC, lighting left on)
- If load grows toward demand-meter territory, model General Service Large before VVEC reclassifies the account
Demand-billed C&I facility (manufacturing, grocery, large retail)
Facilities on General Service Large pay $6.57/kW on their highest 15-minute interval plus a load-factor-sensitive energy rate.
The declining block pivots at 150 kWh per kW of billing demand: high-load-factor operations buy most energy at $0.0518/kWh, while peaky loads pay $0.0818/kWh on a larger share and a bigger demand bill. Flattening the load curve attacks both components at once.
- Stagger motor and compressor starts to shave the single highest 15-minute interval
- Improve load factor above 150 kWh/kW so marginal energy lands in the $0.0518/kWh block
- Pull 15-minute TWACS interval data through SmartHub to identify and verify peak events
Oil & gas or agricultural pumping load
Pumping and irrigation loads in VVEC's rural service area often run intermittently, producing poor load factor on demand-billed rates.
Intermittent pumps can set a high 15-minute demand peak while consuming modest kWh, the worst case under a $6.57/kW demand charge. Soft starters, VFDs, and pump scheduling materially cut billed demand.
- Install soft starts or VFDs to limit inrush-driven demand peaks
- Schedule multiple pumps so they never start in the same 15-minute window
- Compare energy-only Small service versus demand-billed Large service for low-usage sites — ask VVEC which class applies
Cost Optimization Strategies
VVEC's commercial rate design concentrates savings opportunities in two places: the $6.57/kW demand charge and the load-factor-driven declining energy block on General Service Large, plus the cooperative's PCA pass-through. As a non-profit co-op, VVEC also returns margins as capital credits, which effectively rebates a slice of long-run cost.
15-minute peak demand control
For: General Service Large customers
Billing demand is the single highest 15-minute interval each month. Sequencing equipment starts, interlocking HVAC with process loads, and using simple demand controllers directly reduces the $6.57/kW charge.
Load factor improvement
For: Demand-billed C&I accounts
Energy beyond 150 kWh per kW of billing demand prices at $0.0518/kWh versus $0.0818/kWh in the first block. Running flatter — longer shifts at lower peak, off-peak batch processing — pushes more consumption into the cheap block while lowering demand.
PCA monitoring and budget hedging
For: All commercial members
The Power Cost Adjustment floats monthly with wholesale power costs against a 59.87 mills/kWh base. Tracking the published PCA factor explains bill swings, catches misapplied factors, and improves energy budgeting.
Interval-data-driven efficiency
For: All commercial accounts with SmartHub access
VVEC's TWACS AMI collects hourly usage viewable in SmartHub. Baseline overnight and weekend loads reveal always-on waste — typically 10-20% of consumption in commercial buildings — that LED retrofits, scheduling, and setbacks eliminate cheaply.
Capital credits and account classification review
For: All members
As a member-owned cooperative, VVEC allocates margins back to members as capital credits. Verify rate class assignment annually (Small vs. Large, single vs. three-phase) and keep member records current so credits are received and the account sits on the cheapest eligible schedule.
To implement these strategies, you need your 15-minute interval data. Learn how to download Verdigris Valley Electric Cooperative Inc. (VVEC) interval data →
Frequently Asked Questions
How granular is VVEC's interval data, and how do I get it?▾
VVEC's TWACS smart meters collect hourly usage, displayed as graphs in SmartHub at https://vvec.smarthub.coop/. CSV export is not advertised, so for raw interval data call (918) 371-2584 and request hourly or 15-minute data in CSV/XML. Developers have also retrieved 15-minute data via a reverse-engineered SmartHub JSON API (tedpearson/electric-usage-downloader), but that path is unsupported.
Does VVEC support Green Button?▾
No. VVEC has not deployed Green Button Download My Data or Connect My Data and is not in the Green Button Alliance directory. The underlying NISC SmartHub platform is Green Button-capable — NISC received DOE funding for it in 2012 and other NISC co-ops are certified — so it's worth asking VVEC annually about its roadmap.
How can an energy consultant access a VVEC customer's data?▾
The supported path is a written data request: the customer signs a Data Release Authorization, then the consultant submits the request to (918) 371-2584 or info@vvec.com with the account number, requested date range, and intended use. VVEC typically responds in 5-10 business days with billing summaries and available usage data. Credential sharing works but exposes the customer to risk and isn't recommended.
Is there an official API or EDI program at VVEC?▾
Neither is published. SmartHub has no official public API — only a community reverse-engineered JSON interface with account-lockout and ToS risk. EDI trading partner documentation doesn't exist publicly; Oklahoma's regulated market means choice-market transactions (814/867/810/820) see little demand. Direct inquiry to Member Services is required to confirm any EDI capability.
What does Nectar's roadmap support mean for VVEC accounts?▾
VVEC is on Nectar's roadmap for automated ingestion. Today, the practical paths are customer-authorized data requests to VVEC (PDF/CSV billing and usage history) and SmartHub PDF bill collection. Hourly TWACS data exists at the meter, so once VVEC enables Green Button or an export, richer interval analytics become straightforward.
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