York Electric Cooperative Rate Selection Guide
York Electric Cooperative (YEC) is a not-for-profit, member-owned electric cooperative serving over 70,000 accounts across York, Chester, Cherokee, and Lancaster Counties in South Carolina. As a distribution cooperative of Central Electric Power Cooperative (CEPCI), YEC offers online portal and mobile-app billing access, an active Sensus AMI meter rollout, and third-party meter-data access through CEPCI's Central Meter Hub.
York Electric Cooperative Rate Schedule Comparison
| Schedule | Type | Rate | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rate 20 — Small Commercial | commercial | Energy charge per tariff PDF (+6.5% Jan 2026) | Small storefronts, offices, light commercial loads |
| Rate 21 — Large Commercial | commercial | Energy + per-kW demand per tariff PDF (+4% Jan 2026) | Mid-to-large commercial with significant demand |
| Rate 23 — School Power | commercial | Energy + demand per tariff PDF | K-12 and educational facilities |
| Rate 24 — Large Power | industrial | Energy + per-kW demand per tariff PDF (+4% Jan 2026) | Manufacturing / large loads >=1,000 kVA transformer |
Market Overview
South Carolina does not have retail electric competition. York Electric Cooperative is a not-for-profit, member-owned distribution cooperative operating at cost within an exclusive service territory. Rates are set by YEC's member-elected Board of Trustees following cost-of-service rate studies, not by a competitive market. Wholesale power is purchased from Central Electric Power Cooperative (CEPCI), sourced from Santee Cooper and Duke Energy.
Need to pull your actual usage data to compare rates? See the York Electric Cooperative Data Access Guide →
Current Rate Schedules
York Electric publishes tariff PDFs for each rate schedule on its Rates & Fees page. Verified 2026 changes: large commercial & industrial rates rose 4% and residential/small commercial/commercial EV rates rose 6.5%, effective with January 2026 usage (first bills February 2026). The prior Wholesale Power Cost Adjustment (WPCA) line has been folded into base energy rates and now shows $0.00. Per-kWh energy charges and per-kW demand charges for each schedule are detailed in the individual tariff PDFs (exact dollar values not posted as text on the public site).
Effective: January 1, 2026 · Full Tariff Book →
| Schedule | Type | Applicability | Structure | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Small Commercial Service — Rate 20 | commercial | Smaller commercial accounts; existing-account deposit equals average monthly bill capped at $1,000. | Monthly facilities/customer charge plus energy charge (per kWh). Increased 6.5% effective January 2026 (small commercial). See tariff PDF for exact rates. | Per tariff PDF (not posted as text)+ Generally none at this tier; see tariff |
| Large Commercial Service — Rate 21 | commercial | Larger commercial accounts; existing-account deposit equals average monthly bill capped at $2,000. | Customer charge + energy charge + billing-demand (per kW) component. Subject to the 4% large-commercial increase effective January 2026. See tariff PDF for exact rates. | Per tariff PDF (not posted as text)+ Per-kW billing demand charge (see tariff PDF) |
| School Power Service — Rate 23 | commercial | School / educational facility accounts. | Customer charge + energy charge + demand component tailored to school load profiles. See tariff PDF for exact rates. | Per tariff PDF (not posted as text)+ Per tariff PDF |
| Large Power Service — Rate 24 | industrial | New office and manufacturing loads with required transformer capacity of at least 1,000 kVA; accounts connected before July 1, 2008 grandfathered regardless of transformer size. | Demand-metered industrial rate: customer charge + per-kW billing demand + per-kWh energy charge. Subject to the 4% C&I increase effective January 2026. See tariff PDF for exact rates. | Per tariff PDF (not posted as text)+ Per-kW billing demand charge (see tariff PDF) |
| Net Metering — Rate Schedule 77 (Rate 21) | commercial | Large commercial net-metering customers with on-site generation (e.g. solar). | Net metering rider applied to the underlying Rate 21 large commercial schedule. See tariff PDF. | Per tariff PDF (not posted as text)+ Per underlying Rate 21 tariff |
Rate Recommendations by Use Case
Large manufacturer / industrial load
Facilities with transformer capacity at or above 1,000 kVA should confirm Rate 24 Large Power Service eligibility and focus on demand management.
Rate 24 is the dedicated industrial schedule with a per-kW demand component; managing peak kW is the biggest controllable cost given wholesale power is 73% of YEC's costs.
- Confirm transformer size and Rate 24 eligibility with Business Relations
- Participate in Beat the Peak to shave billing demand
- Pull month-to-date consumption via CEPCI Central Meter Hub for load analysis
Mid-to-large commercial (office, retail, warehouse)
Demand-metered commercial sites should validate Rate 21 vs Rate 20 placement and prioritize peak management.
Rate 21 carries a per-kW demand charge; smaller energy-only loads may be cheaper on Rate 20. Right-sizing the schedule avoids overpaying.
- Ask Business Relations to compare Rate 20 vs Rate 21 for your load
- Use Smart Thermostat / load shifting to reduce peak demand
- Note the 4% C&I increase effective January 2026
School / educational facility
Schools should review Rate 23 School Power Service, which is tailored to educational load profiles, and use Invoice Billing to consolidate multi-meter campuses.
Rate 23 is purpose-built for school load shapes; Invoice Billing simplifies district-wide multi-meter accounting.
- Request Invoice Billing to combine same-cycle meters
- Schedule an energy audit for older buildings
- Manage HVAC peaks during occupied hours
Energy consultant / aggregator needing data
Third parties should enroll through CEPCI's Central Meter Hub with customer authorization to access month-to-date consumption.
YEC has no public API or Green Button; CMH is the supported path, though data is informational (not billing-ready).
- Collect written customer authorization (account # + service address)
- Email centralmeterhub@cepci.org and memberservices@yorkelectric.net
- Allow 5-10 business days for CMH credentials
- Request detailed interval data from Member Services if CMH granularity is insufficient
C&I site evaluating on-site solar
Sites with suitable roof/land should evaluate net metering under Schedules 76/77 tied to the commercial rate.
Net metering offsets energy charges; demand charges generally remain, so pair solar with demand management.
- Budget the $325 commercial renewable interconnect fee
- Model demand charges separately — solar mostly offsets energy
- Confirm interconnection requirements with YEC
Historical Rate Trends
After holding electric rates flat for over a decade, York Electric's Board approved its first rate adjustment in over ten years effective January 2025, followed by an additional adjustment effective January 2026. The drivers were a 10-15% monthly rise in wholesale power costs (after Santee Cooper's rate freeze expired in January 2025), inflation in materials/labor, and rising property taxes.
January 1, 2025
First rate adjustment in over a decade following expiration of Santee Cooper's wholesale rate freeze.
variesJanuary 1, 2026
Large commercial and industrial rates increased 4%; residential, small commercial, and commercial EV rates increased 6.5% (first bills February 2026). WPCA folded into base energy rate.
+4% (C&I)Overall trend: Increasing after a decade of flat rates; cost-based, not profit-driven.
Next expected change: No specific future change announced beyond the January 2026 adjustment; YEC reserves the right to adjust the WPCA to cover fuel cost adjustments from Duke Energy and Santee Cooper.
Cost Optimization Strategies
For York Electric C&I accounts, the largest controllable lever is peak demand, since demand-metered schedules (Rate 21, Rate 24) bill a per-kW demand charge and 73 cents of every revenue dollar reflects wholesale power cost. Participating in demand-reduction programs and confirming the optimal rate schedule for a facility's load profile are the highest-impact strategies.
Manage peak demand
For: Demand-metered C&I (Rate 21, Rate 24)
Use Beat the Peak alerts and load-shifting to reduce billing-demand kW on Rate 21 / Rate 24 demand-metered schedules.
Verify optimal rate schedule
For: All C&I accounts
Confirm with Business Relations that the account is on the lowest-cost eligible schedule (e.g. Rate 20 vs 21, or Rate 24 eligibility by transformer size).
Smart Thermostat / DR participation
For: C&I with controllable HVAC
Enroll eligible HVAC in the Smart Thermostat Program to reduce peak-period consumption and earn incentives.
Energy audit & efficiency
For: Commercial, industrial, agricultural
Use YEC energy audits (including the SC Agricultural Energy Audit Program) to find efficiency measures.
On-site generation / net metering
For: C&I with suitable roof/land for solar
Offset energy charges with on-site solar under net-metering Schedules 76/77 tied to the commercial rate.
To implement these strategies, you need your 15-minute interval data. Learn how to download York Electric Cooperative interval data →
Frequently Asked Questions
How can a C&I customer or their consultant access York Electric usage data?▾
YEC does not offer a public API or Green Button. The supported path for third-party access is CEPCI's Central Meter Hub: the customer provides written authorization (account number + service address) to centralmeterhub@cepci.org and memberservices@yorkelectric.net, after which the agent receives CMH credentials and can download month-to-date consumption data. Note this data is informational, not billing-ready. For detailed historical data, contact Business Relations at (803) 818-5207.
Which rate schedules apply to commercial and industrial accounts?▾
C&I service falls under Small Commercial Service (Rate 20), Large Commercial Service (Rate 21), School Power Service (Rate 23), and Large Power Service (Rate 24). Rate 24 is available to new office/manufacturing loads with required transformer capacity of at least 1,000 kVA; accounts connected before July 1, 2008 are grandfathered. Exact energy and demand charges are in each rate's tariff PDF on the Rates & Fees page.
Did York Electric raise C&I rates in 2026?▾
Yes. Effective with January 2026 usage (first bills in February 2026), large commercial and industrial rates increased by 4%, while residential, small commercial, and commercial EV rates increased by 6.5%. This followed YEC's first rate adjustment in over a decade in January 2025, driven by a 10-15% monthly rise in wholesale power costs after Santee Cooper's rate freeze expired in January 2025.
Does York Electric have a demand charge for large accounts?▾
Larger commercial and industrial schedules (Rate 21 Large Commercial and Rate 24 Large Power) are demand-metered with a billing-demand component plus an energy charge; specific per-kW and per-kWh rates are published in the individual tariff PDFs. Because 73 cents of every revenue dollar goes to wholesale power, managing peak demand (e.g. via Beat the Peak) materially affects C&I bills.
Is interval (15-minute) data available for load analysis?▾
YEC is rolling out Sensus Enhanced AMI meters through 2027 that collect granular usage, but a customer-facing interval download is not documented and the exact granularity is not published. Authorized agents can pull month-to-date consumption through CEPCI's Central Meter Hub; for detailed interval data, request it directly from Member Services.
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