Bluebonnet Electric Cooperative Data Access Guide
Bluebonnet Electric Cooperative is a member-owned electric distribution cooperative serving 133,219 members across 14 Central Texas counties. As a cooperative that has opted out of ERCOT retail competition, Bluebonnet sets its own board-approved rates and delivers billing and usage data through the NISC SmartHub (MyBluebonnet) portal.
How to Get Your Bluebonnet Electric Cooperative Data: All Access Methods
| Method | 1st Party | 3rd Party | Customer Types | Data Types | Latency | Format |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MyBluebonnet portal & app (billing) | ✓ | — | Residential, Commercial, Industrial | Bills, payment history, charge breakdown | Monthly | PDF, HTML |
| Portal Usage Explorer (interval) | ✓ | — | All members | Daily/hourly/15-min usage | Daily | CSV (hourly min), PDF |
| SmartHub session API (unofficial) | ✓ | ✓ | Technical users with member consent | 15-minute interval data | Daily | JSON, CSV |
| Aggregator (Nectar) | — | ✓ | Members using Nectar | Billing and usage | Monthly | API |
| Member-authorized representative | — | ✓ | C&I via written authorization | Billing, usage | On request | PDF, phone/mail |
Billing Data Access
Bluebonnet provides billing data through the MyBluebonnet portal and mobile app, powered by NISC SmartHub. Members view current and historical bills, detailed charge breakdowns (wholesale power cost, service charges, taxes), and meter readings. There is no formal documented third-party billing data program; consultants access accounts via member-granted authorization.
What Data Is on Your Bluebonnet Electric Cooperative Bill
- Current bill amount and due date
- Payment and transaction history
- Billing statement PDFs
- Detailed charge breakdown (wholesale power cost, Bluebonnet service charges, taxes)
- Meter readings
How to Download Bluebonnet Electric Cooperative Bills (Business & Commercial)
- 01Have the account holder establish a MyBluebonnet login
- 02For consultant access, call Member Services at 800-842-7708 (Option 2) and request Authorized Representative / Third-Party Account Access
- 03Complete the cooperative's third-party authorization or power-of-attorney form specifying billing, payment, and usage scope
- 04Submit the form by mail or in person as directed
- 05Retrieve bills and usage via the granted access or member-shared exports
How to Download Bluebonnet Electric Cooperative Bills (Residential)
- 01Visit https://bluebonnet.smarthub.coop/ and click Sign Up
- 02Enter account number (from billing stub) and last name or business name
- 03Create username and password and verify email
- 04Log in and open the Billing / Your Bill section
- 05View or download current and historical bills as PDF
Third-Party Access to Bluebonnet Electric Cooperative Billing Data
Member-authorized representative access
- 01Member calls 800-842-7708 to request third-party authorization
- 02Member completes authorization/POA form naming the consultant and data scope
- 03Form submitted by mail or in person
- 04Consultant accesses data via phone/mail inquiries or shared portal access
Aggregator coverage (Nectar)
- 01Nectar provides API access to this utility's billing and usage data — see docs.nectarclimate.com
- 02Member authorizes Nectar to connect to the MyBluebonnet account
- 03Nectar syncs billing and usage data via its platform API
Want to understand the charges on your bill?
See the Bluebonnet Electric Cooperative Rate Schedules & Tariff Guide →Interval Data & Smart Meters
Bluebonnet has deployed smart meters across its territory and exposes daily, hourly, and 15-minute interval data through the MyBluebonnet SmartHub portal's Usage Explorer. 15-minute granularity is programmatically retrievable via the SmartHub session API (reverse-engineered, unofficial). As of January 2024, native CSV export is restricted to hourly-minimum data.
How to Download Bluebonnet Electric Cooperative Interval Data via Green Button
- 01Green Button Download My Data and Connect My Data are NOT currently offered by Bluebonnet
- 02For interval data, log into MyBluebonnet and open Usage / Usage Explorer
- 03Export available data as CSV (hourly minimum) or PDF summary
- 04For 15-minute data, use the reverse-engineered SmartHub API tooling (e.g., the open-source electric-usage-downloader project) with member credentials
Interval data is essential for rate comparison and TOU analysis.
See which Bluebonnet Electric Cooperative rate schedule is best for your usage pattern →Third-Party API Access
Bluebonnet has no officially documented third-party data API. The underlying NISC SmartHub platform exposes RESTful endpoints used by the web portal; these can be accessed via session authentication using member credentials, as demonstrated by open-source tooling. There is no SLA, and use is intended for personal data access rather than commercial integration.
Available Bluebonnet Electric Cooperative API Endpoints
| Function | Endpoint | Method | Format |
|---|---|---|---|
| Interval usage poll | https://bluebonnet.smarthub.coop/services/secured/utility-usage/poll | GET | JSON |
How to Register as a Bluebonnet Electric Cooperative API Vendor
- 01Obtain member SmartHub credentials and consent
- 02Capture the serviceLocationNumber from the portal's /utility-usage/poll network call
- 03Configure the open-source electric-usage-downloader tool
- 04Poll the SmartHub endpoint for interval data and export to CSV
EDI (Electronic Data Interchange)
How to Enroll in Bluebonnet Electric Cooperative EDI
- 01No published EDI program exists
- 02Call Member Services at 800-842-7708 and ask Business Development / IT about ANSI X12 transaction support (814, 820, 867, 997)
- 03Inquire whether EDI services are available via the NISC iVUE platform
- 04Request a trading partner agreement and implementation guide if available
Rate Schedules & Tariff Analysis
Bluebonnet's C&I rate design separates a fixed Service Availability Charge, a per-kW Demand Charge (for 50 kW and above), a cooperative Energy Charge, and a pass-through Wholesale Energy Charge ($0.058936/kWh across schedules) plus a Power Cost Recovery Factor. As demand class rises, the cooperative energy charge falls (from $0.037-$0.039/kWh commercial to $0.009578/kWh at 250 kW-1 MW and $0.00/kWh on Key Account schedules) while demand and fixed charges rise - concentrating large-member cost in demand and wholesale power.
Bluebonnet Electric Cooperative Rate Schedule List
| Schedule | Applicability |
|---|---|
| Commercial Service | Under 50 kW, single- or three-phase. |
| Large Power | 50-250 kW; $5.00/kW demand. |
| Large Power > 250 kW | 250 kW-1 MW; $6.00/kW demand. |
| Key Account > 1 MW | >=1 MW; distribution or substation level. |
Bluebonnet Electric Cooperative Rate Features & TOU Details
- Tiered by demand: <50 kW, 50-250 kW, 250 kW-1 MW, and >=1 MW Key Account
- Per-Billing-kW demand charges from $3.50 to $6.50/kW
- Uniform wholesale energy pass-through of $0.058936/kWh plus Power Cost Recovery Factor
- Billing demand based on max 30-minute interval, with schedule minimums
- 3% primary service discount on demand and energy where member provides transformation
For a deeper analysis including cost optimization strategies and historical rate trends:
Read the full Bluebonnet Electric Cooperative Rate Optimization Guide →Other Data Access Programs
Paperless & Auto Pay
Members can enroll in paperless billing and automatic payments through MyBluebonnet.
- 01Log into MyBluebonnet
- 02Open account settings
- 03Enable paperless billing and/or Auto Pay
Renewable rate options
Bluebonnet publishes renewable rate information for members interested in renewable energy attributes.
- 01Review renewable rate information page
- 02Contact Member Services to enroll
Limitations & Considerations
- ⚠No Green Button (Download My Data or Connect My Data) support.
- ⚠No formal third-party / aggregator data access program; consultant access requires member-granted authorization.
- ⚠Native portal CSV export restricted to hourly-minimum granularity since January 2024.
- ⚠15-minute interval API access is reverse-engineered and unofficial, with no SLA.
- ⚠No published EDI program.
Bluebonnet Electric Cooperative Data Access FAQ
Can a third-party energy consultant access our Bluebonnet usage and billing data?▾
There is no formal third-party data portal. A member must authorize the consultant by calling Member Services at 800-842-7708 and completing a third-party authorization or power-of-attorney form that specifies the billing, payment, and usage scope. Access is then provided via member-shared exports or phone/mail inquiries. Nectar also provides API access to this utility's billing and usage data — see docs.nectarclimate.com.
What interval data is available for a commercial account, and at what granularity?▾
AMI meters record 15-minute interval data. Daily and hourly usage are viewable in the MyBluebonnet Usage Explorer, with CSV export limited to hourly-minimum granularity since January 2024. True 15-minute interval data can be pulled via the reverse-engineered NISC SmartHub session API using member credentials.
Which rate schedule applies to our commercial facility?▾
Accounts under 50 kW fall under Commercial Service (single- or three-phase). Loads between 50 kW and 250 kW use Large Power; 250 kW to 1 MW uses Large Power > 250 kW; and 1 MW or greater uses the Key Account schedules (distribution or substation level). Demand and energy charges escalate by schedule and are set in the Bluebonnet tariff book.
Does Bluebonnet support Green Button or an OAuth data API?▾
No. As of 2026 Bluebonnet does not offer Green Button Download My Data, Connect My Data, or ESPI/OAuth 2.0 third-party authorization. Programmatic access is limited to the unofficial SmartHub session API.
How do demand charges work for large commercial members?▾
Large Power and Key Account schedules bill a Demand Charge per Billing kW based on the member's maximum kW demand in any 30-minute interval during the month (subject to schedule minimums, e.g., 250 kW or 300 kW). Reducing coincident peak demand directly lowers the bill. A 3% primary service discount applies on demand and energy charges where the member takes primary voltage and provides transformation.
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