Barron Electric Cooperative 2024 Rate Changes
As a not-for-profit cooperative, Barron Electric aims to maintain stable and affordable rates. At the December 2023 board meeting, the Board of Directors approved changes to the electric rates. These changes coincide with the rate study that was completed by Power Systems Engineering. The study indicated that the cost to provide service, which appears as the Facilities Charge on the bill, is $41 per month per residential member, whether or not any kilowatt hours are used. Additionally, in the last three years, wholesale power costs have increased 9.5%; wholesale power costs account for 67% of a member’s bill. The increasing cost to provide safe, reliable power is being impacted by higher prices for equipment, supplies, interest, and services such as technology, software, engineering, and line upgrades.
The changes took effect on January 18, 2024 and will be reflected on the March 1 bill statement.
The average Barron Electric residential member using 1,200 kilowatt hours a month will see a 4.2% annual increase or an average of $7.25 per month.
Rate FAQ's
The average residential member using 1,200 kilowatt hours per month will see a 4.2% annual increase or an average of $7.25 per month.
The rates are effective as of 1-18-2024.
The cooperative works diligently to keep rates affordable, however, inflationary pressures have raised the costs of wholesale power and delivering that power to our members beyond what we can control.
It might be helpful to note that the last time Barron Electric Cooperative adjusted rates was in May 2023, and that the cooperative did not change the Facilities Charge. The last time Barron Electric Cooperative changed the Facilities Charge was in 2018.
It’s no secret that energy costs are increasing. The issue is not unique to any one location or sector. The cost of electricity is rising across the country. The cooperative has seen higher prices for equipment, supplies, interest, and services such as technology, software, engineering, and line upgrades just to name a few.
Barron Electric Cooperative has the third lowest price per kilowatt-hour based on 1,200 kilowatt-hours compared to neighboring utilities.
The Facilities Charge is the cost to build and maintain power lines and the electric system that makes power available at your location. Cooperatives serve the rural areas which have fewer consumers per mile of line, therefore, Barron Electric collects less in the Facilities Charge per mile of line than other power suppliers.
View our residential resources for ideas on how you can reduce your energy consumption. You can monitor your usage through SmartHub.
If you are looking for more energy saving ideas or have questions regarding your usage, please reach out to us by emailing memberservices@barronelectric.com.
To help keep rates affordable members can sign up for paperless billing and using electronic payment options (this can be completed through SmartHub), this reduces administration costs (such as printing, postage, etc).
Members can also shift their energy consumption to off-peak times (peak times are when rates are higher for the cooperative to purchase electricity). Peak times are generally, Monday-Friday from 7 am - 10 am and from 2 pm - 8 pm. It's best to complete tasks such as laundry, running the dishwasher, etc outside of these time frames.
Programs are available for eligible consumers who need assistance with their electric bill. For more information visit: https://www.barronelectric.com/index.php/energy-assistance
