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New Rates Begin October 1

>> On October 1, 2008, Tri-County EMC’s new rates will take effect. Changing will be residential and general service commercial rates, the monthly minimum bill charge and outdoor lighting rates.

For residential customers on the new basic rate, the average monthly usage of 1,223 kWh would result in an increase of 6.57% or $8.10. At the same average usage level, customers on the Total Electric Rate, which has seasonal rates, will see a summer increase 9.69% or $11.61 and a winter increase of 12.46% or $13.38. Commercial customers on the general service rate will see a 5.2% average increase.

The monthly minimum bill charge will increase from $20 to $25 for residential accounts. The charge covers fixed costs associated with each account, including the costs for reading meters and billing. The minimum charge for commercial accounts will also increase by $5 dollars.

"Certainly, raising rates is something we’d rather not do," commented Tri-County EMC CEO C. Hill Bentley. "But unfortunately, rising wholesale power costs coupled with increasing operating costs have made it a necessity." The cooperative’s operating costs are about 16% of the budget, compared to about 66% for wholesale power costs. Compared to the first five months of 2007, transportation costs for 2008 are up 36%. The costs of materials have increased 9% over the same period.

A key change to the residential rate structure will be escalating prices for summer rates. In the past, costs per kWh got cheaper as usage increased. But with ever-increasing demands for capacity in Georgia, new electric rates will reflect the additional costs for higher usage and additional capacity. All residential rates will include an additional half cent per kWh charge for energy usage over 2,000 kWh and another half cent per kWh for usage over 3,000 kWh.

The cooperative’s Total Electric Rate features different rates for summer and winter usage. Under the updated rate schedule, winter rates will be in effect from November 1 to April 30. Summer rates will be in effect from May 1 to October 31.

The cooperative’s rates are available here or upon request from a customer service representative. <<