How Rates are Set
Rate Schedule Overview (PDF) – Effective November 1, 2025 Billing
Electric rates for MEC members are adopted and approved by the Board of Directors. The revenue collected from the rates is used to cover the cost of providing service, paying for equipment and maintenance, and paying off loans – no more, no less.
The cost of electricity for MEC members is still well below the national average. As an electric cooperative, MEC’s primary responsibilities are to provide electricity at the lowest possible rates consistent with the need to remain financially sound and to provide reliable service.
MEC’s three-part rate structure includes:
Facilities Charge: A fixed monthly charge that covers the cost of delivering electricity to your home or business.
Energy Charge (kWh): The total amount of energy used during the billing cycle, measured in kilowatt-hours (kWh). Not sure what your monthly usage is? Take a look at our sample bill to see where to find your monthly usage on your statement.
Demand Charge (kW): This charge is based on your highest 30 minutes of energy use during the monthly billing cycle, measured in kilowatts (kW). Use our demand calculator to explore how to manage energy demand and see the effect of running multiple appliances at once on your demand charge. Learn more about the demand charge.
Seasonal Service Options:
As a cooperative, we work hard to keep things fair for all members. That’s why we don’t offer a seasonal rate or a free disconnect/reconnect option. The basic facility charge helps cover the cost of maintaining power lines and equipment—even when electricity isn’t being used.
If you plan to be away for part of the year (less than 12 months), you have two choices:
- True-Up Option: You can disconnect service and pay a reconnect fee in addition to any missed monthly charges upon your return or on your first bill.
- Breaker Flip Option: You can leave your service on, flip the breaker off while you’re away, and continue paying the monthly charge to avoid reconnect fees.
This provision (addressed in Service Policy #302) is tied to the service address and based on property ownership. It can’t be transferred between different accounts in the same household.
Detailed Rate Schedules
Rate Schedules are in effect November 1, 2025 Billing
Applies to all connected residential services supplied at one point of delivery with maximum monthly demand less than 40 kW in the previous calendar year. Residential customers include single-family homes, separately metered single-family apartments, manufactured homes, and general farm use when combined with a residence using the same meter.
If a portion of a residence is used regularly to conduct business, the consumption for that portion may require separate metering and billing under the applicable General Service rate. If separate circuits are not provided by the customer for metering, the entire premises shall be classified as residential and billed accordingly.
The Residential rate shall not apply to institutions such as clubs, fraternities, orphanages, adult foster homes, or churches; recognized rooming or boarding houses.
Applies to all connected residential services supplied at one point of delivery with maximum monthly demand of 40 kW or more in the previous calendar year. Residential customers include single-family homes, separately metered single-family apartments, manufactured homes, and general farm use when combined with a residence using the same meter.
If a portion of a residence is used regularly to conduct business, the consumption for that portion may require separate metering and billing under the applicable General Service rate. If separate circuits are not provided by the customer for metering, the entire premises shall be classified as residential and billed accordingly.
The Residential rate shall not apply to institutions such as clubs, fraternities, orphanages, adult foster homes, or churches; recognized rooming or boarding houses.
Time of Use is an optional rate for residential members. Learn more about TOU on the Time of Use Rate section of our website.
Applies to all connected general or non-residential services supplied at 1 point of delivery. The Single-Phase General Service rates listed below apply to all single-phase non-residential light, heat, and power customers.
Applies to all connected non-residential services supplied at one point of delivery. The Three-Phase General Service rates listed below apply to all three-phase non-residential light, heat, and power customers.
Applies to all connected irrigation and drainage pumping loads for agricultural purposes.
Applies to all connected non-residential services supplied at 1 point of delivery with loads over 1000 kVA but less than 2500 Average kW on an annual basis.
Applies to all connected non-residential services supplied at one point of delivery with average annual consumption of >2500 Average kW but less than 5000 Average kW.
Applies to all commercial electric vehicle charging power customers. Commercial electric vehicle charging power customers are those with electric vehicle charging equipment installed and established for providing a retail charging service of electricity as a transportation fuel.
Applies to all customers using dusk-to-dawn lighting where existing secondary voltages are available.
Available for commercial and industrial sites with expected loads over 2500 Average kW connected to primary distribution or transmission voltage, subject to wholesale power and bulk transmission available capacity. This rate provides a pass through of wholesale energy and transmission costs and collects distribution delivery and general cost-of-service for the Cooperative in a delivery charge.
Applies to all connected non-residential services supplied at one point of delivery with loads over 1000 kVa but less than 2500 Average kW on an annual basis.
Comparing Our Rates with Neighboring Utilities
Midstate Electric is committed to providing our members with reliable, affordable, and safe electricity. We understand that energy costs are an important factor when deciding where to live or operate your business, which is why we’ve taken the time to compare our electric rates with those of neighboring utilities. We take pride in managing costs efficiently while ensuring that our members receive the best possible value for their energy usage.
This comparison data is compiled by the Public Utilities Commission (PUC). The PUC calculates the average cost of delivering power for each utility—including the facilities charge, kWh rate, and demand charges—and reports an average price per kWh to help compare overall costs across Oregon utilities.
Oregon Electric Utility Rate Comparison (PDF)
Facilities Charge
Every service we use in our homes or businesses—whether its electricity, cable/satellite television, natural gas, propane, or telephone/cell phone—has some form of a monthly charge to cover the cost of providing the service. It might be called a service charge, basic charge, fixed charge, or monthly minimum charge. For MEC members/consumers, this monthly charge is called a facilities charge. It is a fair share investment that assures there is power when it is needed.
When you need electric power, all you have to do is flip a switch or plug into an outlet. What happens before that flip of the switch is a significant commitment of time, equipment, facilities, and people your cooperative already has in place to ensure that power is there when you need it.
The expenses incurred by MEC for equipment and line maintenance, metering, and billing services are relatively fixed; they do not vary according to your electricity use levels. By recovering a portion of these necessary expenditures through the facilities charge, instead of through energy charges (which do vary by levels of use), the costs are distributed fairly among members/consumers.
The facilities charge ensures that our members' expectations for continuous power and outstanding customer service are met. Recent reliability ratings show that out of the 8,760 hours during the year MEC delivered power, the power was on 99.94% of the time, and the latest customer service scores rank your cooperative among the top-performing utilities in the country. This high level of service requires an equal investment from each MEC member.
Many fixed costs go into operating, maintaining, and improving MEC’s system for every existing and future member. These include the costs for electrical system maintenance and replacement, tree trimming, outage restoration, taxes, insurance, materials, fuels, and administration of the utility.
The majority of utilities determine the amount of the facilities charge through a cost of service study. Each utility’s circumstances are different. The amount of a utility’s facilities charge can be affected by a number of factors, including the number of consumers the utility serves; the size of the utility’s service territory; the number of trees in the area served by the utility; the age of the utility’s system; and the utility’s growth in kWh sales. To help ensure long-term financial stability for the cooperative, the directors and management are working on a ten-year plan to bring the monthly facilities charge to the actual cost.
Take Control of Your Energy
Check out our step-by-step instructions on how to monitor your energy usage and demand with SmartHub, available on both desktop and mobile devices.
Understanding Your Bill
Explore our interactive bill breakdown to better understand each line item on your electric bill and gain clarity on your energy costs.
Residential Bill Breakdown