Across the country, the cost to generate and deliver reliable electricity continues to rise due to higher demand, increased generation and transmission costs, and the price of materials needed to maintain a safe and dependable electric grid. As a not-for-profit cooperative, Four County EMC does not raise rates to make a profit. Any adjustment simply reflects the cost of providing service to our members.

How This Affects Your Bill

Because every household uses electricity differently, the impact of this rate change will vary from member to member. Bills will increase by a percentage applied to your existing charges, and the amount you see will depend on your individual monthly usage.

To help you understand how this adjustment may affect your household, we have created a Residential Service Rate Comparison table that shows estimated monthly bill changes based on common usage levels. You can find this chart here in this article or on our website.

What’s Driving the Change

The largest factor behind this adjustment is the rising cost of wholesale power — the electricity Four County EMC must purchase to serve our members. Wholesale power is our single largest expense, representing the majority of every dollar it takes to deliver electricity to your home or business.

A major contributor to these higher costs is peak demand, the time periods during which our system experiences its highest overall energy use. Power purchased during these hours is significantly more expensive. When system demand is high, our wholesale power costs rise — and over time, this impacts the rates we must charge members.

To increase awareness, we have added a new informational line on your monthly bill showing your individual peak demand. There is no charge associated with this number. It simply helps you see how your usage patterns impact overall system demand.

When members work together to reduce usage during peak hours, we can help lower future wholesale power costs and keep rates more stable over time.

Our Commitment to You

Even with rising costs, Four County EMC continues to focus on managing expenses, improving system efficiency, and seeking grants and funding that help reduce the financial burden on our membership.

Electricity remains one of the best values among household essentials. As your cooperative, we are committed to transparency and to helping you manage your energy use wisely.