Bowie-Cass Electric Cooperative, Inc. Rate Selection Guide
Bowie-Cass Electric Cooperative (BCEC) is a member-owned distribution cooperative founded in 1937, serving 39,832 meters across six Northeast Texas counties in the ERCOT region. Members access billing and daily usage data through the BCEC online portal and mobile app; interval data requires direct requests, and Smart Meter Texas availability is account-specific because BCEC is a cooperative rather than an ERCOT TDSP.
Market Overview
Member-owned Texas distribution cooperative; no retail supplier choice applies in BCEC territory. Wholesale power comes through Northeast Texas Electric Cooperative.
Need to pull your actual usage data to compare rates? See the Bowie-Cass Electric Cooperative, Inc. Data Access Guide →
Current Rate Schedules
Bowie-Cass Electric Cooperative (BCEC) completed a Guernsey Engineering cost-of-service study and is implementing a phased rate adjustment — Phase 1 effective April 1, 2025 and Phase 2 effective April 1, 2026 — its first major restructuring since 2017 (base rates dated to 1993). The redesign blends the legacy Power Cost Recovery Factor (PCRF) into base energy rates and merges winter/summer rates for residential and small commercial classes. Commercial schedules include PS/SC for public buildings and small commercial ($39.00/month customer charge), LP-2 Large Power (50 kW minimum: $75.00/month, $7.50/kW demand, 7.8106¢/kWh energy plus PCRF), and tiered large commercial/large power classes up to >3,500 kW with delivery-voltage-differentiated demand charges. See the BCEC Summary of Rates PDF for the full class-by-class figures.
Effective: April 1, 2026 · Full Tariff Book →
| Schedule | Type | Applicability | Structure | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Schedule PS/SC — Public Buildings and Small Commercial | commercial | Small commercial accounts, schools, churches, and public buildings without large measured demand. | $39.00/month customer charge (effective 4/1/2026) plus per-kWh energy charge and PCRF adjustment. See the commercial rates page for the current energy rate. | $39.00/month customer charge + energy charge per kWh + PCRF |
| Schedule LP-2 — Large Power Service (50 kW minimum) | commercial | Commercial and light industrial accounts with billing demand of 50 kW or more. | $75.00/month customer charge, $7.50 per kW of billing demand, and 7.8106¢/kWh energy charge (all effective 4/1/2026), plus the Schedule PCRF power cost adjustment. | 7.8106¢/kWh + PCRF+ $7.50/kW of billing demand (effective 4/1/2026) |
| Large Commercial / Large Power (Tiered Classes) | industrial | Larger loads in tiers: Large Commercial under 1,000 kW, Large Commercial over 1,000 kW, and Large Power over 3,500 kW. | Demand and energy charges by tier, with the >3,500 kW class differentiating demand charges by delivery voltage (transmission, substation, distribution primary, distribution secondary) plus facility cost components. See the Summary of Rates PDF for phase-by-phase figures. | —+ Per-kW by tier and delivery voltage; see Summary of Rates |
| Commercial Electric Vehicle Charging | ev | Commercial EV charging installations in BCEC territory. | Dedicated commercial EV charging rate with demand and energy components per the Summary of Rates. See rate sheet for current figures. | — |
Rate Recommendations by Use Case
School, Church, or Small Business
Public buildings and small commercial accounts in towns like Texarkana's outskirts, Atlanta, and Linden, TX.
PS/SC is the default for small non-residential load. The 2025-2026 redesign eliminated separate winter/summer rates and folded the PCRF into base energy rates, so year-over-year bill comparisons should account for the structural change, not just usage.
- Rebaseline budgets after the April 1, 2026 Phase 2 adjustment rather than comparing to pre-2025 bills
- Track monthly kWh against the prior year to separate rate effects from usage drift
- Accounts approaching 50 kW demand should model whether LP-2 economics beat PS/SC
Manufacturing, Gin, or Timber Operation
Demand-billed facilities above 50 kW — sawmills, metal fabrication, poultry processing — common loads in northeast Texas.
At $7.50/kW, demand is a major line item: a facility peaking at 300 kW pays $2,250/month in demand charges alone. The 7.8106¢/kWh energy rate is competitive, so optimization centers on flattening the monthly peak. Loads above 1,000 kW or 3,500 kW move into tiered classes where delivery voltage materially changes the demand rate.
- Stagger motor and compressor starts to avoid coincident demand peaks
- For loads >3,500 kW, evaluate taking service at substation or transmission voltage to cut the demand rate
- Audit the PCRF line monthly — it passes wholesale power cost changes through to your bill
Commercial EV Fleet Charging
Fleet depots and public charging installations served under BCEC's dedicated commercial EV rate.
BCEC publishes a specific commercial EV charging schedule — unusual for a cooperative this size — which should be compared against LP-2 for your charging profile. Managed overnight charging keeps billing demand low under either schedule.
- Compare the EV schedule against LP-2 using your expected charging curve before energizing
- Use charge management software to cap simultaneous charging below your demand budget
- Separately meter charging infrastructure to keep EV demand off your main facility account
Cost Optimization Strategies
BCEC's two-phase rate restructuring (April 2025 and April 2026) rebalanced charges toward cost of service, making demand management and rate class verification the top C&I levers. The PCRF passes wholesale power costs through monthly, and SmartHub daily usage data supports trend analysis even without interval exports.
Peak Demand Management
For: LP-2 and larger tiered accounts
LP-2 bills $7.50 per kW of monthly billing demand. Staggering equipment starts, sequencing HVAC, and scheduling batch processes off-peak directly reduces the largest controllable line item on demand-billed accounts.
Delivery Voltage Optimization
For: Large Power accounts >3,500 kW
Loads over 3,500 kW pay demand charges differentiated by delivery level — transmission, substation, distribution primary, or distribution secondary. Facilities that can own transformation equipment and take service at higher voltage capture a permanently lower demand rate.
Rate Class Verification Through the Phase-In
For: All commercial accounts, especially near class thresholds
With Phase 1 (2025) and Phase 2 (2026) shifting class definitions and blending the PCRF into base rates, verify each account's class against the current Summary of Rates. Accounts near the 50 kW, 1,000 kW, or 3,500 kW boundaries should model both adjacent classes.
PCRF Monitoring and Bill Validation
For: All rate classes
The Power Cost Recovery Factor adjusts monthly with wholesale costs. Capture it each cycle for bill validation, and budget energy costs on a band — the rate redesign blended part of the historical PCRF into base rates, changing how volatility shows up on bills.
Daily Usage Trend Analysis via SmartHub
For: All commercial members
BCEC's SmartHub portal shows daily kWh with weather overlay. Reviewing daily patterns monthly catches schedule creep (equipment running nights/weekends) and abnormal baseload — the main efficiency diagnostics available without interval data export.
To implement these strategies, you need your 15-minute interval data. Learn how to download Bowie-Cass Electric Cooperative, Inc. interval data →
Frequently Asked Questions
How do commercial members access billing and usage data from Bowie-Cass Electric?▾
Register at the Online Customer Service Portal (https://ebiz.bcec.com/oscp/) to view current and historical bills, balances, payment history, daily usage data, and year-over-year comparisons. Bills download as PDF; the Bowie-Cass Member App (iOS/Android) provides the same access.
Can I get 15-minute interval data for a facility served by BCEC?▾
Not through a self-service portal. Request interval data from member services at (903) 846-2311 with your account and meter numbers, time period, and format preference (Excel/CSV/PDF) — expect 5-10 business days. Also ask whether your meter is registered on Smart Meter Texas; if so, you can pull 12-24 months of 15-minute data via smartmetertexas.com.
Does Smart Meter Texas work for BCEC accounts?▾
It depends. BCEC operates in the ERCOT region, but as a distribution cooperative it is not a direct ERCOT TDSP, so cooperative meters are handled differently. Confirm with BCEC whether your specific meter and ESIID are registered on SMT before relying on it for interval data.
Does BCEC offer Green Button, EDI, or an API for third parties?▾
No. There is no Green Button DMD/CMD platform, no EDI trading partner program (BCEC sits outside Texas retail choice), and no public developer API. Third-party access runs through customer-shared downloads, written-authorization requests, or SMT where meters are registered.
How can an energy consultant or aggregator get data for a BCEC-served customer?▾
Get customer authorization first, then either have the customer download and share portal data, call BCEC at (903) 846-2311 with written authorization to request data directly, or use the Smart Meter Texas authorization flow if the meter is SMT-registered. For volume needs, ask BCEC about a custom data sharing agreement.
Automate Bowie-Cass Electric Cooperative, Inc. Rate Analysis with Nectar
Nectar continuously monitors your Bowie-Cass Electric Cooperative, Inc. rate options and alerts you when a better schedule is available. Save 10-30% on energy costs.
Nectar for Energy & Sustainability Teams
Managing utility costs for commercial or industrial buildings? Nectar offers a free rate analysis — we'll review your current rate schedules and identify where switching tariffs or shifting load can save 10-30%.
Get a Free Rate AnalysisNectar for Energy Brokers & Consultants
Advising clients on rate optimization? Nectar works with energy consultants who need reliable interval data and automated rate comparison tools.
Partner with Us