Carroll Electric Membership Corporation (Georgia) Rate Selection Guide
Carroll Electric Membership Corporation (Carroll EMC) is a member-owned electric cooperative serving roughly 56,000 meters across seven western Georgia counties. Built on the NISC SmartHub platform, it offers self-service billing, mobile app access, and Green Button Download My Data for interval usage, but no Green Button Connect, EDI, or official public API.
Carroll Electric Membership Corporation (Georgia) Rate Schedule Comparison
| Schedule | Type | Rate | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Schedule GS-4 General Service | Industrial / large commercial | $90.00 service + $2.00/kW demand + $0.1545/$0.1370/$0.1230 tiered energy | Larger C&I facilities with measured demand |
| Schedule SC-4 Small Commercial | Small commercial | $39.00 service + $0.1325/kWh | Small businesses under 50 kVA installed capacity |
| Schedule IOS-3 Irrigation | Agricultural | Seasonal off-peak (see tariff) | Seasonal agricultural irrigation |
Market Overview
Georgia is a regulated electricity market with assigned service territories under the Georgia Territorial Electric Service Act; there is no retail choice for most customers. Carroll EMC is a member-owned cooperative that sets rates through its board and files tariffs with the Georgia Public Service Commission. Members cannot shop for a competitive electricity supplier. Wholesale power is supplied through Georgia's cooperative G&T structure.
Need to pull your actual usage data to compare rates? See the Carroll Electric Membership Corporation (Georgia) Data Access Guide →
Current Rate Schedules
Carroll EMC files its tariff schedules with the Georgia Public Service Commission; the current commercial schedules (GS-4 General Service and SC-4 Small Commercial) are effective February 1, 2025. Rates include a Wholesale Power Component / Power Cost Adjustment (PCA) that reconciles actual versus projected wholesale power costs in subsequent schedules. All dollar figures below are taken directly from Carroll EMC's published tariff PDFs.
Effective: February 1, 2025 · Full Tariff Book →
| Schedule | Type | Applicability | Structure | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Schedule GS-4 General Service | industrial | Commercial, industrial, governmental and other consumers for all uses (larger accounts) | Service charge $90.00/mo. Demand charge $2.00 per kW (first 200 kWh per kW of demand). Energy: first 1,500 kWh @ $0.1545/kWh, next 8,500 kWh @ $0.1370/kWh, over 10,000 kWh @ $0.1230/kWh; declining tail-block rates ($0.08100 and $0.05800/kWh) for high load-factor usage. Excess reactive demand $0.30/kVAr. Demand based on highest 15-minute measurement. Min charge: greater of $90.00 + $7.00/kW above 5 kW, or $1.00/kVA transformer capacity. | — |
| Schedule SC-4 Small Commercial Service | commercial | Commercial/industrial/governmental consumers with less than 50 kVA installed transformer capacity or under 50 kVA metered demand | Single-phase service charge $39.00/mo. Energy: all kWh @ $0.1325/kWh. Minimum monthly charge the greater of $39.00 or $1.00 per kVA of installed transformer capacity. Plus Wholesale Power Component / PCA. | — |
| Schedule SCH-3 School System Service | commercial | Public and private school systems | Dedicated school-system rate schedule; see tariff PDF for current charges. Plus Wholesale Power Component / PCA. | — |
| Schedule IOS-3 Irrigation Off-Peak Seasonal | agricultural | Agricultural irrigation loads on a seasonal, off-peak basis | Seasonal off-peak irrigation rate; see tariff PDF for current charges. Plus Wholesale Power Component / PCA. | — |
Rate Recommendations by Use Case
Large commercial / industrial facility
Facilities with measured demand are billed on Schedule GS-4 with a 15-minute demand basis, tiered declining-block energy, and reactive-demand penalties.
Cost is driven by load factor and power factor more than by the modest $2.00/kW explicit demand charge, so steady operation and PF correction matter most.
- Raise load factor to reach $0.1230/kWh and lower tail blocks
- Correct power factor to avoid the $0.30/kVAr reactive charge
- Pull Green Button XML monthly to track 15-minute peaks
Small business / light commercial
Accounts under 50 kVA installed capacity are billed on Schedule SC-4 with a simple flat energy rate and no demand charge.
A flat $0.1325/kWh plus a $39.00 service charge is simplest for low-demand accounts and avoids demand billing.
- Enroll in e-Bill and EFT for $5.00/mo in combined discounts
- Use the SmartHub app to monitor daily usage
- Reassess GS-4 vs SC-4 if installed capacity approaches 50 kVA
Energy consultant / data aggregation
Consultants can access Carroll EMC data via member-mediated Green Button downloads or via Nectar; no official utility API or Green Button Connect exists.
Green Button DMD provides standardized ESPI XML (14 months), making member-shared files a reliable path; Nectar adds automation via API access to this utility's billing data.
- Have members export Green Button XML from SmartHub
- Use Nectar (docs.nectarclimate.com) for automated billing data retrieval
- Avoid relying on unofficial SmartHub scraping for production
Historical Rate Trends
Carroll EMC's current commercial tariff schedules (GS-4, SC-4) are effective February 1, 2025. As a cooperative, rates are set by the board and filed with the Georgia PSC, with a Wholesale Power Component / PCA reconciling wholesale power cost variances in subsequent schedules.
February 1, 2025
Current GS-4 General Service and SC-4 Small Commercial tariff schedules took effect.
N/A (amount not published)Overall trend: Rates adjust with wholesale power costs via the PCA mechanism; service and energy charges are reviewed periodically by the board.
Next expected change: Reviewed periodically by the board; no specific future date published.
Cost Optimization Strategies
For Carroll EMC C&I members, the biggest levers are improving load factor to reach the declining-block energy tiers on GS-4, maintaining a high power factor to avoid reactive-demand penalties, and choosing the right schedule (GS-4 vs SC-4) for the account's size.
Improve load factor for declining blocks
For: GS-4 commercial/industrial accounts
GS-4 energy rates decline from $0.1545/kWh to $0.1230/kWh and lower for high usage per kW of demand. Running equipment at steadier, higher load factor moves more kWh into cheaper tail blocks.
Power factor correction
For: GS-4 accounts with inductive/motor loads
Excess reactive demand is billed at $0.30/kVAr when power factor falls below 90% lagging. Capacitor correction avoids this charge and the metering trigger.
Schedule selection (GS-4 vs SC-4)
For: Small-to-mid commercial accounts
Accounts near 50 kVA should compare the flat $0.1325/kWh SC-4 rate against demand-based GS-4 to minimize total monthly cost.
e-Bill and EFT enrollment
For: All members
Enrolling in the Electronic Billing and Electronic Funds Transfer riders each provides a $2.50/month discount.
To implement these strategies, you need your 15-minute interval data. Learn how to download Carroll Electric Membership Corporation (Georgia) interval data →
Frequently Asked Questions
How can a Carroll EMC commercial or industrial member get their interval data?▾
Log into the SmartHub Member Portal at myaccount.carrollecc.com, open "Usage History," and click "Green Button Download My Data" to export up to 14 months of usage as a zipped ESPI/Atom XML file. Daily data is standard, with hourly available on supported smart meters. There is no Green Button Connect or official API.
Does Carroll EMC offer a third-party data API or Green Button Connect?▾
No. Carroll EMC supports Green Button Download My Data only. There is no Green Button Connect (OAuth) and no official REST API. Third parties should rely on member-mediated downloads or on Nectar, which provides API access to this utility's billing data — see docs.nectarclimate.com.
What rate applies to a Carroll EMC commercial or industrial account?▾
Larger commercial and industrial accounts are billed on Schedule GS-4 (General Service), which has a $90.00 monthly service charge, a $2.00/kW demand charge, and tiered energy charges starting at $0.1545/kWh. Smaller accounts with less than 50 kVA installed capacity use Schedule SC-4 (Small Commercial) at a flat $0.1325/kWh plus a $39.00 service charge. Rates are effective February 1, 2025.
How is demand measured on the Carroll EMC GS-4 rate?▾
Demand is based on the highest 15-minute measurement during the billing month. The GS-4 minimum charge is the highest of $90.00 plus $7.00/kW above 5 kW, $1.00 per kVA of required transformer capacity, or a contract-specified amount. Excess reactive demand (low power factor) is billed at $0.30 per excess kVAr.
Can an energy consultant pull Carroll EMC data automatically?▾
Not via a utility-run program. The best supported paths are to have the member download and share their Green Button XML, or to use Nectar, which provides API access to this utility's billing data — see docs.nectarclimate.com. An unofficial open-source SmartHub tool can reach 15-minute data but is not sanctioned for commercial use and may be disabled at any time.
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