Central Electric Power Association (CEPA) Rate Selection Guide
Central Electric Power Association (CEPA) is a member-owned cooperative serving roughly 39,000 customers across seven central Mississippi counties from its Carthage headquarters. Data access runs through the OrbitONE/UtilityNexus portal (CSA platform) for billing and basic usage; a system-wide AMR meter rollout began in 2025 and will expand usage data, while Nectar provides the only programmatic path today (docs.nectarclimate.com) — no Green Button, API, or EDI exists.
Market Overview
CEPA is a member-owned electric cooperative in Mississippi's regulated market; there is no retail supplier choice. State oversight sits with the Mississippi Public Service Commission, and CEPA publishes its rate schedule on its website.
Need to pull your actual usage data to compare rates? See the Central Electric Power Association (CEPA) Data Access Guide →
Current Rate Schedules
Central Electric Power Association (CEPA) is a member-owned cooperative serving roughly 39,000 meters across seven central Mississippi counties (Attala, Leake, Neshoba, Scott, Newton, Rankin, Kemper). As a TVA local power company, CEPA's retail rates track TVA's wholesale rate structure: nonresidential service is classed by demand size, with demand charges on larger classes and TVA's monthly Fuel Cost Adjustment flowing through all kWh charges. CEPA publishes its fee schedule online but not itemized energy rates — see the tariff/rate schedule page or contact the Carthage office for current per-kWh and per-kW figures.
Effective: May 27, 2026 · Full Tariff Book →
| Schedule | Type | Applicability | Structure | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Small General Service (GSA-1 class, under 50 kW) | commercial | Small commercial consumers with demand not exceeding ~50 kW — storefronts, offices, small churches, and shops. | Monthly facility charge plus energy-only kWh charges (no demand charge) following the TVA GSA Part 1 structure, plus monthly Fuel Cost Adjustment. See tariff for current rates. | — |
| Medium General Service (GSA-2 class, 50-1,000 kW) | commercial | Commercial and light industrial consumers with billing demand between roughly 50 kW and 1,000 kW. | Monthly facility charge, per-kW demand charge on billing demand (highest 15-minute interval of the month, power-factor adjusted), and blocked energy charges per the TVA GSA Part 2 structure, plus Fuel Cost Adjustment. See tariff for current rates. | —+ Per-kW on billing demand — see tariff |
| Large General / Power Service (over 1,000 kW) | industrial | Industrial and large commercial consumers exceeding 1,000 kW; poultry processing, manufacturing, and large institutional loads in CEPA territory. | Contract-based service under TVA large power structures with higher demand charges, declining energy blocks, power factor provisions, and minimum bill terms. Contact CEPA for contract rates — see tariff for current rates. | — |
| Outdoor/Security Lighting | commercial | Dusk-to-dawn security lights and commercial outdoor lighting served on a flat monthly per-fixture basis. | Flat monthly charge per fixture by lamp type and size; no metering. See tariff for current rates. | — |
Rate Recommendations by Use Case
Poultry, timber, or manufacturing operation over 50 kW
Central Mississippi's poultry processing and manufacturing loads fall on CEPA's demand-metered medium/large general service classes, where the 15-minute peak demand drives a significant share of the bill.
Demand-metered TVA-structure rates bill on the single highest 15-minute interval, adjusted for power factor. Sequencing motor and refrigeration starts and correcting power factor directly cuts the demand component.
- Request your demand history from CEPA at (601) 267-5671 — the OrbitONE portal shows limited usage detail.
- Stagger startup of compressors, fans, and processing lines after outages to avoid peak spikes.
- Verify power factor: TVA-structure schedules adjust billing demand upward for poor power factor.
Small commercial — retail, office, convenience store
Businesses under ~50 kW take energy-only small general service with no demand charge, keeping bills simple and predictable.
With no demand charge, total kWh and the monthly TVA Fuel Cost Adjustment drive the bill. Efficiency upgrades are the main lever, and staying under the demand threshold avoids reclassification to the demand-metered class.
- Watch growth: sustained demand above the ~50 kW threshold triggers a move to the demand-metered schedule.
- Track the Fuel Cost Adjustment line month to month — it moves with TVA wholesale fuel costs.
- Use the OrbitONE portal's View Usage feature to spot abnormal consumption early.
Multi-site operator with locations across central Mississippi
Chains and franchises with sites in Attala, Leake, Neshoba, Scott, Newton, Rankin, or Kemper counties need a manual data strategy — CEPA has no Green Button, API, or bulk export.
Without utility-hosted programmatic data access, portfolio benchmarking depends on consolidating OrbitONE portal statements or using Nectar's customer-authorized API (docs.nectarclimate.com).
- Centralize OrbitONE credentials and e-notifications for all accounts.
- Confirm each site is on the correct rate class for its demand level — misclassification persists silently.
- AMR deployment started in 2025; ask CEPA when richer usage data will reach the portal.
Cost Optimization Strategies
CEPA's TVA-structure rates reward demand management and power factor discipline on commercial classes, while small accounts optimize through efficiency and correct rate classification. Data access is limited (OrbitONE portal, no interval exports yet), so disciplined bill tracking underpins every strategy.
Peak demand management
For: Medium and large general service consumers (50 kW+)
Demand-metered classes bill on the highest 15-minute kW of the month. Stagger equipment starts, interlock large motors, and schedule batch loads off-peak to cap the billing demand.
Power factor correction
For: Industrial and motor-heavy commercial loads
TVA-structure schedules adjust billing demand for power factor below the specified threshold. Capacitor banks on motor-heavy loads (poultry houses, sawmills, pumping) eliminate the adjustment penalty.
Rate class verification
For: All commercial accounts, especially after operational changes
CEPA's classes break at demand thresholds (roughly 50 kW and 1,000 kW). Annually verify each account's measured demand against its assigned class — accounts that shrank below a threshold may qualify for a cheaper energy-only schedule.
TVA EnergyRight and efficiency programs
For: All commercial and industrial members
As a TVA distributor, CEPA customers can access TVA EnergyRight business programs for lighting, HVAC, and process efficiency incentives that cut both kWh and peak kW.
Manual bill and FCA tracking
For: All C&I customers; essential given CEPA's limited data access
With no API, Green Button, or CSV export, build a monthly process to capture OrbitONE statements and trend kWh, demand, and the TVA Fuel Cost Adjustment — the FCA can swing bills materially between months.
To implement these strategies, you need your 15-minute interval data. Learn how to download Central Electric Power Association (CEPA) interval data →
Frequently Asked Questions
What's the fastest way to get CEPA billing data into an energy platform?▾
Nectar. CEPA has no API or Green Button, but Nectar provides API access to CEPA billing and usage data — see docs.nectarclimate.com. The customer authorizes access with their OrbitONE portal credentials, and Nectar delivers normalized billing and usage history through its API — with access revocable anytime.
When will interval data be available from CEPA?▾
After the AMR rollout matures. CEPA began installing digital AMR meters with cellular communications across all accounts in early 2025, reporting usage and outage data. Interval granularity and customer-facing access timelines haven't been published — expect enhanced View Usage features in the OrbitONE portal post-rollout, and call (601) 267-5671 for current status.
Does CEPA support EDI for large commercial accounts?▾
No documented program exists — no 810/820/814/867 specs, trading partner enrollment, or VAN details. Large C&I customers needing automated billing exchange should call Business Services at (601) 267-5671 to discuss custom arrangements; CEPA typically serves large accounts through direct billing instead.
How does a consultant get authorized for a CEPA account?▾
Two ways: (1) the customer authorizes Nectar (docs.nectarclimate.com) and grants the consultant platform access, or (2) the customer provides written consent plus the account and location numbers from the bill, and CEPA handles the request directly at (601) 267-5671. CEPA has no Share My Data portal, so consent is managed outside the utility's systems.
What does Nectar's roadmap status mean for CEPA accounts?▾
Automated native support is planned but not live. Today, Nectar works with CEPA data via customer-authorized API retrieval or portal-based PDF bill collection — see docs.nectarclimate.com. As the 2025 AMR rollout completes and CEPA enhances OrbitONE usage features, richer interval analytics become possible.
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