Central Georgia Electric Membership Corporation Rate Selection Guide
Central Georgia EMC is a member-owned electric cooperative serving about 67,000 accounts across 14 central Georgia counties. Data access is centered on its online portal and mobile app for billing and usage history; the cooperative has not implemented Green Button, EDI, or a public API, so third-party access typically runs through platforms like Nectar (docs.nectarclimate.com) or direct authorization.
Central Georgia Electric Membership Corporation Rate Schedule Comparison
| Schedule | Type | Rate | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rate 2 Non-Demand | Commercial | $34/mo + 8.804 cents/kWh (summer) | Small commercial, 50 kVA or less |
| Rate 3 Demand | Commercial | $44/mo + 10.374 cents/kWh (first block) + $5.50/kW>10kW | Mid-size C&I, 50 kVA-900 kW |
| Rate 6 Industrial | Industrial | $550/mo + 7.874/3.884 cents/kWh + Facilities Charge | Industrial loads 900 kW+ |
| LPS-I Large Power | Industrial | Purchased Power + Facilities + Margin (contract) | Largest loads over 900 kW |
Market Overview
Georgia's electricity market is regulated, with cooperative service territories assigned under the Georgia Territorial Electric Service Act. As a member-owned cooperative, Central Georgia EMC is the sole electricity provider in its territory; there is no retail supplier choice for commercial or industrial members. Rates are set by the cooperative's board and filed with the Georgia Public Service Commission, and members purchase bundled energy and delivery from the cooperative.
Need to pull your actual usage data to compare rates? See the Central Georgia Electric Membership Corporation Data Access Guide →
Current Rate Schedules
CGEMC files retail rate schedules with the Georgia Public Service Commission. The figures below are verified from the published tariff effective October 1, 2020 (some component schedules carry earlier 2015 effective dates). All energy is subject to the Wholesale Power Cost Adjustment (WPCA) rider, and a later October 2021 filing exists - confirm current per-schedule figures with CGEMC.
Effective: October 1, 2020 · Full Tariff Book →
| Schedule | Type | Applicability | Structure | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Energy Partner Service - Non-Demand Option (Rate 2) | commercial | Commercial/non-residential customers with installed transformer capacity of 50 kVA or less. | Service charge $34.00/month; summer 8.804 cents/kWh (all kWh); winter 8.804 cents first 3,000 kWh then 7.674 cents/kWh; subject to WPCA. (Effective 2020-10-01) | — |
| Energy Partner Service - Demand Option (Rate 3) | commercial | Non-residential customers requiring transformer capacity above 50 kVA and under 900 kW connected load. | Service charge $44.00/month; energy 10.374 cents/kWh first 10,000 kWh, 8.174 cents over 10,000 kWh, with declining tail blocks (4.874/4.174/3.874 cents) above 200/400/600 kWh per kW of billing demand; min bill $44 + $5.50/kW over 10 kW; reactive $0.25/excess kVAr; subject to WPCA. (Effective 2020-10-01) | — |
| Industrial Energy Partner Service (Rate 6) | industrial | Customers with connected load of 900 kW or greater; three-phase, contract service. | Service charge $550.00/month; energy 7.874 cents/kWh under 200 kWh per kW of billing demand, 3.884 cents/kWh in excess; plus a Facilities Charge; reactive $0.25/excess kVAr; subject to WPCA. (Effective 2015-01-01) | — |
| Large Power Service (Schedule LPS-I) | industrial | Customers over 900 kW connected load at a single point of delivery. | Total charge = Purchased Power Charge (wholesale + delivery) + Facilities Charge + Margin Cost; reactive $0.25/excess kVAr; subject to WPCA; charges vary by customer load characteristics (contract-based). (Effective 2015-01-01) | — |
| Off-Peak Energy Partner Service (Rate 7) | agricultural | Irrigation, crop-drying, and other off-peak agricultural applications. | Service charge $18.00/month; energy 5.3 cents/kWh; billing demand $4.85/kW; reactive $0.25/excess kVAr; subject to WPCA. (Effective 2015-01-01) | — |
| School Energy Partner Service (Rate 8) | commercial | Qualified educational facilities with connected load 750 kW or greater. | Service charge $100.00/month; energy 4.974 cents/kWh under 200 kWh per kW of billing demand, 3.974 cents/kWh in excess; plus Facilities Charge; reactive $0.25/excess kVAr; subject to WPCA. (Effective 2015-01-01) | — |
Rate Recommendations by Use Case
Mid-size commercial facility (50 kVA-900 kW)
Retail, office, and light-industrial loads on the Energy Partner Service Demand Option (Rate 3).
Rate 3's $44 + $5.50/kW (over 10 kW) demand minimum and declining energy blocks mean demand control and load factor drive the bill; reactive charges add up if power factor is poor.
- Request interval/demand data from CGEMC to find peaks
- Correct power factor to avoid the $0.25/kVAr charge
- Run steady to push kWh into cheaper tail blocks
Industrial plant (900 kW+)
Large manufacturing or processing loads on Industrial Energy Partner Service (Rate 6) or Large Power Service (LPS-I).
Rate 6's steep drop to 3.884 cents above 200 kWh/kW rewards high load factor; LPS-I is fully contract-based, so negotiating the Facilities Charge and margin matters.
- Maximize load factor to capture the 3.884 cents tail block
- Negotiate LPS-I facilities and margin terms with CGEMC
- Maintain power factor to avoid kVAr penalties
Small commercial business (50 kVA or less)
Small shops and offices on the Energy Partner Service Non-Demand Option (Rate 2).
Energy-only block pricing (8.804 cents summer; winter declining over 3,000 kWh) means total kWh and the WPCA drive the bill; efficiency measures cut costs directly.
- Track monthly usage and cost comparisons in the portal
- Improve HVAC and lighting efficiency
- Watch the WPCA component on bills
Multi-site portfolio / energy manager
Organizations managing several CGEMC accounts that need consolidated billing data.
With no Green Button or public API, the workable path is Nectar (docs.nectarclimate.com) for authorized billing feeds, supplemented by direct interval-data requests to CGEMC.
- Use Nectar's API for authorized billing access — see docs.nectarclimate.com
- Email csr@cgemc.com for interval data and a direct agreement
- Avoid sharing portal credentials with third parties
Historical Rate Trends
CGEMC's rates are filed with the Georgia PSC. The most recent disclosure used here is effective October 1, 2020, with several component schedules carrying 2015 effective dates; a subsequent tariff was filed October 1, 2021.
October 1, 2021
Updated retail rate tariff filed with the Georgia PSC September 27, 2021 (Document #187268), effective October 1, 2021, superseding the October 2020 disclosure. The filing revises per-schedule charges; no aggregate increase percentage is published, so confirm current per-schedule figures with CGEMC or on the PSC document.
Varies by scheduleOverall trend: Periodic adjustments via Georgia PSC filings; energy costs flow through the WPCA rider.
Next expected change: An October 2021 tariff filing exists (Georgia PSC Document #187268); confirm the latest effective per-schedule figures with CGEMC.
Cost Optimization Strategies
Because CGEMC C&I bills hinge on demand-tied energy blocks, demand minimums, and reactive penalties, the biggest levers are improving load factor, managing demand, and correcting power factor - even though detailed interval data must be requested.
Improve load factor
For: Rate 3, Rate 6, Rate 8
The declining energy blocks reward consumption above 200/400/600 kWh per kW of billing demand; steadier operation pushes more kWh into cheaper tail blocks (e.g., 3.874-4.874 cents on Rate 3).
Power-factor correction
For: All demand-metered C&I schedules
Keep reactive demand below one-third of measured kW to avoid the $0.25 per excess kVAr reactive charge.
Demand management
For: Rate 3 and larger
Reduce peak kW to lower demand-based minimum bills (Rate 3 adds $5.50/kW over 10 kW) and improve block economics; request interval data to find peaks.
Use Nectar for monitoring
For: Multi-site C&I
Since there is no portal interval export, route authorized billing data through Nectar (docs.nectarclimate.com) to benchmark and track usage trends across sites.
To implement these strategies, you need your 15-minute interval data. Learn how to download Central Georgia Electric Membership Corporation interval data →
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a commercial or industrial member get 15-minute interval data?▾
Not through self-service. CGEMC's portal provides daily/monthly usage analytics but does not document 15-30 minute interval data or a Green Button/XML export. Larger C&I members needing interval data should contact CGEMC at 770-775-7857 or csr@cgemc.com to ask what granularity is available for their meter and whether a formal data request is required.
How can an energy consultant access our billing data programmatically?▾
Because CGEMC has no public API or Green Button Connect My Data, the practical route is Nectar, which provides API access to CGEMC billing data — see docs.nectarclimate.com: the member authorizes access and you receive billing data via Nectar's API in JSON. Alternatively, negotiate a direct data-access agreement by emailing csr@cgemc.com. Avoid sharing portal credentials.
Which rate schedules apply to C&I accounts?▾
Commercial accounts up to 50 kVA use Energy Partner Service Non-Demand (Rate 2); accounts above 50 kVA and under 900 kW connected load use Energy Partner Service Demand (Rate 3); 900 kW+ industrial loads use Industrial Energy Partner Service (Rate 6) or Large Power Service (LPS-I). Off-peak agricultural loads use Rate 7, and schools 750 kW+ use Rate 8. Demand schedules carry reactive (kVAr) charges, so usage data matters for cost control.
Does CGEMC support EDI for business billing?▾
No. Research found no documented EDI/trading-partner program, no X12 transaction support, and no listing in Georgia PSC filings. Businesses needing automated billing data should use Nectar (docs.nectarclimate.com) or negotiate a custom feed with the cooperative.
Is there a real-time usage option for our facility?▾
The closest option is the Prepaid Metering program, which provides near-real-time balance and consumption monitoring. It is primarily a billing-mode choice rather than a true interval-data feed, but it can give operations teams quicker visibility into consumption than monthly billing alone.
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