Colorado Springs Utilities Rate Selection Guide
Colorado Springs Utilities (CSU) is the largest community-owned, not-for-profit, four-service utility in the nation, serving roughly 261,000 electric customers across El Paso County. CSU completed a full Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) rollout in 2025, enabling hourly interval data through its My Account and MyMeter portals.
Colorado Springs Utilities Rate Schedule Comparison
| Schedule | Type | Rate | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Commercial Small (ECS) | commercial | A&F $0.6832/day; energy via ECA ~$0.0206-$0.0411/kWh | Small offices, retail under 10 kW |
| Commercial Medium (ECM) | commercial | A&F $1.0416/day + demand charge per kW/day | Mid-size businesses 10-50 kW |
| Commercial Large (ECL) | commercial | A&F $1.5474/day + demand charge per kW/day | Larger facilities 50 kW+ |
| Industrial 100 kW (EIS) | industrial | A&F $3.7205/day; demand on-peak $0.8817/kW/day | Industrial 100 kW+ |
| Industrial Large Power & Light (ELG) | industrial | A&F $8.9065/day; demand $0.8593/kW/day | Large steady industrial loads (4 MW+) |
Market Overview
CSU is a not-for-profit municipal utility owned by the City of Colorado Springs and governed by the City Council acting as the Utilities Board. Customers cannot choose an alternative electric or gas supplier; CSU is the sole provider. Rates are set through a City Council rate case rather than by the Colorado PUC.
Need to pull your actual usage data to compare rates? See the Colorado Springs Utilities Data Access Guide →
Current Rate Schedules
CSU sets business electric rates by demand tier. Verified figures below are drawn from the CSU Business Rate Sheet and the 2026 rate case tariff filings (Colorado Springs City Council, Electric Rate Schedules, Volume 6). Bills combine an Access & Facilities Charge (per day), a Demand Charge (per kW per day, for demand schedules), an energy/supply charge (per kWh), plus the Electric Cost Adjustment (ECA) and Electric Capacity Charge (ECC) pass-throughs.
Effective: January 1, 2026 · Full Tariff Book →
| Schedule | Type | Applicability | Structure | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Commercial Service - Small (ECS) | commercial | Business customers with maximum demand under 10 kW. | Access & Facilities Charge $0.6832/day; no demand charge; energy via ECA (on-peak $0.0411/kWh, off-peak $0.0206/kWh) plus Electric Capacity Charge $0.0048/kWh. Source: CSU Business Rate Sheet. | — |
| Commercial Service - Medium (ECM) | commercial | Business customers with 10 kW minimum demand. | Access & Facilities Charge $1.0416/day; secondary demand charge winter $0.0170/kW/day, summer $0.038/kW/day (approx.); energy via ECA (on-peak $0.0411, off-peak $0.0206/kWh) plus ECC $0.0045/kWh. Billing demand = greatest 15-minute load. Source: CSU Business Rate Sheet. | — |
| Commercial Service - Large (ECL) | commercial | Business customers with 50 kW minimum demand. | Access & Facilities Charge $1.5474/day; secondary demand charge winter $0.0182/kW/day, summer $0.0509/kW/day (approx.); ECA on-peak $0.0411/off-peak $0.0206/kWh plus ECC $0.0053/kWh. Source: CSU Business Rate Sheet. | — |
| Industrial Service - 100 kW Minimum (EIS) | industrial | Industrial customers with 100 kW minimum demand. | Access & Facilities Charge $3.7205/day; demand on-peak $0.8817/kW/day, off-peak $0.5732/kW/day; ECA on-peak $0.0411/off-peak $0.0206/kWh plus ECC $0.0048/kWh. Source: CSU Business Rate Sheet. | — |
| Industrial Service - 500 kW Minimum (E8T) | industrial | Industrial customers with 500 kW minimum demand (time-of-day). | Access & Facilities Charge $25.2726/day; demand on-peak $0.9081/kW/day, off-peak $0.5446/kW/day; ECA on-peak $0.0411/off-peak $0.0206/kWh. Source: CSU Business Rate Sheet. | — |
| Industrial Service - Large Power & Light (ELG) | industrial | Large industrial loads (generally 4 MW+ with high load factor). | Access & Facilities Charge $8.9065/day; secondary demand charge $0.8593/kW/day; fixed ECA $0.0233/kWh; ECC $0.0036/kWh. The Industrial Large Load (ELL, 10,000 kW+) schedule adds System Support and Resource Adequacy charges and contract-based purchased energy/capacity. Source: CSU Business Rate Sheet & 2026 Rate Case Filing. | — |
Rate Recommendations by Use Case
Mid-size commercial building (10-50 kW)
ECM aligns with 10 kW+ demand; pair with MyMeter interval monitoring to control the per-kW-per-day demand charge.
Demand-billed schedule where 15-minute peak management drives savings.
- Enroll in MyMeter for demand analytics
- Stagger HVAC/equipment startup to flatten 15-minute peaks
- Evaluate the time-of-day (ECM-P) option if load is shiftable
Large facility / light industrial (50-100 kW)
ECL or EIS depending on demand; manage peaks aggressively as demand charges dominate the bill.
Higher per-day access plus substantial per-kW demand charges reward demand control.
- Use interval data to target the single highest 15-minute interval
- Correct power factor to 95%+ on industrial schedules
- Consider battery or load curtailment for peak shaving
Large steady industrial load (4 MW+)
ELG suits large, high-load-factor industrial customers; the largest loads (10,000 kW+) fall under ELL with contract pricing and added charges.
Lower supply and access charges reward consistent demand; ELL adds System Support and Resource Adequacy charges for new large loads.
- Maintain high, steady load factor
- Engage Business Services early on ELL contract terms
- Model System Support (10% of demand) and Resource Adequacy charges for new large loads
Multi-site / portfolio benchmarking
Use MyMeter Whole Building and the Authorization process to centralize data across sites for benchmarking and Building Performance Colorado compliance.
Aggregated whole-building data supports portfolio energy management and state reporting.
- Set up account associations in My Account
- Use the Whole Building portal for 50,000+ sq ft buildings
- Authorize an energy manager via the CSU form
Historical Rate Trends
CSU rates are reset through periodic City Council rate cases. The 2025 rate case (approved November 12, 2024) set the Electric Cost of Service basis, and a 2026 rate case was filed in September-October 2025 with supplemental filings. CSU announced summer rate adjustments effective June 2026.
October 1, 2025
Energy-Wise Time-of-Day business rates took effect with on-peak weekday 5-9 PM window.
n/aJune 1, 2026
CSU announced summer rate adjustments for 2026.
n/aOverall trend: Upward, driven by purchased power costs, resource adequacy planning, and large-load service additions.
Next expected change: 2026 rate case outcomes and seasonal summer rate adjustments effective June 2026.
Cost Optimization Strategies
Because CSU bills demand on the greatest 15-minute load and offers time-of-day options, C&I customers can materially cut costs by managing peak demand and shifting load out of the weekday 5-9 PM on-peak period. Interval data from MyMeter is the foundation for these strategies.
Peak demand management
For: ECM, ECL, EIS, E8T, ELG
Use MyMeter 15-minute interval data to identify and shave demand peaks, since billing demand is the greatest 15-minute load in the period.
Load shifting to off-peak
For: Time-of-day commercial/industrial schedules
Move discretionary load out of weekday 5-9 PM on-peak hours to capture lower off-peak energy and demand rates under Energy-Wise time-of-day schedules.
Power-factor correction
For: Industrial/contract schedules (EIS, E8T, E8S, ELG)
Maintain power factor at or above 95% to avoid the 1%-per-1% upward demand adjustment applied to industrial and contract schedules.
Rate-tier verification
For: All commercial/industrial
Confirm the demand tier matches actual load; over-tiered accounts pay higher per-day access & facilities charges than necessary.
To implement these strategies, you need your 15-minute interval data. Learn how to download Colorado Springs Utilities interval data →
Frequently Asked Questions
How does a C&I customer get hourly interval data from Colorado Springs Utilities?▾
Commercial and industrial accounts with interval metering use the MyMeter portal (https://csu.mymeter.co/). After the 2025 AMI rollout, hourly data is available; demand for billing is the greatest 15-minute load in the period. The general Usage Dashboard in My Account also shows hourly usage and supports tabular downloads.
Can an energy consultant or aggregator access our CSU data on our behalf?▾
Yes. The customer completes the Authorization to Access/Manage Accounts form, selecting 'Third Party Energy or Water Management Company' and the services to release. CSU processes it in 2-3 business days and issues portal credentials to the authorized party. Nectar can also retrieve CSU data via API once authorized — see docs.nectarclimate.com.
Does CSU support EDI for automated billing data?▾
No. CSU does not offer ANSI X12 or EDIFACT EDI transactions. For automated billing integration, contact Business Services at (719) 448-4808 or use Nectar's API for billing data — see docs.nectarclimate.com.
Which rate schedule applies to a mid-size commercial building?▾
CSU segments commercial service by demand: Commercial Small (ECS, under 10 kW), Commercial Medium (ECM, 10 kW minimum), and Commercial Large (ECL, 50 kW minimum). Demand-billed schedules (ECM, ECL) add a per-kW-per-day demand charge on top of the access & facilities charge and supply charge. See the CSU Business Rate Sheet for current figures.
How are demand charges measured at CSU?▾
For commercial demand schedules (ECM, ECL) maximum/billing demand is the greatest 15-minute load during the billing period. Industrial and contract schedules adjust demand upward by 1% for each 1% the power factor falls below 95% lagging or leading.
Can large buildings get whole-building data for benchmarking?▾
Yes. Buildings 50,000+ sq ft can use CSU's MyMeter Whole Building portal to aggregate all meters and deliver 12 months of whole-building consumption to ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager for Building Performance Colorado compliance.
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