CORE Electric Cooperative Rate Selection Guide
CORE Electric Cooperative (formerly IREA) is a member-owned, not-for-profit cooperative serving 180,000+ electric accounts across central Colorado's Front Range. CORE offers 15-minute AMI data and 24+ months of history through its NISC SmartHub portal, plus automated benchmarking data via ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager; it has no official public API and no documented EDI program.
CORE Electric Cooperative Rate Schedule Comparison
| Schedule | Type | Rate | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Large Power Service (LPS) | Commercial | $135/mo + $15.09/kW demand + $0.06679/kWh (eff. 5/1/2025) | Larger commercial accounts |
| Industrial (S) | Industrial | $270/mo + $21.45/kW demand + $0.05658/kWh (eff. 5/1/2025) | Industrial loads on secondary voltage |
| High Load Factor (HLF) | Industrial | $350/mo + $26.81/kW demand + $0.05000/kWh (eff. 5/1/2025) | Steady, high-load-factor industrial loads |
| Coincident Peak Transmission (CPT) | Industrial | $1,650/mo + $2.75 basic + $18.61 CP demand/kW + $0.04187/kWh (eff. 5/1/2025) | Very large transmission-level loads |
Market Overview
CORE is a member-owned, not-for-profit cooperative serving central Colorado. Colorado cooperatives are largely exempt from Colorado PUC rate regulation; CORE's elected board sets rates. Members take bundled distribution-plus-supply service with no competitive retail supplier market and no community choice aggregation.
Need to pull your actual usage data to compare rates? See the CORE Electric Cooperative Data Access Guide →
Current Rate Schedules
CORE's rates are set by its elected board. The schedules below reflect verified figures from CORE's Summary of Rate Changes effective May 1, 2025. CORE's board subsequently approved an average 6.7% increase effective with January 2026 bills, so current billed amounts may be higher than the May 2025 figures shown; confirm against the current Rates and Regulations document.
Effective: May 1, 2025 · Full Tariff Book →
| Schedule | Type | Applicability | Structure | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Large Power Service (LPS) | commercial | Larger commercial accounts above the Small General Service thresholds. | Effective May 1, 2025: service charge $135.00/mo, basic demand $15.09/kW, basic energy $0.06679/kWh. Time-of-Use variants (LPST demand-TOU, FPT energy-TOU) add on/off-peak demand and energy components. | — |
| Industrial Service (S / SP) | industrial | Industrial accounts; SP is the primary-voltage variant. | Effective May 1, 2025: Industrial (S) service charge $270.00/mo, demand $21.45/kW, energy $0.05658/kWh; Industrial Primary (SP) $270.00/mo, $19.09/kW, $0.05587/kWh. TOU variants (ST, SPT) split demand into basic and on-peak. | — |
| High Load Factor (HLF / HLFP) | industrial | Large industrial loads with high, steady load factor; HLFP is the primary-voltage variant. | Effective May 1, 2025: HLF service charge $350.00/mo, demand $26.81/kW, energy $0.05000/kWh; HLF Primary (HLFP) $350.00/mo, $23.86/kW, $0.04938/kWh. TOU variants add on-peak demand pricing. | — |
| Coincident Peak (CPD / CPS / CPT) | industrial | The largest transmission- and substation-level loads billed on coincident-peak demand. | Effective May 1, 2025: Coincident Peak Distribution (CPD) $775/mo, $9.22 basic + $19.17 CP demand/kW, $0.04311/kWh; Substation (CPS) $775/mo, $7.75 + $18.89/kW, $0.04249/kWh; Transmission (CPT) $1,650/mo, $2.75 + $18.61/kW, $0.04187/kWh. | — |
| Small General Service (SG1 / SG3) | commercial | Small commercial accounts; SG1 single-phase, SG3 three-phase. | Effective May 1, 2025: SG1 service charge $27.00/mo, demand $9.83/kW, energy $0.07278/kWh; SG3 $40.00/mo, $13.33/kW, $0.06989/kWh. TOU (SG1T, SG3T, ET) variants available. | — |
Rate Recommendations by Use Case
Large industrial plant with steady load
High, steady industrial loads should evaluate High Load Factor or Coincident Peak schedules for their lower energy rates.
HLF energy is $0.05000/kWh and CPT drops to $0.04187/kWh versus $0.06679/kWh on LPS, rewarding steady high-load-factor operation despite higher fixed and demand charges.
- Compare HLF vs. Industrial vs. CPT for your load factor.
- Manage coincident peak if on a CP schedule.
- Confirm primary-voltage eligibility (HLFP/SP) for additional savings.
Larger commercial facility
Larger commercial accounts beyond Small General Service belong on Large Power Service (LPS).
LPS ($135/mo, $15.09/kW, $0.06679/kWh) suits commercial loads; compare against Industrial if demand and load factor are high.
- Use SmartHub Usage Explorer to assess demand and load factor.
- Consider the LPS TOU variant if you can shift off-peak.
- Re-baseline after the January 2026 increase.
Large building subject to benchmarking
Buildings covered by Colorado HB 21-1286 should enroll in CORE's Building Benchmarking program for automated Portfolio Manager data.
Automated monthly uploads of consumption, demand, and billing to ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager satisfy compliance without manual data pulls.
- Submit the Building Owner Request Form and tenant authorizations.
- Grant benchmarking consultants Portfolio Manager access.
- Allow ~2-3 weeks for setup.
Energy manager needing automated data
With no official API or Green Button, plan for SmartHub hourly CSV, Portfolio Manager, or direct Business Development requests; the 15-minute reverse-engineered API is unsupported.
SmartHub hourly CSV covers most analytics; benchmarking automation flows through Portfolio Manager; bulk multi-account data routes through Business Development.
- Use a signed Account Access Authorization Form for portfolio access.
- Contact rosborn@core.coop for bulk exports.
- Treat the reverse-engineered 15-minute API as best-effort only.
Historical Rate Trends
CORE's rates are set by its elected board rather than the Colorado PUC. Verified figures here are from the Summary of Rate Changes effective May 1, 2025; a further board-approved increase took effect with January 2026 bills.
May 1, 2025
New C&I rates effective: LPS service charge raised to $135/mo and $15.09/kW; Industrial (S) to $270/mo and $21.45/kW; HLF to $350/mo and $26.81/kW.
n/aJanuary 1, 2026
Board-approved average rate increase across residential, commercial, and industrial classes effective with January 2026 bills.
+6.7%Overall trend: Rising. The May 1, 2025 changes raised service and demand charges across most C&I classes, and the board approved an average 6.7% increase effective January 2026.
Next expected change: Future changes are set by board action; the most recent approved change took effect with January 2026 bills.
Cost Optimization Strategies
CORE C&I bills are driven by demand charges that rise with schedule size and by coincident-peak timing on the largest schedules. The highest-leverage strategies are choosing the right schedule for your load factor, managing peak demand, and shifting load off the 4-8 p.m. on-peak window.
Match schedule to load factor
For: Industrial accounts with high load factor
High, steady loads can qualify for High Load Factor or Coincident Peak schedules with lower energy rates (down to ~$0.042/kWh) versus LPS/Industrial.
Shift load off the on-peak window
For: Accounts on TOU schedules
TOU variants price on-peak demand and energy (4-8 p.m.) higher; shifting load to off-peak lowers both components.
Manage coincident peak
For: Coincident Peak schedule accounts
On CPD/CPS/CPT schedules, demand is billed on the system coincident peak; curtailing during system peaks directly cuts the largest charge.
Use 15-minute data for peak analysis
For: All C&I accounts
Pull granular interval data (SmartHub hourly CSV or the reverse-engineered 15-minute feed) to pinpoint and shave demand peaks.
To implement these strategies, you need your 15-minute interval data. Learn how to download CORE Electric Cooperative interval data →
Frequently Asked Questions
How do CORE commercial and industrial members access interval usage data?▾
Through SmartHub's My Usage > Usage Explorer, which shows hourly and daily consumption with up to 24+ months of history and hourly CSV export. For 15-minute data, only an unofficial reverse-engineered API is available. For bulk exports across multiple accounts, contact CORE Business Development.
Which rate schedule applies to a large commercial or industrial CORE account?▾
CORE offers Large Power Service (LPS) and Industrial (S/SP) schedules, plus High Load Factor (HLF/HLFP) and Coincident Peak (CPD/CPS/CPT) schedules for the largest loads. As of the May 1, 2025 rates, LPS carries a $135/mo service charge, $15.09/kW demand, and $0.06679/kWh energy; Industrial (S) is $270/mo, $21.45/kW, and $0.05658/kWh. Time-of-Use variants exist for most schedules.
Can a third party access CORE data on a customer's behalf?▾
Yes, via a signed Account Access Authorization Form that lets the third party use SmartHub for the customer's account, or via the Building Benchmarking program (Portfolio Manager) for covered buildings. CORE has no public API or OAuth flow; bulk needs route through Business Development.
Does CORE support Green Button or EDI?▾
No. CORE has not enabled Green Button (CMD/DMD) for customers, though its NISC platform supports the standard. There is no publicly documented EDI trading-partner program; CORE may have internal NISC EDI not exposed to third parties. Inquire with Business Development about custom integration options.
How are CORE C&I rates set and how often do they change?▾
CORE is a member-owned cooperative whose elected board approves rate changes (Colorado cooperatives are largely exempt from PUC rate regulation). The most recent changes took effect May 1, 2025, and the board approved an average 6.7% increase effective with January 2026 bills across residential, commercial, and industrial classes.
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