Corn Belt Energy Corporation Rate Selection Guide
Corn Belt Energy Corporation is the largest not-for-profit electric cooperative in Illinois, serving 37,000+ members across 18 Central Illinois counties with power from Wabash Valley Power Alliance. Its NISC SmartHub portal supports Green Button Download My Data with up to 14 months of hourly interval data, and Illinois law (220 ILCS 5/16-122) gives authorized third parties a legal path to billing and interval data.
Market Overview
Corn Belt Energy is a not-for-profit distribution cooperative outside Illinois' retail choice framework. Members cannot switch to a retail electric supplier; the cooperative provides bundled service with wholesale power from Wabash Valley Power Alliance (WVPA), and the board sets rates including the Rate 11 load control and Rate 1-EV time-of-use options.
Need to pull your actual usage data to compare rates? See the Corn Belt Energy Corporation Data Access Guide →
Current Rate Schedules
Corn Belt Energy sets rates through its member-elected board (not the Illinois Commerce Commission) and buys wholesale power from Wabash Valley Power Alliance, with a wholesale power cost adjustment flowing through to all kWh. The rate book splits commercial service by phase and demand: Rate 3 (single-phase commercial), Rate 4 (three-phase commercial), Rate 5 (three-phase commercial over 50 kW with demand billing), and interruptible options at Rate 6 (over 50 kW) and Rate 9 (over 400 kW) that trade curtailment ability for lower pricing. Average realized residential rates run about 13-16¢/kWh. Current per-kWh, facility, and demand charges are published as rate sheets on the cooperative's rates page — see tariff for current figures, and note that historical sheets show separate Northern and Central region pricing.
Effective: January 1, 2025 · Full Tariff Book →
| Schedule | Type | Applicability | Structure | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rate 3 / Rate 4 – General Service Commercial | commercial | Single-phase (Rate 3) and three-phase (Rate 4) commercial accounts below the 50 kW demand threshold | Facility charge plus energy rate with wholesale power cost adjustment; no demand charge below 50 kW. See current rate sheets on the cooperative's rates page. | — |
| Rate 5 – General Service over 50 kW | commercial | Three-phase commercial accounts with demand exceeding 50 kW | Facility charge, per-kW demand charge, and energy charge plus wholesale power cost adjustment. Demand billing follows standard cooperative practice (highest measured interval demand). See tariff for current rates. | —+ Per-kW above 50 kW; see rate sheet |
| Rate 6 / Rate 9 – Interruptible Commercial Service | industrial | Rate 6: commercial loads over 50 kW; Rate 9: commercial/industrial loads over 400 kW — both willing to curtail on cooperative request | Discounted demand and/or energy pricing in exchange for agreeing to interrupt load during system peaks or supply constraints. Grain dryers, irrigation, and process loads with flexibility are the classic fits. See tariff and member agreement for current rates and curtailment terms. | —+ Discounted vs firm service; see rate sheet |
| Rate 1-EV – Electric Vehicle Time-of-Use | ev | Residential and farm single-phase services ≤400 amps with a BEV or PHEV (any manufacturer, Level I or II charging) | $35.00 service availability charge; on-peak energy $0.185/kWh (2-7 p.m. weekdays); off-peak energy $0.030/kWh (all other hours, weekends, and NERC holidays) applied to ALL household kWh, not just EV charging; plus wholesale power cost adjustment. | $0.030/kWh off-peak / $0.185/kWh on-peak |
Rate Recommendations by Use Case
Grain elevators, dryers, and agricultural processing
Central Illinois ag operations with seasonal, curtailable loads are the textbook fit for Corn Belt's interruptible Rate 6 (>50 kW) and Rate 9 (>400 kW).
Grain drying peaks in fall, largely outside summer system peaks, so accepting interruption rights costs little operationally while earning discounted demand/energy pricing versus firm Rate 5 service.
- Compare firm Rate 5 vs interruptible Rate 6/9 bills using a full year of SmartHub interval data
- Confirm curtailment notice periods and frequency in the member agreement before switching
- Maintain power factor on large motor loads — cooperative rate sheets typically include PF provisions
Retail, office, and light commercial under 50 kW
Small businesses in Bloomington-Normal's surrounding territory take Rate 3 or Rate 4 depending on phase, with simple facility-plus-energy billing.
Below 50 kW there is no demand charge, so the wholesale power cost adjustment is the main bill variable. Accounts growing toward 50 kW should plan for Rate 5's demand component before crossing the line.
- Use SmartHub hourly usage to watch peak demand as load grows toward 50 kW
- Budget for the wholesale power cost adjustment, which tracks WVPA costs
- Ask member services for a rate comparison if your demand regularly approaches the threshold
Commercial and farm EV / fleet charging
Rate 1-EV's $0.030/kWh off-peak price — applied to all household/farm kWh, not just the vehicle — is one of the most aggressive TOU spreads in Illinois.
Off-peak energy at 3¢/kWh vs 18.5¢ on-peak (2-7 p.m. weekdays) rewards anyone who can shift usage to evenings, mornings, weekends, and NERC holidays. For a farm or home-office operation with schedulable load, the whole-account discount compounds the EV savings.
- Schedule charging and major appliance use after 7 p.m. or before 2 p.m. weekdays
- Remember weekends and NERC holidays are entirely off-peak
- Verify your service qualifies: single-phase, ≤400 amp residential/farm service
Demand-metered commercial facilities (50-400 kW)
Mid-size facilities on Rate 5 should treat demand management and the Rate 11-style load control options as their primary cost levers.
Once demand billing applies, the monthly peak drives a meaningful share of the bill. Corn Belt's AMI deployment gives hourly visibility in SmartHub, making peak identification and equipment sequencing practical without extra hardware.
- Pull hourly interval data from SmartHub to find which hours set your billed demand
- Stagger HVAC and motor starts to flatten the measured peak
- Ask about load control / demand response programs (the cooperative runs radio-controlled switch programs) for bill credits
Cost Optimization Strategies
Savings levers for Corn Belt Energy members center on demand response participation, time-of-use alignment, and using hourly Green Button data to find efficiency opportunities.
Shift load off the 4-8 PM peak
For: Time-of-use rate members
Members on time-of-use rates see on-peak hours (4-8 PM) highlighted in SmartHub; shifting flexible load off-peak lowers energy cost.
Use Green Button hourly data for efficiency baselining
For: All members, especially commercial accounts
Download 14 months of hourly XML to baseline usage before and after retrofits, and use SmartHub event markers to verify savings.
Enroll in billing credits
For: All members
AutoPay and paperless billing each earn a $10 bill credit.
Watch for Rate 11 load control reopening
For: Residential members
The interruptible load control program delivers 11-14% annual bill reductions but is at capacity as of 2025; join the waitlist via Member Services.
To implement these strategies, you need your 15-minute interval data. Learn how to download Corn Belt Energy Corporation interval data →
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I download hourly interval data from Corn Belt Energy?▾
Log into SmartHub at https://cornbeltenergy.smarthub.coop/, open the My Usage tab, and click Green Button Download My Data. Select up to 14 months of history and download a ZIP of NAESB ESPI-compliant XML containing hourly kWh intervals with UTC timestamps. Parse it in Excel Power Query, Python, or any Green Button-compatible tool - there is no native CSV export.
Can a consultant or aggregator access a member's Corn Belt Energy data?▾
Yes, two ways. Fastest: the member downloads the Green Button XML and shares it directly. Formal: under Illinois 220 ILCS 5/16-122, the member signs an authorization naming the third party, which submits it with business credentials to Member Services (309-662-5330); the cooperative responds in 5-10 business days with email delivery, temporary portal access, or a bulk export.
Does Corn Belt Energy offer an API or Green Button Connect?▾
No public API or developer portal exists, and Green Button Connect My Data (OAuth-based recurring sharing) is not confirmed. The NISC SmartHub platform can support it, so ask the cooperative directly. Today, programmatic access means Green Button XML downloads plus statute-backed authorization requests.
Does Corn Belt Energy support EDI for supplier switching or meter data?▾
No. The cooperative sits outside Illinois' retail choice market (which covers only ComEd and Ameren territories), so there is no 814/820/867 EDI program. Structured data needs are handled via SmartHub downloads or custom reports from Member Services.
Can C&I members shop for a competitive electricity supplier?▾
No. Illinois retail choice does not extend to rural cooperatives; all Corn Belt Energy members take bundled service with wholesale power from Wabash Valley Power Alliance. Cost optimization instead focuses on time-of-use alignment (4-8 PM peak), demand response, and rate selection.
How much history does Corn Belt Energy retain?▾
SmartHub shows 13 months of billing history and up to 14 months of hourly interval data via Green Button download. Longer-term analysis requires an archival data request through Member Services at 309-662-5330, which may carry a reasonable fee under Illinois statute.
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