Delta-Montrose Electric Association (DMEA) Rate Selection Guide
Delta-Montrose Electric Association (DMEA), founded in 1938, is a member-owned cooperative serving roughly 36,900 accounts across Montrose, Delta, and Gunnison counties in southwest Colorado. AMI meters capture 15-minute interval data, accessible hourly through the NISC SmartHub portal (with 15-minute extraction possible via community-built tools); Colorado rule 4 CCR 723-4-4027 backs customer-authorized third-party access, but DMEA has no Green Button, EDI, or official API.
Market Overview
DMEA is a member-owned distribution cooperative in Colorado's regulated retail market — no supplier choice exists. Rates are set by the member-elected board and posted online per C.R.S. 40-9.5-108.5; Colorado rule 4 CCR 723-4-4027 guarantees member access to standard customer data and customer-authorized third-party access within the utility's technological capability.
Need to pull your actual usage data to compare rates? See the Delta-Montrose Electric Association (DMEA) Data Access Guide →
Current Rate Schedules
Delta-Montrose Electric Association (DMEA) rates effective January 1, 2026 — the board's first increase in six years (7.49% average across the membership). All rates combine a fixed monthly access fee with a flat energy charge; large commercial and industrial accounts also pay a member demand charge based on the 30-minute peak during the month. Residential and small commercial time-of-use rates were discontinued with the 2026 tariff. Full rate tables are published at dmea.com/rates.
Effective: January 1, 2026 · Full Tariff Book →
| Schedule | Type | Applicability | Structure | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Small Commercial (SC20 / SC23) | commercial | Small business accounts; SC20 single-phase, SC23 three-phase. | Monthly access fee of $46.50 (single-phase) or $63.50 (three-phase) plus a flat energy charge of $0.111/kWh. No demand charge. Idle service charge applies to inactive meters ($35-$48/month). | $0.11100/kWh energy charge |
| Large Commercial (LC30 / LC305) | commercial | Larger commercial accounts with demand metering. | $150.00 monthly access fee, $0.06741/kWh energy charge, and a $13.85/kW member demand charge based on the 30-minute period of greatest use during the month. Idle service charge $112.50/month. | $0.06741/kWh energy charge+ $13.85/kW (30-minute peak) |
| Industrial - Distribution Voltage 12 kV (Rate Tariff 4) | industrial | Industrial members taking service at 12 kV distribution voltage; a standby variant applies to members with behind-the-meter qualifying cogeneration. | $150 monthly access fee plus per-kWh energy charge and per-kW member demand charge (30-minute peak). The 2026 tariff raised industrial energy and demand charges from the prior $0.06544/kWh and $12.29/kW levels; standby demand charges apply to cogeneration capacity. See dmea.com/rates for current figures. | —+ Per-kW member demand charge on 30-minute peak; standby demand charge for cogeneration members — see tariff for current rates |
| Commercial EV Charging (EV01) | ev | Dedicated commercial EV charging service. | $150.00 access fee with $0.18335/kWh energy charge and a reduced demand charge of $2.15/kW, designed to soften demand-charge impact on low-load-factor DC fast charging. | $0.18335/kWh+ $2.15/kW |
Rate Recommendations by Use Case
Retail, office, and light commercial under ~50 kW
Storefronts, offices, and small shops in Delta and Montrose counties fit the Small Commercial schedules (SC20/SC23), which carry no demand charge.
At $0.111/kWh flat with a $46.50-$63.50 access fee and no demand component, small commercial billing is purely volumetric — efficiency directly cuts the bill, and there is no peak-timing penalty since TOU rates were discontinued in 2026.
- Compare your annualized cost against Large Commercial if your load is growing past ~50 kW — the demand-rate crossover can favor LC30 for high-load-factor accounts
- Disconnect or consolidate idle meters to avoid the $35-$48/month idle service charge
- Use DMEA SmartHub interval data to track consumption trends
Manufacturing, processing, and large facilities
Demand-metered accounts on Large Commercial (LC30/LC305) or the Industrial 12 kV tariff pay a low energy rate but a meaningful $13.85/kW demand charge.
The LC energy charge ($0.06741/kWh) is roughly 40% below small commercial, but the demand charge means a single 30-minute peak sets a major bill component. Facilities able to flatten load capture the cheap energy rate without demand penalties.
- Demand is set by your single highest 30-minute interval — stagger motor starts and pre-cool before shifts
- High-load-factor operations (24/7 processing) benefit most from this rate structure
- Industrial members with on-site cogeneration should model the standby demand charge before interconnecting
Fleet electrification and public EV charging
Commercial EV charging sites should take service under DMEA's EV01 rate rather than standard commercial demand rates.
DC fast chargers create high peaks at low load factor — punishing under a $13.85/kW demand charge. EV01 trades a higher energy rate ($0.18335/kWh) for a $2.15/kW demand charge, which usually wins for utilization below roughly 15-20%.
- Model EV01 vs. LC30 at your expected utilization — high-utilization depot charging can flip back in favor of LC30
- Meter EV charging separately from building load to qualify
- Managed charging software that staggers vehicle charging cuts the residual demand component
Agricultural irrigation and rural operations
Irrigation pumping loads in the Uncompahgre Valley take service under DMEA's irrigation rate class, with seasonal billing patterns.
Irrigation rates were among the classes adjusted in the January 2026 tariff. Pumping loads are large, seasonal, and schedulable — making them well suited to demand coordination across multiple pumps.
- Avoid running all pumps simultaneously; rotate pump schedules to cap the 30-minute peak
- Verify VFD-equipped pumps for both energy savings and demand reduction
- Review the current irrigation tariff at dmea.com/rates before each season — see tariff for current rates
Cost Optimization Strategies
DMEA's January 2026 tariff (7.49% average increase) raised access fees and large commercial/industrial energy and demand charges while discontinuing residential and small commercial TOU options. With flat energy rates across the board, C&I savings now come from demand management on LC/industrial schedules, correct rate-class selection, and efficiency — not time-shifting.
30-minute peak demand control
For: Large Commercial and Industrial demand-billed accounts
LC30/LC305 and industrial members pay $13.85/kW (LC) on the single highest 30-minute interval each month. Sequence equipment startups, interlock large loads, and use SmartHub interval data to identify and shave the monthly peak.
Rate class optimization at the SC/LC boundary
For: Commercial accounts near the small/large commercial threshold
Small commercial pays $0.111/kWh with no demand charge; large commercial pays $0.06741/kWh plus $13.85/kW. High-load-factor accounts save on LC; peaky low-usage accounts may do better on SC. Run the crossover math annually using actual billing determinants.
EV01 rate election for charging infrastructure
For: Businesses installing fleet or public EV charging
Sites adding EV charging should separately meter chargers under EV01 ($2.15/kW demand vs. $13.85/kW) to avoid demand-charge blowouts from DC fast charging at low utilization.
Idle meter cleanup
For: Multi-site and multi-meter commercial members
DMEA bills idle service charges of $35-$112.50/month on inactive meters depending on rate class. Audit multi-meter sites and formally disconnect services that are no longer needed.
Net metering and on-site generation review
For: Members considering solar, storage, or cogeneration
DMEA credits net-metered exports at posted avoided cost (updated annually) rather than the retail rate, and industrial cogeneration triggers a standby demand charge. Model solar or CHP economics against avoided-cost credits and standby charges before building — see tariff for current rates.
To implement these strategies, you need your 15-minute interval data. Learn how to download Delta-Montrose Electric Association (DMEA) interval data →
Frequently Asked Questions
How do C&I customers get interval data from DMEA?▾
DMEA's AMI meters record 15-minute intervals where deployed. SmartHub (https://dmea.smarthub.coop) shows hourly consumption with daily refresh; since January 2024 CSV exports are hourly only. True 15-minute extraction requires the open-source electric-usage-downloader tool against the reverse-engineered NISC SmartHub API, or a negotiated export through Energy Services (rod.geiger@dmea.com). Retention is typically 24+ months.
Can a consultant or aggregator access DMEA member data?▾
Yes, under Colorado rule 4 CCR 723-4-4027, with customer authorization. Practical paths: the member shares SmartHub data or tool-exported CSVs directly; a signed authorization letter to csrs@dmea.com for C&I accounts; or, for large portfolios, a negotiated Data Access Agreement through Energy Services defining data types, frequency, and delivery method (SFTP/batch). Board escalation is possible for significant programs.
Does DMEA support Green Button or an official API?▾
No. DMEA is not in the Green Button Alliance directory, ESPI is not advertised, and Colorado does not mandate Green Button. The only programmatic route is the undocumented NISC SmartHub API, which community tools have reverse-engineered for 15-minute data — best run by the customer themselves rather than sharing credentials.
Does DMEA support EDI for large commercial accounts?▾
Unknown — no EDI trading partner documentation is published. The NISC billing backend may support EDI for large accounts; ask 877-687-3632 or rod.geiger@dmea.com which transaction sets (814/820/867/810) are supported, the enrollment process, and connection method. Expect a 5-10 business day response.
What data rights do DMEA members have under Colorado law?▾
Under 4 CCR 723-4-4027, members get free access to their standard billing and consumption data (available 24/7 in SmartHub) and can authorize third parties to receive it within DMEA's technological capability. Non-standard data — extended history, demand readings, custom reports — may incur costs and takes 5-10 business days via csrs@dmea.com.
Can DMEA members choose a competitive electricity supplier?▾
No. Colorado is a regulated retail state and DMEA is a cooperative under C.R.S. 40-9.5-101 with board-set, publicly posted rates. Cost optimization focuses on rate review, Budget Billing/My Choice plans, net metering for on-site generation, and using interval data to manage demand.
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