Denton Municipal Electric Rate Selection Guide
Denton Municipal Electric (DME) is a city-owned public power utility serving roughly 66,600 electric customers in Denton, Texas with 100% renewable energy. As a municipal utility outside ERCOT retail competition, DME sets its own rates and offers daily usage data through MyUsage.com, though it lacks Green Button, EDI, and native API access.
Denton Municipal Electric Rate Schedule Comparison
| Schedule | Type | Rate | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| General Service Small (GS) | commercial | $16.85-$22.50/mo facility + $0.0865/$0.0453 per kWh tiered | Small offices, retail, and light commercial under 21 kW. |
| General Service Medium (GM) | commercial | $16.85-$22.50/mo facility + $4.85/kW demand + $0.0531/$0.0438 per kWh | Mid-size commercial with 21-239 kW demand. |
| General Service Large (GL) | industrial | $70.10/mo facility + $10.96/kVA demand + $0.0249/$0.0142 per kWh | Large facilities and industrial loads at/above 240 kW. |
| General Service TOU (TG) | industrial | $81.75/mo facility + $13.97/kVA on-peak demand + $0.0083 per kWh | Large loads able to shift demand off peak. |
Market Overview
DME is a city-owned municipal utility. Customers in DME's territory are not part of ERCOT retail competition and cannot select a competitive retail electric provider. Rates are established by Denton City Council ordinance and overseen by the Public Utilities Board.
Need to pull your actual usage data to compare rates? See the Denton Municipal Electric Data Access Guide →
Current Rate Schedules
DME's FY2025-26 General Service tariffs (set by City Council ordinance, effective October 1) apply to C&I customers. Bills combine a per-bill Facility Charge, a Usage Charge per kWh (tiered), and for medium/large/TOU accounts a Demand Charge based on the maximum kW (or kVA) in any 15-minute interval. Rates below are verified from the FY2025-26 rate ordinance.
Effective: October 1, 2025 · Full Tariff Book →
| Schedule | Type | Applicability | Structure | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| General Service Small (GS) | commercial | Small commercial accounts below the medium-demand threshold (under 21 kW). | Facility Charge $16.85/mo single-phase, $22.50 three-phase. Usage Charge: Tier 1 first 2,500 kWh $0.0865/kWh, Tier 2 additional $0.0453/kWh. No demand charge. | — |
| General Service Medium (GM) | commercial | Demand of 21 kW to under 240 kW in each of the previous twelve months. | Facility Charge $16.85 single-phase / $22.50 three-phase. Demand Charge $4.85/kW. Usage Charge (GM): Tier 1 first 6,000 kWh $0.0531/kWh, Tier 2 $0.0438/kWh (lower GM2/GM3 voltage tiers also published). | — |
| General Service Large (GL) | industrial | Demand at or above 240 kW in two consecutive months; large C&I / industrial. | Facility Charge $70.10 three-phase. Demand Charge $10.96/kVA. Usage Charge (GL): Tier 1 first 200,000 kWh $0.0249/kWh, Tier 2 $0.0142/kWh (lower GL2/GL3 primary/transmission tiers also published). | — |
| General Service Time-of-Use (TG) | industrial | Large C&I accounts electing time-of-use demand pricing. | Facility Charge $81.75. On-Peak Demand Charge $13.97/kVA. Usage Charge (TG) $0.0083/kWh all kWh (lower TG2/TG3 voltage tiers also published). Separate on-peak/off-peak demand applies (250 kVA minimum). | — |
Rate Recommendations by Use Case
Mid-size commercial facility (21-239 kW)
Offices, retail centers, and light manufacturing on the GM schedule should focus on demand management since the $4.85/kW charge is billed on the single peak interval.
GM demand billing rewards flattening the load profile; energy is tiered and declines after 6,000 kWh.
- Monitor daily usage on MyUsage.com
- Stagger HVAC and equipment startups
- Request 15-minute interval data from DME for a demand audit
Large facility / industrial load (240 kW+)
Large C&I customers on GL face a $10.96/kVA demand charge, so power factor and peak control are the dominant levers.
Demand on a kVA basis penalizes poor power factor; declining energy tiers reward high, steady consumption.
- Install power-factor correction to reduce billed kVA
- Pursue voltage-level GL2/GL3 sub-rates if you own facilities
- Engage a consultant to pull data via aggregator for interval analysis
Flexible/shiftable load operations
Facilities that can move load off peak should evaluate the Time-of-Use (TG) schedule to avoid the $13.97/kVA on-peak demand charge.
TG separates on-peak and off-peak demand; loads run off peak avoid the steep on-peak charge.
- Map operations against on-peak windows
- Automate load shifting where feasible
- Compare TG vs GL modeling before switching
Multi-site energy/data team
Because DME has no Green Button, EDI, or customer API, energy teams should standardize on Invoice Cloud PDF/portal data plus MyUsage daily data, supplemented by Nectar's API.
Portal-based access is the only utility path; planning around it avoids surprises during onboarding.
- Use Nectar's API for DME billing data — see docs.nectarclimate.com
- Request extended history from (940) 349-8700
- Budget manual effort for data collection across sites
Historical Rate Trends
After holding base rates flat for seven years, DME began a multi-year sequence of increases. The City Council approved an increase in March 2024 and a further increase in July 2024, with additional base increases proposed for 2025 and the following years to keep pace with wholesale power and infrastructure costs.
March 21, 2024
City Council approved DME's first base-rate increase in seven years.
+5.5%July 16, 2024
Council approved a second increase roughly four months after the March hike.
n/aOctober 1, 2025
FY2025-26 rate ordinance establishing current General Service schedules.
n/aOverall trend: Rising. Base rates increased in March and July 2024 after seven years flat; further annual increases proposed through the FY2025-26 ordinance.
Next expected change: Additional base-rate increases proposed for FY2026-27 and beyond as part of DME's multi-year cost-recovery plan; review the annual rate ordinance each October.
Cost Optimization Strategies
Because DME C&I bills are demand-driven, the highest-leverage strategies center on shaving the single peak 15-minute interval and shifting load away from on-peak periods on the TOU schedule.
Peak Demand Management
For: GM, GL, TG accounts
Stagger equipment startups and use load controls to lower the maximum 15-minute kW/kVA interval that sets the monthly demand charge.
Time-of-Use Load Shifting
For: TG accounts
On the TG schedule, shift discretionary load to off-peak windows to avoid the on-peak demand charge.
Voltage-Level Optimization
For: GM, GL accounts with customer-owned facilities
Customers who own primary/transmission-voltage facilities qualify for lower GM2/GM3 and GL2/GL3 energy tiers.
Daily Usage Monitoring
For: All C&I accounts
Use MyUsage.com daily data and alerts to catch consumption anomalies before they show up on the bill.
To implement these strategies, you need your 15-minute interval data. Learn how to download Denton Municipal Electric interval data →
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a Denton C&I customer choose a competitive retail electric provider?▾
No. DME is a city-owned municipal utility and its territory is not part of ERCOT retail competition. C&I customers take service under DME's published General Service tariff schedules set by City Council ordinance.
How are commercial demand charges calculated?▾
Demand is the maximum kW (GM) or kVA (GL, TG) recorded in any 15-minute interval during the billing period. GM is $4.85/kW, GL is $10.96/kVA, and TG on-peak demand is $13.97/kVA (FY2025-26).
Can a third party or consultant get interval data programmatically?▾
Not via a native utility API. DME has no Green Button, ESPI, or customer API. Daily usage is available through MyUsage.com, and 15-minute interval data can be requested manually from DME at (940) 349-8700. Nectar provides API access to this utility's billing data — see docs.nectarclimate.com.
Does DME support EDI for billing automation?▾
No. DME does not support ANSI X12 EDI transactions (814/820/867/810). C&I customers download statements from Invoice Cloud and integrate manually, or use Nectar's API (docs.nectarclimate.com).
Which schedule applies to a large facility above 240 kW?▾
General Service Large (GL): $70.10/mo facility charge, $10.96/kVA demand charge, and tiered energy at $0.0249/$0.0142 per kWh. Customers owning primary/transmission facilities may qualify for lower GL2/GL3 tiers.
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