Mid-Carolina Electric Cooperative Rate Selection Guide
Mid-Carolina Electric Cooperative is a member-owned electric cooperative serving roughly 60,000 meters across central South Carolina. Running NISC SmartHub on an AMI system deployed in 2003, it offers solid data access including billing history, interval/usage downloads, and Green Button (ESPI) export with Connect My Data support — but no documented EDI or public developer API.
Mid-Carolina Electric Cooperative Rate Schedule Comparison
| Schedule | Type | Rate | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Schedule C — Commercial Service | commercial | ~12.15¢/kWh avg (TOU + demand for larger accounts) | General commercial members |
| Schedule M — Industrial Service | industrial | ~8.60¢/kWh avg + kW demand charge | Industrial facilities with steady load |
| Schedule X — Large Power Service | industrial | Energy + demand multi-part (see PDF) | Large-power, high-demand members |
Market Overview
South Carolina is a regulated market with no retail choice. Mid-Carolina Electric Cooperative is the sole electric provider in its territory; C&I members cannot pick a competitive supplier. Rates are set by the member-elected Board of Trustees, with power purchased wholesale (primarily via Central Electric Power Cooperative). The SC Public Service Commission has limited jurisdiction over cooperatives.
Need to pull your actual usage data to compare rates? See the Mid-Carolina Electric Cooperative Data Access Guide →
Current Rate Schedules
Mid-Carolina's commercial and industrial rates use multi-part structures: a fixed facilities/customer charge, energy charges per kWh (often with on-peak/off-peak TOU components), and demand charges per kW for larger accounts. Per EIA-derived data, the average commercial rate is approximately 12.15¢/kWh and the average industrial rate approximately 8.60¢/kWh. On-peak windows are summer (Apr 1–Sep 30) 3–6 PM and winter (Oct 1–Mar 31) 6–9 AM. Exact charges per schedule are published in the rate schedule PDFs.
Effective: January 1, 2026 · Full Tariff Book →
| Schedule | Type | Applicability | Structure | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Schedule C — Commercial Service | commercial | General commercial members. | Multi-part: facilities/customer charge + energy charge per kWh (with TOU on-peak/off-peak components) + demand charge for qualifying accounts. Average commercial rate ~12.15¢/kWh (EIA-derived). See schedule PDF for exact charges. | — |
| Schedule M — Industrial Service | industrial | Industrial members. | Energy charge per kWh + kW demand charge (15-minute interval) + facilities charge. Average industrial rate ~8.60¢/kWh (EIA-derived). See schedule PDF for exact charges. | — |
| Schedule X — Large Power Service | industrial | Large-power members with substantial demand. | Demand-driven multi-part rate with energy + kW demand charges; structure per the published Large Power Service schedule. | — |
| Schedule U / U-TOU — Agricultural Irrigation | agricultural | Agricultural irrigation members. | Specialized irrigation rate with time-of-use option (U-TOU) and seasonal on-peak/off-peak pricing. | — |
Rate Recommendations by Use Case
Commercial member on Schedule C with TOU
Shift discretionary load out of the narrow on-peak windows to capture off-peak energy pricing.
On-peak windows are only a few hours (summer 3–6 PM; winter 6–9 AM), so even modest load-shifting yields measurable energy savings at ~12.15¢/kWh average.
- Pre-cool before 3 PM in summer
- Schedule equipment runs off-peak
- Track usage and peaks in SmartHub
Industrial member on Schedule M or X
Prioritize 15-minute demand-peak shaving alongside off-peak load shifting.
At ~8.60¢/kWh average energy, demand charges become the dominant variable cost; trimming the 15-minute peak delivers the biggest savings.
- Stagger large-motor and process start-ups
- Use Green Button interval data to find peaks
- Consider on-site solar to cut daytime demand
Energy consultant or aggregator needing member data
Use Green Button Connect My Data for automated, revocable access to 15-minute interval data.
Mid-Carolina's NISC SmartHub supports Green Button CMD (OAuth2) and ESPI XML export, giving consultants clean 15-minute data without manual handoffs; the traditional authorization form is the fallback.
- Have the member authorize you via Connect My Data in SmartHub
- Register with NISC's partner program if not listed
- Fall back to the signed Account Authorization form if needed
Multi-site facility manager benchmarking locations
Pull billing and 15-minute usage across sites to benchmark and target the worst performers.
With CSV billing exports and Green Button interval data per account, multi-site portfolios can rank sites by demand and TOU exposure and prioritize interventions.
- Export Green Button XML per site for apples-to-apples comparison
- Authorize a single consultant via CMD across accounts
- Focus first on sites with the highest on-peak demand
Historical Rate Trends
Mid-Carolina rates are adjusted by its Board of Trustees and reflect wholesale power costs from Central Electric Power Cooperative. The cooperative publishes rate adjustment notices on its website.
January 1, 2024
Periodic rate adjustment reflecting wholesale power cost changes; details published on the cooperative's Rate Adjustment page. Specific percentage not verified in public sources.
n/aOverall trend: Generally rising with wholesale power costs, consistent with regional cooperatives.
Next expected change: Adjustments announced via the Rate Adjustment page; check mcecoop.com/rate-adjustment/ for current notices.
Cost Optimization Strategies
Because Mid-Carolina C&I rates combine TOU energy pricing with demand charges, the largest savings come from shifting load out of narrow on-peak windows and shaving the 15-minute demand peak — both of which 15-minute Green Button data makes measurable.
Shift load off-peak
For: TOU commercial and industrial accounts
On-peak windows are narrow (summer 3–6 PM; winter 6–9 AM). Scheduling HVAC pre-cooling, equipment runs, and charging outside these windows moves energy to lower off-peak rates.
Shave the 15-minute demand peak
For: Demand-metered commercial/industrial accounts
Demand charges bill on the highest 15-minute kW interval. Staggering equipment start-up and limiting coincident loads reduces the billed peak; use Green Button interval data to pinpoint peaks.
Use Green Button interval data for analytics
For: Data-driven commercial/industrial members and consultants
Export 15-minute ESPI data (or automate via Connect My Data) into energy analytics to identify waste, verify TOU savings, and benchmark across sites.
Evaluate on-site solar with net metering
For: Members with suitable roof/site and capital
Mid-Carolina offers net metering, so on-site solar can offset on-peak energy charges and reduce daytime demand, improving C&I economics.
To implement these strategies, you need your 15-minute interval data. Learn how to download Mid-Carolina Electric Cooperative interval data →
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a commercial customer or consultant get 15-minute interval data from Mid-Carolina?▾
Yes. Mid-Carolina's NISC SmartHub supports Green Button Download My Data (ESPI XML at 15-minute granularity, up to 14 months) for self-service, and Green Button Connect My Data (OAuth2) so an authorized third party can pull interval data automatically. Hourly/daily CSV exports are also available, and an undocumented SmartHub REST/JSON endpoint exists for technical integrations.
Which rate schedules apply to commercial and industrial members?▾
Schedule C covers Commercial Service, Schedule M covers Industrial Service, and Schedule X covers Large Power Service; Schedule U/U-TOU covers Agricultural Irrigation and Schedule D is residential TOU. Schedule PDFs are published at mcecoop.com/my-account/rates-regulations/. Per EIA-derived data, the average commercial rate is about 12.15¢/kWh and the average industrial rate about 8.60¢/kWh.
Does Mid-Carolina support EDI for commercial billing?▾
No published EDI support. South Carolina is a regulated, no-retail-choice market, so supplier-switching EDI is not applicable. The Service Rules mention electronic bill payment only. For automated data, use Green Button CMD, the SmartHub API, or CSV exports, or contact economicdevelopment@mcecoop.com.
How does a third party get ongoing access to a member's data?▾
The streamlined path is Green Button Connect My Data: the member authorizes your organization in SmartHub via OAuth2 for a ~12-month, revocable term. If CMD is unavailable for your firm, use the traditional Account Authorization form (mailed to P.O. Box 669, Lexington, SC), processed in ~5–10 business days.
How are commercial demand charges and TOU windows structured?▾
Demand-metered commercial/industrial accounts include kW demand charges captured on 15-minute intervals, plus on-peak/off-peak energy pricing. On-peak windows are summer (Apr 1–Sep 30) 3–6 PM and winter (Oct 1–Mar 31) 6–9 AM. Shifting load off-peak and shaving demand peaks are the main levers for C&I savings; see the rate schedule PDFs for exact charges.
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