Peace River Electric Cooperative Rate Selection Guide
Peace River Electric Cooperative (PRECO) is a member-owned electric cooperative serving about 66,000 meters across 10 Central Florida counties. C&I customers access billing and usage data through the NISC SmartHub portal, with 15-minute interval data available via an unofficial SmartHub API.
Peace River Electric Cooperative Rate Schedule Comparison
| Schedule | Type | Rate | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| General Service (Non-Demand) | commercial | ~10.77 cents/kWh (EIA-derived commercial avg) | Small commercial accounts with modest, steady load |
| General Service Demand | commercial | Energy charge + per-kW demand charge (see Rate Book) | Mid-size commercial with meaningful peak demand |
| Large Power / Industrial | industrial | ~19.71 cents/kWh (EIA-derived industrial avg) + demand charge | Large industrial loads |
Market Overview
PRECO operates as a not-for-profit, member-owned electric distribution cooperative in Florida's regulated market. There is no competitive retail supplier shopping. The Florida PSC has limited jurisdiction over cooperatives, approving rate structure but not rate level.
Need to pull your actual usage data to compare rates? See the Peace River Electric Cooperative Data Access Guide →
Current Rate Schedules
PRECO's rates are set by its Board of Directors and published in the PRECO Rate Book (effective 2025). Specific commercial and industrial schedule rates are in the rate book; EIA-derived averages indicate commercial customers pay roughly 10.77 cents per kWh (about $379/month average) and industrial customers roughly 19.71 cents per kWh (about $910/month average).
Effective: January 1, 2025 · Full Tariff Book →
| Schedule | Type | Applicability | Structure | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| General Service (Non-Demand) | commercial | Small commercial accounts below the demand threshold. | Monthly customer charge plus energy charge per kWh. EIA-derived commercial average ~10.77 cents/kWh. Exact per-kWh rate published in the PRECO Rate Book (Eff. 2025). | — |
| General Service Demand | commercial | Commercial accounts exceeding the demand threshold. | Monthly customer charge, energy charge per kWh, plus a demand charge per kW of billing demand. Exact rates published in the PRECO Rate Book (Eff. 2025). | — |
| Large Power / Industrial Service | industrial | Large commercial and industrial loads. | Customer charge, energy charge per kWh, and demand charge per kW. EIA-derived industrial average ~19.71 cents/kWh. Exact rates published in the PRECO Rate Book (Eff. 2025). | — |
| Outdoor / Area Lighting | commercial | Commercial and area lighting service. | Fixture-based monthly charges; rates published in PRECO Outdoor Lighting Rates and Rate Book. | — |
Rate Recommendations by Use Case
Mid-size commercial facility on a demand rate
Pull 15-minute interval data to manage monthly peak kW on the General Service Demand schedule.
Demand charges are a large share of the bill; flattening peaks delivers the biggest savings.
- Use the SmartHub API to capture 15-minute data
- Stagger startup of large loads
- Enroll in the Smart Thermostat Credit program
Industrial / large power load
Optimize load factor and demand on the Large Power/Industrial schedule.
Industrial bills are dominated by demand and energy; improving load factor lowers per-kWh cost.
- Continuously monitor interval data
- Consider on-site solar with net metering
- Schedule maintenance/testing after the monthly meter read
Energy consultant managing multiple PRECO accounts
Use the Account Authorization Form plus SmartHub API to centralize multi-site data.
No automated CMD feed exists; authorized SmartHub access plus the API is the only path to interval data.
- Get signed authorization per account
- Capture each serviceLocationNumber
- Automate CSV pulls into your analytics platform
Historical Rate Trends
PRECO has publicly announced multiple rate decreases in recent years, driven by lower wholesale power costs passed through to members.
January 1, 2025
PRECO Rate Book effective 2025 published; PRECO has announced recent rate decreases tied to wholesale power costs.
n/a (amount not published)Overall trend: Recent decreases; PRECO publicized rate reductions ('rates go down again').
Next expected change: Set annually by the Board of Directors; no specific date announced.
Cost Optimization Strategies
For PRECO C&I accounts, the highest-leverage savings come from managing 15-minute peak demand and shifting flexible load, since demand charges drive a large share of the bill.
Peak demand management
For: General Service Demand, Large Power/Industrial
Use 15-minute interval data (via SmartHub API) to identify and flatten peak kW. Stagger large equipment startups to avoid coincident peaks.
Smart thermostat / HVAC scheduling
For: All commercial accounts
Enroll in the Smart Thermostat Credit program and schedule HVAC to limit coincident demand.
Energy audit and efficiency
For: All C&I accounts
Use PRECO's free energy audits to target high-consumption equipment and reduce kWh.
To implement these strategies, you need your 15-minute interval data. Learn how to download Peace River Electric Cooperative interval data →
Frequently Asked Questions
How can a C&I customer at PRECO get 15-minute interval data?▾
The SmartHub web portal exposes hourly usage as CSV. For true 15-minute interval data and cost, customers or their consultants use the unofficial reverse-engineered SmartHub API (e.g., the open-source electric-usage-downloader tool) with SmartHub credentials and the account's serviceLocationNumber. This is not officially supported by PRECO or NISC.
Does PRECO support Green Button Connect My Data for automated third-party access?▾
Not yet. PRECO offers a partial Download My Data equivalent (hourly CSV export from SmartHub) but has not publicly implemented Green Button Connect My Data. NISC has a DOE grant to build Green Button capabilities, but no CMD launch date has been announced.
How does a consultant or aggregator access a PRECO customer's data?▾
PRECO has no automated third-party marketplace. The standard route is the Account Authorization Form: the customer signs authorization, the form is submitted to PRECO, and SmartHub credentials are issued to the third party in roughly 5-10 business days. Authorization is typically renewed annually and can be revoked at any time.
Are PRECO's commercial rates regulated by the Florida PSC?▾
PRECO is a member-owned cooperative. The Florida Public Service Commission approves the cooperative's rate structure but does not regulate its rate level; rates are set by the membership through the Board of Directors. Commercial customers averaged about 10.77 cents per kWh based on EIA-derived data.
Is there retail electric choice on PRECO's system?▾
No. Florida is a regulated, vertically integrated market and PRECO is a not-for-profit cooperative, so there is no competitive retail supplier shopping. All members buy bundled service from PRECO.
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