Bandera Electric Cooperative Data Access Guide
Bandera Electric Cooperative (BEC) is a member-owned electric cooperative founded in 1938, serving roughly 42,000 meters across a seven-county region of the Texas Hill Country. Data access is member-facing only — the myBEC portal (NISC SmartHub) and the Apolloware real-time analytics platform — with no Green Button, EDI, public API, or third-party data-sharing programs.
How to Get Your Bandera Electric Cooperative Data: All Access Methods
| Method | 1st Party | 3rd Party | Customer Types | Data Types | Latency | Format |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| myBEC portal (NISC SmartHub) | ✓ | — | All members (residential and commercial) | Bills, monthly usage, payment history | Same day (portal) | PDF / dashboard view |
| Apolloware (Energy Saver Program) | ✓ | — | Members enrolled in Energy Saver Program | Real-time kW, appliance-level consumption, recommendations | Real-time | App/portal only (no export) |
| Manual bill sharing | — | ✓ | Consultants/aggregators with member authorization | PDF bills, monthly usage | 1-3 weeks (manual) | PDF / email |
| Member Relations special request | ✓ | ✓ | Commercial / portfolio managers | Bulk billing summaries (case-by-case) | Negotiated; not guaranteed |
Billing Data Access
Billing data is accessed through myBEC, BEC's web and mobile self-service portal built on the NISC SmartHub platform. Members can view and pay current and historical bills (PDF), see monthly usage overviews, and manage notifications. There is no CSV/XML export, no bulk download, and no third-party authorization workflow — consultants must rely on members manually downloading and sharing bills.
What Data Is on Your Bandera Electric Cooperative Bill
- Current and historical bills (PDF)
- Monthly electricity usage overview
- Payment history
- Outage and billing notifications
How to Download Bandera Electric Cooperative Bills (Business & Commercial)
- 01Register each commercial account in myBEC at https://bandera.smarthub.coop/Login.html
- 02Download monthly bills as PDF per account (no bulk export)
- 03For multi-property portfolios, call Member Relations at (866) 226-3372, Option 3 to request bulk billing reports or email delivery (not guaranteed)
- 04For C&I or distributed generation questions, call Distribution Design at (866) 226-3372, Option 1 then Option 4
- 05Provide written customer authorization for any third-party data request
How to Download Bandera Electric Cooperative Bills (Residential)
- 01Go to https://bandera.smarthub.coop/Login.html
- 02Register for a myBEC account with your account number and email
- 03Set a password and security questions
- 04Open the dashboard to view current bill, due date, and usage overview
- 05Use the Billing History tab to download prior bills as PDF
Third-Party Access to Bandera Electric Cooperative Billing Data
Manual bill sharing (only supported path)
- 01Obtain written authorization from the member
- 02Member logs into myBEC and downloads bills as PDF
- 03Member emails bills to the consultant or platform
- 04Consultant imports data into analysis software manually
Member Relations special arrangement
- 01Call Member Relations at (866) 226-3372, Option 3
- 02Provide the member's account number and written authorization
- 03Request read-only access or recurring email delivery of billing summaries
- 04Note: process is not formalized and accommodation is not guaranteed
Want to understand the charges on your bill?
See the Bandera Electric Cooperative Rate Schedules & Tariff Guide →Interval Data & Smart Meters
BEC has deployed AMI-capable smart meters that collect 15-minute interval data into the NISC SmartHub backend, but fine-grained interval data is not exposed through the standard myBEC interface — members see daily/monthly summaries only. Real-time and appliance-level data is available solely to Energy Saver Program participants via the proprietary Apolloware platform, which has no external export or API.
How to Download Bandera Electric Cooperative Interval Data via Green Button
Interval data is essential for rate comparison and TOU analysis.
See which Bandera Electric Cooperative rate schedule is best for your usage pattern →Third-Party API Access
Despite a sophisticated AWS-backed data stack (Kinesis, EMR, Redshift, IoT Events) powering Apolloware, BEC publishes no developer portal, OAuth framework, webhooks, or B2B endpoints. Unofficial reverse-engineered NISC SmartHub endpoints exist in open-source projects but are unsupported and may violate terms of service.
How to Register as a Bandera Electric Cooperative API Vendor
- 01Obtain written authorization from the member
- 02Have the member download and forward PDF bills from myBEC
- 03Or call Member Relations at (866) 226-3372, Option 3 to request a special arrangement
- 04Avoid unsupported reverse-engineered SmartHub endpoints
EDI (Electronic Data Interchange)
How to Enroll in Bandera Electric Cooperative EDI
- 01No EDI trading partner program exists (no ANSI X12 814/820/867/810 support)
- 02Businesses requiring electronic transactions should call Member Relations at (866) 226-3372, Option 3
- 03Custom integrations are unlikely given the cooperative's size and rural member base
Rate Schedules & Tariff Analysis
BEC unbundles its rates into a fixed availability charge, distribution and energy charges per kWh, and variable transmission/ERCOT and PPCA pass-throughs. The 50 kW demand threshold is the key C&I breakpoint: Large Power accounts trade a lower energy rate ($0.064950/kWh) for a $6.88/kW demand charge, making demand management the dominant cost lever. Irrigation loads get their own demand-metered schedule with the lowest energy rate ($0.040600/kWh).
Bandera Electric Cooperative Rate Schedule List
| Schedule | Applicability |
|---|---|
| Large Power Service | 50+ kW peak demand or 50+ kVA transformer capacity |
| Three-Phase Service | Three-phase accounts below the Large Power threshold |
| Irrigation Service | Water-pumping loads |
| Outdoor Lighting | Flat-rate fixtures (effective 8/1/2023) |
Bandera Electric Cooperative Rate Features & TOU Details
- Unbundled availability + delivery + energy + pass-through structure
- 50 kW / 50 kVA threshold triggers Large Power classification with $6.88/kW demand charge
- PPCA and transmission/ERCOT fees vary monthly with wholesale costs
- Voluntary Time-Based Usage (TOU) program is residential-only
- Dedicated irrigation schedule with $3.55/kW demand and lowest energy rate
- Distributed generation buyback at avoided wholesale cost, reset each July 1
For a deeper analysis including cost optimization strategies and historical rate trends:
Read the full Bandera Electric Cooperative Rate Optimization Guide →Other Data Access Programs
Energy Saver Program (solar, battery, smart thermostat)
BEC's flagship distributed energy program bundles solar, Enphase battery storage, and ecobee smart thermostats with free Apolloware real-time energy monitoring and AI-driven savings recommendations.
- 01Review program options at banderaelectric.com/energy-services/programs/
- 02Enroll and have Apolloware hardware and/or smart thermostat installed
- 03Monitor real-time usage and appliance-level breakdown in the Apolloware app
Time-Based Usage (TBU)
Voluntary time-of-use rate for residential members with on-peak/off-peak pricing by season, designed to reward shifting usage to off-peak hours. Not available to commercial accounts.
- 01Review TBU details at banderaelectric.com/account/payment-billing-options/time-based-usage/
- 02Call (866) 226-3372 to enroll
- 03Shift discretionary loads to off-peak hours to save
PrePay Billing
Pay-as-you-go billing option that eliminates deposits and late fees by funding the account in advance, with balance tracking through myBEC.
- 01Enroll via Member Relations or myBEC
- 02Fund the account balance in advance
- 03Monitor daily balance and usage alerts in myBEC
Distributed Generation Interconnection
Members can interconnect solar/battery systems for a $1,250 interconnection fee; exports are credited at avoided wholesale power cost, recalculated annually and effective each July 1.
- 01Submit a distributed generation interconnection request ($1,250 fee)
- 02Complete BEC's interconnection review via Distribution Design
- 03Receive avoided-cost credits for exported energy
Limitations & Considerations
- ⚠No Green Button Download My Data or Connect My Data (not Green Button Alliance certified)
- ⚠No public API, developer portal, OAuth, or webhooks despite AWS-backed infrastructure
- ⚠No EDI trading partner program (no ANSI X12 814/820/867/810)
- ⚠No aggregator integrations (Urjanet, UtilityAPI, etc.) — Nectar provides API access to this utility's billing data (docs.nectarclimate.com)
- ⚠No CSV/XML/JSON bill or usage export from myBEC — PDF only
- ⚠15-minute interval data collected internally but not exposed to members or third parties
- ⚠Apolloware real-time data is limited to Energy Saver Program members with no export
- ⚠Third-party access is fully manual (member-shared PDFs or negotiated email delivery)
- ⚠Time-Based Usage (TOU) program is residential-only
Bandera Electric Cooperative Data Access FAQ
How can our energy management platform get usage data for commercial Bandera Electric accounts?▾
There is no API, Green Button, EDI, or aggregator integration. The supported workflow is manual: obtain written authorization, have the member download PDF bills from myBEC and forward them, or ask Member Relations ((866) 226-3372, Option 3) for a special arrangement such as recurring email billing summaries — which is case-by-case and not guaranteed.
Does BEC provide 15-minute interval data for commercial accounts?▾
Not through any supported channel. BEC's AMI meters collect 15-minute data into NISC SmartHub, but the standard myBEC portal shows only daily/monthly summaries. Real-time and appliance-level data is available exclusively to Energy Saver Program members through Apolloware, which has no export or external API. Reverse-engineered SmartHub endpoints exist but are unsupported and may violate terms of service.
When does a commercial account move to Large Power Service, and what changes?▾
Accounts with peak demand of 50 kW or greater — or new accounts with 50+ kVA transformer capacity — are classified as Large Power. The availability charge rises to $77.50/month and a $6.88 per billing kW demand charge applies, but the energy rate drops to $0.064950/kWh. High-load-factor facilities benefit; peaky, low-usage loads should manage demand carefully.
Can our business shop for a different electricity provider in BEC territory?▾
No. BEC is a member-owned cooperative in ERCOT that has not opted into Texas retail electric choice, so all members purchase power from the cooperative. Rates are set by BEC's elected board, with wholesale cost changes passed through via the PPCA and transmission/ERCOT fees.
What pass-through charges should we expect on top of the published rates?▾
Two variable line items: transmission/ERCOT fees and the Purchase Power Cost Adjustment (PPCA), both of which fluctuate with wholesale market conditions. The published availability, delivery, energy, and demand charges (effective May 1, 2022) are fixed between rate cases, so month-to-month bill variability comes mostly from these pass-throughs.
How are commercial solar exports compensated?▾
Distributed generation exports are credited at BEC's avoided wholesale power cost — prior-year power purchase cost (excluding demand, transmission, ERCOT, and distribution costs) divided by kWh purchased — recalculated annually and effective each July 1. Because this is well below retail rates, commercial systems should be sized for self-consumption and demand reduction, and a $1,250 interconnection fee applies.
The Best Way to Access Data from Bandera Electric Cooperative
Nectar connects to Bandera Electric Cooperative and 7,000+ utility providers — billing, interval, and rate data delivered automatically. No portals, no forms, no manual downloads.
Nectar for Energy & Sustainability Teams
Managing utility data for commercial or industrial buildings? Nectar offers a free energy data audit — we'll review your current setup and show you where automation can save your team hours every month.
Get a Free AuditNectar for Developers & Consultants
Building energy tools or advising clients on utility data? Nectar works with technology partners and consultants who need reliable data infrastructure.
Partner with Us