2023 Rate Increase

Continued from previous page and reliability our members expect. Our memberelected board of trustees have approved the new rates to protect our members’ access to reliable power. Co-op members have the certainty that rates increase when the true cost of delivering electricity increases – never to generate profits for outside investors.

What is a base charge?

The Distribution Base Charge is the component of the bill that covers upkeep of our electric system, such as lines, poles, meters, and substations. It covers everything it takes to bring electricity to your home and is influenced by the operating costs of Butler Rural Electric Cooperative. On average, this is the smallest portion of your bill.

Why do I have to pay the base charge?

Regardless of how much electricity a home uses, the cost of delivering power to that home is the same. Even if there is no electric use, it still costs the cooperative to have facilities in place to deliver electricity to each home in our service territory. As a not-for-profit electric cooperative, the operational costs are spread fairly and equally across all of our members, regardless of electricity use. That is why every member pays the Distribution Base Charge to cover basic operational costs. All residential members are charged the same amount for the cost of operation because all members benefit from the same service. Think of the base charge as an availability charge – it is the cost for electricity to be available.

What can I do to save money on my electric bill?

You can control the Distribution Energy Charge by controlling your electric use. If you decrease your electric use by 1.2 kilowatt-hours each day for a month, you would more than avoid the increase to the Distribution Base Charge and the Distribution Energy Charge.

Download our free SmartHub app to securely analyze your electric use. SmartHub shows your electric use on a monthly, daily, and hourly basis to help you find ways to save energy and money. Visit My Usage in SmartHub to learn more.

I need help paying my electric bill. What should I do?

Butler Rural Electric Cooperative takes rate decisions seriously. We know rate changes affect members in a very personal way.

Payment extensions can help if you are unable to pay your total past due balance. These enable members to extend the due date for the past due amount until the Friday after the scheduled disconnection. Request an extension prior to the scheduled disconnection by logging into your SmartHub account and select Billing and Payments > Payment Extensions.

Financial resources and community assistance programs are available for those struggling with payments. Visit butlerrural.coop > My Account > Billing & Pay > Payment Assistance or call us at 513867-4400 for a list of resources.