Electric Rates

Cotton Electric sets first rate adjustment in 11 years

April 2026

Cotton Electric’s mission is to provide our members with power that is safe and reliable. As a not-for-profit electric cooperative, our mission also includes keeping costs as low as possible for our members while balancing grid investments and the financial integrity of the cooperative. However, our ability to maintain the reliability of the system comes at a continuously increasing cost. After careful consideration, it has been determined that a rate adjustment has become necessary in order to continue providing the reliable service that our members expect. 

Cotton Electric raises rates only when absolutely necessary. In 2021, a rate rider was added to repay the increased power costs related to Winter Storm Uri to our wholesale power provider, Western Farmers Electric Cooperative (WFEC). Aside from the Uri Rider, which is a straight pass-through and payment to WFEC without margin to Cotton Electric, it has been 11 years since the last increase to our retail rate tariffs. 

As it has been for all of Cotton’s 88 years, our team has worked diligently to manage costs and keep the financial impact on members to a minimum. Throughout the past decade, we have seen significant increases in both the cost of energy and the cost of materials and equipment needed to maintain the cooperative’s system. We’ve held the line as long as possible, but our most recent Cost of Service Study results indicate that a rate increase is necessary to keep up with rising costs and to meet our financial requirements. More information about the rapidly growing costs of goods and materials necessary to operate the cooperative can be found below.

What’s changing

We understand that any increase in a member’s bill affects your budget, and we don’t take that lightly. We care about how this impacts our members, so we will phase-in the rate adjustment in two parts instead of a single increase. 

• Effective June 1, 2026, the facility charge will increase by $10 per meter. There will also be an adjustment to outdoor lighting rates. This will be seen on billing mailed after June 17, 2026.
• The second adjustment will be made to the energy charge effective Oct. 1, 2026, with an increase of $0.005 per kWh. We estimate that the Winter Storm Uri rate rider collection, which has ranged from $0.003 to $0.045 per kWh, will be complete by this time. This energy charge adjustment will be seen on billing mailed after Oct. 16, 2026. 

A residential member with an average consumption of 1,500 kWh per month can expect to see an increase of approximately $13.00 per month per meter once both rate adjustments are in effect. 

What members can do

We know that these changes to your bill make a difference, and our team is here ready to assist you. We have resources available to help potentially manage energy costs.

• Members can sign up for SmartHub, a free online and mobile tool for members to monitor daily energy usage, compare trends over time, set usage alerts, and make payments—all in one place. SmartHub helps you better understand how and when you’re using energy so you can make informed decisions. 
• Cotton Electric offers several payment options such as average monthly billing, or MyChoice prepay billing, which allows you to pay how and when you choose. To see a full list of options, check out our website at www.cottonelectric.com/viewpay-my-bill. 
• We also provide energy efficiency tips and resources to help reduce unnecessary usage, along with free home energy efficiency evaluations where our team can identify ways to improve your home’s performance and potentially lower your monthly costs. To learn more about these services or request an evaluation, visit the Energy Efficiency page on our website.

We understand that you may have questions. For more information or to see a complete breakdown of the rates, visit our website at www.cottonelectric.com/rates. If there is anything else our team can assist you with, please contact us at 580-875-3351 or 800-522-3520.