A Buck A Month

Northwestern REC has held steady on stable rates throughout 2011, while offering increased services and reliability. The Board of Directors at the November Board Meeting approved a slight rate increase effective with the January 2012 electric bills. The increase will show on your electric bill in the Cost of Service. Residential members will see an increase of a buck ($1) a month. Other rate classes will also show a small increase in the monthly Cost of Service.

What is the Cost of Service? This charge covers the fixed costs associated with making electric service available at your location. Items such as the wires and poles, billing systems, vehicles and metering are all necessary to be in place whether you use any electricity or not. The system is ready for you to flip the switch. The Cost of Service covers these fixed costs.

The kWh charges are associated with the amount of electricity you use. There is no rate increase to this charge. Energy efficiency and conservation can help you control this portion of your electric bill. Check out our Home Energy Suite at www.northwesternrec.coop for energy saving ideas.

Electricity is a great value when you consider the role it plays in our lives. We make it work for us practically every second of the day and night.