Reliable electricity comes at a cost. While MidSouth Electric Cooperative strives to provide members with a constant flow of power at the lowest possible cost, external factors drive prices up or down each month.
Policy and Legislation
Decisions made in Washington, D.C., and Austin have a substantial impact on the cost of electricity to consumers. Each session, policymakers introduce legislation to regulate the energy sector. Although often beneficial, legislation can also threaten our co-op’s ability to provide low-cost, safe and reliable electricity.
MidSouth, along with our state and national associations, advocates regularly to maintain fair and effective policies for all electric cooperatives and their membership.
Cost of Fuel
The price of natural gas needed to power electrical plants fluctuates regularly. As a commodity greatly affected by supply and demand, this natural resource is traded on the open market with prices changing every day. Your cooperative maintains a diverse energy portfolio to mitigate this effect on the member-consumer. MidSouth EC monitors and shops the power market to provide the safest and most affordable electricity.
Maintenance and Upkeep
Wear and tear from the elements, especially here in Texas, degrades equipment, requiring regular upkeep and replacement to ensure reliability. Additionally, MidSouth EC maintains a highly advanced technological infrastructure and fiber-optic network to ensure electrical flow is safe and consistent.
Temperatures
Blistering Texas heat and humidity are no friends to air conditioners. Summer bills directly reflect a member’s level of comfort and the temperature setting in their home. The lower the thermostat temperature setting during warmer bill cycles, the higher the kilowatt usage.
Understanding Your Bill
MidSouth uses smart grid technology to collect real-time kilowatt-hour usage by meter. Kilowatt-hours used during the current billing cycle are multiplied by a base rate to determine amount owed for electric service. This rate is consistent from month to month—only the amount of power used will change.
The same number of kilowatt-hours is then multiplied by the wholesale power cost adjustment rate. This rate reflects the fluctuation in generation fuel costs above or below the current price of electricity.
Electric utility companies itemize their bills differently, making it hard to compare rates based on individual line items. MidSouth uses a simple bill structure for easy understanding.
As always, your MidSouth team is readily available to answer questions and offer suggestions on how to directly impact your bill with energy efficiency upgrades and habit changes. Visit midsouthelectric.com or give us a call at (936) 825-5100.
