Effective with Consumer-member billings that begin on April 1, Flint Energies’ residential base charge will move from $29 per month to $30 per month. This change continues an initiative that’s been underway for several years to gradually align the monthly service charge with the actual fixed costs of operating the electric system. Also starting April 1, Flint will offer a new rate that will encourage electric vehicle (EV) owners to charge their vehicles during off-peak hours.

“As a local, not-for-profit electric cooperative, we’re committed to providing reliable service at an affordable cost,” says Flint Energies Vice President of Cooperative Communications Marian McLemore. “Our primary goal is to minimize the effects of potential increases while maintaining our high standard of safe, continuous service to our Members. We work to reduce expenses and look for new ways to operate more efficiently to help control costs for all Members.”

Flint updates its cost of service calculation every two years; it offers a direct and accurate reflection of current expenses. The base charge, or access fee, covers the costs of operating the Cooperative and delivering power. It also includes covering the co-op’s cost to maintain more than 6,700 miles of electric lines and 53 substations, while providing 24/7 service and an outage reporting system. The actual cost of providing service to a residential location is more than $33 per month. The base charge averages to a dollar a day. The kilowatt-hour charge for all residential rates will remain unchanged. The wholesale power cost adjustment rider, which can change monthly, fluctuates based on the costs to generate power.

Base rate changes will also be in effect for the other rate schedules which have been billed at $29 per month. Those rate schedules will be billed at $30 per month and will affect approximately 900 non-residential accounts. General service non-demand accounts will be billed at $32 per month.

In addition, general service large demand accounts will see a decrease in their kWh rate from $0.0797 to $0.0745 per kWh. All changes will start April 1. Members may compare current residential rates online at the Georgia Public Service Commission website: www.psc.state.ga.us/electric/surveys/residentialrs.asp.

New Electric Vehicle (EV) Rate

The new EV rate will have a monthly base rate charge of $30 per month like all residential accounts. From 2 p.m. to 8 p.m., the on-peak cost for electricity will be $0.1706 per kWh used. Energy used during off-peak times, such as 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. to 12 a.m., will be charged $0.0955 per kWh. Consumer-members on the new EV rate will see the most savings if they program the EV to charge during the hours of 12 a.m. and 6 a.m. with the “super off-peak” rate of $0.05 per kWh.

“With major car manufacturers offering more electric vehicles options at affordable prices, we anticipate that an increasing number of our Consumer-members will be making the switch to EVs,” says McLemore. “As a result, Flint is offering an incentive to EV owners who are willing to shift their electric use from peak demand periods to off-peak hours.”

Prepaid Electricity

More than 10,000 Flint Energies Members have opted for the Pay Your Way prepaid service. Increasing popularity of this pay-in-advance, no deposit electric account has led to increasing costs to administer the program, known as Pay Your Way. As a result, the monthly base charge for prepaid accounts will increase by approximately $3 per month. Pay Your Way accounts receive a daily allocation of the base charge that will rise from 97¢ per day to $1.07 per day, plus taxes.

Option for Low Income

Members who are approved for the Low Income Heating Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) can be placed on Flint’s low-income rate. After April 1, Consumer-members that confirm their LIHEAP standing with a check payment will be eligible for a reduced monthly base service charge of $15 per month. LIHEAP is administered by the local Community Action Agencies.