On January 25, we communicated to East Central Electric Cooperative members regarding a software issue that resulted in billing errors from October 2020 to January 2021.
Two separate issues were discovered:
The winter rate - effective for residential members every October - did not get applied to usage above 2,000 kWh.
What does this mean and who was affected?
Every year beginning in October and continuing through April, ECOEC applies a discounted rate for residential usage above 2,000 kWh. When the winter rate is in effect, usage up to 2,000 kWh is billed at $0.073055 per kWh and usage above 2,000 kWh is billed at $0.058055 per kWh.
Due to the error, a total of 8,827 residential member accounts did not receive the discounted rate for usage above 2,000 kWh from October through January. As soon as this error was discovered, ECOEC notified members, made adjustments, and issued revised bills to members impacted.
A reduced Consumer Cost Adjustment (CCA) was approved by the board for 2021.
What does this mean and who was affected?
The Consumer Cost Adjustment is an adjustment applied to the kWh charge for the Cooperative’s rates to ensure we meet the operating margins required when sales are insufficient to cover expenses. If margins fall short, a surcharge per kWh is added to the bill.
The CCA billed in January was the result of sales in November which did not cover expenses. The board approved a reduction of the CCA in the 2021 budget year to lower the operating margins normally applied with the February billing. Recognizing December’s higher usage, it was decided to apply the reduced CCA to the current billing to lessen the impact to members. ECOEC notified members, made adjustments, and issued revised bills.
Our Mission is Serving our Members and Communities.
As always, we are committed to working with our members to resolve questions and concerns as well as providing resources and assistance whenever possible. If you have questions about your bill, adjustments, or usage please call our office at 918-756-0833. On request, we will provice a free third-party energy audit, perform an accuracy check of your meter, provide analysis of your usage, connect a power quality monitor, conduct a meter exchange and compare bills over time to identify trends and possible ways to reduce your electric bill.
East Central Electric Cooperative is a not-for-profit utility governed by elected members and operated by employees who live in the communities we serve. Our mission is to serve our member-owners and communities and we take that mission very seriously.