Understanding Changes
Coming to Your Electric Bill
Understanding Changes
Coming to Your Electric Bill
What's Changing?
At their November meeting, the San Isabel Electric Board of Directors approved an increase to the energy charge for all rate classes. The new rate is effective January 2026. Look for the change on bills due February 15. Get a personalized bill estimate from a desktop computer. The bill estimator tool is not available on mobile devices.
What's Changing?
At their November meeting, the San Isabel Electric Board of Directors approved an increase to the energy charge for all rate classes. The new rate is effective January 2026. Look for the change on bills due February 15.
What’s Driving the Change?
The Real Cost of Power
As a not-for-profit electric cooperative, we don’t profit from rates. Our local board of directors sets rates to cover only the cost to serve you, our member-owners. Every dollar we collect is used to operate the utility or is returned to you and the communities we serve.
- State mandated clean energy standards
- Cost of purchasing and delivering power
- System upgrades and maintenance
- Inflation of materials, supplies, and equipment
- Declining commercial energy sales
- Changes to tax credits and tariffs
ALL OF THAT ADDS UP!
No Change to the Grid Access Charge
The board stands by their 2022 commitment to limit the Residential Grid Access Charge to no more than $35 through 2027.
Monthly Bill Impact
The changes to the energy charge is anticipated to increase average monthly bills by about 9% for all rate types in 2026.
Monthly Bill Impact
The changes to the energy charge is anticipated to increase average monthly bills by about 9% for all rate types in 2026. Check out our bill estimator tool using a desktop computer. The tool is not available on mobile devices.
Simplify Budgeting and Save
Access free budgeting tools, check out our home-energy-upgrade financing options, and learn how shifting when electricity is used could save you some money.
Disclaimer: The calculations shown below are based solely on the energy figures (kW and kWh) input by the user. Charges for other things such as city and county taxes, outdoor lighting, late charges or reconnect fees are not calculated. The dollar amount on the bill you receive versus the dollar amount you see here may differ because of one of these other charges.
Move the slider to get a personalized monthly bill estimate. Note: You can locate past usage totals on your monthly bill in the Detail of Charges section.
650 kWh
Old Rate:
$0.1430 / kWh for first 800 kWh
$0.1130 / kWh for usage over 800 kWh
New Rate:
$0.1607 / kWh for first 800 kWh
$0.1307 / kWh for usage over 800 kWh
New Estimated Bill Breakdown
First 800 kWh cost:
Over 800 kWh cost:
Grid Access Fee:
Cost Comparison
Estimated Old Bill:
Estimated New Bill:
Difference
$35 Grid Access Charge
This charge covers the fixed costs of maintaining and improving the electrical grid that serves all members, regardless of how much energy they use. This fee is included in above calculations.
Energy Use
You can look at your previous month’s bill, or log in to SmartHub to get an idea of how many kilowatt hours you typically use. The average family uses about 700 kilowatt hours monthly.
Ways to Save
Because rate changes are hard for everyone.
We offer several tools to simplify budgeting, monitor energy usage, and reduce your energy usage.
Simplify Budgeting
In addition to traditional billing, San Isabel Electric offers two flexible billing options—Prepaid Billing and Budget Billing—to make managing monthly electric costs easier.
Prepaid Billing allows you to pay on your own schedule. No deposit is required. You can monitor electric usage and your account balance, prepay for your electricity and save money!
Budget Billing allows member-owners to pay a set amount each month.
- Payments are calculated by totaling the past year’s electric usage.
- To avoid underpayment, that number is divided by 11, instead of 12, to determine the monthly payment.
- In October, when monthly payments are recalculated, any overpayment or underpayment is applied to the calculation for future billings.
Simplify Budgeting
In addition to traditional billing, San Isabel Electric offers two flexible billing options—Prepaid Billing and Budget Billing—to make managing monthly electric costs easier.
Prepaid Billing allows you to pay on your own schedule. No deposit is required. You can monitor electric usage and your account balance, prepay for your electricity and save money!
Budget Billing allows member-owners to pay a set amount each month.
- Payments are calculated by totaling the past year’s electric usage.
- To avoid underpayment, that number is divided by 11, instead of 12, to determine the monthly payment.
- In October, when monthly payments are recalculated, any overpayment or underpayment is applied to the calculation for future billings.
Check out Empower
Driven by technology, in-home assessments, your budget, and lifestyle, San Isabel Electric’s Empower program offers affordable and energy-efficient solutions to decrease energy usage and increase the comfort of homes and businesses. Our Empower program is the only one of its kind in southern Colorado, an all-in-one energy-efficiency retail, installation, and financing provider.
0% financing available for:
- Battery storage systems
- Electric thermal storage (ETS) heaters
Low interest on-bill financing for:
- Whole house and attic fans
- Water heaters, standard and heat pump
- High-efficiency A/C and furnace upgrades
- High-volume low-speed fans (HVLS)
- Insulation, Generators, Garage Heaters
Manage Energy Use with SmartHub
SmartHub is a web and mobile app that allows you to take control of all aspects of your San Isabel Electric account. With SmartHub, you can pay your bill, manage your use, and contact us with service issues quickly and easily.
Introducing the new Off-Peak Plus Rate!
Off-Peak = Half-Price Power
The new Off-Peak Plus rate offers nearly half-price electricity during off-peak hours when demand on the grid is the lowest.
Time-of-Day (TOD) rates, like the Off-Peak Plus Rate are a lot like off-season travel or matinee movie tickets. The product is the same, but the price depends on timing.
When electricity demand is high — like from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. when families are at home cooking, cleaning, and heating or cooling their homes — it costs more to produce and deliver. When demand is low, it costs less.
20 hours of nearly half price electricity
Nearly half-price electricity for 20 hours a day Monday – Saturday and all-day Sunday!
Great for Electric Vehicles
Great for battery-storage, electric vehicle, and electric thermal storage (ETS) owners, but anyone can choose this rate.
Great For Flexible Lifestyles
This is a great option if you can avoid using electricity during on-peak times: 5 – 9 p.m. Monday – Saturday.
Off-peak = Half-Price Power
Electricity used during off-peak times is nearly half the traditional rate (per kWh).
12-Month Commitment
Member must stay on the Off-Peak Plus rate for a minimum of 12 months, following enrollment.