CEO’s Message – July 2026

Rate reductions & Member Savings Ahead

We review our rates each year to make sure they continue to reflect the cost of serving our members. This year, I’m happy to report that our members will see electric rate reductions driven by lower wholesale power costs from our generation and transmission provider, Buckeye Power.

In addition to those lower rates, members will also receive additional billing credits tied to two summer months of wholesale power costs, and those credits will likely appear on bills a little later in the summer. Buckeye Power also expects to provide smaller credits later in the year. If that happens, URE expects to pass those savings along to members, as well. These billing credits, along with any future wholesale power adjustments, will appear on a new line in the Generation & Transmission section of your bill labeled Power Cost Adjustment.

For Rate A, applicable to homes and most small businesses, the energy generation charge will decrease from $0.04198 to $0.03686 per kilowatt-hour, a reduction of $0.00512 per kWh. For a typical Rate A member, that rate reduction means lower electric bills. A home using 1,000 kWh in a month would see about $5.12 in monthly savings from the generation rate change alone, with higher-usage members seeing larger savings. In short, Rate A members should see a modest decrease in electric costs this year (assuming comparable usage), with even lower bills once those credits appear later in the summer. Additional smaller credits are also expected later in the year, though the exact timing and amount may vary.

For Rate T, applicable to three-phase services, the generation demand charge will decrease from $9.28225 to $8.00667 per kW, a reduction of $1.27558 per kW. A three-phase service with 30 kW of demand would see about $38.27 in monthly savings from the generation rate change, while larger loads would see greater reductions. Overall, Rate T members should see lower electric costs this year (assuming comparable usage), with even greater savings once those credits appear later in the summer. Additional smaller credits are also expected later in the year, though the exact timing and amount may vary.

For the natural gas division, rates will remain the same this year. URE is not proposing a distribution rate adjustment for natural gas in 2026. The URE Board and management determined that the gas division’s financial position and margin levels remain strong enough to support operations without changing base rates. On the gas commodity side, URE’s natural gas cost is calculated monthly based on the cost of our purchased natural gas. Because that wholesale gas rate already adjusts month to month, there is no separate annual commodity rate change to announce.

The Cooperative Advantage

Both URE’s electric rate reductions and gas rate stability reflect our commitment to keep rates aligned with actual costs and to return savings to members whenever possible. Those extra bill credits are possible because Buckeye performed better than expected and is sharing those savings with cooperatives like URE. In turn, we will pass those savings directly along to our members. Even as costs in many parts of the economy remain high, URE and Buckeye Power are working to provide safe, reliable, and affordable energy service. Everything we do here at URE is with our members’ best interests in mind because we’re owned by the people we serve, and that’s the Cooperative Advantage.