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Videos & MultimediaStandard Offer Service
SMECO’s Standard Offer Service (SOS) rate is the cost of power, just the energy you use. As you may know, SMECO does not generate electricity; the Cooperative purchases power on behalf of its customer-members. As a non-profit cooperative, SMECO is committed to delivering electricity at the lowest possible price. We provide electricity to our customer-members at cost, with no markup. In turn, our customer-members pay only for the power they use. If you look at your monthly SMECO bill, the amount you pay for energy only is in the first part of your bill under the heading Standard Offer Service.
The residential Base SOS Rate as of March 1, 2010 is 9.11 cents per kWh for the winter. The residential Base SOS Rate for the summer is 9.75 cents per kWh. The SOS Rate also includes a Power Cost Adjustment, which varies from month to month. Sometimes the Power Cost Adjustment is a charge; sometimes it’s a credit.
For more details, read the Electric Service Tariff and the Proposed Revisions to the Rate Schedules.
EmPOWER Maryland
Under the EmPower Maryland Act, all electric utilites in the state are providing energy efficiency programs for their customers. These programs are funded by the EmPOWER Maryland Charge which went into effect in January 2010.
Residential — Standard Offer Service Rates
The table below shows the rates for a sample customer. The examples in the table include a Power Cost Adjustment.
Remember, your electric bill is based on the amount of energy you use. Some customers use more; some use less.
Season |
Base |
PCA |
Total Rate |
Summer (5 months) |
$0.0975 |
$0.0014 |
$0.0989 |
Winter (7 months) |
$0.0911 |
$0.0005 |
$0.0916 |
Average annual rate |
$0.0937 |
$0.0009 |
$0.0946 |
Rates from the chart above are used to generate the sample monthly costs in the chart below.
Monthly |
Summer |
Winter |
Average |
1,000 |
$98.90 |
$91.60 |
$94.64 |
1,200 |
$118.68 |
$109.92 |
$113.57 |
1,500 |
$148.35 |
$137.40 |
$141.96 |
Price to Compare
Your Price to Compare has two parts: the Standard Offer Service (SOS) energy charge (also referred to as the Base SOS rate) and the typical Power Cost Adjustment. SMECO’s average annual Price to Compare for electricity supply is 9.46 cents per kWh for residential customers. What does “Price to Compare” mean? If you were to shop around for power supply, this is the rate you would use to compare: do not use your total bill. You will continue to be billed by SMECO for distribution service and regulatory, state, and local taxes whether you purchase power from SMECO or another power supplier.
When evaluating suppliers, you will need to know the Price to Compare and the amount of energy you use. The amount of energy used appears on your bill under the Service Information section and the Current Billing Information section. Use the Price to Compare and your monthly usage to see how your current price for electric supply compares with the prices offered by other suppliers.
Using the Price to Compare
Your Price to Compare reflects the average amount a SMECO customer in your rate class (residential or commercial) pays per kilowatt-hour (kWh) on an annual basis. Because the distribution part of your electric service is not open to competition, your Price to Compare does not include charges associated with distribution.
To compare, first look at your past bills to find your typical monthly kWh usage. Then multiply your typical kWh usage by SMECO’s Price to Compare and the price offered by another supplier. Compare the results to determine any savings you would receive per month.
Examples of Typical Prices to Compare
Residential
Class Average Price to Compare -- effective March 1, 2010
|
• Summer: |
|
$0.0989 |
|
• Winter: |
|
$0.0916 |
|
• Annual: |
|
$0.0946 |
Monthly |
Summer |
Winter |
Average |
1,000 |
$98.90 |
$91.60 |
$94.64 |
1,200 |
$118.68 |
$109.92 |
$113.57 |
1,500 |
$148.35 |
$137.40 |
$141.96 |
General Service — Commercial
Class Average Price to Compare -- effective March 1, 2010
|
• Summer: |
|
$0.0967 |
|
• Winter: |
|
$0.0905 |
|
• Annual: |
|
$0.0931 |
Monthly |
Monthly |
Summer |
Winter |
Average |
1,500 |
5 |
$147.75 |
$141.00 |
$143.81 |
18,500 |
50 |
$1,788.75 |
$1,673.50 |
$1,721.52 |
385,000 |
750 |
$35,445.90 |
$32,508.60 |
$33,732.48 |
Transmission
Class Average Price to Compare -- effective December 1, 2008
|
• Summer: |
|
$0.0964 |
|
• Winter: |
|
$0.0877 |
|
• Annual: |
|
$0.0914 |
Price to Compare Calculator
Use the Calculator below to estimate your individual Price to Compare, based on the rates in effect as of March 1, 2010.
Note: The amounts shown will not represent your total SMECO bill. These are given only to help you compare our electric supply prices. The calculator is intended to be used for illustration purposes only; SMECO is not responsible for any errors that may result from using this calculator.
Billing Options
In addition to price, you should consider billing options when shopping for a new supplier. Depending on your supplier, you may also have up to two billing options from which to choose:
- A single bill from SMECO that includes charges from SMECO and your supplier. This is called an LDC (Local Distribution Company) Consolidated Bill; or
- Two separate bills -- one from SMECO and one from your supplier. This is called Dual Billing.
