Rate Comparisons

A statewide survey of electric utilities shows CORE members pay less on average than residents and businesses served by neighboring electric utilities.

Per the Colorado Association of Municipal Utilities’ (CAMU) July 2026 survey of 40 Colorado cooperative, municipal and investor-owned electric utilities:

The average cost for 700 kilowatt-hours (kWh) of service on CORE’s residential rate — $124.92 — is lower than the $125.15 average among CORE’s neighboring electric utilities.
The average cost for 2,000 kWh with a 10-kilowatt (kW) peak on CORE’s small commercial rate is $303.88. The average among CORE’s neighboring utilities is $307.55.
On CORE’s large commercial rate, 45,000 kWh with a 130-kW peak costs an average of $5,690.80, compared to neighboring utilities’ average of $5,791.63.
Under CORE’s industrial rate, 1,900,000 kWh with a 3,000-kW peak costs an average of $191,680. The average among CORE’s neighboring utilities is $173,751.52.

CORE is committed to stable, affordable service and increases rates only when necessary. As a member-owned, not-for-profit cooperative, we also maintain a small, reasonable margin between our revenue and costs; employ a lean workforce to reduce administrative and other costs; and typically return to members a share of annual margins in the form of capital credits.

Why is my bill lower or higher than the average?

Even if you consume approximately 700 kilowatt-hours of electrical energy in a billing period, your bill might not exactly match CORE’s residential average of $124.92. This is due to several factors, including:

• Your monthly demand charge, which is based on your electrical demand measured at the meter and allows CORE to accurately charge for your highest rate of electricity usage during the “on-peak” hours of 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. This “peak window” is when members typically consume the most electricity and place the highest electrical demand on our system. For CORE’s residential members, the demand charge is $5.47 multiplied by the highest electric demand (in kilowatts) that occurred within one 60-minute interval during the peak window. This “peak demand” occurs only once during each billing period. Members who limit their use of electricity during on-peak hours will see a lower demand charge, whereas high electricity use in that window creates a higher demand charge.

• The current wholesale power cost adjustment (WPCA). The WPCA is recalculated quarterly in response to, or in anticipation of, variances in costs of the wholesale power we purchase and distribute to members.

• Your location. Members who reside in incorporated towns and cities that have franchise agreements with CORE typically pay franchise fees and/or municipal taxes as part of their monthly bill. Franchise fees and municipal taxes appear as line items on your monthly bill and vary based on where you reside. Some members do not have any franchise fees or municipal taxes applied to their electric service.