StateRates

Blue Ridge Elec Member Corp electricity rates

Blue Ridge Elec Member Corp charges an average of 14.59 cents per kilowatt-hour to residential customers, and the average household on its system paid $127 a month using 869 kilowatt-hours, according to its 2024 filing with the U.S. Energy Information Administration.

Member-owned cooperative DUK North Carolina

Average rate 14.59¢ per kWh · -3.3% vs state
Average bill $127 per month · -18.5% vs U.S.
Average usage 869 kWh per month
Residential customers 71,926 #12 priciest of 51 in North Carolina

Where Blue Ridge Elec Member Corp sits

It serves 71,926 residential customers in North Carolina. At 14.59¢ per kilowatt-hour it tracks the North Carolina average of 15.09¢ closely, which is what you would expect from a utility large enough to shape that average itself.

Consumption is close to the national norm at 869 kilowatt-hours a month against 871, so the rate translates fairly directly into the bill.

Owned by the customers it serves, with directors elected by members. Co-ops are frequently outside state rate regulation. That matters because a bill is not only the cost of generating electricity: it also carries the cost of the network, and who owns that network changes how it is paid for.

Blue Ridge Elec Member Corp against the averages
Rate Monthly bill Monthly kWh
Blue Ridge Elec Member Corp 14.59¢ $127 869
North Carolina average 15.09¢ $150 1,036
United States average 18.44¢ $155 871

Utility figures: U.S. Energy Information Administration, Form EIA-861 annual electric power industry report, 2024. State and national figures: Electric Power Monthly, May 2026. Methodology

Where Blue Ridge Elec Member Corp delivers

Its service territory covers 7 North Carolina counties, either wholly or in part. Utility boundaries follow historic franchise agreements rather than county lines, so a county appearing here does not mean every address in it is served by Blue Ridge Elec Member Corp.

  • Alexander
  • Alleghany
  • Ashe
  • Avery
  • Caldwell
  • Watauga
  • Wilkes

How often the power goes out

In 2024 the average Blue Ridge Elec Member Corp customer went 6,038 minutes without electricity across 3.32 interruptions. The median across the 941 utilities that report this is 185 minutes.

That is far worse than typical, and figures at this level almost always reflect a major storm season rather than everyday performance. A single hurricane or ice storm can dominate the annual number.

Minutes without power 6,038 per customer, per year · median 185
Interruptions 3.32 per customer, per year
Average outage length 1819 minutes per interruption

Optional rate plans

Blue Ridge Elec Member Corp offers time-of-use pricing to residential customers. 50 households were enrolled, about 0.1% of its residential base.

These plans are opt-in almost everywhere. They reward households that can move laundry, dishwashing, water heating or electric vehicle charging out of the late-afternoon peak, and they cost more than the standard rate for households that cannot. How to tell which group you are in.

Rooftop solar on this system

331 residential customers had net-metered solar in 2024, totalling 2.91 megawatts. That works out to 4.6 installations per thousand customers, against a median of 8 across the utilities reporting it.

Adoption is below the national median. A low retail rate reduces what solar displaces, and export compensation set at avoided cost rather than the retail rate reduces it further. What exports are actually worth.

Other North Carolina utilities

Compare against neighbouring systems
Utility Rate Bill Customers
Duke Energy Carolinas, LLC 13.94¢ $137 1.9 million
Duke Energy Progress 15.54¢ $156 1.4 million
Fayetteville Public Works Commission 12.21¢ $119 75,987
Rutherford Elec Member Corp 13.13¢ $146 70,743
Greenville Utilities Comm 11.97¢ $119 65,731

Blue Ridge Elec Member Corp rates: common questions

How much does Blue Ridge Elec Member Corp charge per kilowatt-hour?

An average of 14.59 cents per kilowatt-hour across its residential customers in 2024. That is -3.3% against the North Carolina average of 15.09¢ and -20.9% against the national average of 18.44¢. It is an all-in average across every residential rate schedule the utility offers, not a specific tariff.

What is the average Blue Ridge Elec Member Corp bill?

$127 a month, based on total residential revenue divided by residential customers over the 2024 survey year, at an average of 869 kWh a month. The national average bill is $155 at 871 kWh.

Who owns Blue Ridge Elec Member Corp?

It is classified by the EIA as a member-owned cooperative. Owned by the customers it serves, with directors elected by members. Co-ops are frequently outside state rate regulation.

Is Blue Ridge Elec Member Corp expensive compared with other North Carolina utilities?

It ranks #12 of the 51 North Carolina utilities covered here, counting from the most expensive. Nationally it ranks #477 of 1369.