Tri-County Electric Coop, Inc (SC) electricity rates

It is a smaller system, serving 17,672 residential customers, which means its fixed costs are spread across a narrow base. At 18.51¢ per kilowatt-hour it is among the more expensive utilities in South Carolina, 14.4% above the statewide average of 16.18¢.

Its customers use more electricity than the national norm, 1,099 kilowatt-hours a month against 871, which amplifies whatever the rate does.

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.

In 2024 the average Tri-County Electric Coop, Inc (SC) customer went 1,042 minutes without electricity across 4.09 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.

163 residential customers had net-metered solar in 2024, totalling 1.3 megawatts. That works out to 9.2 installations per thousand customers, against a median of 8 across the utilities reporting it.

Adoption is above the national median, which generally tracks the retail rate more closely than it tracks sunshine. What exports are actually worth.