2024 Rate Increase Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Effective with bills mailed after August 1, 2024, Somerset Rural Electric Cooperative will increase its basic monthly cost-of-service charge across most consumer classes. The residential cost-of-service charge will increase by $4.45, from $28.70 to $33.15. The delivery charges (kWh), associated with the amount of electricity you use, will also increase. Our residential rate (single phase) will increase to $.1213 for the first 300 kWh and everything over 300 kWh will increase to $.09908. All other rate schedules including large power, net metering, and small commercial can also expect an increase.

Energy efficiency and conservation can help you lower this portion of your electric bill.

Including the cost-of-service increase, this equates to a 8-9% increase on an average electric bill.

Answers to some frequent questions about our rates appear below. Click a question to read its answer. Click the Expand All button to access all of the answers at one time.

Our residential rate (single phase) is $.1213 for the 1st 300 kWh and $.09908 for everything over 300kWh.

This is a fixed charge that covers a portion of the expenses the co-op incurs to make sure you have electricity available at any given time. The tangibles the cost-of-service charge covers are trimming and clearing rights-of-way, trucks and equipment, poles, meters and wires, computer systems, and software. Whether you use any electricity or not, those tangibles have to be in place and ready when you flip the switch.

Another way to think of service availability is like insurance. If a storm causes damage, the cooperative does not bill you, the members, for system repairs. The cost-of-service charge ensures that you have service no matter how much or how little energy you purchase.

Somerset REC is a not-for-profit cooperative owned by you, the members, and governed by a Board of Directors elected by the membership. Your cooperative is accountable to consumer-members, not outside investors, and works hard to provide reliable power and quality customer service at the lowest possible cost. Your cooperative works to control costs, but inflationary pressures have raised the costs of wholesale power and delivering that power to our members beyond what we can control.

Programs are available for eligible members who need assistance with their electric bill via our Lights On Fund.

You can also call member services at 814-445-4106 and speak to your billing representative.

Somerset REC offers a number of ways to help you manage your power bill. Some of those services include automatic payment options, budget billing, energy audits, and energy efficiency programs.

Some general energy savings tips include:

  • Reduce your water heater temp from 140 degrees to 120 – the recommended setting according to the U.S. Department of Energy – to save about $2 per month.
  • Use cold water for laundry. The average home does 3-5 loads per week. Switching to cold water could save $6 to $13.75 per month.
  • Don’t leave your Keurig coffee maker on all day. Doing so would cost almost $9 per month.
  • Covert to LED light bulbs. Unplug devices from their respective outlets when not in use.
  • Use an outdoor grill when weather is temperate instead of your stove or oven.
  • Use ceiling fans to circulate air - close curtains and blinds to keep your home cool.
  • Run pool pumps at night.
  • Plant plants on the south and west sides of your house.
  • Use a clothesline - ditch the dryer.

Ensuring your future electric needs and protecting our precious natural resources are two things we take very seriously. We are proud to be part owners of the William F. Matson Generating Station at Lake Raystown, the first hydroelectric project in Pennsylvania to be certified by the Low Impact Hydropower Institute, a non-profit organization that helps ensure environmentally responsible hydro power production.

Over the last 25 years, the co-op has supported solar interconnections, windmills, and methane digestors as a way to sustain renewable energy in our service territory. 

Somerset REC is a member of the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA), which participates in the Ag Energy Working Group, a coalition of 400 organizations focused on generating 25% of our nation’s energy from renewable, homegrown resources by 2025. NRECA also works to develop renewable energy partnerships with the federal government.