Supporting Renewable Energy While Ensuring Fairness for All

At Hill County Electric, we’re proud to serve members who care deeply about where their electricity comes from—and how it’s delivered. Whether you power your home entirely through the cooperative or generate part of your energy with renewables, you’re part of a system built on shared ownership, shared responsibility, and shared investment.

As more members add renewable energy to the grid, we’ve seen a growing need to talk about something called cost shifting. It’s a topic being addressed by electric cooperatives across the country, and one we want to be transparent about with you.

Here’s the basic idea: even when members generate some of their own power, they still depend on the co-op’s grid for reliable electricity— especially at night, during storms, or on calm, or cloudy days. That means poles, wires, transformers, substations, and line crews must all remain in place, ready to deliver power when it’s needed most.

The challenge comes from how electricity is billed. A portion of the co-op’s operating costs are recovered through the energy you use or kWh. But when net metering members offset their usage with self-generated electricity, they avoid part of these shared costs—even though they’re still using the grid. Those costs don’t disappear; instead, they shift to other members who may not have generation systems of their own.

That’s not sustainable or fair in the long run.

To keep our cooperative strong and equitable for all, we’re making an adjustment to how these costs are shared. You can find details about that update below.

We remain committed to supporting all of our members and we are just as committed to making sure every member pays their fair share in keeping the lights on, today and for the future.

Effective September 1, 2025

Hill County Electric (HCE) is making an adjustment to the monthly base charge for NET METERING ACCOUNTS.

What’s Changing:

• The monthly base charge will increase from $40 to $100.
• Annual netting of kilowatt-hours will continue as before. Why the Change?
• More members are producing some of their own power through solar, wind, or battery systems.
• Even with self-generation, members still depend on HCE’s grid for reliable power.
• The cost of maintaining poles, wires, substations, and crews doesn’t decrease — and must be shared fairly among all members.
• Without this adjustment, costs would shift unfairly to members who are not on net metering. Our Commitment to You:
• HCE fully supports members who invest in renewable energy.
• This change ensures a fair and sustainable system for everyone.
• We remain dedicated to providing reliable, safe, and affordable electricity to all our members.
• Our cooperative is dedicated to environmental stewardship, and we’re proud that most of our electricity is generated from clean, renewable energy.

Have Questions? Call us at 877.394.7804