Lincoln Electric March 2023 Rate Change

Lincoln Electric members will see a rate change reflected on their April 2023 bill.

Your Board of Trustees voted for a rate change beginning on March 1, 2023. This adjustment considers both the latest and estimated next Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) wholesale power cost increase. Through PNGC Power, Lincoln Electric has a power purchasing contract with BPA. BPA has two-year rate cases, which means we experience a wholesale rate increase every two years. Wholesale power makes up about half of our overall expenses, so anytime Lincoln Electric receives an increase, we need to adjust our members' rates accordingly.

From 2017 to 2021, Lincoln Electric gradually adjusted our rates to better reflect the recommended rate structure based on a Cost-of-Service Analysis (COSA) for most rate classes. The COSA analyzes all Lincoln Electric expenses and revenues, and helps determine how costs should be more fairly distributed among different rate classes.

Our residential three-part, commercial, and industrial system maintenance charges are currently set to match the COSA recommendation from 2016 to cover our fixed costs. These are expenses Lincoln Electric has regardless of how much electricity our members use. The system maintenance charge helps establish more equitable rates, in which all members are helping to cover these expenses, whether they use 1 kWh or 10,000 kWh.

As a result, rates for those three rate types are being adjusted only in energy-use areas to reflect the actual and anticipated wholesale power increases. Since the FlexAdvantage and irrigation rates do not have a demand charge, both the system maintenance charge and kilowatt-hour charge will be adjusted to help cover the wholesale cost increase.

The rate change will mean different things to different members, depending on the unique way each member uses electricity.

If you would like to see how the rate change might affect your bill, please contact us at 406-889-3301 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. We can use your actual electric use from the past 12 months to complete a rate comparison of our current rates agains the 2023 rate change.

Lincoln Electric May 2021 Rate Change

Your Board of Trustees voted for a rate change to begin on May 1, 2021. This adjustment considers both the latest and estimated next Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) wholesale power cost increase. As a BPA customer, Lincoln Electric experiences wholesale power increases every two years. Wholesale power makes up about half of our overall expenses, so anytime we receive an increase, we need to adjust our rates accordingly.

The way we design rates is to better establish a structure that is the most equitable for all members. We use a Cost of Service Analysis (COSA) to help determine how costs should be distributed among our different rate classes. In 2016, Lincoln Electric had a COSA completed to determine the system costs that each service should be responsible for based on the overall characteristics of the different rate classes. Essentially, it showed us how costs should be distributed to ensure a fairer division of expenses.

The COSA clearly showcased that our system maintenance charge was not collecting nearly enough of our fixed costs. To adjust for that inadequacy in the past, we raised the kilowatt-hour charge to collected a portion of the fixed cost from energy use. This created a rate structure that was not only unfair to some members, but was also highly unstable. Since we were relying on kilowatt-hour sales to cover our basic expenses, any change in typical weather, especially a warm winter, had the potential to severely impact our margins in a negative way.

With a rate structure reliant on electric use, our financials fluctuated wildly. Any variations in electric use meant uncertainties in budgeting and cash flow. Also, as a cooperative borrower, we are required to meet certain financial benchmarks to remain eligible to keep our existing loans or to apply for new funding.

Before gradually moving to a COSA rate over the last five years, some members were paying more than their fair share. Members with higher electric use were subsidizing members with lower electric use. By transitioning to a higher system maintenance charge to better collect our fixed costs, we were able to lower the kilowatt-hour charge. Members are now more accurately billed for the way they use electricity.

If you are interested in seeing how the rate change might affect your bill, please contact us at 406-889-3301 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. We can use your actual electric use for the last 12 months to complete a rate comparison of our 2020-2021 rates against the 2021-2022 rate change.

Lincoln Electric May 2020 Rate Change

Your Board of Trustees has approved a rate change for members to begin on May 1, 2020. The rate change moves LEC closer to reaching a full Cost of Service Analysis (COSA) rate design. A COSA identifies all cooperative expenses and assigns values to each service type for different billing components. Switching to a COSA rate helps to ensure that each service contributes fairly to the overall revenue.

Before migrating to a COSA-based rate, there were members that were subsidizing other members. Essentially, some services were paying more than they should toward the fixed costs, while other services were not paying enough. As a cooperative, equality is extremely important. It is the belie of the board and management that each service is responsible for their share of the fixed and demand-related costs.

In 2015, the board elected to gradually move toward a full COSA rate design. The first step was a rate change with the addition of residential demand on May 1, 2017. The remaining steps were roughly planned for the ensuing four years. Each year, the rates are adjusted to bring us closer to the COSA rate by approximately following the original plan. The rates have fluctuated slightly from the original estimated numbers due to actual expenses, usage, and revenues.

For 2020, the rates will change to average a two percent (2%) anticipated overall net increase in revenue. However, each service's actual change will vary widely based on the way each individual uses electricity. For example, when we calculated projected bills of actual services, the impact varied from a larger than 2% increase all the way down to a decrease in charges due to how electricity is used at each location.

If you have any questions or would like us to calculate a charge projection for your service, please This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Lincoln Electric May 2019 Rate Change

Your Board of Trustees has approved new rates to begin on May 1, 2019. For prepay members, you will notice the change as soon as it begins on May 1. For traditionally billed members, you will see the change on the bill that arrives in early June.

As a cooperative, one of our main responsibilities is to treat all members fairly and equally. When we ran a Cost of Service Analysis (COSA), it showed that our rates were not set in the fairest manner. Since 2017, we have been migrating to rates that more closely mirror our COSA.

The COSA showed that our monthly system maintenance charge (SMC) was far less than required. This charge is intended to collect our fixed costs equally from each service. When the SMC is lower than needed, the remainder of those fixed costs must be collected in kWh rates.

In essence, those who use more electricity (kWh) are subsidizing those with low use. To remedy this inequality, we have been slowly moving toward a COSA rate since 2017. When we reach a full COSA rate, no group of members (those with high use) will be subsidizing another group (those with low use).

We have had many members with concerns over the impact on those with low use. Their concern was low-income members would be the most negatively impacted. However, contrary to popular belief, low income does not mean low use. In fact, when we ran all accounts on the low-income discount program and those receiving LIEAP (Low Income Energy Assistance Program) funds, we actually found they had electric use that was more than the average for all LEC residential members.

There are many reasons for higher use. A large number of low-income members live in older and/or rental houses that are far less energy efficient. Also, our discount program is for senior and disabled member so they tend to be home more.

By increasing the SMC and adding a demand charge, we have been able to keep the kWh rate more consistent. If not for continued wholesale power increases from Bonneville Power Administration (BPA), the kWh charge would have actually decreased in proportion as the SMC and demand increased.

The SMC helps to cover costs that are relatively constant, regardless of how much electricity we sell. Those fixed costs include: taxes; depreciation; insurance; billing; metering; system maintenance and replacements; tree trimming; outage restoration; administration; health, safety, and regulatory compliance; mandatory energy efficiency programs; vehicles and equipment; property and facility maintenance; capital credit retirements; debt coverage.

Implementing a rate change is never an easy task. Your Board of Trustees is always cognizant of the impact it has on members while maintaining their duty to keep the cooperative viable now and into the future. In an effort to allow members a choice, they have approved several different residential and small commercial rate options.

When compared across the whole of LEC services, each of these rates calculates to a similar revenue. However, because each member uses electricity differently, the result of each rate on specific members will vary. Please give us a call at 406-889-3301, stop by 312 Osloski Road or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. if you would like us to create a rate comparison for your service.

Unless you request otherwise, you will remain on your current rate.

Lincoln Electric May 2018 Rate Change

The Lincoln Electric Board of Trustees approved a rate change that will go into effect on May 1, 2018. Lincoln Electric received a rate increase from our power supplier, Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) on October 1, 2017. The factors involved in the BPA rate increase are the usual culprits. Rising fish costs. Poor secondary sales for BPA. Continued litigation and the intervention of an activist judge. Maintenance and operation of the system.

As of now, the BPA increase appears to be about 7% for the year, but will fluctuate with the weather. Wholesale power costs account for roughly half of our total expenses. This means the increase should have equated to an approximate 3.5% increase on the retail side for Lincoln Electric members. However, by holding our controllable costs, the overall revenue requirements for 2018 will increase by only about 2% across all rate classes.

The exact impact of the increase will vary for each service depending on your individual electric usage – how much electricity you use and how you use it. If you would like to see a rate calculation estimate based on your usage over the last 12 months, please contact us at 406-889-3301 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

While we have worked hard to minimize the impact of this wholesale rate increase, we realize that any increase is difficult. Both for Lincoln Electric and our members. As always, we will continue to look for efficiencies in our operation to try and keep the electricity Lincoln Electric provides our members as reasonably priced as possible.

If you may have difficulty paying your electric bill, please contact us as soon as possible. We can discuss with you ways to be more energy efficient so you can better control your cost of electricity. We can also advise you of resources to help pay for your heating costs and help you determine if you qualify for any of the available programs.

Lincoln Electric May 2017 Rate Change

At the January board meeting, LEC's Board of Trustees approved a new rate structure and increase to become effective May 1, 2017. The largest change is the addition of a three-part rate that adds a charge for demand on residential and small commercial services. For members who do not wish to pay demand, there is a two-part rate option for residential and small commercial services.

Demand is how much electricity your service requires the system to provide at any given moment. For LEC billing purposes, a service's demand is the maximum average demand over ONE 15 minute interval during the month.

Our electric system - poles, wires, substations, transformers, etc - has to be built to provide enough capacity to support every service on our system at their maximum, or peak, demand. This is also true of our power supplier, Bonneville Power Administration (BPA).

But not everyone uses electricity the same way. Some services do not put as much of a strain on the electric grid, yet with past rate structures they were billed in the same way as those that do. With the new rate design, we are working toward solving this inequality and making electric costs as fair as possible for each member and how they use electricity.

In addition to the added demand charge, the system maintenance charge and kilowatt-hour charges have been adjusted. Please see the rate change chart below for details.

The main driver behind a rate increase is the increased cost of wholesale power from BPA. On October 1, 2017, they will again raise our rates. With this newest increase, LEC will have seen a 45% increase in wholesale power costs since 2011.

In contrast, due to LEC and your Trustees holding our controllable costs down, LEC's retail rates have increased only 14.7% over the same time period. So although we are constantly evaluating how to reduce expenses, BPA increases force us to pass along rate increases to our members.

While wholesale power costs are largely out of our control, how these rate changes are implemented can help carry out the cooperative vision of fairness. When your cooperative was created, most members paid roughly the same amount for electricity. Most homes had only a minimum need for electricity and their charges were very similar. As a result, each member contributed nearly equally to their cooperative.

Over time, as electric appliances, needs, and devices became more prevalent, members started using electricity differently. However, the rate structure has remained the same for nearly 70 years, creating a large inequality in how members contribute to their cooperative. Instead of collecting the same base revenue from every member to cover fixed costs, the kilowatt-hour charge has steadily risen over time to make up for that deficit. This results in members with higher usage subsidizing members with lower usage.

The monthly system maintenance charge is billed to every service to help pay for the fixed costs of your cooperative. Fixed costs are expenses that stay relatively similar regardless of how much electricity is sold. They include but are not limited to: taxes; depreciation; insurance; billing; metering; tree trimming; outage restoration; administration; system maintenance and replacements; health, safety and regulatory compliance; energy efficiency programs; vehicles and equipment; property and facility maintenance; and capital credit retirements.

With the May 2017 rate increase, the system maintenance charge will collect only about 72% of these fixed costs. The remaining 28% is then collected through the kilowatt-hour rates. So those who use more electricity are paying more than their fair share toward the fixed costs.

The new rate structure and increase is working toward remedying this inequality. By increasing the system maintenance charge, we get closer to each service contributing fairly and equally to the fixed costs of the system. It is the Board of Trustee's intention to adjust the system maintenance charge over the next five years so all fixed expenses are collected through this charge.

Beyond fairness to all members, the rate structure change and increase is also intended to provide financial security for LEC. In today's energy environment, the traditional method of collecting revenue to operate is placing LEC in financial jeopardy. Relying on the kilowatt-hour charge to raise needed revenue creates instability in a couple of ways.

Due to our dependence on the kilowatt-hour, LEC collects almost our entire yearly margins in the four coldest winter months. Meanwhile, we lose money (do not collect enough revenue) in the warmer months of the year. If the weather is warmer than normal, especially in the winter, our ability to raise the needed operating revenue is greatly reduced. This jeopardizes our ability to meet our lender's requirements, which affects the cost of capital to LEC.

On the other hand, if the weather is colder than normal, revenues are too high, creating a hardship for the members. Either scenario is unfavorable because there is too much dependence on the unpredictable Mother Nature. Therefore, gaining some stability across the year is beneficial for all.

As with all other things, the cost of electricity will continue to increase. However, LEC and your Board of Trustees will constantly evaluate our rates and billing methods to keep the impact of our members as low as possible while still maintaining our financial stability and keeping fairness to all members at the forefront of any rate decisions.

More information on this rate design change and increase can be found in past issues of your Rural Montana. Rate information articles can be found in the issues listed below. Please contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to request copies of past editions.

January 2016 - Manager's Article "Public Energy Policy 'Demands' a Rate Design Change"
March 2016 - Manager's Article "A Rate Design Change is Essential to Cooperatives"
May 2016 - Manager's Article "Annual Meeting Recap and Community Meetings"
July 2016 - Feature Article "You're Invited to a Free Barbecue!"
September 2016 - Feature Article "LEC Brings Food & Education to Our Members"
November 2016 - Manager's Article "New Rate Design Committee Appointed by Board of Trustees"
February 2017 - Feature Article "What Exactly is Electric Demand?" and Manager's Article "Board Approves New Rate Design"
March 2017 - Manager's Article "New Rates Approved by Your Board of Trustees" and four-page special rates insert containing "Lincoln Electric Announces Rate Increase", "Demand in a Nutshell" and rate comparison charts
May 2017 - Feature Article "Lincoln Electric 68th Annual Meeting Recap"
June 2017 - Manager's Article "Rate Change and Home & Garden Show"