Keeping rates stable

We know that any increase to your electric bill matters. With the cost of everyday essentials rising, no one wants to see higher energy costs. At Cass County Electric Cooperative, we understand that, and we are focused on doing everything we can to keep electricity affordable while continuing to provide the reliable service you count on.

CCEC has maintained stable rates for more than a decade and is forecasting a modest 1.3% increase in 2026.

As your member-owned cooperative, we take that responsibility seriously. It is our job to manage the costs we can control and keep your bills as low as possible, while ensuring your power is there when you need it.

We do this through careful planning, steady system growth, and responsible cost management. We continue to invest in our system, look for efficiencies, and make financial decisions that support long-term stability. We also work closely with our power provider to manage costs behind the scenes so we can limit the impact on our members.

CCEC works with Minnkota Power Cooperative, a North Dakota-based, member-owned cooperative that generates and delivers the electricity we provide to our members. Like us, Minnkota is focused on reliability and keeping costs as low as possible.

We work together to plan ahead, manage costs, and keep your power flowing, even when challenges arise. Changes in policy, weather events, and equipment issues can impact the electric system and come with significant costs, sometimes reaching into the millions. Through it all, both organizations remain focused on managing those impacts and maintaining reliable, affordable service for the members we serve.

Over the past 10 years, the cooperative’s average residential rate has increased by only about 1.2 cents per kilowatt-hour. In 2025, the average price was 11.7 cents per kilowatt-hour, well below the national average of 17.8 cents. Even with this year’s increase, members will continue to pay less than many households across the country.

As a not-for-profit cooperative, any margins we generate are returned to members based on how much electricity they use. These earnings are tracked as member equity, also known as capital credits. This approach helps us invest in our system, reduce borrowing costs, and support long-term rate stability. When possible, those funds are returned to members over time.

CCEC is also actively working to manage wholesale power costs. Beginning April 1, 2026, those costs increased by 4.1%, along with a temporary additional charge through the end of the year tied to higher energy costs in 2025, when an extended maintenance outage at one of Minnkota’s power plants led to increased wholesale power market purchases to maintain reliable service.

Rather than passing these costs directly on to members, CCEC will absorb that temporary charge along with a significant portion of the increase. This helps limit the impact and keep rates as stable as possible.

For members, the result is a net rate increase of about 1.3% in 2026. That equals roughly $2 per month for an average home and about 60 cents per month for an average apartment.

Rates at CCEC are set locally by a board of directors elected by the membership. These directors balance affordability, reliability, and long-term planning when making decisions. As members themselves, they pay the same electric rates, reinforcing accountability and transparency.

We remain focused on what matters most, providing safe, reliable electricity while working every day to keep costs as low as possible for our members. That is The Cooperative Way.