Business Electric Rates

CWLP retail electric service is available to all businesses inside the Springfield city limits, as well as certain areas outside of the city, including Leland Grove, Southern View and Jerome. Electric rate schedules have been established for eight business customer classes based on the customer’s energy and demand characteristics.

Certain aspects of CWLP business electric service apply to all customers, regardless of your rate schedule. These include: 

• Seasonal rate adjustments: Higher summer rates are effective from May 15 to September 14, with winter rates in effect from September 15 to May 14. Bills covering usage in both rate periods are prorated based on the number of days usage in each season.

• Fuel adjustment: The fuel adjustment provides the utility with a means of charging customers for the true cost of providing service based on the ever-changing cost of coal, fuel, oil, natural gas, fuel transportation and handling, and the operation of the Dallman scrubbers without having to continuously change the utility’s basic rate schedules. The fuel adjustment can result in increases or decreases from the base electric rates, depending upon the actual monthly costs of fuel incurred by the electric system.  

• State utility tax: Each electric rate schedule is subject to the state utility tax, which is collected by CWLP and passed on to the State of Illinois. The state utility tax is 5% of the utility bill or $0.0032 per kilowatt-hour, whichever results in a lower tax amount. Monthly customer charges are not included in any state tax calculations made at the 5% rate.

In addition to the energy charge, most classes of business customers are assessed a demand charge based on their highest average kilowatt (kW) in any 15-minute period during the month. At the option of CWLP, demand may be determined by permanently installed demand instruments or by demand tests.

Basic information on each business electric rate classification is contained below.

Rate 40 General Service Small: Available to any customer for single-phase nonresidential, institutional and commercial service or three-phase residential, nonresidential, institutional or commercial service taken through a single meter at the utility standard secondary voltage. The minimum demand shall be one kW.

Rate 41 General Service Small Southern View: Available to any customer in the Village of Southern View for single-phase nonresidential, institutional or commercial service or three-phase residential, nonresidential, institutional and commercial service taken through a single meter at the utility standard secondary voltage. The minimum demand shall be one kW.

Rate 42 General Service Single-Meter Space Heating: Available to any customer taking nonresidential, institutional or commercial service through a single meter, when electric power is the primary source of energy used to heat the premises. The minimum demand shall be one kW.

A 2% discount on the electric bill shall be applied to a customer served under this rate schedule if CWLP elects to meter that customer at 2400 volts or higher. A 2% discount on the electric bill shall be applied to a customer served under this rate schedule when the customer, with the approval of CWLP, furnishes, installs and maintains the transformer (or transformers) that reduces the voltage from 2400 volts or higher to the voltage required by the customer. A combination discount of 4% is available if both conditions are met.

Rate 44 General Service Separate-Meter Space Heating: Available to any general service customer who uses electricity as the primary source of heating in nonresidential premises. Electric service to the space heating equipment must be metered separately from other equipment. When winter space heating is accomplished by a heat pump, summer cooling by the same equipment may be served under this schedule. When winter space heating is accomplished by resistance units that are permanently installed and thermostatically controlled during the entire heating season, summer air conditioning may be served under this schedule if the connected horsepower of such service does not exceed 70 percent of the kilowatts permanently installed for radiant or resistance heating units. Water heating equipment may be served under this schedule provided that its capacity does not exceed that of the space heating equipment.

A 2% discount on the electric bill shall be applied to a customer served under this rate schedule if CWLP elects to meter that customer at 2400 volts or higher. A 2% discount on the electric bill shall be applied to a customer served under this rate schedule when the customer, with the approval of CWLP, furnishes, installs and maintains the transformer (or transformers) that reduces the voltage from 2400 volts or higher to the voltage required by the customer. A combination discount of 4% is available if both conditions are met.

Rate 46 General Service Medium: Available to any customer taking nonresidential, institutional or commercial service through a single meter at the utility standard voltage. The minimum demand shall be 70 kW.

A 2% discount on the electric bill shall be applied to a customer served under this rate schedule if CWLP elects to meter that customer at 2400 volts or higher. A 2% discount on the electric bill shall be applied to a customer served under this rate schedule when the customer, with the approval of CWLP, furnishes, installs and maintains the transformer (or transformers) that reduces the voltage from 2400 volts or higher to the voltage required by the customer. A combination discount of 4% is available if both conditions are met.

Rate 47 General Service Medium Southern View: Available to any customer in the Village of Southern View taking nonresidential, institutional or commercial service through a single meter at the utility standard voltage. The minimum demand shall be 70 kW.

A 2% discount on the electric bill shall be applied to a customer served under this rate schedule if CWLP elects to meter that customer at 2400 volts or higher. A 2% discount on the electric bill shall be applied to a customer served under this rate schedule when the customer, with the approval of CWLP, furnishes, installs and maintains the transformer (or transformers) that reduces the voltage from 2400 volts or higher to the voltage required by the customer. A combination discount of 4% is available if both conditions are met.

Rate 48 General Service Large: Available to any industrial customer taking service through a single primary meter at 4,160 or 12,470 volts and assuming a minimum demand responsibility of 2,500 kilovolt-amperes (kVa). The minimum bill shall be $8,000 per month. An industrial customer is defined as one who assembles, manufactures or processes a product for resale from one or several parts. City Water, Light and Power will own, operate and maintain one three-phase transformer bank to serve a customer under this schedule.

Rate 58 General Service State of Illinois: Available to customer accounts of the State of Illinois taking service through a single primary meter at 4,160 or 12,470 volts and assuming a minimum demand responsibility of 2,250 kW. City Water, Light and Power will own, operate and maintain one three-phase transformer bank to serve a customer under this schedule.

Last Updated:  04/01/08

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