Three things every other RCEC search result gets wrong.
1. The ZIP. ZIP 75603 is the southern Longview / Lakeport area in Gregg County. The US Postal Service "preferred city" for 75603 is Longview, but the community of Lakeport sits inside it. It is not Tyler, and it is not Smith County.
2. The website. RCEC's site is rcelectric.org, not rcec.coop. "rcec.coop" belongs to a different Rural Electric Cooperative in New Mexico. Confusing the two will send you to the wrong outage map.
3. You cannot "switch" providers here. Most of Texas was deregulated by Senate Bill 7 in 1999, but electric cooperatives were given the option to stay regulated. RCEC has not opted into retail choice, so there is no REP to compare, no Power to Choose listing, and no shopping around. Your supply, delivery and customer charge all come from RCEC.
How an RCEC bill is built. Three layers, one provider.
On a deregulated Texas bill, supply and delivery come from two different companies. On an RCEC bill, all three layers come from the same cooperative, which is why the math looks simpler and why "switching" makes no sense.
Layer 1: Power supply
Energy charge
The electricity itself, billed per kWh. RCEC buys this wholesale (likely through a G&T partner) and resells it at cost.
Layer 2: Wires
Distribution
RCEC's own 3,600+ miles of poles, lines and substations move power to your meter. Unlike a deregulated Texas bill, there is no separate TDU line: distribution is rolled into the energy charge or shown as a small wires rider.
Layer 3: Fixed
Customer charge
A flat monthly fee that pays for the meter, the service drop to your home, billing and member services. Roughly $25 to $35 depending on rate class; you pay it even at zero usage.
A PCRF rider may appear as a separate line, true-up positive or negative based on what RCEC paid for wholesale power that month.
Every line on a Texas coop bill, decoded.
A coop bill uses different language than a deregulated REP bill. This table maps the names back to what they actually are.
| Line on your RCEC bill | What it really is | Who sets it | Shoppable? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Energy charge / kWh charge | Layer 1: the electricity | RCEC board of directors | No |
| Power Cost Recovery (PCRF) | Wholesale fuel and energy true-up | ERCOT wholesale market | No |
| Customer charge / service availability | Layer 3: fixed monthly fee | RCEC board | No |
| Capital credit retirement | Return of past margins to members | RCEC board annually | Credit, not charge |
| Late-payment / reconnect fees | Penalty riders | RCEC tariff | No |
Coop bills do not carry Texas state sales tax on residential electricity, unlike many IOU bills. They also lack the PUCT assessment line common on REP statements.
~83% of your RCEC bill is energy. 17% is fixed.
At a typical East Texas usage of 1,500 kWh, the energy charge (1,500 x 13.58¢ = $203.70) makes up about 83% of the total. The $30 monthly customer charge is the remaining 17%.
What does this mean for you? Cutting usage by 200 kWh saves you about $27 on a coop bill, almost the full benefit. On a deregulated Texas bill with the same usage cut, the saving is smaller because half the savings disappear into delivery and TDU charges that scale less aggressively.
The flip side: there is no supplier to negotiate with. Your only levers are usage, on-bill assistance (LIHEAP / CEAP in Texas) and efficiency.
at RCEC's blended ~13.58¢/kWh + $30 fixed
Behind the scenes: how RCEC actually sets your rate.
A coop is not a regulated IOU and not a deregulated REP. Rates flow through the cooperative's own governance.
Member-elected board
Directors are RCEC members, elected by district at the annual meeting. Texas coops are exempt from PUCT retail rate oversight, so the board is the rate-setting authority.
General manager and staff
A general manager runs day-to-day operations out of the Henderson HQ at 3162 State Highway 43 East. Staff propose a budget, the board approves it, and the rate is reverse-engineered to cover cost-of-service plus a modest margin.
Annual budget and capital credits
Any margin above cost-of-service is allocated back to members as capital credits, retired in cash years later. It is not a discount, it is your share of the coop's equity returned to you.
Wholesale power supply
RCEC does not own its own generation. Wholesale power is bought from a Generation and Transmission cooperative (likely NTEC for East Texas coops) and the cost passes through on your bill via the PCRF rider. Verify the current G&T relationship at RCEC's annual report.
5 mistakes RCEC members make.
Common patterns we see on East Texas coop bills. Each costs real money. Each is fixable.
East Texas storm prep: thunderstorms, tornadoes, ice.
The piney woods of Rusk, Gregg and Panola counties sit on the western edge of Tornado Alley's Dixie variant. Spring brings supercell thunderstorms; summer brings tropical remnants from the Gulf; winter brings the occasional ice storm that snaps loblolly pines straight through distribution lines.
What this means: RCEC's 3,600 miles of line are exposed to falling trees more than wind directly. The single highest-impact thing a member can do is keep mature pines and oaks trimmed back from the service drop.
Report outages immediately at 855-945-3520 or via the RCEC outage map. Crews route by reported clusters, so silence on a feeder slows restoration for everyone on it.
What to do as an RCEC member in 75603.
Save the outage line
Add 855-945-3520 to your phone now. During storm restoration, every minute of guessing the number is a minute off your fridge.
Use the Lakeport branch
For new service, deposits or in-person account issues: 8989 FM 349, phone 903-643-9181. Closer than the Henderson HQ for 75603 addresses.
Read the PCRF every month
Track this line on each bill. A sudden positive PCRF is your early warning that wholesale conditions just changed; a negative one is the coop crediting you back.
Vote at the annual meeting
You are an owner. Board elections drive rate, service-territory and capital-credit decisions. Skipping is the same as letting other members set your rate.
Apply for CEAP if eligible
Texas administers CEAP (the state version of LIHEAP). Apply through your local community action agency.
Trim trees, not lines
The piney woods drop limbs onto lines every storm. RCEC has a vegetation management program; report a problem tree before it falls and pay nothing.
Common RCEC questions in 75603.
ZIP 75603 is the southern Longview / Lakeport area in Gregg County, not Tyler / Smith County. The US Postal Service preferred city name is Longview, but the community of Lakeport sits inside the ZIP. The boundary brushes Rusk County to the south.
The closest RCEC branch is at 8989 FM 349, Lakeport, reached at 903-643-9181. The headquarters is at 3162 State Highway 43 East in Henderson (mailing address PO Box 1169, Henderson TX 75653-1169), reached at 903-657-4571. RCEC also operates a Carthage branch at 325A W Sabine.
No. Electric cooperatives were excluded from Senate Bill 7 deregulation in 1999, and RCEC has not opted into retail choice. There is no REP to compare and no Power to Choose listing for cooperative service territory. All three layers of your bill come from RCEC.
Call the RCEC 24/7 outage hotline at 855-945-3520, or report it through the outage map at rcelectric.org. Do not call the Henderson main line for outages outside business hours, since the toll-free line is staffed around the clock.
No. rcelectric.org is Rusk County Electric Cooperative in Henderson, Texas. rcec.coop is a different Rural Electric Cooperative in New Mexico. Confusing the two will send you to the wrong outage map and the wrong customer service.
Two reasons. First, cooperatives sell at cost-of-service plus a thin margin, with no shareholder dividend to fund. Second, RCEC owns its distribution network outright; what would be a TDU charge on a deregulated bill is built into the kWh rate at lower markup. Wholesale power cost still flows through via the PCRF, so the rate is not fixed forever.
More U.S. states with energy choice
Same playbook, different utility. Pick another deregulated state to compare utilities, suppliers and switching rules.
