"Shop for a Texas electricity plan" is the wrong advice for WCEC members.
Generic Texas electricity guides assume every Texas address is in the deregulated market and can pick from dozens of REPs. That is true for most of the state, but it is not true here.
When Texas restructured its electricity market in 1999, the PURA bill let electric cooperatives and municipal utilities opt out of retail competition. The vast majority did. WCEC's board chose to stay member-owned and integrated, the coop is your wires company AND your supplier.
So no Power to Choose, no plan shopping, no "switch and save" coupon, just one Schedule A tariff, set by your own board of directors at the annual rate review.
How a WCEC bill is built. Three layers, every month.
A WCEC residential bill has the same three layers as any US electricity bill, but with a coop twist: there is no separate "supply" company, because the coop both generates (via its G&T) and delivers.
Layer 1, Fixed
Service charge: $17/mo
A flat monthly fee you pay even at zero use. It covers the meter, the drop line to your house, billing and member services. Same amount whether you use 1 kWh or 5,000 kWh.
Layer 2, Base energy
6.667¢ per kWh
The flat per-kWh rate built into Schedule A. It pays for distribution wires, poles, transformers and the coop's share of wholesale generation built into the base. Frozen at this number since 2007.
Layer 3, Variable
PCRF: ¢/kWh that moves
The Power Cost Recovery Factor. A pass-through that adjusts each month for the actual wholesale cost WCEC paid NTEC for power. Can be positive (you pay more) or negative (credit back).
If your bill rises but your kWh did not, almost always the PCRF moved. The other two layers do not change between rate reviews.
Every line on a WCEC bill, decoded.
Six line items show up on a Schedule A residential bill. Here is what each one means and whether you can change it.
| Line | What it really is | Who sets it | Can you change it? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Customer / Service charge | $17 flat monthly fee | WCEC board of directors | No |
| Energy charge (Schedule A) | 6.667¢ × kWh used | WCEC board (tariff) | Only via usage |
| PCRF (Power Cost Recovery) | Monthly wholesale pass-through | NTEC cost → coop | No |
| Sales tax | Texas state & local tax | State / municipality | No |
| Capital credits retirement | Credit back of past margins (coop only) | WCEC board annually | Free money |
| Late fee / reconnect fee | Penalty if past due | WCEC bylaws | Pay on time |
Capital credits are unique to coops: WCEC's margins (profits) belong to members and are returned in cash as the board decides each year. Keep your address on file even after you leave the service area.
Base rate unchanged since 2007. PCRF does all the moving.
WCEC's Schedule A base rate of 6.667¢/kWh has not changed in nearly two decades. That is rare among US electric utilities, where rate cases typically rebase every 3 to 5 years and almost always upward.
How? The coop runs a pass-through model. Wholesale power cost, bought from NTEC, the G&T coop that owns generation on behalf of WCEC and four sister coops, flows through the PCRF line monthly. Base distribution costs are kept flat by the member-owned board.
Practical translation: when wholesale gas prices spike, your PCRF spikes the next billing cycle. When they fall, it falls (and can briefly be a credit). The "rate freeze" applies to layer 2 only.
at base + 2.5¢ PCRF, before tax
Who actually sets your rate (it is not the PUC).
Unlike Texas IOUs, WCEC's rates are not approved by the PUCT. The chain runs entirely inside the coop family.
You elect the board
WCEC is a REA-era cooperative. Every member with an active meter gets one vote at the annual meeting and elects the 7-person board of directors that runs the business.
The board hires the general manager
The GM runs day-to-day operations from the Quitman HQ, sets the operating budget, and brings a recommended cost-of-service study to the board on a regular cadence.
The board sets the budget & tariff
The board approves the annual budget, the Schedule A tariff (base rate + service charge) and capital-credit retirements. The board has held base rates flat since 2007.
NTEC supplies the wholesale power
Northeast Texas Electric Cooperative is WCEC's G&T, a separate coop owned jointly by WCEC and four sister distribution coops. NTEC buys or generates wholesale power inside ERCOT and bills WCEC monthly. That bill becomes your PCRF.
There is no PUCT rate case in this chain. If you do not like a rate decision, you run for the board or vote for a candidate who will change it.
5 mistakes WCEC members make.
Patterns we see across coop member bills. None of them are about "switching", you cannot switch, and all of them cost real dollars.
Thunderstorms and tornadoes drive most WCEC outages.
East Texas sits in the western edge of Tornado Alley. April through June bring squall lines that knock distribution lines down across the Piney Woods. Lightning, hail and falling pine branches account for most multi-hour outages.
Three habits cut your downtime materially:
- Save the outage line (866) 415-2951 as a contact you can text, not just call.
- Bookmark outagemap.wcec.org and check before you call, your crew already knows.
- Keep a battery weather radio and a phone power bank charged April through September.
What to actually do as a WCEC member.
Start service
New move-in? Call member services at (903) 763-2203 with your address, full name and target start date. Plan 1 to 2 business days.
Report an outage
Call or text (866) 415-2951. Check status on outagemap.wcec.org.
Pay your bill
Auto-draft, online portal, phone, mailed check or in person at the Quitman office. Pick auto-draft to avoid late fees during travel.
Apply for assistance
Eligible Texas households can apply for CEAP / LIHEAP via your local Community Action Agency. Funding is limited each year, apply early.
Run for the board
If you want a say in the next rate review, the annual meeting is where it happens. Districts rotate. Watch your bill insert each spring for nomination deadlines.
Track capital credits
Keep your contact info current even after you leave. WCEC mails capital-credit checks years later, old addresses lose money.
Common WCEC questions, answered.
No. WCEC opted out of the Texas retail electricity market under PURA in 1999, like most Texas cooperatives. You will not find your address on Power to Choose, and no Retail Electric Provider can sell you power. Your only supplier is the coop itself.
Nine counties in East Texas: Camp, Franklin, Hopkins, Rains, Smith, Titus, Upshur, Van Zandt and Wood. The headquarters is at 501 S Main St, Quitman TX 75783.
Call or text (866) 415-2951. Texting works in areas with weak signal where calls drop. Check live outage status at outagemap.wcec.org.
It is the PCRF (Power Cost Recovery Factor). The base rate of 6.667¢/kWh and the $17 service charge do not change. PCRF passes through the actual wholesale cost WCEC paid NTEC for power that month, so it rises when natural gas spikes and falls when wholesale eases.
The 7-person WCEC board of directors, elected by members. Because the coop opted out of retail competition, the Public Utility Commission of Texas does not approve coop rates. The board does.
Coops do not pay profits to shareholders, they allocate margins back to members based on how much electricity each member bought that year. The board retires (pays out) past allocations in cash on its own schedule. Keep your mailing address current with WCEC even after you move; un-cashed credits sit unclaimed for years.
More U.S. states with energy choice
Same playbook, different utility. Pick another deregulated state to compare utilities, suppliers and switching rules.
