The System Access Cost is the component of a member's bill that recovers some of the fixed costs that come directly from serving an individual member, regardless of how much electricity is used. These costs include the cost of the meter, wire and other equipment used to deliver electricity to the home or business, as well as billing expenses such as, bill preparation and postage.

The “electric” line item on a member’s bill represents the energy and capacity costs which is about 70 cents of every dollar they pay.  As a distribution cooperative, YVEA does not generate power.  We purchase most of it wholesale from Xcel Energy.  The amount of electricity or Kilowatt hours a member uses in their home or business will impact how much YVEA has to buy for the member, and in turn how much the member has to pay YVEA.  While the system access charge is a fixed charge, the electric charge fluctuates depending on how much electricity is used.

YVEA has changed the class names to Small, Medium, and Large General Service instead of Residential, Commercial, Industrial?  To better represent our membership by not who you are, but how you use electricity.

• We are a not-for-profit cooperative—that means we don’t raise rates to generate profits. We raise rates simply to cover the cost of doing business and only when absolutely necessary. 
• YVEA's goal when setting rates is to allocate costs to members in a manner that is fair, just and reasonable based on the cost members cause on the system.
• Electricity is still a great value compared to other commodities—prices have increased but remained relatively stable over the past several decades.
• Keep in mind that everything we do is with our members’ best interest at heart. Rate increases are tough for everyone, but this move will help YVEA continue to keep electric service safe and reliable.