Published
What Fall River Electric actually charges: every rate on the May 2025 card, decoded for a new build
Three parts, every month
Most corridor lots get their power from Fall River Rural Electric Cooperative, and the co-op prices a home in three pieces. In its own words:
“Your bill is composed of an Access Fee charge of $39 for residential service accounts and small general service accounts and $59 for larger general service accounts, all of which remain the same each month.”
— Fall River Electric, Rates & Fees page. Retrieved 5 October 2026
The other two pieces are a demand charge and an energy charge, and both move with how you use the house. That structure is the whole game: the fixed part is modest, the variable parts are yours to manage — starting with what you build.
The May 2025 rate card, as filed
These are the numbers effective with May 2025 statements, straight off the co-op’s rate summary sheet:
| Rate class | Access fee | Demand charge | Energy charge |
|---|---|---|---|
| Residential Service | $39.00 per month | $2.75 per kW | $0.0575 per kWh for kWh hours 0–2000; $0.0807 per kWh for 2001 and above |
| Small General Service | $39.00 per month | $4.50 per kW | $0.0575 per kWh |
| Large General Service | $59.00 per month | $7.50 per kW | $0.05284 per kWh |
| Irrigation | Annual horsepower charge: $20.12 per HP (0–100 HP), $29.57 per HP over 100 | $1.44 per kW | $0.0316 per kWh |
A few side rates matter to builders and owners of ground: Idle Service is $10.00 per month; the Easy Pay prepaid residential meter runs $1.28 per day with the same demand and energy charges as regular residential; a Level 3 electric vehicle charger pays $0.48 per kWh; street lighting bills at $0.1045 per kWh; and the opt-in Green Power program adds $0.01100 per kWh onto the retail rate.
What changed in May 2025
Rising wholesale power costs pushed the co-op to reprice. Two sentences carry the entire story:
“This rate change reflects an average increase of just 3.9%, although depending on usage, individual accounts may see more or less of an increase. The average Fall River Electric residential bill is about $123.00/month and will see an increase of about $6.00 per month.”
— Fall River Electric, Rates & Fees page. Retrieved 5 October 2026
So the planning number for a typical all-electric corridor home is roughly $123 a month before the increase, about $129 after — and your actual figure depends on usage, insulation, and how many big loads run at once. The envelope you build to on the energy-code insulation page is the lever you control before the first bill ever arrives.
Why the access fee exists at all
The flat $39 annoys people with a seasonal cabin who use nothing all winter. The co-op’s defense is straightforward:
“Without it, year-round members would pay the majority of fixed costs for seasonal residents, who make up about 40 percent of the Cooperative’s membership.”
— Fall River Electric, Rates & Fees page. Retrieved 5 October 2026
The trap for a build schedule: if you drop to Idle Service during construction lulls and reconnect within 12 months of the disconnect, the co-op bills the full access fee for that period, less the idle charges already paid. Idle Service is cheap; the bounce back is not free.
The demand charge, decoded
This is the piece most new owners have never seen on a bill. It is not about how much power you use — it is about the single heaviest moment of the month:
“Demand is determined by the highest number of kilowatts you use in a 15-minute period and is another tool members have available for them to control and potentially reduce their monthly bill.”
— Fall River Electric, Rates & Fees page. Retrieved 5 October 2026
Practically: a welder, a table saw, a dryer, a well pump and a tankless heater all running inside the same quarter hour sets your demand peak for the month — at $2.75 per kW on residential. Staggering big loads costs nothing; stacking them does. When we size the panel and plan circuits with the state electrical permit, demand behavior is part of the conversation.
Where the power actually comes from
“Fall River purchases about 85% percent of the power that is delivered to members from wholesale sources. ... The remaining 15 percent of power that is delivered to members comes from power generated at the Cooperative’s hydroelectric projects on the Henry’s Fork Watershed.”
— Fall River Electric, Rates & Fees page. Retrieved 5 October 2026
Most of the wholesale share moves through the Bonneville Power Administration’s federal hydropower system. Why that matters to a corridor build: your retail rate rides on regional wholesale markets, which is exactly why the co-op had to reprice in May 2025 — and why an efficient envelope keeps paying you back.
Budget the meter before the house
- Get the new-service estimate process moving early — the co-op’s line-extension steps are on the corridor power page.
- Compare rate classes if the property will ever carry a shop, irrigation or rental load — general service demand charges are higher.
- Plan big loads so they do not stack inside one 15-minute window: demand is billable the moment it happens.
- If the lot will sit idle between phases, price the $10 Idle Service against the 12-month reconnect rule before disconnecting.
- Put realistic power costs into the whole build number with us: (208) 656-1516.
Power is one of the three utilities you will stand up on a corridor lot — alongside the well and septic question — and the state electrical permit is what finally puts the meter in service. The rate card above is the part you will live with every month afterward.
Common questions
How much does Fall River Electric cost per month for a house?
The co-op's own figure is an average residential bill of about $123.00 per month before the May 2025 change, rising about $6.00 per month after it - roughly $129. Your real bill depends on usage: $39 monthly access fee, $2.75 per kW of demand, and 5.75 cents per kWh for the first 2,000 kWh, 8.07 cents above that.
What is the Fall River access fee for?
It covers the co-op's fixed costs - lines, billing, loans, insurance. Fall River says that without it, year-round members would pay the majority of fixed costs for seasonal residents, who make up about 40 percent of the membership. It is $39 a month on residential and small general service, $59 on large general service.
Why is there a demand charge on a residential bill?
Demand is determined by the highest number of kilowatts used in a 15-minute period within the billing month, and residential demand bills at $2.75 per kW. It reflects the co-op's own cost of serving your single heaviest moment - a welder, dryer and well pump all at once - rather than total consumption.
What is the kWh rate for Fall River Electric?
Residential energy is tiered: $0.0575 per kWh for hours 0 through 2000 in a billing period and $0.0807 per kWh for 2001 and above, on top of the $39 access fee and the $2.75 per kW demand charge. Small General Service pays a flat $0.0575 per kWh; Large General Service pays $0.05284 per kWh.
How much is Fall River's Idle Service rate?
Idle Service is $10.00 per month. The trap: if you disconnect from Residential or General Service, switch to Idle Service, and reconnect within 12 months of the disconnect date, the access fee for the respective rate class applies for that time period, less any idle charges already billed.
Did Fall River rates go up in 2025?
Yes - effective with bills members received in May 2025. The co-op calls it an average increase of just 3.9%, with individual accounts seeing more or less depending on usage, driven by wholesale rates rising both locally and nationally. Most of Fall River's purchased power moves through the Bonneville Power Administration.
Does Fall River have special rates for EV charging or green power?
Yes. A Level 3 electric vehicle charger bills at $0.48 per kWh, and the opt-in Green Power program adds $0.01100 per kWh onto the retail rate. The Green Power program draws on two of the co-op's own hydroelectric projects on the Henry's Fork Watershed.