AC-Heat Rate

Save Money With Our AC-Heat Rate

If you use electricity to heat your home, you may qualify for a lower rate on the electricity used for heating. This can help lower your bill during the heating season.

The electric heat rate is available to members with permanent electric heat to qualifying heat pumps. A separate heat meter measures the electricity used for heating, so that usage can be billed at the reduced rate.

Your electric heating system must have a minimum load of 8 kW (8,000 watts) to qualify.

*portable heating such as hot tubs, sauna, etc will not receive the reduced rate*

ou may qualify for our Electric Heat Rate!

MWEC members contact our office to verify if they qualify for the rate. Once approved our office will supply you with the equipment needed to install a heat meter or sub-meter to your electrical service. You will need a certified electrician to wire the service for you.

Once the electrician work is completed, contact our office and we will send someone out to verify the installation. If correct, our staff will connect the heat meter.

Then you’re all set! You will now see a separate meter labeled “heat sub meter” on your next bill. This is where your reduced rate will show during our active heat rate season, October 1 – April 30.

We know you still have questions so we’re here to answer them and help you, our member, get the most out of your electric service.

Mountrail-Williams Electric Cooperative (MWEC) will supply:
- Meter base
- CT (donut)
- Cable
- Diagram

It is the responsibility of the member to obtain an electrician to install the above equipment.

Once an electrician has installed the required equipment notify our office and our staff will come out to evaluate the installation. (Please allow up to 2 weeks for our staff to visit your location for review)

If it is all correct, the meter will be installed and will begin billing at the corresponding reduced rate.

Heating: 4.3¢ per KWH, October - April

Cooling: 5.6¢ per KWH, May - September
(To receive the cooling rate, members MUST have electrical heat)

Normal electrical usage is charged:
8.9¢ for first 1200 KWH and 8.1¢ for all remaining

Electrical heat usage is charged at:
4.3¢ for all heat KWH usage

*On average, MWEC members can save around $100 per month during the peak heating season.

For 2026 rates visit our RATE CHANGE page.

There are two meters because your main meter keeps track of ALL electrical usage while your heat meter or sub-meter keeps track of only the electrical heat usage. Your electrical heat usage is then subtracted from your main meter usage to determine the non-heat usage.

Here is an example:
Usage:
Main Meter 12345 – 4682 KWH
Heat Sub Meter 54321 – 2908 KWH

4682 (Main Meter)
-2908 (Heat Sub Meter)
1774 (Non-heat Usage)

Sample Billing:

*Using the above usage numbers here is how that usage would be billed.

Without Heat Meter
1200 KWH @ 0.08900 = $106.80
3482 KWH @ 0.08100 = $282.04
4682 KWH = $388.84

With Heat Meter
Main Meter:
1200 KWH @ 0.08900 = $106.80
574 KWH @ 0.08100 = $46.49
1774 KWH (4682 – 2908) = $153.29

Heat Meter:
2908 KWH @ 0.04300 = $125.04

Total = $278.33 ($153.29+125.04)

That’s a total savings of $110.51 for one bill!

Heat meter breaker off?
Benefits may be, too!

Keeping your sub-meter breaker turned on helps MWEC accurately track your electric heat and air conditioning usage. When the breaker is turned off, all electrical usage is tracked through your main meter.

When a sub-meter breaker is turned off, cooperative staff often need to spend time identifying the issue and reconnecting the meter, creating unnecessary costs for both members and the cooperative.

By simply leaving the breaker on, you help ensure accurate billing and keep costs down for everyone. You only benefit when the breaker is on in your electrical panel.

Bottom line: Leave the breaker on, 24/7, 365 days a year. If it’s been turned off, now is a great time to turn it back on and let your sub-meter do its job – saving you money!

What is a sub-meter?
An electric sub-meter is a separate meter, usually attached to your home, that measures only the electricity used by your home’s electric heating and cooling system. Unlike your main electric meter, usually attached to a power pole encased with a box, which records ALL the electricity your home uses, a sub-meter tracks heating and cooling usage only.

To accurately record heating and cooling usage:

Keep the sub-meter breaker turned on at all times.
If the breaker is turned off, the sub-meter cannot record your heating and cooling electricity usage.
Without proper recorded usage, you may not qualify for certain assistance programs or applicable rates.

How do I know if I have a sub-meter?
When looking at your MWEC bill, you will see a line item that says “AC-E – Electric Heat/AC. “

Stanley Office Notice:

How does It work?

What Equipment & work is needed?

What are the Electric Heating/Cooling rates?

Main Meter vs. Sub-Meter

Heat meter breaker off?Benefits may be, too!

Heat meter breaker off?
Benefits may be, too!