Empire Electric Raises Rates for Dolores County Customers Starting April 2026

Empire Electric Association customers in Dolores County now pay $231.15 every month simply to remain connected to the grid, regardless of how much electricity they actually use. That fixed Grid Access Charge is among the most consequential line items in the cooperative's updated tariff sheets, which took effect April 1 and are now appearing on bills across the utility's three-county territory: Montezuma, Dolores, and San Miguel.

The tariff packet was approved by Empire's board on Feb. 13 and carries an April 1 effective date. It restructures rate components across a broad range of service classes, including residential single-phase, general service, irrigation, large power, security lights, and net metering. The cooperative's service territory explicitly names Dolores County, meaning every customer category in the county falls under the new terms.

For customers who receive wheeling or transportation service, a Distribution Demand Charge of $10.25 per kilowatt of Distribution Billing Demand now applies on top of the grid access fee. That charge is calculated using 15-minute demand peaks, a billing method that can significantly raise costs for operations with variable or intermittent loads, including agricultural irrigation pumps running during peak summer hours.

The power factor provisions in the tariff add another layer for larger customers. When a customer's load draws reactive power in ways that reduce efficiency on the distribution system, billing adjustments can increase the effective rate per kilowatt. For Dolores County farms running well pumps or pivot irrigation during the growing season, those adjustments translate into higher monthly cash outlays at precisely the time water demand peaks.

The fixed nature of the Grid Access Charge also limits how much rooftop solar or battery storage can reduce a customer's bill. Because the $231.15 monthly fee accrues whether a customer generates power or pulls every kilowatt-hour from the grid, behind-the-meter systems face a structural ceiling on bill savings. The tariff includes updated net metering and renewable generation clauses governing how distributed generation customers are credited for power exported back to the cooperative.

Local governments, school districts, and special districts in Dolores County operate accounts within the same cooperative territory and fall under the updated rate structure. Affected customers, particularly those managing irrigation systems or distributed energy resources, can contact Empire directly to request an account-specific breakdown of how the new demand charges and power factor rules will apply.

For a county where seasonal irrigation loads and limited local generation are the norm, the structure of those charges will shape the economics of farming and small-business operations well into the coming irrigation season.