Take control of your electric bill!

SWRE offers a wide variety of information and account options to help you better manage your account and budget.

Wondering what that number on your bill represents? Check out our Interactive Bill at right for a detailed explanation of your monthly account statement.

Your 10-digit Account Number is located in the upper left hand corner of the bill detail. This unique number identifies the specific account set up under your membership for the meter being tracked by this bill. Many of our members have more than one meter (house, barn, oil well, water well, etc.) and therefore have more than one account number. It is important that you provide the account number in question any time you need information on your account or report a concern, allowing us to more accurately address the specific meter.

In order to better serve our members, Southwest Rural Electric Co-op collects and processes metering data in three billing cycles. The billing cycle assigned to your account is located directly to the right of your account number. SWRE accounts are billed on the following cycles:

• Cycle 1: Due on the 25TH. Past due after 20 days
• Cycle 2: Due on the 5th. Past due after 20 days.
• Cycle 3: Due on the 15TH. Past due after 20 days.

Due date of bill. This date is determined by your Billing Cycle.

Your bill lists the Present Meter Reading, the amount of kWh's recorded by the meter at the time of its most recent read; Previous Reading, the number of kWh's recorded on your last bill; and Difference, the number of kWh's recorded by the meter during the current billing period.

Contract meter readers read SWRE Meters. To learn more about the metering process, see our About Your Meter page.

Your electricity usage is metered in Kilowatt Hours (kWh). A kWh is equivalent to 1,000 watts (1.34 hp) of power used for a period of 1 hour. For example, if you were to use a 1.5 horsepower (about 1,000 watts) motor for an hour or a 100 watt appliance for 10 hours, each would consume roughly 1 kWh of electricity.

Steps in Calculating Usage Costs
Volt x Amps = Watts
Watts / 1000 = Kilowatt (kW)
Kilowatt (kW) x Hours of Use = Kilowatt Hour (kWh)
Kilowatt Hours (kWh) x rate = Cost of Usage

Calculating Watts
Volts x Amps = (Watts)

Calculating Amperes
Watts / Volts = (Amps)

Calculating Volts
Watts / Amps = (Volts)

Calculating Resistance (Ohms)
Volts/Amps = R (Resistance)

For more information on energy usage, see Energy Efficiency.

Charge for energy used during billing period. Gross Receipts Taxes are collected on this charge.

Flat rate of $7.95 per SWRE Security Light on meter. See Security Lighting to view our Security Light policy and apply for a light online.

Basic minimum charge for service to meter. Every member is assessed this charge regardless of volume of load on meter. This charge has been traditionally rolled directly into the member's energy charge, but is now itemized seperately to provide a more accurate explanation of monthly costs.

Electric Cooperatives are assessed a State Gross Receipts Tax based on the amount of energy sold in their territory. This tax is basically a sales tax on natural resources and energy consumed in Oklahoma. The unique advantage of a gross receipts tax on electric Cooperatives is that it directly benefits the local school district in which it the tax is assessed. Over $400,000 was contributed to schools within the SWRE territory during 2001 through the gross receipts tax.

Unpaid balances from previous bills are carried into the next billing period along with appropriate late penalties. Late fees are calculated at 1.5% of unpaid balance. Unpaid bills are subject to disconnection and collection.

We understand that occasionally circumstances arise that make it difficult to pay bills when they come due. Our customer service representatives are always willing to work with you to make appropriate payment arrangements and protect your credit rating and membership standing with SWRE.

Make your bill fit your budget and lifestyle. We offer several BILLING & PAYMENT options including BANK DRAFT PAYMENTS and AVERAGE PAYMENT/BUDGET BILLING that allow SWRE members to tailor their account to their individual needs.

You can save hundreds and even thousands of dollars a year by taking simple steps towards conserving energy around your home and business. Check out our Energy Efficiency page for tip.