French Broad Elec Member Corp
Cooperative electric utility · North Carolina · #413 of 3,199 U.S. utilities by customers · EIA utility #6784
French Broad Elec Member Corp is a cooperative electric utility serving 41,010 customers in North Carolina, Tennessee. In 2025 it sold 565 gigawatt-hours of electricity for $81.70M in revenue, an average realized rate of 14.46¢ per kWh across all customer classes and 16.21¢ per kWh for residential customers. Its reported service territory covers 7 counties. EIA records its activities as: transmission, distribution.
Customers, sales and rates by customer class (2025)
| Class | Customers | Sales (GWh) | Revenue | Avg realized rate | Share of sales |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residential | 37,052 | 359 | $58.14M | 16.21¢ | |
| Commercial | 3,953 | 110 | $14.86M | 13.52¢ | |
| Industrial | 5 | 96.4 | $8.71M | 9.03¢ | |
| Total | 41,010 | 565 | $81.70M | 14.46¢ |
Average realized rate = revenue divided by sales as reported on EIA Form 861. It blends fixed charges, demand charges and riders into one per-kWh figure; it is not the utility's tariff rate. Estimated residential bill assumes the average residential customer's actual 2025 usage (806 kWh/month).
Operations by state
| State | Customers | Sales (GWh) | Residential rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| North Carolina | 39,931 | 555 | 16.21¢ |
| Tennessee | 1,079 | 10.0 | 16.40¢ |
Five-year trend
| Year | Customers | Sales (GWh) | Revenue | Residential rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 39,513 | 546 | $63.32M | 13.31¢ |
| 2022 | 40,054 | 548 | $66.75M | 13.81¢ |
| 2023 | 40,632 | 536 | $69.63M | 14.51¢ |
| 2024 | 41,139 | 533 | $71.03M | 14.78¢ |
| 2025 | 41,010 | 565 | $81.70M | 16.21¢ |
Reliability (2025)
Average outage time (SAIDI): 144 minutes per customer per year
Average outages (SAIFI): 2.40 per customer
Average restoration time (CAIDI): 60 minutes
As reported for North Carolina under the Other standard, with major event days included where the standard reports them. Lower is better; see the reliability rankings.
Energy supply (2025)
Net generation: — GWh
Wholesale power purchased: 576 GWh
Winter peak demand: 151 MW
Energy losses: 1.8% of energy handled
Meters & rooftop solar (2025)
Smart (AMI) meters: 100.0% of 40,718 meters
Customer-sited generation (net metering): 371 installations, 2.7 MW of capacity
Counties served
Buncombe, NCCocke, TNMadison, NCMcDowell, NCMitchell, NCUnicoi, TNYancey, NC
Other large utilities in North Carolina
- Duke Energy Carolinas, LLC - 2,962,438 customers, residential 13.43¢
- Duke Energy Progress - (NC) - 1,782,155 customers, residential 15.07¢
- EnergyUnited Elec Member Corp - 145,028 customers, residential 11.61¢
- Brunswick Electric Member Corp - 118,326 customers, residential 13.34¢
- Union Electric Membership Corp - (NC) - 90,148 customers, residential 13.92¢
- Jones-Onslow Elec Member Corp - 85,801 customers, residential 13.39¢
- Fayetteville Public Works Commission - 85,088 customers, residential 12.14¢
- Blue Ridge Elec Member Corp - (NC) - 81,175 customers, residential 14.92¢
All North Carolina utilities and rates
Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, Form EIA-861 2025 (filed by the utility; figures as published). Utility #6784 in the EIA frame.