Holy Cross Energy is seeking public comment on a board-approved proposal introducing a new $1 per kilowatt demand charge for those with a monthly peak demand of less than 50 kilowatts, a Tuesday news release states. 

The Holy Cross Energy (HCE) Board of Directors approved the proposed rate change during their last meeting of 2025 on Dec. 16 and will take effect on Apr. 1, 2026. 

“The proposal, approved to move forward at the Dec. 16, 2025, board meeting, introduces a new $1 kilowatt demand charge for Small Residential and Small Commercial/General Services members,” the release reads. “The demand charge is designed to better align electric rates with the costs associated with each member’s share of electric grid capacity.”

The charge will be based on the single highest 15-minute period of electricity usage a member requires during the month — data already present on members’ current electric bills. Dissimilar to prior rate changes that mainly focused on fixed Customer Charges, the proposal either introduces, or raises, the monthly Demand Charges for all members.

“This change more accurately reflects HCE’s rising infrastructure and transmission costs, while also giving members more control over their bills by reducing their peak demand,” the release reads.

The document continues to explain HCE is not exempt from rising building, upgrading, and maintenance costs — stating their projected service costs will increase by roughly 5% in 2026. Holy Cross Energy is also anticipating “significant increases in power supply and transmission costs from Xcel Energy” in 2026. Though HCE is shifting to lower-cost and cleaner energy sources to help mitigate the changes, it hasn’t entirely removed them. 

“The Demand Charge will collect the additional revenue needed to cover the co-op’s increased capacity and infrastructure-related expenses in a manner more closely aligned with how HCE’s expenses are incurred, while ensuring that everyone pays for the parts of the system they use,” the release reads. 

Holy Cross Energy members are invited to visit holycross.com/rates now until Feb. 6. for additional information about the changes, as well as make comments that the Board of Directors will review before making their final decision on Feb. 18. HCE also includes a bill calculator for members on their website.