I have offset my entire energy consumption for the month with net metering, so why do I still have to pay Heartland anything?

2 people in front of a solar arrayIf you're like the majority of our consumer-members and are on the Peak Savers rate, your monthly utility bill from Heartland is made up of 3 parts. The first is the energy charge, which is based on how many kWh Heartland provides your home, farm or business throughout the course of a month. Our rates are designed so that this charge covers the cost of wholesale power, its delivery, and equipment related to the delivery of that power. The second part of your bill is the Service Availability Charge. This is a fixed monthly amount that primarily goes toward the daily operations of Heartland and everything that it takes to keep the co-op running, including the trucks, employee salaries, and some basic infrastructure. It’s the price you pay to have power available, whether you need lots of electricity or almost no electricity. It’s necessary for everyone to pay this fee, because even members with large solar arrays rely on Heartland staff to properly maintain our poles, wires, and substations.