South River Electric Membership Corporation

What South River Electric Membership Corporation does

South River Electric Membership Corporation is a nonprofit, member-owned electric distribution cooperative headquartered in Dunn, North Carolina, founded in 1940 as part of the rural electrification movement. It distributes electricity across five North Carolina counties (Harnett, Sampson, Cumberland, Johnston, and Bladen) to roughly 61,847 members across residential, agricultural, commercial, and industrial rate classes (Schedule R, SGS, MGS, LGS, Industrial). Core revenue is generated through usage-based electricity sales priced per kWh by rate class, with demand charges for larger accounts, plus ancillary service fees, subscription-based outdoor lighting, and limited hardware sales (Strike Guard surge protection).

The cooperative operates a typical electric distribution stack of poles, lines, transformers, and substations, with bill-management, payments, and outage interaction delivered through an online portal, iOS/Android mobile apps, IVR, and 50,000+ retail paypoints (MoneyGram, Dollar General, CVS, 7-Eleven). Layered atop the wires business is a member-facing program stack: SmartPay prepaid billing, SmartView daily usage monitoring, SmartAlerts and Mid-Cycle Alerts notifications, Time-of-Use rates, Budget Billing, and seasonal agricultural billing. Distributed generation plays a growing role, with 700+ interconnected rooftop and ground-mounted solar installations, three Panda Solar NC farms, and the Butler Farms microgrid; the Member-Owned Generation program monetizes 120+ farm standby generators as demand response assets. Rebates cover ENERGY STAR heat pumps, weatherization, pool pumps, solar water heating, and HERO-code homes.

Go-to-market is sales-led and community-embedded: member service representatives and energy advisors interact directly with members; acquisition is driven by local presence, real-estate developer partnerships, and economic development loans (e.g., a $500,000 loan underwriting Patriot's Park in Fayetteville). The cooperative is governed by a member-elected board under a Touchstone Energy brand affiliation, with profits allocated back to members as capital credits (20-25% the following year, the remainder typically retired after approximately 19 years). The 2025 capital credit retirement was $3,322,773 distributed to 61,847 members.

Name

South River Electric Membership Corporation

Legal name

South River Electric Membership Corporation

Website

https://sremc.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1940

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

South River EMC is a nonprofit, member-owned electric distribution cooperative serving roughly 61,847 residential, agricultural, commercial, and industrial members across Harnett, Sampson, Cumberland, Johnston, and Bladen counties in North Carolina from its Dunn headquarters.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Electric Utility Distribution

NAICS

Electric Power Distribution (221122)

SIC

Electric Services (4911)

akta.pro primary industry

Electric Cooperatives (Rural/Member-Owned Utilities) (EUADABAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Microgrids & Energy Management Controllers (Campus/Community/Industrial) (EUADAPAE), Retail Supply + DER/Virtual Power Plant Bundles (Solar, Storage, DR) (EUAGABAI)

Keywords

• Electric distribution services
• Rural electric cooperative
• Residential electricity supply
• Energy efficiency rebates
• Renewable energy interconnection

Headquarters

HQ city

Dunn

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Infrastructure, Personnel, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Electricity Sales: Primary revenue from electricity distribution to residential, agricultural, commercial, and industrial members. Charges include energy usage (per kWh), demand charges for larger accounts, grid access fees, renewable energy charges, and applicable taxes. Revenue is cost-based as a non-profit cooperative with margins allocated back to members as capital credits.
2. Service Fees: Various administrative fees including new account setup, after-hours service connections, security deposits, reconnection charges, and returned payment fees. SmartPay program includes $25 administrative fee and minimum $75 energy purchase.
3. Surge Protection Equipment: Sale of Strike Guard surge suppression equipment including whole-house protectors ($135), outlet strips ($90), and related products installed by cooperative employees.
4. Outdoor Lighting: Monthly rental/service fees for outdoor lighting equipment installed by the cooperative on member properties.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels7 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

South River EMC distributes electricity to residential, agricultural, commercial, and industrial members across Harnett, Sampson, Cumberland, and Johnston counties in North Carolina under exclusive service territory rights. The cooperative sells electricity through tiered rate schedules (Schedule R residential, SGS/MGS/LGS/Industrial for commercial) and layers member programs onto this core service, including SmartPay prepaid billing, SmartView energy monitoring, SmartAlerts notifications, time-of-use rates, renewable energy interconnection, energy efficiency rebates, and capital credit allocations.

Product overview

South River Electric Membership Corporation is a nonprofit rural electric cooperative providing electricity distribution services to residential, agricultural, and commercial members across Harnett, Cumberland, Sampson, Johnston, and Bladen counties in North Carolina. The core offering is electricity distribution service (Schedule R for residential, SGS/MGS/LGS/Industrial for commercial). The cooperative layers member-facing programs onto this core, organized around four pillars: (1) Smart energy management — SmartPay (prepaid billing), SmartView (daily monitoring), SmartAlerts (notifications), Mid-Cycle Alerts (billing cycle predictions), and Smart Energy Profile (monthly reports); (2) Energy efficiency and rebates — heat pump rebates, weatherization, solar water heating, pool pumps, windows, HERO code homes; (3) Renewable energy — residential solar/net metering, Butler Microgrid, and member-owned generation for demand response; and (4) Community programs — Capital Credits (member profit sharing), Operation Round Up (bill-rounding grants), Bright Ideas teacher grants, Boots to Buckets lineman academy sponsorship, and youth programs. The cooperative also offers time-of-use rates, budget billing, seasonal billing for agriculture, surge protection devices, EV charging, and economic development loans.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Community Assistance Corporation (CAC): The South River Community Assistance Corporation, a nonprofit foundation that handles the distribution of Operation Round Up funds to community organizations serving health, safety, educational or recreational needs in the service area.

Products and services

• Residential Electric Service Core electricity distribution service for residential members under Schedule R rate, including new service connections, billing, deposits ($375 for new construction, $300 or two times 24-month average for existing homes), and $25 administrative service charge.
• Commercial Electric Service Electricity distribution for commercial accounts under Small General Service (SGS), Medium General Service (MGS), Large General Service (LGS), and Industrial (IND) rate schedules with demand charges and renewable energy charges ($3.71-$24.69/meter/month).
• Agricultural Electric Service Specialized rate programs for farms including seasonal billing, Time-of-Use rates for irrigation, budget billing, and member-owned generation programs.
• SmartPay Prepaid Program

Quantifiable outcome

• Members save approximately 50¢ per month ($6 annually) through Operation Round Up with small contributions making significant community impact
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

Feature8 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core, supporting and minor.

• Touchstone Energy CooperativescoreGTM or Marketing PartnerSouth River EMC is a member of Touchstone Energy Cooperatives, a national network of electric cooperatives sharing the Touchstone Energy brand. The partnership provides marketing resources, cooperative branding, careers portal, and collective advocacy for electric cooperatives across the United States.
• North Carolina Electric Membership CorporationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPower supplier for South River EMC through the North Carolina Electric Membership Corporation, which procures power and manages renewable energy projects on behalf of member cooperatives.
• ElecTel Cooperative Federal Credit UnionsupportingOthersElecTel CFCU offers energy-efficient loans ($5,000-$35,000, up to 120 months) and financial services to South River EMC members, with promotional links on the cooperative website.
• HomeServesupportingChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorHomeServe provides home repair protection plans (HVAC, plumbing, electrical) offered to South River EMC members through the cooperative's website and marketing materials.
• MoneyGramsupportingChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMoneyGram enables walk-in bill payments at agent locations nationwide. South River EMC's receive code is 9736. Express Payment option allows immediate posting.
• Butler FarmssupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal microgrid interconnection at Butler Farms enabling distributed generation and grid support through member-owned generation capabilities.
• Panda Solar NCsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerThree solar farms owned and operated by Panda Solar NC interconnected with South River EMC's distribution system as part of the cooperative's renewable energy portfolio.
• North Carolina Employment Security Commission (NC ESC)minorOthersSouth River EMC posts job openings with NC ESC as required, and encourages applicants to check the NC ESC website for available positions.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Regional players

• Rappahannock Electric Cooperative: Virginia-based electric distribution cooperative of comparable scale to South River EMC. Operates the same member-owned model but in a different state regulatory jurisdiction.

Direct peers

• EnergyUnited: North Carolina EMC serving a multi-county territory with residential, agricultural, and commercial electric service. Operates an electric distribution cooperative model essentially identical to South River EMC's.
• Piedmont Electric Membership Corporation: North Carolina electric membership corporation serving residential, agricultural, and commercial members in nearby rural counties. Same cooperative model, rate structure, and Touchstone Energy affiliation as South River EMC.
• Blue Ridge Energy: North Carolina electric cooperative serving rural members in the Blue Ridge region with comparable residential, agricultural, and commercial rate offerings and member-owned governance.
• Lumbee River Electric Membership Corporation: North Carolina EMC providing electric distribution to a rural service territory in southeastern NC. Closely comparable cooperative business model, customer mix, and operating footprint.
• Brunswick Electric Membership Corporation: Coastal North Carolina EMC with similar member-owned cooperative model, residential and commercial rate classes, and Touchstone Energy branding. Comparable in scale and member-service orientation.
• Wake Electric Membership Corporation: North Carolina EMC serving a mix of rural and suburban members. Operates under the same cooperative regulatory framework, member-owned capital credit structure, and NCEMC wholesale supply relationship as South River EMC.
• Carteret-Craven Electric Cooperative: Coastal North Carolina electric cooperative serving residential, commercial, and industrial members under the same EMC legal structure and Touchstone Energy branding.

Others

• Touchstone Energy Cooperatives: National brand and alliance network of electric cooperatives of which South River EMC is a member. Provides shared marketing, branding, and advocacy services that support the cooperative's go-to-market motion.
• North Carolina Electric Membership Corporation: Statewide generation and transmission cooperative that supplies wholesale power to South River EMC and other NC EMCs. Acts as a strategic upstream partner in power procurement and renewable energy development.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/SouthRiverEMC
• Facebookfacebook.com/SouthRiverEMC
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/south-river-electric-membership-corporation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about South River Electric Membership Corporation