Blue Ridge Electric Cooperative

Name

Blue Ridge Electric Cooperative

Legal name

Blue Ridge Electric Cooperative

Website

https://blueridge.coop

Company type

Private

Founded year

1940

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Electric Utility Services

NAICS

Electric Power Distribution (221122), Electric Power Generation, Transmission and Distribution (2211)

SIC

Electric Services (4911)

akta.pro primary industry

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

akta.pro secondary industries

Demand Response & Load Flexibility Services (EUAMAJAF), Distributed Storage (Behind-the-Meter Batteries) (EUAMAJAE), DER Aggregation & Virtual Power Plants (VPPs) (EUAMAJAC)

Keywords

• Electric distribution services
• Rural broadband internet
• Cooperative utility services
• Residential energy services
• Demand side management

Headquarters

HQ city

Pickens

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Electric Distribution Services: Blue Ridge Electric Cooperative provides electricity distribution to residential and commercial members across five counties in Upstate South Carolina. As a not-for-profit, member-owned utility, revenues above operating costs are returned to members as capital credits.
2. Upcountry Fiber Broadband: Broadband internet services provided through Upcountry Fiber joint venture, offering high-speed internet to unserved and underserved rural areas.
3. Energy Services: Additional energy products including outdoor lighting, heat pump loans, energy audits, and water heater programs with rebates and financing options.

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Blue Ridge Electric Cooperative is a not-for-profit, member-owned electric distribution utility that delivers electricity across more than 7,300 miles of power lines to over 73,000 members in five Upstate South Carolina counties. Beyond core electricity distribution, the cooperative sells ancillary services including outdoor lighting, geothermal installation, generators, EV chargers, solar interconnect, battery storage and community solar, while offering fiber broadband through the Upcountry Fiber joint venture. Members can pay and manage accounts through an online portal, mobile app, kiosk, auto-draft, phone or in-person channels.

Product overview

Blue Ridge Electric Cooperative is a not-for-profit, member-owned electric distribution utility that offers a comprehensive portfolio of energy-related products and services. The core offerings include electricity distribution with multiple rate plans (EmPOWERment Rate, Flat Use Rate, and Time of Use Rate), an Online Member Portal, Mobile App, and various billing options (Budget Billing, Levelized Billing). Energy Services bundle includes geothermal systems, generators, smart thermostats, EV chargers, solar interconnect, battery storage, and community solar programs. The cooperative has expanded into telecommunications through Upcountry Fiber (a broadband/fiber internet sub-brand offered as a joint venture with West Carolina Telephone Cooperative). Additional services include outdoor lighting, water heater rebates (H2O Select), heat pump financing, energy audits, capital credits refunds, on-bill financing, and the Co-op Connections discount program. Members can manage accounts and report outages via TextPower outage alerts. The company serves over 73,000 customers across 5 counties in Upstate South Carolina over more than 7,300 miles of power lines.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Upcountry Fiber: A joint endeavor by Blue Ridge Electric Cooperative and West Carolina Telephone Cooperative to bring broadband to unserved and underserved areas in Upstate South Carolina.

Products and services

• Upcountry Fiber High-speed fiber broadband internet service delivered via fiber optic cables, offered as a joint venture between Blue Ridge Electric Cooperative and West Carolina Telephone Cooperative to bring broadband to unserved and underserved rural areas of Upstate South Carolina; more than 22,000 customers connected with 400+ new connects per week on average.
• Outdoor Lighting Monthly-fee service for installation and maintenance of outdoor lighting for member properties, with LED options and multiple fixture sizes available for safety and convenience.
• Geothermal Heating and Cooling Environmentally friendly and cost-efficient home heating and cooling solution using geothermal technology, available to cooperative members as an installation service.
• Generator Services Professionally installed backup power generators with 24-hour service and financing available for member outage preparedness.
• EV Charger Installation Electric vehicle charging station installation service to support members transitioning to electric vehicles.
• Solar Interconnect Program Program allowing members to interconnect their on-site rooftop solar panel systems with the cooperative's distribution grid to reduce energy costs or use renewable energy.
• Battery Storage Behind-the-meter battery storage solution providing members with increased energy independence and time-shifting capability.
• Community Solar Program enabling members to receive solar energy benefits without installing panels on their own property, by subscribing to a shared community solar array.
• H2O Select Water Heater Rebate Rebate program for electric storage-tank water heaters of 40 gallons or more, offering $200-$300 rebates and up to $600 total when switching from gas or propane.
• Energy Audit On-site home energy audit service assessing a member's energy usage and identifying measures to improve efficiency.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over $32.2 million returned to members through capital credit refunds over 42 years
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• West Carolina Telephone Cooperative (WCTel)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 14 October 2025Blue Ridge Co-op partnered with WCTel (via subsidiary WCFIBER) in fall 2020 to form Upcountry Fiber, a joint endeavor to bring broadband to unserved and underserved areas of Upstate South Carolina. By fall 2024, more than 43,000 addresses had access to fiber, with over 22,000 customers connected.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Horry Electric Cooperative: Large South Carolina electric cooperative serving Horry County with residential and commercial distribution, broadband services, and similar cooperative economics to Blue Ridge.
• Mid-Carolina Electric Cooperative: South Carolina member-owned electric distribution cooperative serving the Midlands region with a similar franchise model, multiple rate structures, and capital credit refund program, making it a direct utility-operations peer.
• Laurens Electric Cooperative: South Carolina electric cooperative headquartered in Laurens providing distribution service to residential and commercial members with a comparable not-for-profit, member-owned operating model and broadband offerings.
• York Electric Cooperative: South Carolina electric distribution cooperative serving York, Cherokee, and Chester counties with parallel cooperative governance, capital credit refunds, and rate plan structures.
• Newberry Electric Cooperative: South Carolina member-owned electric cooperative with comparable service-territory scale, rural distribution footprint, and capital credit patronage refund program.
• Aiken Electric Cooperative: South Carolina electric distribution cooperative serving Aiken and surrounding counties with a comparable member-owned operating structure and product/service mix including energy efficiency programs.

Broad incumbents

• Duke Energy Carolinas: Investor-owned utility that is the largest electricity provider in the Carolinas, operating regulated generation, transmission, and distribution across overlapping Upstate South Carolina territory and serving as the dominant incumbent competitor.
• Dominion Energy South Carolina: Investor-owned electric utility serving parts of South Carolina with regulated generation, transmission, and distribution, providing competitive overlap with Blue Ridge's broader retail utility landscape.
• Santee Cooper: South Carolina state-owned electric and water utility that generates, transmits, and sells wholesale power across the state, including to electric cooperatives like Blue Ridge, and competes in adjacent service areas.

Emerging players

• West Carolina Telephone Cooperative: Telephone cooperative and joint venture partner with Blue Ridge in Upcountry Fiber, providing rural broadband across Upstate South Carolina with comparable member-owned fiber build-out economics.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/blueridgecoop
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/blue-ridge-electric-cooperative-inc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 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 Blue Ridge Electric Cooperative