Blue Ridge Energy
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1936
- HeadquartersLenoir, United States
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
Blue Ridge Energy firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Blue Ridge Energy
- Legal name
- Blue Ridge Electric Membership Corporation
- Website
- https://blueridgeenergy.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1936
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Blue Ridge Energy industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Electric Distribution Cooperative
- NAICS
- Electric Power Transmission, Control, and Distribution (22112)
- SIC
- Electric Services (4911)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Electric Cooperatives (Rural/Member-Owned Utilities) (EUADABAC)
Keywords
Where Blue Ridge Energy is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Lenoir
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices10 records
Markets served
Blue Ridge Energy business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Electric Service: Distribution of electricity to residential and commercial members across the service territory. Revenue generated through kilowatt-hour usage charges, Basic Facilities Charges, Security Lights, and other applicable fees applied daily for FlexPay accounts or monthly for conventional billing.
- Propane and Fuels: Propane gas and fuel delivery services for residential and commercial customers. Includes tank installation, delivery, and related services. Products include gas logs, fireplaces, and hearth appliances.
- Hearth Products and Appliances: Retail sales of hearth products including gas logs, fireplaces, and related appliances through company showrooms. Products available from brands including Empire, Monessen, RH Peterson, Superior, Buck Stove, Majestic, Mendota, Vermont Castings, and SimpliFire.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Usage-based | Pay-as-you-go | FlexPay prepaid electric service with no deposit or fees |
| Subscription | Monthly | Conventional monthly billing |
| Unit Pricing | One time/ perpetual license | Gas log sets ranging from budget to premium options |
| Unit Pricing | One time/ perpetual license | Fireplaces ranging from value to luxury options |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels6 records
Marketing channels10 records
Blue Ridge Energy product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Blue Ridge Energy is a member-owned electric cooperative that distributes electricity to residential and commercial customers across northwestern North Carolina and Grayson County, Virginia, and delivers propane and other fuels with related hearth appliances. Core services include conventional monthly-billed electric distribution and the FlexPay prepaid pay-as-you-go electric plan, supplemented by propane delivery, tank installation, and retail sales of gas logs, fireplaces, and hearth products through company showrooms.
Product overview
Blue Ridge Energy is an electric membership cooperative (EMC) that operates as a bundled utility offering electric service and propane/fuels distribution. The company offers two distinct mobile applications: one for electric service account management (bill payment, outage reporting, balance checks) and another for propane and fuels customers (delivery orders, service requests). Core electric services include traditional billing and FlexPay, a prepaid pay-as-you-go option. The propane and fuels division sells and installs hearth products including gas fireplaces, gas log sets, and related accessories through retail showrooms, with products available from multiple brands. The company also provides web-based tools including the Meridian Customer Portal, Usage Tracker for consumption monitoring, and PayGo retail payment services. Energy efficiency resources and tips are provided to help customers reduce consumption.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- FlexPay: A pay-as-you-go prepaid electric service program allowing members to purchase electricity as needed without requiring a security deposit or fees.
Products and services
- Electric Service Distribution of electricity to residential and commercial members across the cooperative's service territory in northwestern North Carolina and Grayson County, Virginia, billed through kilowatt-hour usage charges, Basic Facilities Charges, and applicable fees under monthly or FlexPay billing.
- Propane and Fuels Service Propane gas and fuel delivery, tank installation, and related services provided to residential and commercial customers in the cooperative's service territory, orderable through the dedicated propane/fuels mobile app and MyAccount portal.
- FlexPay Prepaid Electric Service Prepaid pay-as-you-go electric billing option for residential members that requires no security deposit and charges no program fees; members monitor daily usage, receive low-balance notifications, and the meter can be remotely connected or disconnected based on account balance.
- Hearths and Fireplaces Catalog of direct vent and vent-free gas fireplaces, cast iron stoves, and fireplace inserts sold through Blue Ridge Energy showrooms in five counties, sourced from brands including Empire, Majestic, Monessen, Mendota, Superior, Vermont Castings, Buck Stove, and SimpliFire, with prices ranging from approximately $700 (Breckenridge Deluxe Firebox) to over $7,600 (Rushmore fireplace).
- Gas Logs Catalog of vent-free and vented gas log sets sold through Blue Ridge Energy showrooms in sizes from 16 to 48 inches and materials including refractory, ceramic fiber, and burncrete, from brands such as RH Peterson, Empire, Monessen, Majestic, Superior, Buck Stove, and Heatmaster, priced from approximately $690 (Mountain Oak with Lumonessen burner) to over $2,400 (Charred Royal English Oak with G31 burner).
- PayGo Retail Payment Service Barcode-based electric bill payment service enabling members to pay bills at retail counter locations including 7-Eleven, Dollar General, CVS Pharmacy, Walgreens, Family Dollar, and other independent locations, with a $1.50 fee per transaction.
Quantifiable outcome
- 15%-20% monthly power bill savings reported by FlexPay users
Companies that use Blue Ridge Energy
Customer profileNamed customers2 records
Segments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Blue Ridge Energy technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature5 records
Blue Ridge Energy partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- RidgeLink LLCminorRidgeLink is a subsidiary company linked to Blue Ridge Energy, mentioned in the main navigation under Propane and Fuels section. The relationship appears to be a subsidiary or affiliated company providing additional services.
Scale indicators2 records
Recent moves6 records
Blue Ridge Energy competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Dominion Energy Virginia: Large investor-owned utility serving most of Virginia including electric distribution in areas adjacent to Blue Ridge Energy's Grayson County territory. Comparable electric distribution operations with broader portfolio and significantly larger scale.
- Ferrellgas Partners: National propane distribution company serving residential and commercial customers across the US. Comparable to Blue Ridge Energy's propane delivery business line in product and customer base, though much larger scale and for-profit.
Direct peers
- Shenandoah Valley Electric Cooperative: Virginia-based electric cooperative serving the Shenandoah Valley region. Comparable as a member-owned rural electric cooperative with overlapping service territory in Virginia.
- Northern Virginia Electric Cooperative (NOVEC): Virginia electric cooperative serving northern Virginia with electric distribution and related services. Comparable cooperative utility structure with the same Touchstone Energy affiliation and similar member services focus.
- Surry-Yadkin Electric Membership Corporation: North Carolina electric cooperative serving Surry and Yadkin counties with electric distribution and related member services. Directly comparable as a Touchstone-affiliated NC electric cooperative of similar scale.
- EnergyUnited: North Carolina electric cooperative serving multiple counties with electric, propane, and broadband offerings. Most directly comparable to Blue Ridge Energy in scale, geography, service mix, and cooperative structure.
- Blossman Gas: Regional propane distributor serving the Southeast US including North Carolina. Comparable as a propane distributor serving similar residential and commercial customer segments in overlapping Southeast geographies.
- Rutherford EMC: North Carolina electric cooperative serving Rutherford and surrounding counties. Comparable in size and rural cooperative operating model, with overlapping technology and member services.
- Carteret-Craven Electric Cooperative: North Carolina electric cooperative on the coast serving Carteret and Craven counties. Comparable as a NC EMC with member-owned cooperative structure and similar residential/commercial mix.
Regional players
- Appalachian Power: Investor-owned utility subsidiary of American Electric Power serving parts of Virginia, West Virginia, and Tennessee including areas adjacent to Blue Ridge Energy's NC service territory. Comparable electric distribution operations in the Appalachian region.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Blue Ridge Energy social profiles
Digital presenceBlue Ridge Energy financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Blue Ridge Energy leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Blue Ridge Energy subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
Blue Ridge Energy funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Blue Ridge Energy M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Blue Ridge Energy
What does Blue Ridge Energy do?
Blue Ridge Energy is a member-owned electric cooperative that distributes electricity to residential and commercial customers across northwestern North Carolina and Grayson County, Virginia, and delivers propane and other fuels with related hearth appliances. Core services include conventional monthly-billed electric distribution and the FlexPay prepaid pay-as-you-go electric plan, supplemented by propane delivery, tank installation, and retail sales of gas logs, fireplaces, and hearth products through company showrooms.
Is Blue Ridge Energy a public or private company?
Blue Ridge Energy is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Blue Ridge Energy founded?
Blue Ridge Energy was founded in 1936. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is Blue Ridge Energy based?
Blue Ridge Energy is headquartered in Lenoir, United States, in the North America region.
How does Blue Ridge Energy make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Electric Service is the primary driver. The others are propane and Fuels and hearth Products and Appliances.
Who are Blue Ridge Energy's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Dominion Energy Virginia and Ferrellgas Partners. Direct peers are Shenandoah Valley Electric Cooperative, Northern Virginia Electric Cooperative (NOVEC), Surry-Yadkin Electric Membership Corporation, EnergyUnited, Blossman Gas, Rutherford EMC and Carteret-Craven Electric Cooperative. Appalachian Power is listed as a regional player.
Does Blue Ridge Energy have an API?
No public API is recorded for Blue Ridge Energy.
What industry is Blue Ridge Energy in?
Blue Ridge Energy's product category is Electric Distribution Cooperative. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EUADABAC, Electric Cooperatives (Rural/Member-Owned Utilities). Its NAICS code is 22112 and its SIC code is 4911.