Central Texas Electric Cooperative

What Central Texas Electric Cooperative does

Central Texas Electric Cooperative (CTEC) is a member-owned, not-for-profit rural electric distribution cooperative serving 48,429 meters and 30,325 member-owners across 11 Texas Hill Country counties (Gillespie, Real, Llano, Kimble, Kerr, Menard, Kendall, McCulloch, Blanco, Mason, San Saba) and portions of three incorporated municipalities (Fredericksburg, Sunrise Beach, Ingram). Organized under the Electric Cooperative Corporation Act of Texas and holding a Certificate of Convenience and Necessity from the Public Utility Commission of Texas, CTEC operates four offices—headquartered in Fredericksburg with branches in Llano, Kingsland, and Mason—and runs 7,132 miles of overhead and underground distribution lines interconnected to the ERCOT grid. The cooperative is governed by a member-elected board of directors and is led by CEO Tachi Hinojosa and Board President Mark Hahn.

CTEC monetizes electricity delivery through monthly distribution access charges plus per-kWh energy charges across multiple rate classes: residential ($29.50/month access + $0.03850/kWh), small commercial single-phase and three-phase, large power ($100/month + $9.75/kW demand + $0.00875/kWh), large power >3 MW, security lighting, seasonal/recreational, irrigation/large pumping, and general service. Power cost and transmission cost pass-through charges recover wholesale supplier expenses without markup. Ancillary revenue includes service fees (trip fees $100, new service application $300, after-hours $150, meter test up to $100, etc.), security lighting subscriptions, and a one-time $25 membership fee. As a cooperative, all margins are allocated to members as patronage capital credits and retired over 20–30 years; in 2025, $7,857,126 in margins was allocated, with over $2 million returned to members the prior year.

The cooperative's operational technology includes SmartHub (online and mobile account management covering billing, outage reporting, and service requests), an ongoing advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) meter rollout for improved metering and monitoring, and ERCOT grid integration for wholesale power supply. Supporting member-facing programs include Operation Round-Up charitable giving, Youth Tour scholarships, solar and EV information resources, critical load registry, medical necessity program, vegetation management, and energy efficiency education. A wholly-owned subsidiary, Central Texas Extra Services Corporation (CTESC), provides additional ancillary services alongside the parent cooperative.

Name

Central Texas Electric Cooperative

Legal name

Central Texas Electric Coop., Inc.

Website

https://ctec.coop

Company type

Private

Founded year

1947

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Central Texas Electric Cooperative is a not-for-profit, member-owned rural electric distribution cooperative serving 48,429 meters and 30,325 member-owners across 11 Texas Hill Country counties through 7,132 miles of power lines connected to the ERCOT grid.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Electric Utility Distribution Services

NAICS

Electric Power Distribution (221122)

SIC

Electric Services (4911)

akta.pro primary industry

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

akta.pro secondary industry

Electric Distribution System Owners (Wires-Only Companies) (EUADABAI)

Keywords

• Rural electric utility
• Electric distribution services
• Member-owned cooperative
• Capital credits program
• Security lighting services

Headquarters

HQ city

Fredericksburg

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Electric Distribution Service: Monthly distribution access charges plus per-kWh energy charges for residential, commercial, industrial, irrigation, and seasonal customers. Revenue also includes power cost pass-through and transmission cost pass-through charges that recover wholesale power and transmission expenses from suppliers.
2. Security Lighting: Monthly security lighting service with various lamp types (LED, mercury vapor, metal halide, high pressure sodium) offered at different rate tiers. Revenue includes energy charges when lights are on member's side of meter.
3. Membership Fees: One-time membership fee of $25.00 charged to new members joining the cooperative.
4. Service Fees: Various fees including trip fees ($100 standard, $45 for meter reading, $150 after hours), new service application fee ($300), transfer of service fee ($20), returned check fee ($35), meter test fee (up to $100), remote disconnect/reconnect fees ($50 each), and engineering fees ($150/hour).
5. Capital Credits (Patronage Capital): As a not-for-profit cooperative, margins are allocated annually to members as capital credits. These credits are eventually retired and returned to members, typically over 20-30 years. In 2025, $7,857,126 was allocated in margins. Last year, over $2 million in capital credits were returned to members.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Central Texas Electric Cooperative is a member-owned, not-for-profit electric distribution cooperative that delivers retail electricity to residential, commercial, industrial, irrigation, and seasonal/recreational customers across 11 counties in the Texas Hill Country. The cooperative operates and maintains over 7,132 miles of overhead and underground power lines, purchases wholesale power through ERCOT, and passes power and transmission costs through to members without markup. As a cooperative, margins are allocated annually to members as capital credits that are typically retired and returned over 20-30 years.

Product overview

Central Texas Electric Cooperative (CTEC) is a not-for-profit electric distribution cooperative offering a unified suite of services centered on electricity delivery. The core product is the Electric Service itself, supported by the SmartHub digital customer portal for account management and bill pay. Additional services include Security Lights, Vegetation Management, and various member programs including Operation Round-Up (community assistance), Capital Credits (member equity), Youth Programs (scholarships and youth tour), Solar Programs, EV Programs, Critical Load Registry, Medical Necessity Program, Outage Map, and Energy Efficiency Programs. These offerings work together as an integrated cooperative model where members both fund and benefit from the infrastructure through bill payment and program participation.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Electric Service
• Security Lighting Service
• SmartHub Online Account Management
• Vegetation Management

Quantifiable outcome

• 48,429 meters energized serving 30,325 member-owners across 11 Texas counties
• +2 more outcomes

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Oncor Electric Delivery Company: Investor-owned, wires-only electric transmission and distribution utility serving much of Texas including areas overlapping CTEC-adjacent regions; comparable wires-only distribution business but operates under traditional IOU regulation rather than cooperative ownership.
• Lower Colorado River Authority (LCRA): Texas quasi-governmental river authority that supplies wholesale power to rural electric cooperatives including many in the Hill Country; comparable customer base and ERCOT integration, but operates as a generation-and-wholesale supplier rather than a retail distribution co-op.

Direct peers

• Bluebonnet Electric Cooperative: Large member-owned Texas electric distribution cooperative serving rural and suburban areas southeast of Austin; similar cooperative governance, CCN-based exclusive service territory, and ERCOT power supply structure.
• San Bernard Electric Cooperative: Texas member-owned electric distribution cooperative serving rural areas; comparable size class to CTEC, with similar capital credits program, ERCOT supply arrangement, and PUCT regulatory oversight.
• Pedernales Electric Cooperative: Largest electric distribution cooperative in the U.S., serving the greater Texas Hill Country and surrounding areas including parts of the same counties as CTEC; both are member-owned rural electric distribution co-ops operating under PUCT oversight with CCN-granted exclusivity.
• Medina Electric Cooperative: Texas member-owned electric distribution cooperative serving rural areas south and west of CTEC's territory; comparable business model, rate classes, and reliance on ERCOT for wholesale power.
• Bandera Electric Cooperative: Member-owned electric distribution cooperative serving rural Texas Hill Country counties adjacent to CTEC's service area; same cooperative model, similar regulatory framework, and overlapping customer segments.
• Heart of Texas Electric Cooperative: Member-owned electric distribution cooperative serving rural Central Texas counties; comparable in scale and customer mix to CTEC, with the same cooperative ownership model and pass-through tariff approach.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/playlist?list=PLAmIczdGNEcCeerRNPzgrJG6glOkcq28A&themeRefresh=1

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 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 Central Texas Electric Cooperative