New Member Information

All required county inspections must be completed prior to connecting your permanent electric service. An electrical inspection is required for newly constructed homes or manufactured homes.

Since electricity is billed after it is used, a security deposit is required before connecting your service to ensure payments are made in a timely manner. The amount of the security deposit is based on the type of service and the member’s utility credit history, which includes phone, water, and previous electric service.

The deposit for new construction is $375. For existing homes, the deposit amount is $300 or two times the 24 month average for the location, whichever is greater based on the available information. All commercial accounts are required to pay a non-refundable deposit. Deposits are the sum of the two highest electric bills over the previous 24 months that the facility was occupied and operational.

A credit check will be performed to determine deposit requirements for new South River EMC members. You have the option of declining the credit check, thus paying the deposit or securing the account by obtaining a cosigner/guarantor. Under the Fair Credit Reporting Act any prospective member applying for service is entitled to receive a free copy of their credit report if they have been declined credit.

Deposit requirements for current or previous South River EMC members are determined by reviewing prior or active South River EMC account information.

A $25 Administrative Service Charge will be charged to your first bill.

After hours and weekend connects are available, however, fees will apply; 24-hour customer service is just a phone call away at 1-800-338-5530.

Rates and Capital Credit Refunds

Rates are set as near operating expenses as possible. Because South River Electric Membership Corporation. is a non-profit utility, all profits are allocated back to its member-owners annually in the form of capital credits. As a cooperative, South River EMC allocates year-end margins to members based upon their individual kilowatt-hour purchases for the year. The Cooperative returns 20-25 percent of the amount allocated to members the following year. For example: in 2016, members who received electric service in 2015 received a refund of 20-25 percent of the allocated amount. The remaining 75-80 percent will be returned in about 19 years unless the member leaves the system and chooses the early-retirement option. Click here to learn more.

POLICY NO. 117 PUBLIC SAFETY

I. OBJECTIVE

To establish procedures and conditions that safeguard the Cooperative’s members and the general public from potentially dangerous electrical conditions.
 

II. POLICY CONTENT

Cooperative members and the general public should never come into contact with electrical power lines.  When potentially hazardous conditions are observed, Cooperative members and the general public should alert the Cooperative to the condition.

III. PROVISIONS

     A. The Cooperative, in the construction, operation, and maintenance of its electrical system, will at all times adhere to the provisions outlined in the most current edition of the National Electrical Safety Code (NESC), unless specifically required by other authorities to do otherwise.

     B. It is the responsibility of each employee, contractor, Cooperative member, and general public member to report to the Cooperative all unsafe conditions that any such person observes in the Cooperative’s electrical system. Any employee, contractor, Cooperative member, or member of the general public, upon finding a power line in an unsafe condition or a condition not in compliance with NESC clearances should immediately notify the Cooperative’s dispatcher concerning the unsafe condition. Cooperative employees and contractors should stand by to guard against hazardous conditions until they are relieved or until the defect is corrected. Cooperative members and members of the general public are not expected to stand by to guard against hazardous conditions but should notify, in addition to Cooperative personnel, law enforcement and emergency personnel respecting the unsafe condition.

     C. Members of the Cooperative and the general public should always assume that a downed power line or a sagging power line is unsafe. The Cooperative and law enforcement authorities should be notified when such a condition is observed. Contact with power lines, whether downed or not, can result in injury or death and must be avoided.

     D. If any Cooperative member or member of the general public inadvertently comes into contact with a power line, the incident should be reported immediately to the Cooperative. If there are injuries, emergency medical personnel should be contacted immediately.  Further contact with the power line should be strictly avoided, and the incident should be reported immediately to the Cooperative. If the incident occurred on a public right of way, law enforcement officials should also be notified.

     E. All accidental contacts involving the Cooperative’s electric lines, vehicles, or property shall be properly and promptly investigated, with complete accident reports prepared, including photographs and sketches to substantiate written reports, and submitted to the Manager of Corporate Safety.

IV.       RESPONSIBILITY

     A. The Executive Vice President & CEO will be responsible for the administration of this policy.

     B. The Manager of Corporate Safety is responsible for investigating all accidents.

     C. Copies of this policy shall be posted in the Cooperative’s reception area.  Copies of this policy shall also be forwarded to various public agencies within the Cooperative’s service area.  Copies of this policy shall be given to each new member upon application for service. Copies of the policy will also be available on the Cooperative’s web-site and at the annual meeting of the members.

Effective Date:      February 2, 2002
Revised Dates:    October 2, 2004 
                                  November 3, 2008
                       July 6, 2009
                              October 7, 2013
                          March 2, 2021

#401- Reasons for Disconnection

Discovery of meter or load management tampering or diversion of current.

Use of power for unlawful, unauthorized reasons.

By order of public authority.

Discovery of an electrical condition determined by the the cooperative to be potentially dangerous or hazardous to life or property.

For repairs, emergency operations, unavoidable shortages or interruptions in the cooperative's supply source.

Introduction of foreign electricity on the premises without prior written consent.

#403- Re-connection of Service by the Cooperative

The conditions causing the disconnection are corrected.

Payment has been made for the cost of repair or replacement of the cooperative's meter or any other properties, if tampered with or otherwise damaged or destroyed.

Where service has been disconnected for non-payment of a bill, meter tampering, unauthorized or illegal use of power, the cooperative will have the right to refuse service to the same member or to any other applicant who is a member of the member's household until the infraction is corrected, credit is reestablished by the member and all charges have been paid.

The member has agreed to comply with reasonable requirements to protect the cooperative against further infractions.

A re-connection fee and/or any other service charges or deposits, as specified in the Schedule of Charges, have been paid.

#404- Termination of Service by Member
For termination of service, the member should give a minimum of one working day's notice prior to requested disconnection unless a written contract specifies otherwise.

Electric bills are due upon receipt. In the event payment has not been received at the office within 25 days from the date of the bill, the account is considered delinquent.

Notice Is Hereby Given That:

The original bill mailed is the first notice of charges due.

A separate Final Notice is no longer mailed on delinquent bills. Instead, the next bill will reflect that the past due balance is subject for disconnection if it is not paid by a given date. The following message will be shown at the top of the bill:  **ATTENTION** Service subject to disconnection

If at the end of the additional seven days allowed on the final notice, payment has not been received, or an approved signed extension agreement made, service will be terminated without further contact. Service can be re-connected after the bill and all other charges have been paid.

No more than three arrangements can be made within a 12-month period. The member will be required to pay a percentage of the past due in order to set up an arrangement.

There can be no more than two returned checks within a 24-month period.

(For member convenience, we have a kiosk located in the drive-thru of each office.)

Our current service fees can be found here, along with the current deposit policy.

Annual Meeting
Carolina Country Magazine
Pay Stations

Please notify the cooperative in writing if there is someone on your household who is chronically ill or on an electrically operated Life Support System. In that case, you have the right to special handling on your account and are placed on a Priority Listing for restoration service during an outage.

Cooperative personnel read all meters and must have access to all cooperative- owned meters as stated in the Bylaws of South River EMC Article 1, Section 1.08.

View Our Residential Service Rate.

View Our Small General Service Rate.

Check out the indoor and outdoor safety tips located on our Web site.

Curious about Touchstone Energy? Learn more about it here.