Tri-County Electric Cooperative works with homeowners, business owners and their builders to establish new electric service on your property.
If you need to start or transfer existing service - a location that has or has had a meter - please click here.
Whether you are looking to build a new home on your land or power your barn, we are here to help.
A member can establish new service by contacting the Field Services department through the following methods:
- In person at any of our four offices. Find our offices here.
- Emailing woclerks@tcectexas.com
- Calling 817.752.8172
To establish new service with us, you will need the following:
- Physical address, the 911 address, for the property where you are requesting service
- Full name as you want it to appear on the account
- Contact information, including phone number(s), email address and billing address
- A membership application if you currently do not have an account with Tri-County Electric Cooperative
- New memberships require a completed application with a signature and a copy of a valid state-issued ID for each individual listed on the application.
To establish new service, the following charges may apply:
- $25.00 membership fee. This is refundable when a member-owner leaves the system.
- $20.00 new account fee for processing the application for service.
- Contribution-in-aid-of-construction: a nonrefundable fee determined after the field services appointment and is paid by the applicant to help cover the costs of extending electric lines. This varies for each service.
If you need to start or transfer existing service at a location that has or has had a meter, please click here.
New Service FAQs
- Contact our field services department. The team will work with you to understand your needs and get necessary information and documentation.
- Set up an appointment to meet one of our staking/field engineering technicians or utility designers on your property. The technician/designer will discuss your needs, stake the project and agree on a design.
- After the appointment you will receive an invoice for any contribution-in-aid-of-construction costs required.
- After all pre-construction requirements that were discussed prior to and at the time of the appointment have been met and any fees paid, the job will be released for construction.
There is no cost for the initial appointment. There may be a cost for additional appointments.
The time frame varies based on weather and workload. To ensure we meet our member's needs, all steps must be followed, in order, under the "What is the process to establish new service?" question before you are entered into our schedule.
There are minimal costs that may occur to set up new service. The following fees may apply for new service:
- A nonrefundable connection fee of $20 will be applied to connect the meter.
- A refundable $25 membership fee may apply if this is the member's first account with the cooperative.
- A deposit may be required based on the side of the structure and prior account history with the co-op.
- A nonrefundable contribution-in-aid-of-construction may apply. This cost is calculated after the on-site appointment with a technician/designer. An invoice with any contribution-in-aid-of-construction costs will be sent for member approval before the job is released to construction.
The contribution-in-aid-of-construction, or CIAC, is a fee paid by the member to help cover the costs of extending electric lines to a new location. The CIAC is nonrefundable and must be paid before construction is scheduled.
Members can request specifications for setting up services on the member side by contacting the field services department by email at woclerks@tcectexas.com or by phone at 817.752.8172.
The meter base can be purchased through Tri-County Electric Cooperative and is not supplied with construction.
To purchase a meter base, please contact the field services department by email at woclerks@tcectexas.com or by phone at 817.752.8172.
No, Tri-County Electric Cooperative jobs are staked and scheduled for construction in the order they are received/approved. Learn more about the process under the "What is the process to establish new service?" question.
An easement is a written agreement allowing a utility to use private property for a specific purpose, such as building a distribution line. The document, signed by the landowner, grants Tri-County Electric Cooperative permission to access and use a portion of the landowner's property to construct, maintain, operate, repair, replace, relocation and remove any of the necessary components for supplying electricity to its members.
Members must give Tri-County Electric Co-op the rights, privileges and easements necessary to construct, operate, repair, replace and maintain electric equipment and facilities located on the property. ALl electric service lines and equipment installed by Tri-County Electric Co-op that provide memebrs with electricity belong solely to the co-op, and the co-op can access the property to repair or service the lines and equipment and, upon termination of service, to remove them.
A delay in signed easements will result in a delay in scheduling. Easements must be received before your job is scheduled.
The member/contractor/builder is responsible for installing the temporary service pole, meter base and breaker box. All three must meet Tri-County Electric Co-op specifications.
Members can request specifications for setting up temporary service (underground and overhead) by contacting the field services department by email at woclerks@tcectexas.com or by phone at 817.752.8172.
To set up temporary service, the temporary pole must be installed according to our specifications. Members can request specifications for setting up temporary service (underground and overhead) by contacting the field services department by email at woclerks@tcectexas.com or by phone at 817.752.8172.
Once the temporary pole is installed correctly, temporary service can be requested by emailing woclerks@tcectexas.com or by calling 817.752.8172.
To set up permanent service, the meter base and breaker box must be installed according to our specifications. Members can request specifications for permanent service (underground and overhead) by contacting the field services department by email at woclerks@tcectexas.com or by phone at 817.752.8172.
Once the meter base and breaker box are installed correctly, permanent service can be requested by emailing woclerks@tcectexas.com or by phone at 817.752.8172.