Public Power

As an all-public-power state, every electric utility is owned by the public (think local and community-owned) and not by private corporations.

Being locally and community-owned has many benefits. It allows money to stay in Nebraska, going back to our economy; gives customers the opportunity to make local decisions about their public power utility; gives more Nebraskans jobs; and ultimately enables employees to live, work and play here.

Our commitment to the community is shown through a multitude of ways:

• Educational programs we provide schools.
• Employees' involvement in the community.
• Sustainability efforts to keep Lincoln a clean place to live.

Learn more about our commitment to our community

According to data collected from our annual Competitive Market Study, LES is one of the most efficient electric utilities in the country, and we work hard to maintain that distinction. In fact, our overall all-in prices* are the 16th lowest in the country, according to the nationwide study of 87 cities based on 2021 EIA data. Since LES is a public power utility, we pay dividends to our customers-owners in the form of lower rates. LES customers save hundreds of dollars a year on electricity compared to most residents in the U.S.

• LES customers spend an average of only $2.88 a day to electrify their lives, powering their homes and everything in them (2022). More at LES.com/Value.
• LES’ rates give us the distinction of residential all-in prices ranked the 3rd lowest price in the nation.

Every day, we make choices, negotiate deals and look for ways to reduce costs so that power is affordable for everyone in our community.

*All-in price is the price of electricity determined by dividing LES’ retail revenue by the retail sales of electricity to determine the cents/kWh.

Learn more about our rates

We know that providing dependable power is essential for everyday life. Electricity makes life as we know it possible. At LES, we are honored to provide this invisible driving force, delivering electricity where it’s needed most. 

• Overall, we continue to maintain our outstanding service reliability of 99.99%.
• The average outage time per customer in 2022 was 13.8 minutes, which is 88% lower than the five-year national average of 120 minutes.

We’re committed to keeping power flowing at all times, constantly reducing risks and resolving interruptions quickly. By providing reliable and safe electric services, LES maintained its Reliable Public Power Provider, Diamond Level, status from the American Public Power Association.

Visit our outage center to learn more

We’re proud of the culture of sustainability we’ve created while serving the Lincoln area, and it’s part of why we stand tall within the industry. We started promoting conservation and energy efficiency back in the early 1970s, and we’ve continued to provide programs and partnerships that empower you to become a smart energy consumer.

• Net-zero carbon emissions by 2040: During its November 2020 meeting, the LES Administrative Board passed a decarbonization goal targeting net-zero emissions from its generation portfolio by 2040. This resolution will be a guide as LES staff continue striving to create affordable and reliable energy for our community.
• LES Peak Rewards: This demand response program uses smart thermostats to reduce the electrical demand on the system during peak times. More than 1,200 additional customers enrolled their smart thermostats in the Peak Rewards program in 2022. Since its launch in 2017, the program now has 3,000 customers and 3,200 thermostats enrolled, representing 4 megawatts of controllable load.
• LES sustainable living activities: Join us for our Sustainability Series! Discover ways to reduce your carbon footprint and improve the environment, and learn about our goal to achieve net-zero carbon dioxide production from LES’ generation portfolio by 2040 and ways to help with our decarbonization efforts. More at LES.com/Sustain.
• Sustainable Energy Program: The Sustainable Energy Program disbursed more than $1.3 million in financial incentives in 2022 for about 2,200 residential, commercial and industrial energy-efficiency projects. These combined projects reduced the projected peak summer demand by a net of 5.6 megawatts and about 4,800 megawatt-hours annually.

As a public power utility, we strive to make decisions that align with the values of those we serve, balancing high standards of reliability and cost-effectiveness with sustainability. You can make an impact by participating in one of our many sustainable energy programs.

Learn more about our sustainability programs