October is a special month for Public Power Utilities and Electric Cooperatives alike because it’s National Public Power Month. It’s a time set aside to celebrate the benefits gained from having a public power district or an electric cooperative in your community. October 6th – 12th is Public Power Week which is an annual national event coordinated by the American Public Power Association in Washington, D.C.
Perennial Public Power District got its start on December 31, 1938 as York County Rural Public Power District (RPPD). The construction of the electric system started before World War II. York County RPPD continued build-out efforts with the very limited materials and labor that were available during the war. After the war, in October of 1945, Fillmore County was included in the York County Rural Public Power District service area.
As the times changed, our territory grew, customer demand for electricity changed, and our name changed. But in honor of Public Power Month/Week, we thought we’d go over a few things that make public power in Nebraska special.
Nebraska is the only state in the United States where every home and business is served by a publicly controlled utility. This is one of the factors that help contribute to the “Good Life” in Nebraska.
In Nebraska, any cash received in excess of utility operating costs are used to help fund future utility needs, not siphoned off the top to pay dividends to stockholders.
Nebraska citizens have a direct and powerful voice in the utility’s decisions and policies, both at the ballot box and in the open meetings where business is conducted. You elect the board members who govern Perennial. Not only are members of the Board of Directors members of the community they serve, but they are the people you choose to represent you.
Nebraska was determined to have the second best power grid reliability in the United States, according to a 2023 United States News and World Report. We’re able to achieve this reliability because Nebraska’s locally controlled, and relatively modest-sized, electric utilities are able to focus on what is needed to maintain and upgrade the local electrical infrastructure to keep it preforming reliably and able to meet the ever-growing demand for electricity.
In the past several years, Perennial has worked hard to upgrade its transmission system to provide a more reliable electrical service. These upgrades not only improve service quality on a daily basis, they provide Perennial with more options when restoring electrical service after major storms.
In spite of all the effort and expense necessary to build and maintain America’s most reliable electric systems, Nebraska’s rural Public Power Districts are not for profit and continue to offer low rates. Nebraska currently ranks 16th for having the lowest average rates in the Nation.
Public power districts work with local, regional and state economic development organizations to position communities and regions for economic growth; because we want to help our communities to grow and attract new businesses. Perennial for example actively participates in the development of the communities in our service area, through leadership roles and financial commitments.
Public Power Districts also offer customers assistance to help them understand their energy needs. The intention being to help them manage their energy resources efficiently and cost-effectively. For example, Perennial offers several energy efficiency rebates to customers. We also have an “Energy Advisor” on our website which is free for our customers to use. The Energy Advisor can help consumers analyze their bill as well as estimate how much energy each appliance in their house uses.
This year to celebrate Public Power Month, Perennial will be visiting the three schools we serve to do an electrical safety presentation. We will be at McCool Junction Public School speaking on Tuesday, October, 22 then we will speak to Exeter/Milligan Public School on Wednesday, October 23, and finally, we will speak at Heartland Community School on Wednesday, October 30.
Most of our customers today may not remember the day the lights came on, but there are advantages to Public Power that we would like to think our customers will never forget.
