Last October, we shared in the Wheat Belt Connection how being a public power district means more than just delivering electricity — it means serving our friends and neighbors with reliability, safety, and accountability. This year, as we once again celebrate Public Power Month, we want to highlight another important advantage of public power: affordability.

Across the country, public power utilities consistently provide electric service at rates lower than investor-owned utilities. That’s because our focus is not on profit, but on people. As a community-owned utility, Wheat Belt PPD reinvests revenues back into the system — improving reliability, enhancing service, and keeping costs as low as possible for our members.

Every dollar you pay stays right here, working to maintain infrastructure, respond to outages, and plan for future growth. This local, not-for-profit model ensures that affordability remains at the forefront of our mission. For example, in 2024, the average residential customer in Nebraska served by public power paid significantly less per kilowatt-hour compared to the national average. That translates into real savings for families, businesses, and farms in our service area.

Affordability is also about stability. Because we don’t answer to shareholders, our board of directors, made up of local community members, makes decisions with your best interests in mind. That means steady, transparent rates and a long-term approach to keeping electricity reliable and cost-effective.

As we look ahead, Wheat Belt will continue working hard to balance today’s needs with tomorrow’s opportunities. Whether it’s upgrading infrastructure, planning for renewable integration, or improving operational efficiency, our commitment remains the same: to provide electricity safely, reliably, and affordably to the people we serve.