Lafayette Utilities System (LUS) Rate Selection Guide
Lafayette Utilities System (LUS) is a municipally owned utility serving roughly 72,000 electric customers (plus water and wastewater) in Lafayette, Louisiana. Despite an AMI/smart-meter deployment of ~62,300 meters, data access is limited to the My Account portal (PDF bills, daily kWh usage, usage alerts) with no Green Button, EDI, or public API and no formal third-party authorization workflow.
Lafayette Utilities System (LUS) Rate Schedule Comparison
| Schedule | Type | Rate | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small General Service (C1) | Commercial | $15.00/mo + $0.06353/kWh + fuel + tax | Smaller commercial accounts under 15,000 kWh / 50 kW |
| Large General Service (C2) | Industrial | $50.00/mo + $9.00/kW demand + $0.02215/kWh + fuel + tax | Large commercial/industrial with sustained demand (15,000+ kWh or 50+ kW) |
| Schools and Churches (SC1) | Commercial | $15.00/mo + $0.0594/kWh + fuel + tax | Schools and churches (no demand charge) |
Market Overview
LUS is a city-owned electric/water/wastewater utility under Lafayette Consolidated Government. Louisiana has no retail electric choice for municipal utility customers, so there is no competitive supplier shopping. Rates are set by ordinance via the City-Parish Council.
Need to pull your actual usage data to compare rates? See the Lafayette Utilities System (LUS) Data Access Guide →
Current Rate Schedules
Electric rates effective November 2025, set by ordinance through Lafayette Consolidated Government. Bills combine a per-class customer charge, an energy charge per kWh, a demand charge per kW (large commercial only), a monthly fuel charge (Schedule FC), and tax additions (Schedule X1). Figures below are verified from the official LUS rate schedule PDFs.
Effective: November 1, 2025 · Full Tariff Book →
| Schedule | Type | Applicability | Structure | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Small General Service (Schedule C1) | commercial | Commercial customers below 15,000 kWh and 50 kW demand thresholds (Ordinance 94-112) | $15.00 customer charge/billing period + $0.06353/kWh energy charge + fuel charge (Schedule FC) + tax (Schedule X1) | — |
| Large General Service (Schedule C2) | industrial | Customers exceeding 15,000 kWh or 50 kW demand for 3 consecutive billing periods (Ordinance 94-113) | $50.00 customer charge/billing period + $9.00/kW demand charge + $0.02215/kWh energy charge + fuel charge (Schedule FC) + tax (Schedule X1). Minimum demand = 60% of largest summer demand; power-factor adjustment below 80%; primary-service discount C2P ($1.00/kW + 1.5% energy). | — |
| Schools and Churches (Schedule SC1) | commercial | Primary/middle/high schools and churches (Ordinance 94-116) | $15.00 customer charge/billing period + $0.0594/kWh energy charge + fuel charge (Schedule FC) + tax (Schedule X1) | — |
Rate Recommendations by Use Case
Large commercial/industrial facility on Schedule C2
Focus on demand and power factor, the dominant cost drivers on C2.
C2 bills $9.00/kW demand with a summer-peak ratchet and penalizes power factor below 80%, so peak and PF management beat energy-rate optimization.
- Track and shave monthly and summer peak demand (the ratchet locks in 60% of summer peak for 12 months)
- Install power-factor correction to stay at or above 80% PF
- Evaluate the C2P primary-service discount if you can take primary service
Smaller commercial account near the C1/C2 threshold
Confirm rate classification and watch the 15,000 kWh / 50 kW trigger.
C1 is energy-only at $0.06353/kWh; crossing the threshold for 3 periods forces C2 with a demand charge. Modeling both avoids surprise reclassification.
- Monitor monthly kWh and kW against the thresholds
- If consistently near 50 kW, model total cost on both C1 and C2
- Manage demand to potentially stay on C1 where favorable
Third-party consultant/aggregator onboarding an LUS account
Plan for customer-mediated access; LUS has no API, Green Button, or EDI.
There is no Share My Data portal or programmatic feed; data comes from customer-shared PDFs/usage or customer-authorized customer-service delivery.
- Collect written customer authorization before contacting LUS
- Request multiple years of PDF bills plus daily-usage screenshots
- Ask LUS Customer Service (337-291-8280) whether finer interval data can be provided on request
School or church facility
Use the dedicated SC1 schedule, which has no demand charge.
SC1 is energy-only at $0.0594/kWh with a $15 customer charge, avoiding the C2 demand charge for eligible institutions.
- Confirm SC1 eligibility with LUS
- Focus savings on kWh reduction (no demand charge to manage)
- Track the monthly fuel charge (Schedule FC) in budgeting
Historical Rate Trends
LUS electric rates are set by ordinance through Lafayette Consolidated Government. A multi-year increase was approved to fund a new electric generation plant, raising rates roughly 3.5% per year for three years; the current schedules are effective November 2025. A separate monthly fuel charge (Schedule FC) fluctuates with fuel costs.
November 1, 2025
November 2025 electric rate schedules took effect (current C1/C2/SC1 charges), part of the multi-year increase to fund new generation.
+3.5%January 1, 2025
First year of the approved multi-year ~3.5%/year electric rate increase to fund a new electric plant.
+3.5%Overall trend: Increasing ~3.5%/year over a three-year phase-in to fund new generation; monthly fuel charge varies.
Next expected change: Further scheduled annual increases under the multi-year ordinance; next fuel charge update monthly.
Cost Optimization Strategies
For LUS C&I accounts, the biggest savings levers are demand management and power factor on the Large General Service (C2) schedule, plus confirming the right rate-class assignment.
Manage peak demand (kW)
For: Large General Service (C2) customers
On C2, demand is billed at $9.00/kW with a 60%-of-summer-peak minimum ratchet for 12 months. Shifting or staggering loads to cut the monthly peak and especially the summer peak directly reduces demand charges all year.
Correct power factor
For: C2 customers with inductive loads
A power-factor adjustment penalizes customers whose average monthly power factor falls below 80% (billed kW is grossed up). Installing capacitors/PF correction avoids this penalty.
Evaluate the primary-service discount (C2P)
For: Large customers able to take primary service
Primary-metered customers who own/maintain equipment from the primary metering point can qualify for $1.00/kW off demand and 1.5% off energy under C2P (contractual).
Confirm C1 vs. C2 assignment
For: Commercial accounts near the C1/C2 boundary
Crossing 15,000 kWh or 50 kW for three consecutive periods moves an account to C2. Near the threshold, model both schedules to ensure the lower-cost classification.
To implement these strategies, you need your 15-minute interval data. Learn how to download Lafayette Utilities System (LUS) interval data →
Frequently Asked Questions
Does LUS provide interval (15-minute or hourly) electric data to C&I customers?▾
Not publicly. LUS deployed AMI smart meters and exposes daily kWh usage in My Account, but granular 15-/30-minute or hourly interval data is not available for self-service download (no Green Button or CSV/XML export). Finer interval data may be obtainable by a direct request to LUS Customer Service at (337) 291-8280.
How can a third-party energy manager access a commercial customer's LUS data?▾
There is no Share My Data portal or API. The practical path is customer-mediated: the customer downloads PDF bills (and usage screenshots) from My Account and shares them, or the customer authorizes a named third party with LUS Customer Service (337-291-8280) so LUS can provide bill data directly.
Which rate schedule applies to a commercial or industrial facility?▾
LUS assigns the Large General Service schedule (C2) to customers exceeding 15,000 kWh or 50 kW of demand for three consecutive billing periods; otherwise Small General Service (C1) applies. C2 adds a $9.00/kW demand charge on top of a $50 customer charge and $0.02215/kWh energy charge (plus fuel and tax). C1 is $15 customer charge plus $0.06353/kWh (plus fuel and tax). Schools and churches use schedule SC1.
Is there a demand charge, and how is it calculated for large commercial customers?▾
Yes. Large General Service (C2) includes a $9.00/kW demand charge. A minimum demand charge applies 60% of the largest summer (June-September) billing demand for the following 12 months. A power factor adjustment applies if average monthly power factor falls below 80%. A primary-service discount (C2P) of $1.00/kW and 1.5% on energy is available for qualifying primary-metered customers.
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