Lincoln Electric System (LES) Rate Selection Guide
Lincoln Electric System (LES) is a municipal, customer-owned electric utility serving roughly 155,000 retail customers (about 137,000 residential and 18,000 commercial) in Lincoln, Nebraska. As public power, LES has no retail supplier choice; it is among the lowest-priced utilities nationally but offers limited programmatic data access (PDF billing portal, AMR meters, no Green Button or API).
Lincoln Electric System (LES) Rate Schedule Comparison
| Schedule | Type | Rate | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| General Service (10 & 13) | Commercial | $6.50 customer + $31.00 facilities; energy $0.1055 (S) / $0.0655 (W) secondary | Small commercial under 25,000 kWh / 100 kW |
| General Service-Demand (11 & 12) | Commercial | $25.00 customer + $14.50/kW demand; energy $0.0277 (S) / $0.0250 (W) | Mid-size demand-metered commercial |
| Large Light and Power (15/16/39) | Industrial | $450 customer + $17.75/kW demand; energy $0.0255 (S) / $0.0245 (W) | Industrial loads > 400 kW |
| LLP TOU Demand (30/31/32) | Industrial | $450 customer + on-peak $13.00/kW, off-peak $4.50/kW; energy $0.0265 (S) | Large loads that can shift off peak |
Market Overview
LES is a customer-owned municipal utility in Nebraska's all-public-power market. Rates are set by the LES Administrative Board and Lincoln City Council rather than a state commission. No competitive retail supplier choice is available.
Need to pull your actual usage data to compare rates? See the Lincoln Electric System (LES) Data Access Guide →
Current Rate Schedules
LES rate schedules (approved by the LES Administrative Board, effective for services after Dec. 31, 2025) are public and itemized. C&I customers fall on General Service (10/13), General Service-Demand (11/12), Large Light and Power (15/16/39), and a Large Light and Power Time-of-Use Demand option (30/31/32). LES is consistently among the lowest-cost utilities in the U.S. (9th nationally for lowest average all-in price; 2nd residential). Charges below are verified from the published LES rate schedule.
Effective: January 1, 2026 · Full Tariff Book →
| Schedule | Type | Applicability | Structure | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| General Service (10 & 13) | commercial | Commercial customers using ≤ 25,000 kWh/billing period and ≤ 100 kW summer demand. | Customer Charge $6.50/bill; Facilities Charge $31.00/bill (single-phase) or $95.50 (three-phase) or $50.00 (primary); Energy Charge secondary $0.1055/kWh summer, $0.0655/kWh winter; primary $0.0975/$0.0620. | — |
| General Service-Demand (11 & 12) | commercial | Commercial customers > 25,000 kWh/billing period or > 100 kW summer demand; 25 kW minimum billing demand. | Customer Charge $25.00/bill; Demand Charge secondary $14.50/kW (primary $14.25); Facilities Charge secondary $7.25/kW (primary $5.25); Energy Charge secondary $0.0277/kWh summer, $0.0250 winter (primary $0.0270/$0.0245). | — |
| Large Light and Power (15, 16 & 39) | industrial | Loads > 100,000 kWh/billing period or demand > 400 kW and < 20,000 kW. | Customer Charge $450.00/bill; Demand Charge secondary $17.75/kW (primary/35kV $17.25); Facilities Charge secondary $7.42/kW; Energy Charge secondary $0.0255/kWh summer, $0.0245 winter (primary/35kV $0.0242/$0.0235); Excess kVAR $2.60/kVAR. | — |
| Large Light and Power Time-of-Use Demand (30, 31 & 32) | industrial | Large loads (>400 kW, <20,000 kW) able to shift load between on-peak and off-peak periods. | Customer Charge $450.00/bill; On-Peak Demand secondary $13.00/kW, Off-Peak $4.50/kW (primary $12.50/$4.00); Facilities $5.50/kW; Energy secondary $0.0265/kWh summer, $0.0243 winter (primary $0.0252/$0.0232). | — |
Rate Recommendations by Use Case
Small / mid commercial (offices, retail)
Commercial sites under ~25,000 kWh and 100 kW summer demand.
Below demand thresholds, GS avoids demand charges; energy is the main driver with a steep summer rate ($0.1055/kWh).
- Reduce summer consumption — the seasonal energy rate is ~60% higher
- Stay under 100 kW summer demand to avoid moving to GS-Demand
- Consider three-phase facilities charge tradeoffs
Demand-metered commercial / light industrial
Sites over 25,000 kWh or 100 kW summer demand on GS-Demand.
Demand charge ($14.50/kW secondary) and the 65% summer ratchet dominate; shaving peaks pays back quickly.
- Manage 30-minute peaks; the summer ratchet carries 11 months
- Evaluate primary service ($14.25 vs $14.50/kW)
- Sub-meter to find peak drivers (no LES interval data)
Large industrial (>400 kW)
Large continuous loads on Large Light and Power.
TOU Demand can sharply cut demand cost ($4.50/kW off-peak vs $17.75/kW standard) for shiftable load; power factor and voltage level also matter.
- Model TOU Demand vs standard LLP for your load shape
- Correct power factor to ≥ 93% to avoid $2.60/kVAR
- Take primary/35 kV service to lower demand & facilities charges
Sustainability / renewable-focused C&I
Customers seeking renewable supply or efficiency incentives.
LES offers virtual solar and renewable rate options plus energy-efficiency programs (energyOrbit-administered).
- Enroll directly with LES Energy Services
- Combine efficiency incentives with demand reduction
- Note third parties cannot pull data programmatically
Historical Rate Trends
LES rates are set locally through its annual budget process. For 2026, the LES Administrative Board adopted a budget including a 3% systemwide increase to retail electric rates, effective for services after Dec. 31, 2025. LES remains among the lowest-priced utilities nationally.
January 1, 2026
LES 2026 budget: 3% systemwide retail electric rate increase, effective for services after Dec. 31, 2025.
+3%Overall trend: Modest, steady increases (3% systemwide for 2026); LES remains 9th nationally for lowest all-in price.
Next expected change: Reviewed annually with the LES budget; future increases set by the Administrative Board and Lincoln City Council.
Cost Optimization Strategies
Because LES C&I schedules are demand-driven, the biggest levers are peak-demand reduction, load shifting onto the TOU Demand option, and power-factor correction. Note that LES does not provide interval data, so demand management must rely on facility-side metering or sub-metering.
Off-peak load shifting (TOU Demand)
For: Large industrial (>400 kW) with shiftable load
Move flexible load to off-peak windows on the LLP Time-of-Use Demand schedule, where off-peak demand is $4.50/kW vs $13.00/kW on-peak (secondary).
Peak demand reduction
For: GS-Demand and Large Light and Power
Lower the 30-minute maximum demand to cut the $14.50-$17.75/kW demand charge; also mitigates the 65% summer demand ratchet that carries forward 11 months.
Power-factor correction
For: Large Light and Power (15/16/39, 30/31/32)
Keep power factor at or above 93% to avoid the $2.60/kVAR excess-kVAR charge on Large Light and Power schedules.
Voltage-level service (primary/35kV)
For: Large industrial able to take primary service
Taking service at primary or 35 kV reduces both demand and facilities charges (e.g., $17.25 vs $17.75/kW demand; lower facilities charge) for customers who can own transformation equipment.
To implement these strategies, you need your 15-minute interval data. Learn how to download Lincoln Electric System (LES) interval data →
Frequently Asked Questions
Can my consultant get interval (15-minute) data for a load study?▾
No. LES uses Itron AMR, not AMI, so no interval data exists at any granularity. Only monthly usage (kWh) is available. Demand-metered C&I schedules bill on a 30-minute maximum demand internally, but that data is not exposed to customers. Consultants must work from monthly bill PDFs or request a custom export from LES Business Services at 402.475.4211.
Does LES support Green Button or a data API for our facilities?▾
No. LES does not implement Green Button (DMD or CMD), ESPI, EDI, or any public API/developer portal. Billing data is PDF-only. For automated third-party access, Nectar provides API access to LES billing data (see docs.nectarclimate.com); otherwise share customer-downloaded PDFs under a signed authorization.
Can we choose a competitive electricity supplier?▾
No. Nebraska is a 100% public power state with no retail choice. LES is a not-for-profit municipal utility; all customers are served on LES's local rate schedules set by the Administrative Board and City Council.
What rate schedule applies to a demand-metered commercial site?▾
Sites exceeding 25,000 kWh per billing period or 100 kW summer demand move to General Service-Demand (schedules 11 & 12), which carries a $25.00/bill customer charge, $14.50/kW secondary demand charge, and $0.0277 (summer) / $0.0250 (winter) per-kWh energy charge, with a 25 kW minimum billing demand. See the LES rate schedules for full terms.
How are large industrial sites billed at LES?▾
Loads over 400 kW (and under 20,000 kW) on Large Light and Power (15/16/39) pay a $450/bill customer charge, $17.75/kW secondary demand charge, and ~$0.0255/$0.0245 per-kWh (summer/winter) energy, plus excess-kVAR charges. A Time-of-Use Demand option (30/31/32) splits on-peak ($13.00/kW) and off-peak ($4.50/kW) demand for sites that can shift load.
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