Where Your Dollar Goes

Community-owned utilities, like Central Lincoln, are not-for-profit entities that exist to provide essential services like electricity to their customers. We are a People’s Utility District (PUD), and our rates are based on the actual cost of providing service. PUD rates are often much lower than rates charged by investor-owned utilities, which must charge more to provide stockholder profits.

Like most publicly-owned utilities in the Pacific Northwest, Central Lincoln gets 100% of their power from the Bonneville Power Administration (BPA).

Every dollar you spend for the electricity Central Lincoln provides to your home or business goes towards the following costs:

• Power purchased from BPA: 48%
• Labor and benefits: 25%
• Capital projects: 10%
• Property taxes: 4%
• Tree trimming: 4%
• Daily operating expenses: 3%
• Bond principal and interest: 2%
• Equipment and software: 1%
• Fleet expenses: 1%
• Professional services: 1%
• Buildings and grounds: 1%