Omaha Public Power District leaders shared updates with the utility’s board of directors this week on products and services to improve our customers’ experience.
During committee meetings for the OPPD board of directors, Brian Adams, director of Product Development and Marketing, reported on the district’s work with launching new products and refining existing products, including programs promoting renewable energy, sustainability and safety. For instance, OPPD is now enrolling customers in the new Life-Sustaining Equipment Program.
“This will help us ensure we reach those customers who rely on electricity for critical medical equipment and that we reach them sooner,” said Adams. “It will give them more advance notice for planning purposes when we know we’ll need to interrupt service for maintenance or other reasons.”
OPPD cannot guarantee customers’ service will not be interrupted, even with advance notice. We encourage them to have medical backup equipment or plans to accommodate medical needs during service disruptions. Enrollment in this program does not result in prioritized restoration.
Adams also talked about an upgrade to an existing product, the Electrical Line Protection Plan, which we offer in conjunction with HomeServe. Customers who enroll in the plan can call a 24-hour hotline when one or more in-home electrical line or the customer-owned service points – such as a weatherhead, service entrance cable or meter base – fails. A licensed local professional will work with them to schedule a time to make repairs. The plan covers up to $1,500 in repairs per visit, paid directly to the electrician.
Starting May 14, new customers enrolling in the program will be enrolled in Electrical Line Plan+. The new warranty plan covers impacts from wind, tree and ice damage, as well as normal wear and tear. The 30,000 customers already enrolled in the program will be enrolled in Electrical Line Plan+ when they renew, or they may contact HomeServe directly to enroll in the new plan prior to their annual renewal period.
“We are happy to offer this evolution of the product with added coverage. It’s a great opportunity for our customers to have more peace of mind with severe weather,” Adams said.
The monthly cost will go up slightly to cover the added protection. The cost increase would take effect on customers’ annual renewal date. You can find more information at OPPD.com/ELP.
Public comment period open
This week, OPPD leaders shared rate action proposals to be voted on next month. The revenue neutral actions would clean up outdated pricing structures and credits. One recommendation would eliminate declining block rates, where the per-unit price of the energy charge onto a customer’s bill decreases as the customer’s consumption increases. If approved, some customers may see a slight bill increase, while most may see a slight decrease. The district is also proposing eliminating outdated energy management credits. Residential rates would take effect October 1, and commercial rates would take effect Jan. 1, 2026.
In addition, OPPD will ask the board to update the meter opt-out rate so that, just as customers do today when they opt out of existing automated meters, customers will pay a $50 monthly fee for opting out of smart meters. These new meters will be installed for about 11,000 customers starting toward the end of 2025 and over the next couple of years throughout our service territory. The proposal also includes a one-time fee of $220. Both of these fees reflect OPPD’s added costs for maintaining systems and processes for two types of meters.
A 30-day public comment period on these proposals is now open. To learn more and/or share your thoughts, visit OPPDCommunityConnect.com/rates. Directors are expected to vote on the proposed rate actions at their June 19 board meeting. If approved, the new single-block rates will take effect Oct. 1 for impacted residential customers and Jan. 1 for commercial. The opt-out rate for smart meters will be available to customers when we install meters in their specific neighborhoods. The installations will take place over the next couple of years.
Other action
In other action, directors:
- Approved the March 2025 financial reports, the April 2025 meeting minutes and the May 15, 2025, board meeting agenda.
- Approved three-year collective bargaining agreements for International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local No. 763 and International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers Local No. 31.
- Approved board policy revisions to Governance Process (GP) 5: Election of Officers; GP-15: Nuclear Oversight; and Board Staff Linkage 8: Delegation to the President and Chief Executive Officer regarding procurement.
- Reviewed and approved the 2024 Annual Health Plan Report.
- Discussed and accepted the Strategic Directive (SD) 3: Access to Credit Markets monitoring report. Acceptance means the board finds the utility to be sufficiently in compliance with the directive.
- Approved the Engineer’s Certification and authorized management to enter into negotiated alliance contracts for materials and construction labor for substation and transmission projects, as well as related distribution facilities from 2025 through 2032. These projects, some of the largest OPPD has in our service territory, are needed to meet the energy demands of the growing communities we serve.
Next board meetings
The next all-committees meeting will be held in-person Tuesday, June 17, at 10 a.m. at Blue Cross Blue Shield, 1919 Aksarben Dr., as well as virtually, via Webex. The meeting link and instructions will be available at OPPD.com/CommitteeAgenda, beginning about 9:45 a.m., depending on the duration of a preceding closed-session meeting, if needed.
The next monthly board meeting is Thursday, June 19, at 5 p.m., both in-person at the Legislative Chamber of the Omaha Civic Center, 1819 Farnam St., as well as virtually via Webex. The public can attend virtually by accessing the meeting link and instructions at OPPD.com/BoardAgenda, beginning at 4:45 p.m.