Memphis Light, Gas & Water

What Memphis Light, Gas & Water does

Memphis Light, Gas and Water (MLGW) is the largest three-service public power utility in the United States, providing electricity, natural gas, and water services to residents and businesses across Memphis and Shelby County, Tennessee. Established in 1939 and owned by the City of Memphis, the utility is governed by a Board of Commissioners appointed by the Mayor of Memphis and operates under the Municipal Electric Plant Law of 1935 and the Metro Charter. Revenue is generated through recurring monthly subscription billing for each of the three utility services, with rates described as among the lowest in the nation; the utility had only one effective rate increase in the 35 years preceding 2023, when a rate increase was approved to fund the Roadmap to Reliability infrastructure program.

MLGW's core delivery rests on owned distribution infrastructure — power lines, gas mains, and water lines sourced from minimally treated artesian wells — augmented by technology initiatives including smart grid systems, drone-mounted infrastructure inspection, advanced metering infrastructure, and an interactive outage map. The customer-facing product suite includes the My Account online portal and mobile app, plus billing and assistance programs such as Budget Billing, PrePay, AutoPay, On Track (income-based deferred payment), Winter Moratorium, Share the Pennies, Gift of Comfort, Green Power, and EnergySmart Memphis. Operational products include LED streetlight conversion projects, a tree-trimming program, and a water service line mapping initiative required for federal compliance.

The go-to-market model is direct-to-consumer within an exclusive municipal service territory. Customer acquisition is geographic rather than competitive — customers connect by virtue of residence or business location within the territory — and service is delivered through five community offices, a phone service center, 24/7 emergency response, web chat, and self-service online and mobile channels. MLGW serves residential, commercial, builder/developer, and low-income customer segments, with extensive community partnerships (TVA, MIFA, Shelby County Community Services Agency, Memphis Public Library, CDCs) supporting energy-assistance programs. Customer outcomes are anchored to reliability metrics, with tree trimming credibly reducing approximately 40% of power outages and infrastructure investment targeted at reversing the trend of outages that are twice as frequent and three times as long as in 2000.

Name

Memphis Light, Gas & Water

Legal name

Memphis Light, Gas and Water Division

Website

https://mlgw.com

Company type

Public

Founded year

1939

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

5,001–10,000 employees

Short description

Memphis Light, Gas and Water (MLGW) is the largest three-service municipal utility in the United States, providing electricity, natural gas, and water services to residents and businesses across Memphis and Shelby County, Tennessee. Owned by the City of Memphis and serving the region since 1939, it operates as a regulated monopoly with exclusively territorial distribution.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Utility Services

NAICS

Utilities (22), Water, Sewage and Other Systems (2213), Natural Gas Distribution (2212), Water Supply and Irrigation Systems (22131)

SIC

Electric, Gas & Sanitary Services (4900), Water Supply (4941), Natural Gas Transmisison & Distribution (4923)

akta.pro primary industry

Service Lines, Connections & Customer Hookups (New Taps) (TLAGADAF)

akta.pro secondary industry

Gas Utility IoT (Pipeline Monitoring, Smart Regulators, Leak Detection) (EUADAPAL)

Keywords

• Municipal utility services
• Electricity distribution
• Natural gas distribution
• Water utility services
• Public power utility

Headquarters

HQ city

Memphis

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Infrastructure, Personnel, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Electricity Service: MLGW generates revenue through electricity distribution services to residential and commercial customers in Memphis and Shelby County. Rates are set to be among the lowest in the nation, with a rate increase approved in 2023 to fund infrastructure improvements.
2. Natural Gas Service: Natural gas distribution services to residential and commercial customers. Revenue is generated through monthly consumption-based billing.
3. Water Service: Water supply and distribution from artesian wells, minimally treated. MLGW supplies water to residents and businesses in its service territory.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Memphis Light, Gas & Water is a municipal utility that distributes electricity, natural gas, and water to residential and commercial customers throughout Memphis and Shelby County, Tennessee. The utility operates owned infrastructure for all three services, supplies water from artesian wells with minimal treatment, and supports customers through online account management, billing programs, energy efficiency initiatives, and customer assistance programs for low-income households.

Product overview

Memphis Light, Gas & Water (MLGW) is a municipal three-service public utility providing electricity, natural gas, and water services to Memphis and Shelby County, Tennessee. The company operates as a single integrated utility rather than a platform-plus-modules architecture, offering core service delivery of electricity, gas, and water alongside numerous customer-facing digital products. These products include the My Account online portal for account management and payments; billing programs such as Budget Billing (equal monthly payments), PrePay (pay-as-you-go), and AutoPay; customer assistance programs including On Track (income-based payment plans), Winter Moratorium (elderly/disabled protection), Plus-1 and Share the Pennies (bill donations/round-ups for weatherization grants), Gift of Comfort (gift certificates for bill payment), and EnergySmart Memphis (energy efficiency education); Green Power renewable energy option; and operational tools such as the Outage Map, Memphis/Bartlett LED Projects, Tree Trimming Program, Water Service Lines Program, Meter Intelligence for commercial customers, and the Roadmap to Reliability infrastructure modernization initiative.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Electricity Distribution Service Distribution of electricity to residential and commercial customers within the Memphis and Shelby County service territory, with rates set among the lowest in the nation and reinvestment in grid modernization, tree trimming, and infrastructure replacement.
• Natural Gas Distribution Service Distribution of natural gas to residential and commercial customers within the Memphis and Shelby County service territory, with revenue generated through monthly consumption-based billing and ongoing meter register upgrades.
• Water Supply and Distribution Service Water supply and distribution from artesian wells with minimal treatment, delivered to residents and businesses in the Memphis and Shelby County service territory, including an active water service line materials mapping program for federal compliance.
• Green Power Renewable Energy Option Optional renewable energy program allowing customers to support cleaner energy sources by paying a premium to have a portion of their electricity generated from renewable sources. Available to both residential and commercial customers.
• PrePay Pay-As-You-Go Utility Service
• On Track Payment Assistance Program
• EnergySmart Memphis Year-long energy education and home improvement initiative partnering with TVA, MIFA, Memphis Public Library, city and county agencies, CDCs, and non-profits to provide in-depth conservation training, weatherization improvements, and educational workshops for MLGW customers.
• Gift of Comfort
• Share the Pennies Weatherization Assistance Bill round-up program automatically enrolling customers to round utility costs to the nearest dollar, with the collected funds providing weatherization grants and energy efficiency repairs for low-income homeowners in the service territory.
• Plus-1 Utility Bill Donation Program
• Meter Intelligence Commercial Service
• Memphis LED Streetlight Conversion
• Bartlett LED Streetlight Conversion

Quantifiable outcome

• Tree trimming reduces approximately 40% of power outages
• +1 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Shelby County Community Services Agency (CSA)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 12 June 2026MLGW partnered with the Shelby County Community Services Agency to expand in-person assistance for the federal Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP). The Downtown Community Office was converted to process LIHEAP applications, with the county receiving $9.4 million in utility assistance funding. This partnership helps over 18,000 eligible residents navigate the application process.
• Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024TVA is a key partner in the EnergySmart Memphis initiative. EnergySmart Memphis is a year-long energy education and home improvement initiative designed to help Memphians save money on energy costs through weatherization improvements and energy conservation training.
• Metropolitan Inter-Faith Association (MIFA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMIFA partners with MLGW on EnergySmart Memphis and the Race to CARE event, which benefits Project CARE assisting elderly and disabled customers with energy efficiency repairs. MIFA also provides delayed billing assistance funding for customers affected by meter register failures.
• Memphis Public Library and Information CenterminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in EnergySmart Memphis initiative, hosting Energy Education Workshops city-wide at area libraries.
• City and County Government AgenciescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCity and County government agencies partner with MLGW on the EnergySmart Memphis initiative for energy education and home improvements.
• Community Development Corporations (CDCs) and Non-profit OrganizationsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCDCs and non-profit organizations partner with MLGW on the EnergySmart Memphis initiative.
• Utility Partners of America (UPA)minorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerUPA contracted by MLGW to repair gas and water meters that are not registering usage due to meter register malfunctions. Additional technicians requested to speed up the delayed billing repair process.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• CPS Energy: CPS Energy is the largest municipally-owned combined electric and natural gas utility in the United States, serving San Antonio and surrounding areas. Like MLGW, it is a multi-service municipal utility providing both electricity and gas with an exclusive service territory and community-focused operations.
• JEA (Jacksonville Electric Authority): JEA is a community-owned utility providing electric, water, and wastewater services to Jacksonville, Florida, making it one of the few large multi-service municipal utilities comparable in scope to MLGW. It operates under similar governance as a public entity with a defined service territory.
• Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP): LADWP is the largest municipal utility in the United States, providing electric and water service to Los Angeles. Its integrated electric and water offering and municipal ownership structure closely mirror MLGW's three-service model, though at substantially larger scale.
• Nashville Electric Service (NES): NES is one of the largest publicly-owned electric utilities in the Tennessee Valley, serving Nashville and Davidson County. While single-service (electric only), it shares MLGW's Tennessee Valley context, municipal ownership, and exclusive franchise model.
• Austin Energy: Austin Energy is a municipally-owned electric utility serving Austin, Texas, with strong renewable energy and energy efficiency programs. It compares to MLGW in being a publicly-owned utility with strong community engagement and a focus on grid modernization.
• Seattle City Light: Seattle City Light is a municipally-owned electric utility serving Seattle, with generation, transmission, and distribution assets. Like MLGW, it operates under a municipal utility structure with a defined service territory and rate stability as a key value proposition.
• Chattanooga EPB: EPB is a municipally-owned electric and telecommunications utility serving Chattanooga, Tennessee. As a fellow Tennessee municipal utility, EPB shares regulatory context, customer base characteristics, and is widely recognized as a leader in smart grid and fiber deployment.
• Santee Cooper: South Carolina Public Service Authority (Santee Cooper) is a state-owned electric and water utility serving South Carolina. Its state-owned structure and combined electric-water operations provide a useful comparison point for MLGW's multi-service municipal model.

Broad incumbents

• Duke Energy: Duke Energy is one of the largest investor-owned utilities in the United States, operating across the Southeast including Tennessee. While not a municipal utility, it is the dominant regional incumbent and indirect competitor for large commercial and industrial customers in MLGW's territory.
• Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA): TVA is a federally-owned corporation providing electricity generation and transmission across the Tennessee Valley. As MLGW's wholesale power supplier and EnergySmart Memphis partner, TVA is a structurally important relationship and a broad regional incumbent in the same energy ecosystem.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/mlgw
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/MLGWWaysToSave
• Facebookfacebook.com/mlgw1
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/mlgw
• Instagraminstagram.com/mlgwofficial

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Memphis Light, Gas & Water