Custer Public Power District
Custer Public Power District is a customer-owned public power district headquartered in Broken Bow, Nebraska, distributing electricity across 8,000+ square miles and 4,600 miles of lines to residential, commercial, and agricultural customers via digital self-service, area service centers, and irrigation load management programs.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1944
- HeadquartersBroken Bow, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- Offering—
What Custer Public Power District does
Custer Public Power District (Custer PPD) is a customer-owned, not-for-profit public power district organized on September 19, 1944, and headquartered in Broken Bow, Nebraska. It is the geographically largest rural public power district in Nebraska, distributing electricity across 8,000+ square miles of rural central Nebraska through approximately 4,600 miles of distribution lines serving residential, commercial, agricultural, and irrigation customers. Operations are organized into six service areas with four area service centers (Sargent, Callaway, Stapleton, Thedford) supporting the main Broken Bow headquarters, and a seven-member customer-elected Board of Directors governs the utility.
Custer PPD's product surface is anchored by SmartHub, a web and mobile account management platform offering bill payment, usage monitoring, paperless billing, autopay, and service issue reporting, complemented by a real-time Outage Map (outages.custerpower.com) and a 24/7 outage hotline. The irrigation segment is supported by a Load Control system with SMS notification and demand waiver capability, alongside an Irrigation Rate Calculator and Power Factor Calculator. Supporting products include ACH bank drafts, telephone payment with credit/debit card and e-check options, rate class plans differentiated by customer class (residential, commercial, irrigation), and rebate programs delivered in partnership with wholesale provider Nebraska Public Power District (NPPD). Community engagement is formalized through chambers of commerce, economic development corporations, youth energy camps, line worker scholarships, and high-voltage safety demonstrations.
Custer PPD operates a usage-based revenue model with separate rate structures for residential, commercial, and irrigation customer classes, supplemented by one-time service connection fees for residential, grain bin, stockwell, and irrigation installations, and a $3.95 per-transaction convenience fee for credit/debit card payments up to $500. Nebraska's electrical rates rank seventh lowest in the nation on average, providing structural cost positioning. As a political subdivision of the state operating within Nebraska's all-public-power ecosystem, Custer PPD does not face retail competition within its exclusive service territory and relies on NPPD for wholesale generation and transmission.
Custer Public Power District firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Custer Public Power District
- Legal name
- Custer Public Power District
- Website
- https://custerpower.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1944
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Custer Public Power District is a customer-owned public power district headquartered in Broken Bow, Nebraska, distributing electricity across 8,000+ square miles and 4,600 miles of lines to residential, commercial, and agricultural customers via digital self-service, area service centers, and irrigation load management programs.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Custer Public Power District industry classification
Industry- NAICS
- Electric Power Distribution (221122), Electric Power Transmission, Control, and Distribution (22112)
- SIC
- Electric Services (4911)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Public Power Districts & State/Provincial Utilities (EUADABAD)
Keywords
Where Custer Public Power District is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Broken Bow
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices5 records
Markets served
Custer Public Power District business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Cost components
- Infrastructure, Operations, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain
Revenue model
- Electric Utility Service: Custer Public Power District operates as a public power district (not-for-profit utility) providing electric power distribution to residential, commercial, and agricultural customers. Revenue is generated through monthly electricity rates based on consumption (kWh usage) and demand charges, with separate rate structures for residential, commercial, irrigation, and other customer classes.
- Service Connection Fees: One-time fees for new service connections, including residential, grain bin, stockwell, irrigation, and other service installations. Customer pays share of project costs determined after staking.
- Convenience Fees: Transaction fees for credit/debit card payments processed through telephone payment system ($3.95 per transaction for amounts up to $500)
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Usage-based | Monthly | Residential and Commercial Rate Classes |
| Usage-based | Monthly | Irrigation Rate Classes |
| Other | Monthly | ACH Bank Draft (Auto Pay) |
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Credit/Debit Card Payment |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels5 records
Custer Public Power District product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Custer Public Power District distributes and delivers electricity to residential, commercial, and agricultural (irrigation) customers across more than 8,000 square miles of rural Nebraska through 4,600 miles of distribution lines. It operates as a not-for-profit, customer-owned public power district and supplements its core electricity delivery with account management (SmartHub), outage tracking, irrigation load control, automated and telephone payment options, and energy efficiency rebate programs.
Product overview
Custer Public Power District operates as a rural electric utility providing electricity distribution services across Nebraska. The primary digital product is SmartHub, a comprehensive online account management platform available via web portal and mobile applications for iOS and Android. SmartHub enables customers to pay bills, monitor energy usage, set usage alerts, enroll in paperless billing and Auto Pay, and report service issues. Supporting products include the real-time Outage Map for tracking power outages, Load Control systems for irrigation demand management, ACH Bank Drafts for automated payments, and telephone payment options. The district also offers community programs including utility line scholarships, youth energy camps, and high voltage safety demonstrations. These products collectively provide customers with comprehensive account management, outage communication, payment flexibility, and energy education services.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Quantifiable outcome
- Nebraska has the 7th lowest electrical rates in the nation
Companies that use Custer Public Power District
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Custer Public Power District technology and API
TechnologyAPI detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature2 records
Custer Public Power District partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.
- Nebraska Rural Electric Association (NREA)coreMembership organization supporting rural electric cooperatives and public power districts in Nebraska. Sponsors youth programs including the Nebraska Rural Electric Energy Camp.
- National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA)coreNational service organization for America's electric cooperatives. Provides resources, advocacy, and youth tour programs including Washington D.C. Youth Tour.
- Customer Solutions Network (CSN)supportingNetwork providing solutions and resources for utility customer service operations
- American Public Power Association (APPA)supportingNational trade organization representing publicly owned electric utilities. Provides advocacy, education, and professional development.
- Nebraska Public Power District (NPPD)coreParent/wholesale power provider for Custer PPD. Provides generation and transmission services. Co-hosts Energy Camp activities and provides rebate programs that Custer PPD participates in.
- Broken Bow Chamber of CommercesupportingLocal chamber of commerce supporting business community in Broken Bow, NE
- Custer Economic Development CorporationsupportingEconomic development organization serving Custer County and surrounding areas
Scale indicators8 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Custer Public Power District competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Nebraska Public Power District (NPPD): NPPD is the wholesale generation and transmission supplier for Custer PPD and itself a public power district. It is the closest comparable in terms of governance model and customer-ownership structure, but operates at a much larger scale across the state of Nebraska.
- Omaha Public Power District (OPPD): OPPD is the largest public power district in Nebraska, serving the Omaha metro area. Comparable in structure (customer-owned, elected board) and regulatory environment, but materially larger and more urban/suburban in service mix.
Direct peers
- Lincoln Electric System (LES): LES is a publicly owned electric utility serving Lincoln, Nebraska, under the same all-public-power model as Custer PPD. It is a direct peer in governance and customer-ownership, though it serves a dense urban service territory rather than a rural one.
- Southern Public Power District: Southern PPD is another Nebraska public power district serving rural customers in south-central Nebraska. It is a close operational peer to Custer PPD in terms of rural service territory, customer mix, and dependence on NPPD wholesale power.
- Southwest Public Power District: Southwest PPD is a neighboring Nebraska public power district serving rural customers in the southwest part of the state. Directly comparable in structure, scale, and rural distribution focus to Custer PPD.
- Burt County Public Power District: Burt County PPD is a small rural public power district in eastern Nebraska. Highly comparable to Custer PPD as a small, rural, customer-owned distribution utility within Nebraska's all-public-power system.
- Cornhusker Public Power District: Cornhusker PPD serves customers in east-central Nebraska. A direct rural-distribution peer to Custer PPD in governance, scale, and operating model within the Nebraska public power ecosystem.
- Pedernales Electric Cooperative: Pedernales is the largest electric distribution cooperative in the US, serving rural central Texas under a member-owned model. Structurally analogous to Custer PPD (member/customer-owned rural distribution utility), though it operates as a cooperative rather than a political subdivision.
Regional players
- Sac County Rural Electric Cooperative: Sac County REC is a small rural electric cooperative serving western Iowa. Comparable to Custer PPD in scale, rural service territory, and customer-owned distribution model, but in a different state with a different regulatory framework.
Others
- American Public Power Association (APPA): APPA is the national trade association for publicly owned electric utilities, of which Custer PPD is a member. Not a competitor, but a key industry-body counterpart that provides advocacy, education, and peer benchmarking for public power districts like Custer.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks7 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Custer Public Power District social profiles
Digital presenceCuster Public Power District financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Custer Public Power District leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles9 records
Custer Public Power District funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Custer Public Power District M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Custer Public Power District
What does Custer Public Power District do?
Custer Public Power District distributes and delivers electricity to residential, commercial, and agricultural (irrigation) customers across more than 8,000 square miles of rural Nebraska through 4,600 miles of distribution lines. It operates as a not-for-profit, customer-owned public power district and supplements its core electricity delivery with account management (SmartHub), outage tracking, irrigation load control, automated and telephone payment options, and energy efficiency rebate programs.
Is Custer Public Power District a public or private company?
Custer Public Power District is a private company. It is currently operating.
When was Custer Public Power District founded?
Custer Public Power District was founded in 1944. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Custer Public Power District based?
Custer Public Power District is headquartered in Broken Bow, United States, in the North America region.
How does Custer Public Power District make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Electric Utility Service is the primary driver. The others are service Connection Fees and convenience Fees.
Who are Custer Public Power District's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Nebraska Public Power District (NPPD) and Omaha Public Power District (OPPD). Direct peers are Lincoln Electric System (LES), Southern Public Power District, Southwest Public Power District, Burt County Public Power District, Cornhusker Public Power District and Pedernales Electric Cooperative. Sac County Rural Electric Cooperative is listed as a regional player. American Public Power Association (APPA) is listed as an others.
Does Custer Public Power District have an API?
No public API is recorded for Custer Public Power District.
What industry is Custer Public Power District in?
Its primary akta.pro industry code is EUADABAD, Public Power Districts & State/Provincial Utilities. Its NAICS code is 221122 and its SIC code is 4911.