Columbus Light & Water

What Columbus Light & Water does

Columbus Light & Water (CL&W) is a community-owned municipal utility providing electricity, water, and sewer services to residential and commercial customers in Columbus, Mississippi. Founded in 1939 and operating under Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) Rules & Regulations, CL&W holds an exclusive service-territory franchise and procures wholesale power from TVA. The utility also bills for garbage collection on behalf of the City of Columbus, acting as the city's consolidated billing interface for municipal services.

CL&W's product surface spans three layers: core utility delivery (residential and commercial electric, water, and sewer), smart-energy initiatives (electric-vehicle charging support, smart-home technologies, smart-device management), and energy-efficiency rebates delivered through the TVA EnergyRight partnership (covering geothermal heat pumps, HVAC, LED lighting, and electric forklifts). Operational technology includes the Columbus Light & Water Outage Management System (CLWOMS), which tracks outages in real time, reduces downtime, and guides restoration crews. Customer-facing channels include a UtilityNexus-backed web portal, a mobile application on iOS and Android, a walk-in office at the Columbus headquarters (420 4th Avenue South, open 8:00 AM–4:30 PM), a 24/7 outage and emergency dispatch line, and social media presence across Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

CL&W generates revenue through regulated monthly subscription billing across residential and commercial rate classes. Residential deposits range from $100 (water only) to $300 (electric and water), while commercial deposits are calculated as twice the highest bill in the prior year or based on load information. The customer base is segmented horizontally — Residential (primary), Commercial, and Landlord/Realtor — with no named enterprise anchors. Governance rests with a seven-member Board of Directors under a Board Attorney, and executive leadership is provided by General Manager Angela C. Verdell, PhD, supported by functional supervisors across Accounting, Customer Service, Data Processing, Maintenance, Electric, Water, Wastewater, Procurement, Meter Reading, Water Distribution, IT, GIS, and HR.

Name

Columbus Light & Water

Legal name

Columbus Light & Water

Website

https://columbus-lw.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1939

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Columbus Light & Water (CL&W) is a community-owned municipal utility delivering electricity, water, and sewer services to residential and commercial customers in Columbus, Mississippi. Operations are conducted under Tennessee Valley Authority regulations and governed by a seven-member Board of Directors.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Municipal Utility Services

NAICS

Water, Sewage and Other Systems (2213), Utilities (22)

SIC

Water Supply (4941), Electric, Gas & Sanitary Services (4900)

akta.pro primary industry

Water Supply & Wastewater Utilities Administration (BPAIACAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Drinking Water Distribution Network Operations (Mains, Valves, Hydrants, Service Lines) (EUANAAAE), Sewer Pump/Lift Stations & Wet Wells (EUANACAC)

Keywords

• Municipal utility services
• Electricity distribution
• Water and sewer
• Outage management
• Energy efficiency rebates

Headquarters

HQ city

Columbus

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Columbus Light & Water (CL&W) is a community-owned municipal utility that provides electricity, water, and sewer services to residential and commercial customers in Columbus, Mississippi. The company operates power distribution, water supply, and wastewater infrastructure within its exclusive service territory and supplements core utility delivery with an Outage Management System, mobile applications, and TVA EnergyRight rebate programs for energy efficiency.

Product overview

Columbus Light & Water (CL&W) is a public utility providing electricity, water, and sewer services to the Columbus, Mississippi community. The company operates a unified utility services platform with customer-facing products organized into three main areas: core utility delivery (residential/commercial electricity, water, sewer), smart energy management (outage management system CLWOMS, EV charging support, smart home/device programs), and energy efficiency programs (residential and business rebates through TVA EnergyRight partnership). Supporting services include a mobile app, bill management via UtilityNexus, bank draft payments, medical certification, and bill dispute resolution. The company is owned by the City of Columbus and operates under Tennessee Valley Authority regulations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Residential Utility Services

Quantifiable outcome

• Geothermal heat pumps can save up to 50% on heating and cooling costs
• +2 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTVA is the power supplier for CL&W. Through the EnergyRight partnership, TVA offers financial incentives on qualifying equipment purchases including geothermal heat pumps, HVAC systems, LED lighting, and electric forklifts for both residential and commercial customers. TVA Rules & Regulations govern CL&W operations.
• Golden Triangle WasteminorOthersGolden Triangle Waste handles garbage collection services for Columbus. CL&W bills for garbage service on behalf of the City of Columbus, as mandated by the City of Columbus Mayor's Office.

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Entergy Corporation: Large investor-owned utility operating electric distribution across the Southeast, including Mississippi. Comparable electric utility business model and customer base, though Entergy operates across multiple jurisdictions and is far larger than CL&W.
• Tennessee Valley Authority: Federal wholesale power supplier and CL&W's core partner. TVA governs CL&W's operations under its rules and regulations and is the upstream counterpart for all of CL&W's electricity supply — a broader incumbent shaping the operating environment.
• Atmos Energy Corporation: Large regulated natural gas utility with Southeast U.S. operations. Comparable utility operating model (regulated rate-base revenue, infrastructure-driven) though focused on gas rather than electric/water/sewer.

Direct peers

• Muscle Shoals Electric Board: Municipal electric distribution utility serving Muscle Shoals, Alabama, within the TVA service area. Comparable in scale, ownership structure (board-governed), and customer mix to CL&W.
• Oxford Utilities: Municipal electric, water, gas, and wastewater utility serving Oxford, Mississippi. Closely comparable multi-utility municipal model with overlapping customer segments and TVA-area operations.
• Florence Utilities (Alabama): Municipal electric, water, gas, and wastewater utility serving Florence, Alabama. Comparable multi-utility municipal operator in the TVA service area, similar regulatory and operational profile to CL&W.
• Tupelo Water & Light Department: A municipal electric, water, and wastewater utility serving Tupelo, Mississippi, also operating within the TVA service area. Highly comparable to CL&W in scale, multi-service model, and regulatory environment.
• Starkville Utilities: Municipal electric, water, and wastewater utility serving Starkville, Mississippi. Same multi-utility municipal structure, TVA-area geography, and customer base profile as CL&W.

Others

• CSA (Central Service Association): Provider of UtilityNexus billing and customer service platform used by CL&W. Adjacent enabling technology provider supporting municipal utility digital operations and self-service.
• Golden Triangle Waste: Local waste services provider for which CL&W performs third-party billing. Adjacent ecosystem participant, not a utility competitor but a directly connected commercial partner.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/columbuslight
• Facebookfacebook.com/100022668807002
• Instagraminstagram.com/columbuslightandwater

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 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 Columbus Light & Water