FreeState Electric Cooperative

Name

FreeState Electric Cooperative

Legal name

FreeState Electric Cooperative, Inc.

Website

https://freestate.coop

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Electric Distribution Services

NAICS

Electric Power Distribution (221122), Electric Power Generation, Transmission and Distribution (2211), Electric Power Transmission, Control, and Distribution (22112)

SIC

Electric Services (4911), Electric & Other Services Combined (4931)

akta.pro primary industry

Electric Cooperatives (Rural/Member-Owned Utilities) (EUADABAC)

akta.pro secondary industry

Electric Distribution System Owners (Wires-Only Companies) (EUADABAI)

Keywords

• Electric distribution services
• Rural electric cooperative
• Electricity retail supply
• AMI smart metering
• Energy efficiency programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Mclouth

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Electric Service Revenue: FreeState collects monthly electricity payments from residential and commercial members. Revenue covers wholesale power costs (two-thirds of expenses), infrastructure maintenance, operations, and capital investments. As a not-for-profit cooperative, margins are returned to members as capital credits rather than distributed as profits.
2. Security Light Leasing: Members lease LED security lights mounted on meter or transformer poles for $13.50 per month. The cooperative provides and maintains the fixture and pole, with energy usage included in the monthly charge.
3. Surge Suppressor Rental: Monthly rental of whole-house surge suppression devices at $5 per month (no installation fee) that protect appliances from power surges through the meter location.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

FreeState Electric Cooperative is a not-for-profit, member-owned electric distribution cooperative that delivers electricity to residential, commercial, and agricultural member-owners across a certified territory in Northeast Kansas. The cooperative purchases wholesale power from Westar Energy and Kansas Electric Power Cooperative (KEPCo), distributes it through owned poles, wires, transformers, and AMI smart meters, and bills members monthly through multiple channels including the SmartHub digital platform. Supporting offerings include Time of Use rates, energy efficiency rebates, EV adoption resources, distributed generation interconnection for solar, LED security light leasing, and whole-house surge suppressor rentals.

Product overview

FreeState Electric Cooperative operates as a not-for-profit distribution cooperative serving northeast Kansas, offering a unified portfolio of electricity delivery services augmented by technology-enabled customer management and energy efficiency programs. The core offering is electricity service (residential, commercial, agricultural, new construction) supplemented by the SmartHub platform for account management and bill payment, multiple payment options (PowerPay daily billing, Budget Billing, AutoPay, Vanilla Direct cash payments), and demand management tools like Time of Use rates. Energy programs include an Energy Efficiency Center with rebates for heat pumps and water heaters, distributed generation interconnection for solar arrays, and EV readiness guidance. Security offerings include LED security lighting and whole-house surge suppression. The cooperative emphasizes member ownership through capital credits, which return margins to members over time.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Residential Electric Service (Single Phase)

Quantifiable outcome

• Members who utilize daily billing (PowerPay Program) can save up to 12% by monitoring usage and conserving energy

Named customers2 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• Westar EnergycoreOthersWholesale power supplier providing electricity to FreeState Electric Cooperative. Westar is part of the diverse power generation portfolio that includes renewable, coal, nuclear, and hydropower sources. Together with KEPCo, they supply the power that FreeState distributes to members.
• Kansas Electric Power Cooperative (KEPCo)coreOthersWholesale power supplier providing electricity to FreeState Electric Cooperative. KEPCo works with Westar to provide a diverse portfolio of power generation including renewable, coal, nuclear, and hydropower sources for the cooperative's distribution to members.
• National Information Solutions Cooperative (NISC)coreTechnology or IntegrationTechnology partner providing the SmartHub mobile and web application platform used by FreeState members for account management, bill payment, usage monitoring, and notifications. NISC develops and maintains the platform infrastructure.
• VanillaDirect PaysupportingChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPayment processing partner enabling members to pay electric bills with cash at retail locations. FreeState partners with VanillaDirect to provide convenient payment options for members who prefer or require cash payments at participating retailers.
• Touchstone Energy CooperativessupportingGTM or Marketing PartnerNational branding and marketing cooperative partnership providing FreeState with cooperative identity resources, safety materials, educational content, and marketing support. Touchstone Energy is a national brand for electric cooperatives.
• Operation Round-Up PartnerssupportingOthersCommunity assistance program supported through member voluntary contributions that round up electric bills. Partners include local agencies and causes supported by the cooperative's charitable giving program.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• CoBank: National cooperative bank financing rural electric cooperatives including FreeState. Comparable as the primary capital partner to U.S. electric distribution co-ops, with similar lending relationships and member base.
• Touchstone Energy Cooperatives: National branding and services cooperative of which FreeState is a member. Comparable as the cooperative ecosystem/administrative layer providing shared marketing, safety, and identity resources to ~750 member-owned electric co-ops across the U.S.
• National Information Solutions Cooperative (NISC): Information technology cooperative providing the SmartHub billing/account platform used by FreeState. Comparable as a cooperative-owned technology vendor serving similar member-owned utility customers with the same AMI/billing software stack.

Regional players

• Board of Public Utilities (BPU) of Kansas City, Kansas: Municipal electric utility serving Kansas City, Kansas and portions of Northeast Kansas adjacent to FreeState territory. Comparable as a Kansas-area electric distribution provider, though municipally owned rather than cooperative.

Direct peers

• Heartland Rural Electric Cooperative: Distribution electric cooperative serving rural Oklahoma/Kansas border territory. Comparable in size, member-owned cooperative structure, AMI metering programs, and rural Plains-state distribution focus.
• Kansas Electric Power Cooperative (KEPCo): Wholesale power supplier cooperative and one of FreeState's two upstream power providers. Comparable Touchstone Energy-affiliated Kansas electric cooperative serving distribution members via wholesale generation supply.
• Sunflower Electric Cooperative: Generation and transmission cooperative serving distribution co-ops across western Kansas. Comparable as a Touchstone Energy-affiliated Kansas electric cooperative with overlapping governance, member-owned structure, and wholesale power supply relationships.
• Nemaha-Marshall Electric Cooperative: Distribution electric cooperative serving rural Northeast Kansas counties adjacent to FreeState's territory. Closely comparable in size, member-owned cooperative structure, AMI metering, and rural Kansas distribution focus.
• Mid-Kansas Electric Cooperative: Kansas-based electric generation and transmission cooperative serving member distribution co-ops. Closely comparable member-owned cooperative business model, AMI deployment, and Kansas rural service footprint.

Broad incumbents

• Evergy: Investor-owned electric utility serving Kansas and Missouri (formerly Westar Energy and Kansas City Power & Light). Evergy is both FreeState's wholesale power supplier and a direct competitor in overlapping Northeast Kansas territory, making it the most relevant incumbent benchmark for rates, AMI deployment, and customer programs.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@freestatecoop
• Facebookfacebook.com/freestatecoop
• Instagraminstagram.com/freestateelectriccoop
• TikToktiktok.com/@freestatecoop
• Xx.com/FreeStateCoop
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/freestate-electric-cooperative

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 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 FreeState Electric Cooperative