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From Oct. 6-12, CPS Energy is proud to join the national celebration of Public Power and Public Natural Gas Week, alongside more than 2,000 community-powered utilities serving 54 million Americans. This week highlights the invaluable benefits of public power and how community ownership ensures that the energy decisions we make put you first.
What makes public power different?
Public power is not-for-profit, meaning that any revenue generated from energy bills is reinvested back into the community. Since its establishment in 1942, when the city of San Antonio invested $34 million to purchase CPS Energy, we have reinvested approximately $9 billion into the local community. This reinvestment supports vital city services including public safety, parks, libraries, senior centers and more. As your public power and gas utility, CPS Energy is more than just an energy provider — it’s a trusted city partner committed to serving its community.
A community empowered for generations
As a public power and natural gas utility, we are not only focused on the present but committed to ensuring that we can empower our community for generations. With our forward-looking strategic plans, Vision 2027 and Horizon 2050, we reinforce our commitment to power San Antonio with reliable, sustainable energy at a competitive price to ensure that our community continues to thrive in a growing and evolving landscape.
Reliability
According to the American Public Power Association, public power customers experienced the shortest average outage time compared to customers of other utilities — getting power back an average of 90 minutes sooner outside of major events. With Horizon 2050, CPS Energy makes reliability a priority by creating a faster and more efficient system to respond to energy demand while adapting to ever changing customer needs. One of the current initiatives contributing to reliability is our tree-trimming service, which reduces storm-related outages. This year alone, CPS Energy has spent $19 million to trim 1,000 miles worth of trees around San Antonio — that’s around the same distance from San Antonio to Phoenix!
Sustainability
In 2022, approximately 40% of the electricity public power generated was from cleaner sources such as solar, wind and natural gas. As part of CPS Energy’s Vision 2027 plan, 1,710 MW of natural gas, 730 MW of solar and 84 MW of wind energy were added to our power portfolio, putting CPS Energy among the top public power wind energy buyers in the nation and number one in Texas for solar generation. With Horizon 2050, we plan to further diversify our energy resources to provide more sustainable energy to all.
Competitive prices
One of the best advantages of being community-owned is competitive pricing. CPS Energy offers lower rates compared to major Texas cities like Austin, Dallas and Houston, and cheaper rates than similarly sized cities across the country like Denver, Phoenix and San Diego. This affordability benefits both residents and local businesses through programs like Casa Verde, which is our free weatherization program for income-qualified residential customers. Last year alone, CPS Energy weatherized 1,975 homes and offered energy-saving services to over 3,000 small business owners in San Antonio.
Looking into the future with Horizon 2050, we strive to continue offering affordable energy as well as achieve top customer satisfaction ratings.
Recognizing our dedicated workforce
At CPS Energy, we’re proud of our nearly 3,500 employees who work every day and night to maintain reliable energy throughout San Antonio. Our team is not only highly skilled but also deeply committed to the community where they live. Whether it’s restoring power after a storm or assisting with energy efficiency programs, our employees put the needs of San Antonio first. Each year, CPS Energy employees volunteer thousands of hours for local causes, reinforcing our role as a community partner. Our employees are community members who care about the well-being of San Antonio.
Looking toward the future
As we celebrate Public Power and Natural Gas Week, we remain committed to continuing our legacy for many years to come through our Vision 2027 and Horizon 2050 strategic plans. We’re proud to be your community-owned utility, and with San Antonio being the fastest-growing city in the nation, we are prepared to evolve alongside you — our community, by continuing to provide reliable, sustainable and affordable energy.
