Lenoir City Utilities Board (LCUB) Rate Selection Guide
Lenoir City Utilities Board (LCUB) is a municipal utility serving roughly 74,700 electric customers across Knox, Loudon, and Roane counties in East Tennessee. A TVA distributor with broad AMI smart-meter deployment, LCUB offers billing and monthly usage data through its UtilityNexus customer portal, with interval and machine-readable data available on request.
Lenoir City Utilities Board (LCUB) Rate Schedule Comparison
| Schedule | Type | Rate | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| GSA-1 | Commercial (small) | Customer charge + ~6.65-7.25 cents/kWh energy (TVA peer ref) + fuel cost | Small offices, retail, churches under 50 kW |
| GSA-2 | Commercial (medium) | Customer + demand (~$12-13/kW) + energy + fuel cost | Mid-size commercial, light industrial 50-1,000 kW |
| GSA-3 | Industrial (large) | Customer + demand (~$13-14/kW) + energy + fuel cost | Large facilities 1,000-5,000 kW |
| TVA Manufacturing | Industrial (very large) | TVA wholesale manufacturing demand + energy | Manufacturers above 5,000 kW |
Market Overview
LCUB is a TVA distributor. It buys all power from TVA at wholesale and applies TVA's standardized retail rate framework. There is no retail supplier choice in the TVA service area.
Need to pull your actual usage data to compare rates? See the Lenoir City Utilities Board (LCUB) Data Access Guide →
Current Rate Schedules
LCUB commercial and industrial customers are billed under TVA's standardized General Service (GSA) and manufacturing rate framework, which all TVA distributors apply. Rates are structured as a delivery/customer charge, a grid access charge, a demand charge (for larger classes), and a seasonal energy charge, plus TVA's monthly fuel cost adjustment. LCUB publishes its current monthly rate schedule on its website but does not post the full per-kWh tariff table; the dollar figures below illustrate the TVA GSA structure (verified from a peer TVA distributor's published GSA schedule) and should be confirmed against LCUB's current schedule.
Effective: June 4, 2026 · Full Tariff Book →
| Schedule | Type | Applicability | Structure | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GSA-1 (General Service, small) | commercial | Commercial/industrial/governmental customers with demand of 50 kW or less and monthly energy at or below 15,000 kWh. | Monthly customer/delivery charge + grid access charge + seasonal energy charge (no demand charge). TVA peer reference: single-phase delivery ~$19.83/mo, three-phase ~$53.69/mo; energy ~6.65-7.25 cents/kWh by season plus TVA fuel cost. | — |
| GSA-2 (General Service, medium) | commercial | Demand greater than 50 kW up to 1,000 kW, or under 50 kW with monthly energy over 15,000 kWh. | Customer/delivery charge + grid access (per-kW + per-kWh) + seasonal demand charge (first 50 kW free, excess billed per kW) + seasonal energy charge + TVA fuel cost. TVA peer reference: demand ~$12.20-$13.29/kW seasonally. | — |
| GSA-3 (General Service, large) | industrial | Demand greater than 1,000 kW up to 5,000 kW. | Higher delivery charge + grid access (per kW + per kWh) + seasonal demand charge ~$12.82-$13.88/kW (peer reference) + flat seasonal energy charge + TVA fuel cost. | — |
| TVA Manufacturing Service (MSB/MSC/MSD) | industrial | Large manufacturing loads above 5,000 kW (very large industrial), billed under TVA wholesale manufacturing schedules via the distributor. | Demand + energy charges set by TVA wholesale schedule; contract demand applies. Specific figures set per TVA wholesale rate; confirm with LCUB/TVA. | — |
Rate Recommendations by Use Case
Mid-size commercial facility (50-1,000 kW)
Offices, retail centers, and light industrial loads in the GSA-2 band where demand charges dominate the bill.
GSA-2 exempts the first 50 kW of demand but bills excess at roughly $12-13/kW; controlling the monthly peak is the biggest lever since energy is a TVA pass-through with no supplier choice.
- Pull interval data from LCUB to identify peak intervals.
- Stagger HVAC and large equipment startup to flatten the 30-minute peak.
- Confirm you are not unnecessarily on GSA-3.
Large industrial plant (1,000-5,000 kW)
Manufacturers and large facilities billed on GSA-3 with contract demand.
At this scale, demand (~$13-14/kW) and contract-demand provisions drive cost. Above 5,000 kW, TVA manufacturing schedules may apply with different economics.
- Right-size contract demand to actual peaks to avoid minimum-bill penalties.
- Maintain power factor above 85% to avoid kVA penalties.
- Evaluate on-site generation/storage for peak shaving.
Multi-site commercial portfolio
Organizations with several LCUB accounts seeking consolidated usage data for benchmarking.
LCUB lacks a self-service interval/CSV export and a third-party API, so portfolio benchmarking requires authorized manual data requests.
- Use one UtilityNexus login across locations where possible.
- Submit a single signed authorization covering all accounts.
- Request CSV/Excel usage exports in bulk to reduce turnaround.
Sustainability / renewable procurement
C&I customers pursuing renewable supply or on-site generation in a no-choice market.
Retail shopping is unavailable; renewable goals are met through TVA Green Power programs, dispersed generation interconnection, and on-site solar+storage rather than competitive PPAs.
- Review LCUB's Dispersed Power Production Program for interconnection.
- Pair on-site solar with storage to also reduce demand charges.
- Engage TVA EnergyRight for program options.
Historical Rate Trends
LCUB's retail rates move with TVA wholesale rates. TVA adjusts its base rates and applies a monthly fuel cost adjustment, both of which flow through to LCUB customers. LCUB updates its posted rate schedule monthly to reflect the TVA fuel cost adjustment.
June 4, 2026
Monthly TVA fuel cost adjustment applied to all kWh; LCUB posts the current schedule each month.
Varies monthlyOverall trend: Generally upward in line with TVA wholesale costs and fuel adjustments over recent years; LCUB's blended residential average is about 11.86 cents/kWh, slightly below the Tennessee average.
Next expected change: Monthly fuel cost adjustments; periodic TVA base rate changes (timing set by TVA, not LCUB).
Cost Optimization Strategies
Because there is no competitive supply in the TVA territory, C&I cost control at LCUB centers on rate-class placement, demand management, and TVA efficiency programs rather than supplier shopping.
Verify Correct GSA Tier
For: All commercial & industrial
Ensure the facility is billed on the lowest-cost applicable GSA tier; a load just over a threshold (e.g., 15,000 kWh on GSA-1, or 50 kW) can trigger a costlier class.
Peak Demand Management
For: GSA-2 and GSA-3 (>50 kW)
Shave the monthly 30-minute peak that sets the demand charge on GSA-2/GSA-3 via load scheduling, staging equipment, or battery storage.
Power Factor Correction
For: Industrial with motor load
Maintain power factor to avoid kVA-based demand penalties under TVA metering rules.
Seasonal Load Shifting
For: All C&I
Shift discretionary load away from summer billing months, which carry the highest seasonal energy and demand rates.
TVA EnergyRight Incentives
For: All C&I
Use TVA/LCUB efficiency and demand-response programs for rebates on lighting, HVAC, and controls.
To implement these strategies, you need your 15-minute interval data. Learn how to download Lenoir City Utilities Board (LCUB) interval data →
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a commercial customer or consultant get LCUB interval data programmatically?▾
Not via a self-service portal or API. LCUB's UtilityNexus portal shows monthly usage only. Interval (15/30-minute) data is available on request to customer service, typically with 5-10 business day turnaround, and third parties need a signed customer authorization on file.
Does LCUB support Green Button or a third-party data API?▾
No Green Button Download My Data or Connect My Data is confirmed as activated, and there is no public developer API or data-aggregator partnership. Automated access currently depends on manual authorized requests; contact LCUB to ask about custom data-sharing agreements.
Can LCUB business customers choose their electricity supplier?▾
No. LCUB operates in TVA's fully regulated territory with no retail choice. All power is purchased wholesale from TVA, so C&I savings come from correct rate-class placement, demand management, and efficiency programs rather than supplier shopping.
Which rate schedule applies to a commercial or industrial LCUB account?▾
Most C&I accounts fall under TVA's General Service (GSA) framework: GSA-1 for loads at or below 50 kW and 15,000 kWh/month, GSA-2 for 50-1,000 kW, and GSA-3 for 1,000-5,000 kW. Very large manufacturers above 5,000 kW may be billed under TVA manufacturing schedules. Confirm the exact tier on your bill or with LCUB.
What drives a commercial electric bill at LCUB?▾
For GSA-2 and GSA-3 customers, the demand charge (per-kW monthly peak, roughly $12-14/kW based on TVA peer schedules) is usually the largest controllable component, followed by seasonal energy and the TVA monthly fuel cost adjustment that passes through on all kWh.
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