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Kansas Electric Rate Update

Liberty files to adjust its Kansas electric rates in summer 2026

Updated rates would recover costs for infrastructure and investments over the last five years to support reliability and improve service, lower generation fuel costs, and meet rising energy demand.

Since 2020, Liberty has invested more than $85 million to strengthen the electric system and energy grid serving Kansas homes, businesses, and communities. This amount reflects only the Kansas portion of an overall investment in Liberty’s system serving Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri, and Oklahoma. This investment upgraded aging infrastructure and modernized technology to support reliability and increased capacity to strengthen grid resilience during extreme weather. It also made energy generation more cost effective during periods of high demand and enables more convenient and accessible service for customers.

To seek cost recovery for this investment, on December 30, The Empire District Electric Company (doing business as Liberty) filed a request with the Kansas Corporation Commission (KCC) to adjust electric base rates. If approved by the KCC, new rates would take effect in summer 2026 and would be the first increase to base rates – which include the per-kilowatt-hour and customer charges – since 2012, more than 13 years ago. 

What this means for Kansas customers

The rate update process can take about eight months as the KCC and other stakeholders carefully review Liberty’s request to determine whether the rate changes are fair and reasonable and reflect Liberty’s obligation to serve customers safely and reliably. 

Liberty recognizes the impact of rising energy bills on customers. To help address this, Liberty proposes to introduce new rates gradually over three years as part of this rate update request. Liberty has also made investments in renewable energy that are expected to reduce generation fuel costs for Kansas customers over time, helping to lessen the impact on bills. We have also listened to customer concerns about added fees and have requested approval from the KCC, as part of this rate case, to remove the service charge assessed by Liberty's third-party payment provider for one-time debit or credit card payments.

If the KCC approves the proposed rates, the average residential electric customer using about 1,000 kilowatt hours per month would see a total monthly bill increase of about:

  • $11.88 in year one (an approximately 9% increase over current rates),
  • $21.28 in year two (an approximately 14% increase over year one),
  • and $21.28 in year three (an approximately 13% increase over year two).

Implemented over three years, this is about a 40% increase in the total bill, which includes base rates, reduced fuel costs (listed as ECA on the bill), and other charges.

Key projects and initiatives intended to benefit customers included in this rate adjustment request:

  • Increased capacity to meet rising energy demand from improvements to our generation plants to make them more efficient
  • Support for reliability with the addition of upgraded substations, including a new substation serving Baxter Springs
  • Long-term lowering of generation fuel costs from the addition of approximately 600 megawatts of renewable wind energy, which requires no costly fuel to operate, including a wind farm in Neosho County, Kansas
  • Hardening our system against extreme weather through reinforcement or replacement of approximately 836 poles and upgrades to more than 35 miles of distribution line in Kansas
  • Lowering the number of animal-related outages (a top cause of outages) with the addition of 572 wildlife guards to structures and substations
  • Reducing the number of customers impacted by outages and speeding up outage restoration with protective devices that sectionalize existing circuits to isolate damage
  • Helping to support a new customer service platform with near real-time energy usage information with a transition to automated meter technology
  • Providing customers with more access to energy information and more options for convenient service through a new My Account platform and mobile app with email and text notifications for billing and outages
  • Listening to customer concerns about added fees by requesting to remove the service charge assessed by Liberty’s third-party payment provider for one-time debit or credit card payments

 

At a Glance

Requested rates reflect $85 million in capital investments intended to benefit customers including:

  • Upgrades to aging infrastructure and technology to help us keep the lights on and respond quickly to prevent and shorten outages
  • Strengthening Liberty's system against extreme weather and other challenges caused by storms
  • Increasing generation capacity to meet rising energy demand
  • Providing modern customer service platforms to help customers manage their accounts

If approved by the Kansas Corporation Commission, the proposed rate increase would take affect in summer 2026 and be implemented gradually over three years to lessen the impact. Liberty is committed to finding efficiencies to minimize costs wherever possible.

Frequently Asked Questions


  • A rate update request is a public regulatory review process in which a utility must demonstrate to its state public service commission why a proposed change in rates is needed. This independent public process helps ensure transparency and fair rates based on the costs to serve customers.

  • Liberty is required to provide its customers with safe and reliable service at rates approved by the public service commission of each state it serves. In exchange, the utility is allowed the opportunity (not a guarantee) to earn a fair return for investors. In this rate request, customer rates are set by the Kansas Corporation Commission (KCC).

  • First, Liberty must demonstrate to state utility regulators why a rate change is needed. The KCC and other interested stakeholders review our filings and vet the company's request. The KCC then thoroughly reviews our request and holds public hearings to allow customers to comment. This process can take approximately eight months.

  • Like all utilities and other businesses, Liberty must make regular investments in its system to continue providing the safe and reliable service our customers expect. Since 2020, Liberty has invested more than $85 million in capital investments intended to benefit customers including:

    • Strengthening Liberty’s system against extreme weather
    • Improving grid reliability and resiliency
    • Enhancing energy generation capacity to meet demand and support growth

  • Liberty recognizes the impact of rising energy bills on customers. To help address this, Liberty proposes to introduce new rates gradually over three years as part of this rate update request.

    Liberty has also made investments in renewable energy that will reduce generation fuel costs, such as adding 600 megawatts of renewable wind energy, which requires no costly fuel to operate, including a wind farm in Neosho County, Kansas.

    Liberty also provides flexible payment options to customers who may be experiencing financial hardship and can connect customers with local agencies that provide utility bill assistance.

    • Liberty offers flexible payment options for residential and business customers to allow for additional time to spread out past-due balances and make payments more manageable. Customers can learn more about our assistance options on our website at libertyenergyandwater.com or by calling our Customer Care team at 1-800-206-2300.

    • Liberty has a list of various agencies that may be able to provide financial assistance for some portion of the utility bill. This list is available on our website or customers can call our Customer Care team at 1-800-206-2300 from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday - Friday.

    • Liberty offers several assistance programs that customers may qualify for depending on income and account standing. Call 1-800-206-2300 to speak to a Customer Care representative to discuss the payment assistance options that may work best for you.