Knoxville Utilities Board Company

Providing utility services to residential and business customers has proven to be an excellent idea for Knoxville Utilities Board (KUB), an independent agency that serves the city of Knoxville, and parts of seven surrounding counties. The multi-utility provides services to 196,500 electric, 96,920 gas, 77,600 water, and 68,740 wastewater customers. The company accesses electric power from the Tennessee Valley Authority. KUB's natural gas supply comes from the East Tennessee Natural Gas pipeline. It also maintains five treatment plants, which provide water and wastewater services. KUB is engaged in a long term plan to renovate its aging infrastructure. The push began the mid-1990s with a focus on upgrading Knoxville's water tanks, distribution pipelines, and the its water treatment plants. In 2011 the company was operating 1,320 miles of wastewater mains, 1,490 miles of water mains, 5,240 miles of power service lines, and 2,350 miles of gas service mains. In fiscal 2010 KUB reported weaker revenues as the global recession slammed commodity prices and hurt the demand for power and gas. However, lower gas prices and weaker demand also meant that KUB spent a lot less on purchasing power and gas from third parties, allowing the company to post an improvement in operating income. Higher electric rates, coupled with increased demand from water and wastewater customers, lifted KUB's overall revenues and net income in 2011, despite a downturn in gas sales due to mild winter temperatures which curtailed gas use. The agency was founded by the City of Knoxville in 1939. The utility's electric system is one of the nation's most dependable, reporting a 99.9% uninterrupted service rating.