The Greater Wichita region’s world-class utility providers offer high quality, reliable services at low costs — in fact, below national averages, making this area a prime location for keeping operating costs equally low. Throughout the region, electricity services are provided by Evergy, and natural gas providers include both Kansas Gas Service and Black Hills Energy.
| Coal | 40% |
| Natural Gas-Fuel Oil | 26% |
| Nuclear | 7% |
| Renewables (i.e. wind) | 27% |
| Available Generation Capacity | About 7,000 Megawatts |
| Reserves | Approximately 19.6% of Capacity |
| Reliability: 99.9803% | Outages generally occur in residential (non-business) areas |
Large commercial-industrial rates are generally in the 6 to 8 cent per kWh range. It is not necessary to qualify for economic development incentives to obtain such a rate. Providing more specific rate estimates requires information such as total kWh consumption, load factor (8 vs. 24 hour per day operation for example) and determination of equipment ownership (rate often lower if customer owns transformers).
Large volume natural gas customers purchasing open market commodity gas can obtain transportation (delivery) rates in the range of $0.06 to $0.08 per Therm ($0.59 to $0.78 per MCF or MM BTU.) According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, Kansas had the 7th lowest industrial natural gas total delivered cost among the 50 states in 2020 at $3.38 per MCF (MM BTU.) The range of costs among the states was $2.04 to $20.54, with a national average of $3.32 — making Kansas very competitive.
Principal Sources: Cheney Reservoir and Equus Beds Aquifer
Reserves: Aquifer Storage and Recovery (ASR) Program is expected to extend reserves to 2050
| Maximum Capacity | 160 mgd |
| Average Consumption | 54.6 mgd |
| Peak Demand | 118 mgd |
| Storage Capacity | 50 mg |
Preliminary/Primary/Secondary (trickling filter and activated sludge / UV disinfection)
Capacity
| Capacity | 59.4 mgd* |
| Average daily flow | 36.9 mgd* |
(*mgd - million gallons per day)
Retail Volume Charge (per 1,000 gallons.) AWC – Average Winter Consumption
Inside City Limits
| Through to 110% AWC. | $2.31 |
| 111% through 310% AWC / Fire. | $8.05 |
| Above 310% AWC. | $11.78 |
Outside City Limits
| Through to 110% AWC. | $3.70 |
| 111% through 310% AWC / Fire. | $12.89 |
| Above 310% AWC. | $18.86 |
Note: Using well water and/or impounded runoff water for grounds maintenance could help maintain fairly level demand and lower rates. However, using runoff water in this manner has no bearing on the Storm Water Utility fee (see below – applies inside Wichita city limits only.)
Monthly Meter Charge - Varies by line diameter
| 12" Water Line (Inside City) | $193.03 |
| 12" Water Line (Outside City) | $309.02 |
Assumption – No extra-strength (pollutant) charges
Volume Charge (per 1,000 gallons of metered water consumption)
| Inside City Limits | $3.86 |
| Outside City Limits | $6.18 |
Monthly Meter Charge - Varies by water meter size
| 12" Water Line (Inside City) | $528.83 |
| 12" Water Line (Outside City) | $846.12 |
Wichita’s fire water system is separate and isolated from the domestic water system. Charges are based on availability (not usage.) Charge varies by line diameter.
Fire Protection — Flat Monthly Charges
| 12” Fire Line (Inside City) | $71.05 / month |
| 12” Fire Line (Outside City) | $113.69 / month |
ISO Fire Protection Class
| Inside Wichita City Limit | 1 |
| Other Sedgwick County Cities | Varies (2,3,4,6) |
| Rural Sedgwick County | Varies (5,10) |
(Source - City of Wichita, January 2019)
Many communities and counties throughout the Greater Wichita region provide their own water and wastewater services that can can vary from the above Wichita statistics.
