At Liberty, the customers and communities we serve are our top priority. That’s why we prudently invest in the electric system to reduce the risk of wildfire in the Tahoe/Sierra region and provide safe, reliable service to our customers.
It’s also the reason why we strive to keep rates affordable for our customers while still maintaining the safety and reliability of the service we provide. Liberty’s rates are the second lowest in California, compared to other investor-owned electric utilities.
Since 2021, Liberty has continued to see improvements to service reliability because of our investments to the electric system. The graph below demonstrates a downward trend in outage duration and frequency over the past few years.
However, the risk of wildfire continues to increase, and Liberty continues to work hard to balance the investment and costs to combat wildfire risk while maintaining affordable rates.
Wildfire mitigation investments
Since most of Liberty’s service area is in high-fire risk zones, we proactively invest in the electric system to reduce the risk of an electrical-infrastructure ignited wildfire, to withstand wildfire that may impact the electric system, and to protect our customers and communities before, during, and after wildfire. This includes:
- Top tier vegetation management around our electrical infrastructure where we focus on proper clearances and promoting healthy forests. Learn more here: https://youtu.be/NRp684pw4t0
- Based on localized risk, the replacement and installation of new, more advanced hardware and equipment including new poles, steel poles, undergrounding, covered conductor, wider cross-arms, fiberglass cross-arms, non-expulsion fuses, decreased wire span length, and increased conductor spacing.
- The installation and implementation of advanced technology to better monitor and detect adverse conditions including:
- 39 strategically placed smart weather stations, and
- Advanced fault protection systems throughout the entire service territory that adjust sensitivity and speed based on localized fire danger.
Affordable rates
Reliability, sustainability, and the safety of our electric system take investment, and that investment in the system is an investment in our community. That said, Liberty is working hard to be as efficient and effective with that investment as possible in order to balance the impact on rates and keep them affordable by:
- Proactively working with legislatures to gain access to the California Wildfire Fund to reduce the insurance burden and associated impact on rates.
- Presenting and negotiating with underwriters all over the world to obtain optimal premiums and coverage for wildfire liability insurance, offsetting the risks associated with state policy. In 2025, Liberty was able to obtain additional coverage for a lower premium for the first time in more than 5 years.
- Proactively seeking and utilizing federal and state grants to offset customer funded investment and place downward pressure on bills.
Financial assistance options
Liberty understands that rate increases can be challenging. We offer a variety of financial assistance programs for income-eligible customers, as well as flexible payment plans. Customers are encouraged to contact our Customer Care team at 1-800-782-2506 to discuss options that may be available to help manage their bills or click the button below to view assistance programs.