History
The Early History
Kerosene lamps were the first lights in the City of Weatherford. The second source of light came in the form of gas in the late 1800’s. The first company to produce light in the City of Weatherford was the Weatherford Gas, Light, Heat, and Power Company and was organized by several local businessmen.
Electricity quickly became a cheaper source of lighting, and a new company was organized in October of 1887 which built the first direct current electric plant in the City of Weatherford. This company was the Weatherford Water, Light, and Ice Company. In 1896, the company determined it was unable to operate the water system and electric plant at a profit causing the business to sell the water and electric utilities to a newly formed Texas Public Utilities Company out of Fort Worth, Texas.
Weatherford's First Municipal Utility
In 1935, there was much dissatisfaction with the Texas Public Utilities Company due to the rates charged for services. In October 1937, a petition was presented to the City Commission signed by several hundred citizens asking for an election to issue revenue bonds for the purpose of building an electric plant and distribution system for the amount of $250,000. In November 1937, the issue passed by more than a 2 to 1 margin.
The first electricity generated by the Municipal Utility Plant was on June 26, 1940. In February 1946, the Texas Public Utilities Company lost its franchise to operate in the City of Weatherford, and the utility informed the City it would remove all its electrical distribution system. Since then, the Weatherford Municipal Utility System has continued to grow and expand.
Weatherford Municipal Utility Today
Today, the Weatherford Electric serves 15,196 residential, commercial, and industrial customers. In 2019, the summer peak demand was 98 MW with annual energy sales of 421,512 kWh.
Weatherford’s certified service area is approximately 52 square miles. In the service area, there are approximately 162 miles of underground and 201 miles of overhead lines.
Weatherford’s System Average Interruption Duration Index (SAIDI) or the average number of minutes that the electric system experiences an outage is 15 minutes per customer per year. The Customer Average Interruption Duration Index (CAIDI) or the average number of minutes that it takes to restore power to a customer after an outage is 68 minutes.
Mission
The mission of Weatherford Electric is to provide reliable electricity at a competitive price with exceptional customer service to benefit our customers, citizens, and the City.