Powering Strong Communities

All Member Benefits

Take advantage of all the opportunities and resources you have as a member of the American Public Power Association. Membership benefits extend to all utility staff and board/city council members. View our member benefits and resources and click on the links below to learn more.

Download the utility membership application to complete and email to [email protected].

Public policy and advocacy

Make your voice heard through our advocacy initiatives before Congress and federal regulatory agencies. From environmental regulations to generation and rates, we have you covered. 

Education and events

Learn, network, and grow through APPA Academy’s webinars, conferences, certificate programs, and custom in-house trainings — on leadership, business, and operational topics. All events and trainings are discounted for members.

Community groups and news

Get the latest industry news and views delivered to your inbox. Hear from the experts and learn from case studies of successful projects and initiatives at utilities like yours. Participate in topic-based online community groups to exchange ideas and questions with peers at other public power utilities. 

Communication templates

Download reports, and customizable templates and toolkits you can use to plan utility business and operations and communicate with customers and stakeholders. Get materials on public education, Public Power Week, and municipalization/sellout prevention.

Raising awareness of public power campaign

“Community Powered” is an awareness campaign conceived to let people to know they have an ownership stake in their local electric utility and encourage them to connect with the utility. The campaign is intended to build customer loyalty and broad appreciation and support of the public power business model.

Cybersecurity

No utility, no matter how small, is immune from cyber threats. Get help in building up your security and resiliency. Connect to resources that will help you evaluate cyber threats and mitigations, and pilot new technologies to improve security. Start with a cyber scorecard of your capabilities and get access to a range of experts.

Disaster planning and response

Join public power’s Mutual Aid Network to get and give help to other utilities in the event of a disaster. Get help with establishing disaster response plans. Learn how to coordinate with local, state and federal government if a disaster should occur. And get tips and templates for effective communications and social media action before, during, and after a storm.

Energy innovation

Access reports and resources to help you plan for the evolving electricity future. See how you can stay on top of new technologies, new business models, and changing customer preferences.

Reliability

Apply to receive the Reliable Public Power Provider (RP3) designation and demonstrate your value to your community. Get help from the experts in fostering best practices in all areas of utility operations. Subscribe to our online eReliability Tracker service to collect, analyze, and benchmark your outage data.

Safety

Use the public power Safety Manual and attend Academy training to ensure that your utility staff are meeting the latest OSHA and NESC standards. The Safety Manual covers substation safety; personal protective equipment guidelines — including clothing requirements — with  focus on less than 1,000 volts; wireless electronic devices and cell phone use; and CPR/First Aid/AED. 

Grants and scholarships

The DEED (Demonstration of Energy & Efficiency Developments) program, APPA’s R&D arm, supports innovation to improve utility business and operations. You can join DEED to apply for project grants and scholarships or to fund interns to work at your utility.

Awards

Earn national and local recognition for your accomplishments in utility operations, leadership, advocacy, communications, and community service.

Suppliers guide

This guide lists industry suppliers in more than 50 categories. You can search vendors by product, service, name, location, category, and contact. Access news, whitepapers, and articles from APPA's corporate associate members. Distribute your RFPs to the vendor companies listed on the guide and get personalized responses.

Speakers and event presentations

Association leadership and staff are available to present at your events and conferences to discuss key electric utility industry topics. View our speaker brochure to browse the array of subjects our qualified speakers can offer for your next meeting.

Exclusive access to industry surveys and reports

Participate in surveys to receive reports on utility and joint action salaries, payments in lieu of taxes, governance, communications, performance indicators, and more.