Nashville Electric Service (NES)
NES is the public electric utility for Nashville and much of Middle Tennessee, handling everything from new service hookups to outage restoration. Anyone moving into a house or apartment in Davidson County will end up setting up an account here first.
Nashville Electric Service delivers power purchased from the Tennessee Valley Authority to homes and businesses across Nashville and several surrounding counties, making it the utility every new resident has to deal with directly — there's no shopping around for electric providers here, since NES holds the distribution franchise for the metro area. Setting up new service, transferring an account when you move, or closing one out when you leave are all handled through their customer service line or online account portal.
Beyond routine billing, NES runs the outage map and restoration system that matters most during Middle Tennessee's spring storm season and the occasional ice event — its crews are the ones you'll see working bucket trucks after a line goes down. The utility also runs a tree-trimming program along power line right-of-ways, offers renewable energy and energy-efficiency programs, and has been expanding electric vehicle charging infrastructure around the city.
For newcomers, the practical first step is usually calling or going online to start service before closing on a house or signing a lease — NES typically requires this to be done in advance so power is live at move-in. Customer service reps can also walk through payment assistance programs for anyone who runs into a rough patch, and the outage line is worth saving in your phone before you ever need it.
Highlights
- —Headquarters and walk-in customer service at 1214 Church Street, Nashville
- —Customer service: 615-736-6900, Mon-Fri 6am-midnight, Sat 7am-5pm
- —Report an outage or check restoration status at 615-234-0000 or via the NES outage map
- —Runs EV charging, renewable energy, and tree-trimming safety programs alongside standard billing
- —Start service before move-in — NES generally requires advance setup so power is live on day one
Insider tip
Set up or transfer service online a few days before your move-in date rather than calling day-of — same-day activation isn't guaranteed, especially around the first of the month when move traffic peaks.