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Category: Customer Service
New Faces at Customer Service Window
HU is excited to have two new faces in our Customer Service Department: Sarah Standridge and Carla Wigginton both joined our team in July.
Sarah Standridge is a cashier. Sarah’s background in banking and retail sales has provided her the skills to make an immediate, positive impact to our Customer Service Department. She recently obtained her Associate of Science Degree in Business Administration from Calhoun Community College in August 2017, and intends to further continue her education in the future. Sarah resides in Trinity with her two-year old son, Zion. We are so pleased to have Sarah as part of our team.
Carla Wigginton is a part-time cashier. Carla’s background in retail sales and food service, along with her kind personality and patience, provides her great skills to assist our customers. Carla grew up in Somerville, is a 2013 graduate of Brewer High School, and is currently pursuing her Bachelor’s Degree in Business Management at Calhoun Community College. We are proud to have Carla in our Customer Service Department.
Hartselle Customers 10th in TVA Area for Energy Savings
Utilities residential,
business and industrial
customers participated in
TVA’s EnergyRight Solutions
program last year, saving a
total of 825,840 kWh.
At the September 18 Board Meeting, representatives from the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) recognized Hartselle Utilities for placing 10th in the TVA service area – out of 154 local power companies – for overall program savings in the EnergyRight Solutions program, compared to the utility’s electric sales.
Hartselle Utilities was recognized for helping TVA exceed energy efficiency and demand response goals for the ninth straight year through its participation in the EnergyRight Solutions program.
“Hartselle Utilities provides the staffing, promotion and resources to ensure that customers are aware of and can participate in energy effi ciency measures to save on electric bills,” said Cindy Herron, vice president of EnergyRight Solutions for TVA.
“Really, it is our customers who took advantage of the program and won the award,” says Hartselle Utilities General Manager Bob Sittason. “We promoted the EnergyRight program, but we can’t make people sign up or follow through.”
TVA’s EnergyRight Solutions includes eScore, which helps homeowners improve the energy efficiency of their homes by choosing to install one or more energy efficiency upgrades based on expert recommendations. Participants in the program are eligible for rebates.
Forty Hartselle Utilities customers participated in eScore last year, and saved over 27,400 kWh. Twenty-five customers performed household self-audits, for 18,200 kWh in savings. Hartselle residents also participated in the EnergyRight Solutions heat pump and Energy Start Manufactured Homes programs.
Three business and industrial customers participated in the EnergyRight Solutions for Business and Industry, with 754,773 kWh in savings.
To participate in the EnergyRight Solutions program, call 1-855-2eScore (1-855-237-2673) or visit www.2eScore.com to schedule an eScore evaluation or for a list of local members of TVA’s Quality Contractor Network.
New Meter Readers
Both men say one of their favorite things about being a meter reader is being outdoors. “I would not want to be cooped up at a desk all day,” says McAbee, “so this is perfect.”
Helping Neighbors in Need Through Operation Warm
The federally funded Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) helps low-income families and seniors on fixed incomes pay utility bills – during both the cold winter months and in the summer, when utility bills can climb due to the summer heat. In Morgan, Cullman and Lawrence counties, LIHEAP funds are distributed by Community Action Partnership of North Alabama. In 2014, Community Action assisted 159 HU customers in paying their utility bills.
“Assistance programs administered by Community Action can be a lifeline to someone on a fixed income during winter and summer temperature extremes,” explains HU Customer Service Manager Terri Harris.
Unfortunately, LIHEAP’s federal funding is not enough to help everyone who needs assistance, and some families with emergency situations may fall out of the program’s income cap. Community and donation-funded programs, such as Operation Warm, help to bridge that gap. Last year, HU customers donated $2,728.10 to Operation Warm; 100 percent of the money donated is used to help people in Hartselle.
Eligible households can receive assistance from Community Action up to twice each year. If you or someone you know needs emergency assistance with a utility bill, you can apply for help from Community Action by calling (256) 260-4050 or making an appointment online at www.northalabamacommunities.org.
Your Hartselle Utilities Account Number Has Changed
Late last year, Hartselle Utilities transitioned from DOS-based to a Windows-based customer management and billing system software. As a result, all previous eight-digit account numbers have been replaced with 12-digit numbers.
“We encourage all of our customers to update your account number in your records,” says Customer Service Manager Terri Harris. “If you use online bill pay through your bank or pay with convenience pay through our website or toll-free number using your old account number, your payment will be rejected.”
Customers of Hartselle Utilities who utilize bank draft as their method of payment do not need to take any action. If you are interested in paying your account by bank draft or would like to discuss this payment option further, please contact Customer Service at (256) 774-3340.
In addition, Harris says, under the new system due dates that are printed on your bill may change slightly. In the past, if a due date fell on a holiday or weekend, the due date printed on the bill would not change even though payments would be accepted, without a penalty, on the next business day. Now, if a due date falls on a weekend or board-approved holiday, the software pushes the due date to the next business day. For example, February 15 fell on a Sunday this year, so bills normally due on the 15th were due on Monday, February 16. “Feb 16 2015” would have appeared as the past due date on your bill.
“A customer has until the end of day printed on the bill to pay their bill, or they can put their payment in the night deposit that evening,” explains Harris.
Winter Weather and High Energy Bills
The extreme cold weather last year left many Hartselle Utilities customers with record energy usage – and higher than normal utility bills. While predictions for this winter range from mild to extreme cold, it is always a good idea to take steps to keep energy usage and costs down. Here are a few tips:
1. Turn down your thermostat to 68 degrees or lower. For every degree you lower your heat in the 60- to 70-degree range, you’ll save up to five percent on heating costs.
2. Set the thermostat back to 55 degrees when leaving home for an extended time. However, heat pumps should only be set back two degrees to prevent unneeded use of backup strip heating, which carries higher costs.
3. Check air filters. Dirty air filters increase your energy usage and can also damage your heating. Be sure to use filters approved for your specific system.
4. Caulk around windows and replace old weather stripping around doors to keep the cold air out. Small leaks add up.
5. Reduce cold-air drafts around windows, typically seen in older homes, by using heavy-duty clear plastic sheets, or tape clear plastic film inside your windows. Ensure the plastic is sealed tightly.
6. Close your fireplace damper when not in use.
7. Schedule service for your heating system, and ask what maintenance is required to keep it running optimally. Keep up with maintenance milestones.
8. Open curtains on your south-facing windows on sunny days to naturally heat your home with sunlight. Close the curtains at night to reduce any chill or drafts.
And, while it won’t actually save you money, Hartselle Utilities’ Levelized Billing program can help you budget your monthly energy costs by providing you with a consistent bill each month. Levelized Billing calculates the average of a customer’s prior 12 months, with a cap of 20 percent increase or decrease from the previous month to keep a bill from jumping too much from one month to the next. For more information and to enroll in Levelized Billing, contact Customer Service Manager Terri Harris at tharris@hartselleutilities.org or (256) 773-3340.
Please Don’t Block Transformers and Meters
HU crews must have access to transformers and meters, Customer Service Manager Terri Harris says. “If your meter box is surrounded by holly bushes, now would be the time to trim them back,” she reminds. “While we try to avoid it, we can charge a restricted access fee,” Harris says.
It can be a safety issue as well, Harris explains. Crews need a minimum area of six feet to work on most electric equipment, and workers cannot work through bushes. However, she says, HU crews will only remove plants in an emergency situation.
Customers with shrubs or other vegetation blocking access are notified by letter from Electric Department Superintendent Jonathan Hampton, asking them to remove the vegetation or obstruction.
Customer Service Rep Beverly Peterson Retiring
Peterson has been with HU for 14 years. She began as a cashier, and then moved into her current position. “While I have enjoyed my years here at Hartselle Utilities,” Peterson says, “I know that this is the right time for me to begin a new chapter in my life.”
Peterson says that over the years she has developed relationships with many of her customers. “I will miss my regular customers,” she says, “especially the senior citizens, many of whom I think of as friends.”
While she doesn’t have concrete plans for her retirement, Peterson says she definitely will sleep a little later in the mornings. “I’m not going to miss my alarm clock going off at 5:25 a.m.!” she laughs. “I also look forward to having time to travel and perhaps will take up a new hobby.”
Heaven Evans has been hired as the newest Cashier.
Summer Sewer Cap Begins in May
If you use water outdoors during the summer, HU’s annual summer sewer cap will save you money.
Typically, most of the water a household uses enters the sewer system as wastewater, and like water bills, sewer charges are based on the number of gallons used. However, in the summertime, many residents use water outdoors for gardening, filling pools and washing cars, and this water does not enter the sewer system. For this reason, HU sets a cap for the summer sewer rates, and customers are not charged a sewer fee for water used above the cap.
HU uses the months between November and April to calculate each customer’s winter average, and then caps the customer’s summer sewer rate at 120 percent of that amount.
HU customers who use a great deal of water outdoors year-round might consider an outdoor irrigation meter, says Customer Service Manager Terri Harris. The cost to install a meter is $275; the base monthly rate is $$10.58 plus charges for the water used. However, there is no sewer charge for water received through an irrigation meter.
For more information, call HU’s Customer Service Department at (256) 773-3340.