Every Second Counts: Plan 2 Ways Out!

Fire Prevention Week: Oct. 8-14

Fire moves very fast – once your smoke alarm sounds, you could have less than two minutes to get out safely. To keep you and your family safe, practice your escape plan with every member of your family using these tips from the Hartselle Fire Department:

Choose an outside meeting place in front of your home. Make sure doors and windows are not blocked. Draw a map of your home. Include all doors and windows. Find two ways out of every room.

Rate changes effective October 1

There will be an increase in HU’s Electric rates effective October 1, 2017.  HU’s residential customer charge will increase by $1.00 per month and the energy charge will increase by $.0005 per kWh.  The monthly increase for our average residential customer, who uses 1,217 kWh per month, will be $1.61.  HU will also pass through a TVA rate increase in the electricity it buys from TVA. This increase for our average residential customer will be $1.84.  The combined monthly increase to the average HU residential customer will be $3.45.

Know Your Board Members

Seated front row (left to right): Jimmy Moore, Ed Monroe, Michael Gunter.
Standing (left to right) Ferrell Vest, Terry Phillips

Hartselle Mayor Randy Garrison and the Hartselle City Council recently appointed retired General Manager Ferrell Vest to the vacant seat on the HU Board of Directors, and reappointed Terry Phillips to another term.

New Faces at Customer Service Window

Sarah Standridge (left) and Carla Wigginton

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.

Street light on the blink? Let us know!

All HU street light poles should have a pole number. Providing us with this number is the easiest way to help us locate a street light that isn’t working.

Street and outdoor lights go out – it’s a fact of life. Bulbs burn out, wires get frayed, and photocells get old. We want to keep street and outdoor lights working as they should, but we can’t fix lights that are out if we don’t know about them.

Street and outdoor lights should come on as it gets completely dark, and go off at dawn. If you see a light that is off at night, or on during the day, please report it. Lights that are on during the day possibly have a bad photocell, and are costing HU money.

To report a street or outdoor light problem, call Hartselle Utilities Customer Service at (256) 773-3340 or email inquiries@hartselleutilities.org. Please provide the following information:

  • Your name, address and phone number, in case we have questions.
  • Is the light not working at all, blinking, cycling on and off, or on all the time?
  • Is it a street light or an outdoor light on a customer’s property? Street lights face toward the street, while outdoor lights will be on a property and possibly pointing toward a building or house.
  • If it is a street light, is it in front of an address? If so, what is the address? If not, what street is it on, and what is the nearest home or business address and the nearest cross street? Are there any landmarks that can help pinpoint the pole?
  • If it is a street light, in addition to the above, what is the pole number?
  • If it is an outdoor light, what is the property address, and where is the pole located on the property?

Hartselle Customers 10th in TVA Area for Energy Savings 

Seventy-one Hartselle
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.