About Your Bill

1. Customer Account Number/Account Number – the number assigned to a specific service location used for record keeping purposes.

2. Meter Reading Date – the date your meter(s) were read.

3. Days Billed – the number of days in the current billing period.

4. Previous Reading – the meter reading for the previous billing period.

5. Current Reading – the meter reading for the current billing period.

6. Amount Used – the amount consumed per service. An “E” located to the right hand side of the reading, for any service in the Amount Used column indicates that the reading was estimated. Should you have any questions, concerning an estimated reading, please contact the Customer Service Department.
• Electric service is measured in kilowatt hours; the total number of kilowatt hours is displayed on the bill.
• Water is measured in hundred gallons; add two zeros to the number of units shown on your bill to give you the total number of gallons consumed during the billing period.
• Natural gas is measured in hundred cubic feet; add two zeroes to the number of units shown on your bill to give you the total number of cubic feet consumed.

7. Amount – the charges for each service used.

8. Budget Billing Y-T-D- Difference – participants of Budget Billing should pay particular attention to this column, it indicates the credit or debit balance on your account.

9. Previous Amount Due – Any amount unpaid at the time the current bill was generated will be displayed here.

10. Late Charges – A five (5%) penalty is added to your bill if the total bill is not paid on or before the “Date Past-Due for Current Charges Only”. This date does not change and will be the same day each month. If this date falls on the weekend, the customer has the following Monday to pay their account without a late charge.

11. Payments & Adjustments – All payments and adjustments made to the account during this billing cycle will be reflected here.

12. Other Debits/Credits - Other miscellaneous debits or credits such as returned checks, reconnection fees, refund of credit balances for final bills, etc. will be displayed in this area.

13. Balance Forward - Any unpaid balance due on the account as of the date the current bill was generated will be shown here.

14. Current Charges - Total charges including applicable taxes for the current billing period.

15. Net Amount Due - Total amount due if payment is received on or before the due date.

16. Previous balances added to this bill are past due and subject to disconnect prior to the due date of this bill (lower left hand box). In addition, other important messages will be disseminated to our customers in the lower portion of this box. Please review this area of your bill each month.

17. Compare Your Usage – Customers can compare their current usage with the previous billing cycle and usage for the same billing period the previous year.

18. Operation Warm Contribution – Customers who wish to donate to Operation Warm Program may do so in the space provided here.

Note: Hartselle Utilities serves as the billing agency for the City of Hartselle Garbage and Recycling and for Morgan County Environmental Services. If you have questions or concerns regarding these services, please contact their offices directly.

City of Hartselle Garbage (Street Department) 773-2643
Morgan County Environmental Services 773-3887

Customer Service News

Green Power Available to HU Customers

Looking for ways that you can help the environment in your home or business? Green Power Switch®, a program available through Hartselle Utilities from TVA, adds electricity generated by renewable energy resources, such as solar, wind and methane gas to the power grid. Currently, renewable energy generation costs more because the technology for capturing this energy is still more expensive than coal, natural gas or nuclear power generation. By supporting Green Power Switch and choosing to buy power from these resources, you can help create a market for green sources of renewable energy, which will eventually lower the cost of this technology.

Customers participating in Green Power Switch agree to buy green power in 150-kilowatt-hour blocks – about 12 percent of a typical household’s monthly use. Each block adds $4 to your monthly power bill. The average residential customer in the Tennessee Valley who participates in the program purchases two blocks of green power per month. Small businesses are encouraged to buy at least five blocks per month. Businesses participating in the program receive a colorful Green Power Switch window decal and poster to advertise your commitment to creating a cleaner, greener community.

All power purchased through Green Power Switch is purchased from renewable resources located within the Tennessee Valley, so your participation in the program has a direct impact on our local environment. Over the course of a year, purchasing two blocks of green power, according to TVA’s Jennifer Brogdon, Renewable Energy Program Manager, has the same benefit to our environment as recycling 15,322 aluminum cans or planting an acre of trees.

For more information about Green Power Switch, visit www.greenpowerswitch.com. To enroll in the program, complete the form below and submit it to Hartselle Utilities, or call HU Customer Service Manager Terri Harris at (256) 773-3340 or email tharris@hartselleutilities.org.

Operation Warm

The cold winter months are often hard on those with fixed incomes, and sometimes people in need face hard choices between paying utility bills and other needs, such as food or medicine. At times like this, customers often turn to Hartselle Utilities for help.

“Hartselle Utilities participates in several energy programs that provide assistance to households who qualify,” HU Customer Service Manager Terri Harris says. “One program that all of our customers can help with is Operation Warm.”

Operation Warm provides assistance to the elderly, people with disabilities and families with a health crisis. The Community Action Partnership of North Alabama provides resources to families and individuals in these situations and administers the Operation Warm Program. Customers must meet Community Action eligibility criteria to receive assistance.

HU accepts donations and forwards them to Community Action. Customers can make a one-time donation to Operation Warm, or choose to add a specific amount to their utility bill each month. To do so, complete the form in the January issue of The Hartselle Connection and return it to Hartselle Utilities. For more information, call 773-3340 or email Terri Harris at
tharris@hartselleutilities.org.

Simple Steps to Save Energy (and Money!)

Over the next five years, TVA and electric power distributors such as Hartselle Utilities are working to reduce demand for peak power by 1,400 megawatts. To achieve this, residents, businesses and industries across the Tennessee Valley are going to need to work together to use energy more efficiently. Here are a few tips to get started:

• Turn your thermostat up to 78º F; higher if no one is home: don’t pay to keep your furniture cool!

• Turn off lights, appliances and other home electronics with a power bar when not in use; use the “sleep” mode on computers.

• Use the microwave instead of a stove burner or oven for cooking. It cooks faster and doesn’t create as much heat.

• Use your dishwasher and washing machine/dryer only for full loads, and wait until after 8 p.m., when TVA’s costs to produce electricity are lowest.

• Replace incandescent light bulbs with compact fluorescents. They use 75 percent less energy and last much longer.

• Keep curtains closed on the south, east and west sides of your house during the day to help keep it cool.

• Complete a home energy audit: call Hartselle Utilities at (256) 773-3340 for a free energy right Home E-Valuation audit or visit www.energyright.com to complete the survey online. After you complete the survey and return it to TVA, you will receive a detailed report with suggestions on ways to save energy and money. Following all the recommendations from the audit could save as much as 20 percent on your annual utility costs.

We Need Your Phone Number

There are times when HU needs to contact customers, either to inform them of scheduled service interruptions or questions regarding an account. For this reason, it is imperative that we have an up-to-date telephone number for you or someone who can contact you in an emergency. If you did not fill out the form in the Summer issue of The Hartselle Connection, please take a moment to send an email to Customer Service Manager Terri Harris at tharris@hartselleutilities.org.