Returned Check Policy
Policy R-3: Returned Check/Draft Policy
Hartselle Utilities will charge a thirty dollar ($30.00) fee for each check or bank draft that has been presented as payment for any service provided by Hartselle Utilities and has been returned by the issuing bank unpaid. An attempt to notify the customer of a returned check will be made by telephone, when available, or by hand delivered door knocker. No representation is made by Hartselle Utilities that the utilities’ is obligated to substantiate that the notification attempt was received by the customer. The customer will have forty eight (48) hours from the time that Hartselle Utilities receives the returned check or draft to redeem the item by cash or certified funds.
If payment is not received by Hartselle Utilities within forty-eight (48) hours from receipt of a returned instrument, Hartselle Utilities will disconnect service(s) provided to the account for which the returned item was received. Any account that has been disconnected due to a returned item will be subject to the standard reconnection fees and all other terms set forth in Policy R-4 “Suspension of Service” in addition to the fees set forth in this policy (See Policy R-4 below).
Any customer presenting three (3) checks which are returned unpaid within a six-month period shall be unable to issue a check for payment on their account for the subsequent twelve (12) month period. During this period their account must be paid by cash or certified funds. A certified letter will be sent to any customer upon receipt of a third unpaid check informing the customer of the period for which checks will not be accepted as payment on their account.
Any customer presenting three (3) bank drafts which are returned unpaid within a six-month period shall be unable to continue bank draft as their method of bill payment for the subsequent twelve (12) month period. During this period their account must be paid by cash or certified funds. A certified letter will be sent to any customer upon receipt of a third unpaid draft informing the customer of the period for which drafts will not be accepted as payment on their account.
Customers who have issued six returned checks or bank drafts to Hartselle Utilities will be required to pay their account by cash or certified funds for the subsequent twenty-four month period. At the end of this period, the General Manager has the discretion to re-instate check writing or bank draft privileges.
Policy R-4: Suspension of Service
Bills are due on or before the due date reflected on the monthly statement mailed to each account holder. To delay payment after the due date is unsatisfactory. Partial payments are accepted prior to the due date with the understanding that the balance is required before the suspension date. A notice that service is subject to suspension for a past due balance will be printed on all monthly bills. If a bill is unpaid two (2) days after the due date, a late notice will be mailed to the customer. Procedures for notification to account holders who have issued a returned check or returned bank draft will be made in accordance with Policy R-3 ”Returned Check/Draft Policy” (See Policy R-3 above). If the account is unpaid ten (10) days beyond the due date, service will be suspended.
If utility service is suspended for non-payment, Hartselle Utilities will collect the arrears amount for the account and any applicable reconnection fees before service is restored. If suspension of service has not physically taken place, but HU has dispatched personnel to suspend service for a delinquent account and the employee has arrived at the service location, a reconnect fee will be charged in addition to the amount in arrears for the account, even if the account holder is prepared to resolve any delinquent balance. Reconnect fees are as follows:
1. $40.00 during office hours at the meter;
2. $65.00 after business hours at the meter;
3. $100.00 during office hours at the weatherhead or pole -
electric only; or
4. $250.00 after business hours at the weatherhead or pole –
electric only.
Requests for restoration of service due to a delinquent account received by the dispatcher after 9:00p.m. nightly will be completed the next day. Service will be restored the next morning as soon as possible in accordance with previously established work schedules, but in most cases by 8:00a.m.
If an account is disconnected for non-payment and remains unpaid after ten (10) additional days, it will be closed and deposits applied. To re-establish service, the account will be evaluated based on recent payment history. Deposits and service charges will be set in accordance with existing Board Policy.
For more information, call HU at (256) 773-3340 or send an email to Customer Service Manager Terri Harris at tharris@hartselleutilities.org.
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.
with your name, account #, address, and telephone number.