Huntsville Utilities

Customer Service

Customer Bulletin

Understanding the New Customer Information System

Updated April 25, 2011

Have questions about the changes that will take place on May 2^nd at Huntsville Utilities (HU)? We want you to understand the improvements. If your question is not answered or is not listed in the pending section*, please feel free to post it on Facebook at Huntsville Utilities or email to CISQuestions@hsvutil.org.

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WHY IS HUNTSVILLE UTILITIES MAKING THESE CHANGES?

HU has been operating with the same computer information system since the 1970s. Software vendors don’t even support many portions of our information system anymore.
As a preventative measure to make sure we keep providing the level of service to which our customers are accustomed, the company has been taking measures and methodically upgrading systems throughout the company for several years. Now it’s time for those upgrades to take place in the Customer Service area. So, you see, it’s not really about changing the size of the bill or changing due dates…it’s about progress and keeping up with technology.
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WHY IS THE BILL SIZE CHANGING?

The amount of room for account information is very limited on postcards. The new letter-size bill will increase the ability to communicate more information to you, the customer.
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I AM ON BANK DRAFT. HOW WILL THAT CHANGE?

HU customers who are currently on bank draft, whether automatic monthly or as web/phone draft, will automatically be transferred to the new system with the same bank information. The only obvious change to bank draft customers will be the ability to edit your bank information and make partial payments through the payment web page. You will need to register online and receive a new password to access the account online. More about online access and the new or improved options will be available soon.
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WHY AM I GETTING NEW ACCOUNT NUMBERS AND WHEN WILL THEY BE AVAILABLE?

In the new system, each customer will receive a unique Customer Number and each service location will receive a unique Account Number. This will take some of the complexity out of the billing system for customers with multiple service locations. Both numbers will appear on the bill and can be used when communicating with HU. The old account numbers are also being converted to the new CIS system. Employees will have the ability to search by the old account number while customers learn their new numbers. The new numbers will be available beginning on May 2, 2011.
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HOW WILL e-BILLING CHANGE?

e-Billing will not change. Customers already participating in e-Billing will need to register in the new online system after May 2. After you receive your first e-bill, which will include your new Customer Number, you will need to go online to:
• Create a user name and request a new password.
• When the new password is received by email, log into My Utilities and update/change to a password of your choice.
E-Billing customers will also need to know the name as it appears on their utility bill to complete the new registration process.
Customers who wish to switch from paper bills to e-Billing will have that option in the new online features. More information on the online upgrades will soon be available.
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WHY ARE READ AND DUE DATES CHANGING?

Read dates and due dates are changing because meter reading routes are changing. Huntsville has experienced a great deal of growth over the last few decades. It has become necessary to rearrange the routes by which the meters are read to accommodate the growth. The new routes will be more efficient, with less fuel expense and time wasted. As a result, the date your meter is read may change which directly influences your due date.
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HOW IS BUDGET BILLING CHANGING?

Budget Billing is becoming Average Monthly Billing (AMB). This is an optional program where your utility bill amount is based upon a rolling average.

The amount is based upon the average of the current bill + previous 11 months billing of your natural gas, electric and water amounts.
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DOES MY BUDGET BILLING ENROLLMENT TRANSFER TO AMB?

Yes, if you are already enrolled in Budget Billing, you will automatically transfer to AMB. The amount will change due to the rolling average formula, but this change will be minimal from month to month if you continue to use your utilities as normal.
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HOW IS MAILING A FULL PAGE BILL IN A WINDOW ENVELOPE IS GOING TO SAVE MONEY OVER THE POSTCARD BILL?

The costs savings will be achieved by reducing the number of mailings necessary to communicate with our customers on an annual basis. HU is required to communicate certain information other than billing with customers several times a year (usually federally-mandated communications.) Additionally, including Final Notice information on the monthly statement will eliminate approximately 33,000 mail pieces each month.
There is also information your utility company WANTS to communicate to you. A few examples would include energy saving tips, safe utility practices, and information to help you pay your bill online, thus saving you valuable time and gasoline. There are so many helpful programs available that customers just don’t take advantage of, probably because they are not aware of them.
THE POSTCARD BILL ONLY ALLOWED TWO LINES WITH 29 CHARACTERs of message space on each (the equivalent of what you just read in capital letters.) By incorporating all of our communications into one envelope per month, we can actually provide information. An example of a message that we could not print on the postcard that can appear on the new bill is clarification of an unusually high usage reading. Typically when a high reading is taken, a meter technician is asked to check the meter and make sure it is functioning properly. A message about the meter’s functionality can now be printed on the bill.
It is HU’s goal to make sure the information conveyed to you on a monthly basis with your statement is quality information. We certainly welcome suggestions from customers on what you would like to receive.
AND if you want to help with POSTAGE AND PRINTING SAVINGS even further, sign up for e-Billing. Starting on May 2nd, you can access your account settings (once you register a user name and set your password) and choose to receive a link to your bill by a monthly email. This will eliminate paper and postage waste even further if you want to participate.
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WHERE IS THE DEGREE DAY INFORMATION ON THE NEW BILL?

On the new letter-size page statements the Degree Day information for both the past billing period and the present billing period appears to the right of the Meter Reading Details heading above the box where the meter readings are presented. This is just above the Final Notice information, about one-third of the way down the front page.
For those who are not familiar with Degree Days, the heating/cooling degree-days is a calculation created by the National Weather Service, computed daily and printed in the newspapers and reported on many TV weather forecasts, as well as your utility bill. During heating and cooling seasons, the biggest factors affecting the amount of your utility bill are the outside temperatures. The MEAN (average of the high and low) temperature as established by the National Weather Service for our area is 65 degrees. Each degree off of the MEAN during a 24-hour period is counted as one heating/cooling degree-day. For every heating/cooling degree-day more energy is needed to maintain the temperature desired. A day with 30 heating/cooling degree-days requires on average twice as much energy as a day with 15 degree-days in order to maintain the same temperature.
The degree-days are not used in calculating billing. They are provided as helpful information to the customer as a matter of record for the weather conditions in our area that affect the usage rate of the utility service provided.
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IF YOU ARE ON E-BILLING, HOW WILL YOU RECEIVE YOUR NEW CUSTOMER NUMBER? WILL THE NEW NUMBER BE USED FOR ELECTRONIC BANKING PAYMENTS AS WELL?

Customers who are currently enrolled in e-Billing will receive their new Customer Number with their first e-Billing statement after the new system goes online starting May 2nd. They will use the Customer Number to go online and chose a new User Name and Password in order to access their actual bill and account in the new online system.
Customers who pay their bill electronically will also need their new Account Number (remember each customer has a unique Customer Number, with each service location having a unique Account Number.)
If you are currently on HU’s bank draft system, whether automatic monthly or as web/phone draft, your information will automatically be transferred into the new system with the same bank information.
If you pay your bill electronically through your financial institution or other means, you will need to provide them with the new Account Number(s) information.
A step-by-step set of instructions for registering for your online account access will soon be posted on Facebook.
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DO I NEED A COMPUTER TO PAY MY BILL?

Some customers have misunderstood the information about paying bills online. This is an option. Huntsville Utilities will still receive payments through the mail and in our drop boxes by check, or by cash or check at the downtown Huntsville or Chase Industrial Park customer service offices, as well as the Drive-Thru Payment Center on Pulaski Pike. There’s also the Western Union Convenience Pay locations and Speedpay option.
The convenience of paying your bill online is purely that, a convenience. The information we have been providing on that subject is how much easier it is going to be on the new system when it goes on line May 2nd. Customers will be able to pay online by bank draft or by credit card (via Western Union’s Speedpay). Customers will also be able to update bank information, add a donation for Project Share, change contact information…the new online system offers a much larger scope of freedom for account management than previously available.
But customers are welcome to pay their utility bill in an office or by mail. Whatever method makes the customer comfortable is what we want them to chose.
As we get closer to May 2, HU will post more information on the online options that will become available.
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How Do I Register For Online Access to My Account?

This is a simple process:
1. Customer Number: The first piece of information you will need is your new Customer Number. This number will come on your bill. If you are on e-Billing it will be on the original email which states that your bill is available for review.

2. Next you will go online to our website at www.hsvutil.org, and click on My Utilities. This will take you to the login page for online access.

3. The third thing you will do is click on the “Register Now” link on this window. This will take you to a window where you will enter your data, including the Customer Number.

A. User ID*: Choose the name by which you want to be known online. If the requested User ID is unavailable, a number may be added (i.e. “jsmith”, may result in your user id being “jsmith1”, “jsmith2”, etc.) You may use your account number as a unique User ID.
B. Online User First name*: Enter YOUR first name.
C. Online User Last name*: Enter YOUR last name.
D. E-mail Address: Enter the online user’s e-mail address.
E. Customer Number: Enter the new Customer Number exactly as it appears on your bill or e-Billing notification
F. Customer Name: Enter the name on the utility account exactly as it appears on the bill or e-Billing notification
G. Security Option: Please choose an option that you have provided to us during your establishment of utility service.
H. This is to verify that you are the customer that is being registered. Please contact customer service if you are unsure of these values at 256-535-1200.

PLEASE NOTE: The users in B & C do not necessarily have to be the same as F. One of the options available on the new system is the ability to grant family members and other people access to your utility account if needed. It is only an option and it is your responsibility to know the trustworthiness of people to which you grant access. By providing them your Customer Number and name as it appears on the account, you are giving them the authority to access your account.

4. Click Send. You will receive confirmation that a user ID was created. Huntsville Utilities will then send you an email (at the address entered) with a temporary password. Please check your “spam” or “Junk” folders if you do not see an email from Huntsville Utilities within 24 hours.

5. Login with the User ID you chose and the assigned password. The system will automatically direct you to the Change Password page where you should change your password. Your password must be between 5 and 14 characters. Please note that at least one letter and at least one number are required; however, longer passwords are recommended and you can include UPPER and lower case letters, punctuation, symbols and numbers. For example:
!JohnDoe&459U2 = User John Doe who once lived at 459 (not presently) and favorite band is U2.
Numerous tools are available online to help create secure passwords if you need assistance. It is your responsibility to remember your password and never share it with anyone else. A Huntsville Utilities employee should NEVER need your password.

6. Click Save.
After choosing your new password, you are now ONLINE!!! Visit the “View/Pay Bill “page or update your bank information. The new options are numerous.