Danville Utilities customers will begin receiving bills with a new look that will provide more information about their energy and water use and monthly charges. The information will be presented in format that is easy to read and understand.
The redesigned bill displays a more detailed breakdown on how charges are compiled for each utility service. In addition, bar graphs detail and compare energy and water consumption over the past 12 months.
“The customer’s consumption is actually graphed on the bill as opposed to just listing the consumption for the billing cycle,” said Carolyn Evans, customer service director for Danville Utilities. “This information will help customers better monitor their energy and water usage.”
The new system also will help customer service representatives in addressing customer complaints by allowing them to more easily flag anomalies, such as severe fluctuations in usage.
Each bill has two pages, both printed front and back.
The first page consists of information regarding the customer’s account, a summary of recent transactions and current charges, and a more complete look at how monthly charges are compiled.
“The bills will display more detail concerning all components that make up a service charge, including consumption charges, purchased cost adjustments for electricity and gas, state fees and taxes,” Evans said.
The purchased cost adjustments for electricity and gas are customer charges that reflect monthly fluctuations in costs that Danville Utilities incurs when purchasing wholesale energy.
The first page also has a message center that displays information concerning payment and collections. Other messages can be personalized to each customer.
The final component of the first page is the payment stub.
The back of the front page provides information regarding billing procedures, how to make payments, and telephone numbers to obtain answers to customer questions.
On the second page, customers will find the detailed breakdown on charges and new bar graphs that provide a 12-month history of their energy and water usage.
Nate Lewis, key accounts manager for Danville Utilities, said, “Our goal is to provide a better understanding of rates and charges so that customers can see firsthand how their energy consumption affects their monthly costs.”
The remainder of the bill displays helpful messages about utilities services and safety information that customers need to know. These messages will include information about the bank draft and equal payment plans; utility bill, transaction history and making payments using the city’s website; and the 811 service for locating underground utility lines.
The first bill that customers receive using the new format will include an insert with a detailed explanation of the new features.