Residential Customer Guide

Residential Customer Guide

WELCOME TO

College Station!

College Station Utilities welcomes you to College Station and thanks you for choosing our community as your home. Our goal is to provide you with professional, helpful customer service while encouraging you to use your utilities wisely and efficiently.

This brochure is designed to help you better understand our connection and billing processes, as well as the range of factors that influence utility costs. You will also find valuable information on best practices to help you conserve energy and water — and save money!

We strive to keep rates low while offering more competitive and more energy efficient ways to use electricity. If your utility bills seem higher than normal, call us at 979.764.3535 to review your electric and water usage. If you would like to schedule a free residential audit for a detailed look at your specific usage, one can be scheduled for you. We can also assist you with information about new home construction or the replacement of an existing air-conditioning system.

If you have questions or concerns about your service, please let us know.

Utility Customer Service

Automated Phone Line: 979.764.3729 979.764.3535 or 800.849.6623 cstx.gov/ucs

Contents

4 CONNECTIONS 6 BILLING 7 FEES 8 METERS 9 OUTAGES 10 ENERGY REBATES 11 ENERGY AUDITS 12 WATER REBATES 15 BV WATERSMART

Connections Accounts may be listed under only one name, and that person is responsible for bill payments, deposits, and other charges. CSU is not responsible for agreements made between roommates.

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ACCOUNT CREATION FEES The utilities account creation fee for residential customers is $30.90. The fee will appear on your first bill. You must have a driver’s license, passport, and/or a social security card to establish service.

DEPOSITS & REFUNDS A security deposit of 1.5 times the average bill for the location is billed at the time of connection. A paid deposit is refunded 2-4 weeks after service is disconnected. A customer may also request a refund after 24 months of service with no more than two late payments.

WHEN DO I GET SERVICE? Depending on demand, utility service can usually be connected the same day if the request is received before noon. However, since many of our customers are college students, many accounts are connected or disconnected in mid-May and again in mid-July through mid-August.

If you need service established during these periods, we recommend you contact us several days in advance.

csu.cstx.gov

MOBILE HOMES

APPLY FOR SERVICE ONLINE AT

An inspection by Planning and Development Services is required before service can be connected to mobile homes. To arrange an inspection, call Planning and Development Services at 979.764.3570.

csu.cstx.gov or by calling 979.764.3535 or 800.849.6623.

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Billing Payments are due 17 days from the date the bill is mailed and must be received in the utility billing office on or before the due date.

Late fees are 10 percent of the net billing (a $10 minimum) and will not be waived.

YOUR MONTHLY BILL

ONLINE PAYMENTS

Each bill provides your beginning and ending meter readings, your total consumption for the billing period, and the dates covered. For copies of our rate schedules, visit our website at cstx.gov to view the current fee resolution or call Utility Customer Service at 979.764.3535. All utility accounts are charged for sanitation, wastewater, roadway maintenance, drainage, electricity and water, unless paid by the landlord. Note: some specific utilities could be outside of CSU service area.

You can access your account online and sign up for autopay through the utility customer portal at csu.cstx.gov. To use online payment options, you need to create a login before enrollment. Credit card payments may be made with MasterCard, Visa, or Discover. Customers enrolled in auto pay will receive a bill for auditing purposes only. The automatic payment is processed on the statement due date. Online payments will be reflected on your account within 36 hours.

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CUSTOMER PORTAL:

csu.cstx.gov BILLING CYCLES & PERIODS The City of College Station is divided into 15 billing cycles. Utility bills are typically mailed at the same time each month. It is your responsibility to call our office or inquire online if bills have not been received by the normal date.

BUDGET BILLING

DRAINAGE FEE College Station’s drainage system is a utility just like the water, wastewater, and electric service systems.

Drainage system costs are significant, and the drainage fee helps offset those expenses. Even if your property does not have a creek or drainage area, some of the water that flows through the creeks and drainages originates from your property. The drainage fee allows the city to provide bank stabilization and enlargement, detention pond construction, improvements to bridges and culvert crossings, and to purchase easements and rights-of-way for drainage projects.

ROADWAY MAINTENANCE FEE The monthly roadway maintenance fee helps the city maintain our road system and is paid for by all residents and businesses. In a recent citizen survey, street and road maintenance was identified as a top priority. The funds help fix potholes and properly maintain streets throughout our community. Preventive maintenance also reduces the need for expensive road reconstruction projects. Roadway maintenance fees are determined by traffic levels generated by residents and businesses: Roadway Maintenance Fees as of Aug. 25, 2025:

Customers with at least 12 months of billing history at their current service location may qualify for budget billing. An average of the last 12 bills determines the monthly budget amount, which is billed over the next 11 months with the 12th bill being a settle-up bill. Contact a customer service representative for more information or see estimates and apply for budget billing enrollment through the customer portal.

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GO PAPERLESS!

Single-Family: $10.25 (flat fee per dwelling unit) Multi-Family: $8.00

Paying electronically saves money on postage and paper. We encourage you to receive your monthly bill by email rather than getting a hard copy in the mail. Electronic notifications are received 3-4 days earlier than paper bills and contain a link to view your bill details along with a link to our ePay system. For more information and to sign up, contact Utility Customer Service at 979.764.3535 or csu.cstx.gov.

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contact Utility Customer Service at 979.764.3535 or csu.cstx.gov.

NON-RESIDENTIAL

Monthly fees for non-residential properties are determined by placing the properties into one of five tiers based on the impact of vehicle miles traveled: Tier I: $23.00 (0 - 23.99 vehicle miles generated/day) Tier II: $51.75 (24 - 43.99) Tier III: $99.75 (43.99 - 90.99) Tier IV: $203.50 (91 - 233.99) Tier V: $333.50 (224 +)

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FOR PAPERLESS BILLING,

RESIDENTIAL

APPEALS

You may appeal if your fee is: • Assessed on exempt property (CSISD, Texas A&M, or Texas A&M System).

• Duplicated on multiple accounts.

• Assessed on property outside the city limits.

• In an incorrect land use tier.

• Assessed on property not affiliated with you.

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Meters

Please make sure adequate access to your meter is provided on your reading days. Every effort is made to read your meter each month, but readings are estimated if it’s inaccessible because of a locked gate, dogs, etc.

cstx.gov/ucs METER READ DATES For your meter read date, call Utility Customer Services at 979-764-3535. You will need your account number or address, which can be found on your statement. You can read the meter to double-check the city’s readings or for your own information, but we cannot use those numbers for billing.

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ELECTRIC METER TESTING Our metering department can test your meter for $25, which is billed to your utility account. If the meter is malfunctioning, the fee will be refunded and an adjustment made for overcharges related to the problem. If the meter is correct, the fee will not be returned. Since malfunctioning meters are rare, we recommend taking advantage of our free energy audit before requesting a meter test. The audit can help identify energy-related problems at your residence, and if the energy auditor determines that a meter test is needed, you will not be charged the fee.

READING YOUR ELECTRIC METER

CALL BEFORE YOU DIG

Reading your electric meter is a good way to find out how much you spend on electricity. Your electric meter measures the amount of electricity used in terms of kilowatt hours (kWh), which is 1,000 watts of electricity used in one hour. For example, if you burn a 100-watt light bulb for 10 hours, you use the equivalent of one kilowatt hour.

Always call 811 before you start any digging project to protect yourself and others from unintentionally hitting underground utility lines such as water, electricity, and natural gas. When you make the free call to 811 a few days before you dig, you’ll help prevent injury to you or your family, damage to your property, utility service outages to the entire neighborhood, and potential fines and repair costs.

The City of College Station primarily uses digital and electronic meters for residential service. Digital meters are read like the odometer on your car, and some — usually four-digit types — have a multiplier number to multiply the meter reading by, usually 10.

The instructions are printed on the face of your meter. take the meter reading and multiply it by the meter multiplier to get the result. Subtract the previous meter reading from your current reading to determine your actual kWh usage. Customers are responsible for damage to the meter.

WATER METERS You are responsible for water leaks on your side of the meter. City-side leaks are not registered by your water meter.

HOW TO READ YOUR WATER METER College Station bills in units of 1,000 gallons – noted on the bill as MGW. Meters are read, and billing is based on the first four numbers, left to right. There is a leak indicator on the face of the water meter, which may be a small red dial, a black triangle, or a (+) sign on digital water meters. This indicator is present anytime water is moving through the meter. If all water is off inside your home, and the leak indicator is present, you have a water leak.

POWER AND WATER OUTAGES Report power outages, water line breaks, wastewater spills and backups, and other electric, water, or wastewater problems to 855.528.4278. Please have your CSU account number ready when you call.

Any digging requires a call. Building a deck? Planting a tree? Installing a fence or mailbox? Dial 811 and tell the representative where you’re planning to dig and what type of work you will be doing. CSU will be notified about your intent to dig and will send a locator at no charge to mark the approximate location of our underground pipes and cables with flags or paint.

You’ll know what’s below and be able to dig safely.

Stay Connecte with CSU TextPower College Station’s electric system is among the most reliable in the state, but outages can still happen.

Now you can get real-time updates right on your phone with CSU TextPower.

The free two-way text notification system automatically alerts you when your power is out, provides updates, and lets you know about scheduled maintenance in your area. You can also text “OUT” to 979-599-7917 to report an outage — though our advanced meters usually notify us first.

If your cell phone is the primary number on your CSU account, you’re already enrolled. To confirm your number or update your account, call Utility Customer Service at 979-764-3535. Not enrolled yet? Just text CSU to 979-599-7917. After you receive the welcome message, add the number to your contacts as CSU Text Alerts.

Customers without text capability can still report outages to 855-528-4278 (account number required). Water and wastewater issues must also be reported to this number.

With CSU TextPower, real-time outage information is only a text away.

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Energy Rebates CSU’s energy conservation staff is committed to providing professional energy conservation services to our customers.

We offer an array of programs that are designed to reduce your energy consumption and your monthly bill.

CONNECTED THERMOSTAT PROGRAM About half of your annual energy bill can be attributed to air conditioning. The thermostat doesn’t directly consume electricity, but significant savings can be realized by reducing the run time of your system.

Thanks to technological advancements, you can save energy by remotely controlling your thermostat with your smartphone. That means you can reset your connected thermostat to pre-cool your home before returning from work, or you can adjust it while on vacation.

College Station Utilities offers a $30 rebate to residential customers who purchase an eligible thermostat through the Connected Thermostat Program. To qualify, you must be a CSU electric customer, and the thermostat must be able to

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communicate with an internet-connected wireless network. Eligible brands must be WiFi-enabled and programmable.You will need to provide the receipt.

Your HVAC must also be a standard system, such as a split system, package unit, mini-split system, or heat pump. On the application, you will need to include the HVAC tonnage or the square footage controlled by the thermostat. Once the application is approved, College Station Utilities will credit the rebate to your utility account.

FOR MORE INFORMATION AND TO DOWNLOAD AN APPLICATION Call 979.764.6274 or go to cstx.gov/energy

LED REBATES

WIND ENERGY

Light Emitting Diode Lamps (LEDs) can reduce your lighting costs by as much as 75 percent without reducing output. Through our Residential LED Lighting Program, you can receive a $2 credit to your electric account when you replace your incandescent bulbs with LEDs. The maximum rebate is $20 per customer in a 12-month period. Call 979-764-6274 or go to cstx.gov/energy for more information and to download a rebate form.

Wind energy produces no emissions, which means it doesn’t contribute to smog, mercury contamination, water withdrawal, or particulaterelated health effects. Unlike conventional fossil fuels, wind energy is inexhaustible and infinitely renewable.

ENERGY BACK II REBATE What if you could upgrade to a more efficient air conditioning system, save energy, reduce your utility bill, and get money in the process? CSU offers cash rebates for whole-system central air conditioning replacements with a 16 SEER (Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio) or better rating. Each increase in SEER value boosts the efficiency of the system by about 10 percent. Replacing an older 12 SEER system with a 16 SEER system significantly decreases your energy consumption and cooling costs. Contact your air conditioning professional, call 979.764.6274, or go to cstx.gov/energy for more information and to download an application.

CSU’s wind energy is generated from the South Trent Mesa Wind Project west of Abilene. It is delivered to our utility customers through the same transmission and distribution system as other power. It does not affect the reliability or quality of service. CSU’s residential and commercial customers can sign up to receive 10, 50, or 100 percent of their electricity from wind power. To learn more, go to cstx.gov/windwatts.

GOOD CENTS HOME PROGRAM The Good Cents program is one of the country’s oldest and largest energy-efficiency home certification programs. Since the program was introduced in 1976, more than 750,000 Good Cents homes have been built across the country — a number that grows by about 60,000 each year. Good Cents-qualified new homes are built for quality and comfort and provide significant energy savings to homeowners. They are also designed with construction techniques that exceed current international energy codes. Good Cents homes make good sense for everyone — builders, realtors, homeowners, and utility providers. Call 979.764.6274 or go to cstx.gov/energy for more information.

ENERGY AUDITS CSU’s energy conservation staff provides free, on-site commercial and residential energy audits to evaluate energy usage and identify ways to reduce utility costs.

We also maintain a library of information on energyrelated topics and new technologies. To schedule an energy audit, call 979.764.6274 or go to

cstx.gov/energy.

For useful tips on how to trim your electric bill and save energy, go to

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Water Rebates To encourage the efficient use of precious water resources and to help lower treatment costs, the City of College Station has a proactive water conservation rebate program that rewards you for reducing water usage.

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REBATE GUIDELINES Our water rebate program is available to CSU water customers with accounts in good standing. Rebates are offered on a first-come, first-served basis, depending on the availability of funds. They are not guaranteed.

Before a rebate is issued, city staff may need to come to your home or business to verify that the rebated item is in place and functional. Rebates do not apply to tax, delivery/shipping fees, or labor costs. Submit itemized receipts within 90 days of installing equipment.

FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THESE PROGRAMS Call College Station Water Services at 979.764.6223.

IRRIGATION REBATES Outdoor water use is highest in the summer months.

To encourage making irrigation systems more efficient, we offer rebates on equipment upgrades to existing irrigation systems. The following items are available for a 50% credit on the cost of the device(s):

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Weather sensors: Any freeze, rain, soil moisture

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Irrigation controllers: Any WaterSense-labeled irrigation controllers qualify.

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Conversion of entire zone to efficient, low-volume nozzles and/or to efficient multi-stream, rotary nozzles or low-emission heads (i.e., Toro Precision Nozzles, Rainbird RN Nozzles, Hunter MP Rotators, K-Rain Rotary Nozzles, etc.). Applicable for the entire head with built-in pressure regulation or just the nozzles. Any WaterSense-labeled spray sprinkler bodies qualify. Note: ALL heads on the zone need to be converted.

sensor, or complete weather station that uses current weather conditions to determine irrigation times or amounts.

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BUILD A BETTER BATHROOM The bathroom is where the most water is used in homes, accounting for more than half of all indoor water use. Giving your bathroom a mini-makeover with WaterSense-labeled showerheads, faucets, and toilets can save 7,000 gallons of water and 200 kilowatt-hours of electricity each year — enough water for six months of laundry and enough energy to run a refrigerator for two months.

WaterSense-labeled products are independently certified to use at least 20 percent less water. They also perform as well or better than standard models, so you can still experience a satisfying spray, flow, or flush. Even if you aren’t in the market for a full bathroom makeover, replacing just your showerhead can reduce water and energy costs by as much as $70 every year and save enough electricity to power the average family home for 13 days.

For more information, visit epa.gov/watersense or

cstx.gov/water.

RAIN BARRELS You can qualify for a rebate if you purchase a new or refurbished food-grade barrel designed to hold 30 gallons of water or more. Self-made rain barrels, such as those made from trash cans, are not eligible. The limit is two barrels per household, with a rebate of $25 per barrel or the actual cost of the barrel if it is less than $25. You must submit your dated and itemized receipt (original or copy) with a rain barrel rebate application to College Station Water Services within 90 days of purchase. The rebate will appear as a credit on your utility bill.

If you purchase a translucent barrel, it will need to be painted a dark color to prevent the growth of algae.

Don’t forget to screen the opening to your barrel to restrict access by children and animals and to prevent mosquitoes from breeding.

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IRRIGATION CHECK-UPS Free landscape irrigation checkups are available at no charge. Since you need to be present, we schedule our visits at your convenience whenever possible.

The checkup takes about 30-45 minutes, and you will receive a written report of our findings along with specific recommendations to reduce your water bill.

The service is only available to customers receiving a water bill from the City of College Station. For more information, call 979.764.6223.

epa.gov/watersense

Brazos Valley WaterSmart

Since rainfall varies, the amount of water your landscape needs each week can change. You can receive free watering recommendations every Monday based on the rainfall in your neighborhood. Go to bvwatersmart.tamu.edu, enter your address and email, and you’re on your way to saving water.

The emails include instructions on how long to run your sprinklers, the rainfall in your neighborhood, and area weather conditions. The recommendations change with the season. Follow the suggested run times and you can save a significant amount of water — and money — while maintaining a healthier landscape.

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Utility Customer Service 310 KRENEK TAP RD. P.O. BOX 10230 COLLEGE STATION, TX 77840 979-764-3535 CSU.CSTX.GOV ELECTRIC UTILITY

cstx.gov/energy WATER SERVICES

cstx.gov/water