KPUB Spring 2024 Newsletter

Energy Hub

Ever Wonder Where Your Home Energy Dollars are Going?

Learn how you can take control of your energy bills with KPUB’s personalized energy analysis videos, alerts and applications. If your KPUB bill has a significant change, you can now start receiving personalized energy analysis videos. To ensure you receive yours, please contact our customer service team to verify we have a good email address on file!

Innovative Smart Energy Alerts

• Personalized videos explaining why your bill has changed

• Video reports summarizing your annual energy use

• Energy text alerts that tell you when your energy cost reaches a set amount *must opt-in

KPUB’s NEW Home Energy Calculator

• Gives you a detailed analysis based on your home profile

• Includes an Energy Forecaster that shows the weather and energy costs for each day

• Personalizes energy-saving tips based on your home profile

• Has specialized calculators that explain what items in your home are using the most energy

This new energy analysis tool uses local weather data, your energy use and KPUB’s rates to give you the information you need to save energy and money.

Learn more at kpub.com/saveenergy.

Community-Owned & Customer-Focused

KPUB is community-owned and not-for-profit. That means we don’t answer to shareholders— we answer to our customers. This allows us to be customer-focused and responsive to any issues on a local level. One of our core values is ensuring that KPUB is easy to do business with. We pride ourselves on providing excellent service to our friends and neighbors and prioritize the customer experience at every level.

KPUB conducts annual customer satisfaction surveys, seeking customer input in areas we can improve. Here in the Hill Country, we know our customers want affordable power, reliable service, advanced technology offerings and hometown service. We recently made several improvements for our customers calling in to make payments, both with our automated system and customer service agents. We transitioned our secure toll-free payment system to a new and improved cloud-based version, which improves caller experiences and offers more customization options. We also recently made security improvements to safely allow phone payments again locally with our customer service team.

Some of our other recent service enhancements include the relaunch of our home energy audit program, which helps customers determine the best energy-saving solutions for their households. KPUB is also offering in-person home energy audits again and recently launched an innovative online energy assessment tool that’s available at kpub.com/energyaudit.

From helping customers save energy to offering the latest technology, KPUB is always here for you, powering ways to better serve you all.

Mike Wittler KPUB General Manager & CEO

KPUB Plugged Into Our Community

Your Opinion Matters

Your feedback is very important to us. Please help KPUB improve by taking the 2024 customer satisfaction survey.

KPUB partners with Great Blue Research annually to conduct a customer satisfaction survey to measure the community’s overall satisfaction with our ability to provide safe, reliable and competitively priced electric service.

To tell us how we are doing and help us identify improvements, please complete our short survey online at kpub.com/survey by May 31. All responses will remain confidential.

COMMUNITY EVENTS

KPUB Community Blood Drive

Thursday, March 28, 2024

9 a.m.–2 p.m. | KPUB Parking Lot

By appointment only. Sign up now to help save lives! Learn more at kpub.com/blooddrive.

Power Hour at KPUB on Smart Energy Solutions

Thursday, April 18, 2024

9 a.m.–10 a.m. | KPUB Boardroom

Join our staff for a presentation on how to utilize free programs, tools and technology KPUB offers to save energy & money! Learn more at kpub.com/powerhour.

KPUB Community Weatherization Event

Saturday, May 11, 2024

11 a.m.–1 p.m.

Doyle Community Center

Learn how you can save energy and money—and possibly have improvements made to your residence for free! Team members from KPUB, Alamo Area Council of Governments (AACOG) and the Community Council of South Central Texas (CCSCT) will be in attendance to discuss:

• AACOG’s free funding for energysaving home improvements

*must income qualify and meet eligibility criteria

• Home energy-saving tips and free energy audits through KPUB

• KPUB rebate offerings for energyefficient home improvements

• KPUB’s community solar rate for low-to-moderate-income households

• Local agency assistance and programs through CCSCT

Learn more at kpub.com/weatherization.

Photos: L to R: 1st row, KPUB helping with the Salvation Army’s Thanksgiving meal preparation, 11/20; Supporting the Rotary Club of Kerrville’s Boots & Bling event, 1/17. 2nd row, Volunteering at a local food pantry event, 2/26; KPUB Community Blood Drive, 12/14. 3rd row, KPUB ringing the bell for the Salvation Army at Hobby Lobby, 12/14; KPUB receiving the Kerrville Kindness Award from City Council on 12/13 for our support of community Christmas projects.

Seal in Savings

Sealing air leaks around your home and adding insulation are two of the most cost-effective ways to improve energy efficiency and comfort in your home. By tackling both projects, you can maximize your comfort and save up to 15% on your annual energy bills*—plus, there is a KPUB rebate for insulation upgrades to help offset the cost!

*source, EnergyStar.gov Terms and exclusions apply for KPUB rebates. When areas aren’t properly sealed, air can move between them freely and increase your energy usage. Caulking and weatherstripping are two of the most effective and simple air-sealing techniques to reduce air leaks in and out of your home. Caulk is generally used for cracks and openings between stationary house components, such as around door and window frames, and weatherstripping is used to seal components that move, such as doors and operable windows.

Insulation is just as essential for sealing in the warmth during winter and blocking out hot air in the summer. Older homes may be using very old or low-quality insulation or have had improperly installed insulation. As a general rule, the older your home is, the more likely it is that your insulation has been compromised and needs to be replaced.

KPUB Receives Financial Reporting Award for

30th Consecutive Year

KPUB was recently awarded the Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting for its annual comprehensive financial report (ACFR) for the 2022 fiscal year.

This prestigious recognition comes from the Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA) of the United States and Canada. The report was judged by an impartial panel to meet the program’s high standards, which includes demonstrating a constructive “spirit of full disclosure” to clearly communicate its financial story and motivate potential users and user groups to read the report.

The Certificate of Achievement is the highest form of recognition in governmental accounting and financial reporting, and its attainment represents a significant accomplishment by a government and its management. This is the 30th consecutive year KPUB has received this prestigious award.

If you answered yes to any of these questions, you are likely spending more on your energy bills than necessary. A KPUB home energy audit can help you identify where your problem areas are and recommend solutions for potential energy-saving improvements. During the energy audit, a contractor will inspect your home and provide a written report making recommendations for improving its energy efficiency. This is a FREE service KPUB offers to our residential customers.

Learn more or request your audit today online at kpub.com/energyaudit. Questions? We are happy to help. Please contact us at 830.257.3050 or energy@kpub.com.

Did

you know

that 9 out of 10 homes in the U.S. are under-insulated?*

*source, EnergyStar.gov

Photo: KPUB Finance Department, L to R: Property Accounting Clerk, Nikole Lee; Accounting Supervisor, Jill Cook; Accounts Payable Clerk, Laura Robinson; Director of Finance, Amy Dozier; and Purchasing Agent, Damon Richardson