The electric providers in College Station and Bryan are telling customers to expect higher bills. Both College Station Utilities (CSU) and BTU (Bryan Texas Utilities) say that’s due to using more power to stay warm.
College Station Utilities has suspended delinquent disconnections and late fees through March 1. Additionally, CSU never disconnects during freezing weather.
The city of College Station’s chief financial officer, Mary Ellen Leonard, says before CSU sends the next round of billing statements, they will compare how much electricity was used during the winter storm for heating to how much was used last August for air conditioning.
Both CSU and BTU also charge an electric rate that is determined by their city councils.
BTU’s executive director of business and customer operations David Werley says their electric rate will not change. Werley says that’s because “BTU did not suffer a financial impact that would cause any reason to necessitate a rate change at this time.”
The city of College Station also informed customers that “The unanticipated costs of supplying electric, water, and wastewater services to our residents increased significantly during the storm. The city of College Station will exhaust all available avenues to cover those costs before considering rate increases.”
The city of College Station announced Friday afternoon that permits are being waived for repairs related to the winter storm. The waiver is through March seventh, and work NOT related to storm damage does NOT qualify.
The city of Bryan issued a news release Friday afternoon inviting building owners to the city’s website to learn more about making repairs from the storm that meets minimum code requirements.
Click below for comments from Mary Ellen Leonard, visiting with WTAW’s Bill Oliver.
Listen to “Post winter storm update from College Station Utilities” on Spreaker.
Click below for comments from David Werley, visiting with WTAW’s Bill Oliver.