A New Spin On Plugging In

Do you ever wish you could shed some extra weight?  What about lowering your energy costs? Well, now you can eat your cake and umm.... spend it too. Check out this sleek solution to converting calories into kilowatts.
WeBike

Will Cities Defect from IOUs?

This article takes an in depth look into a trend of US communities that are breaking away from investor owned utilities (IOU) in order to run their own municipal systems. The article offers a detailed review of the motivations behind these endeavors while providing a number of interesting insights and links to additional resources.
Will cities defect from IOUs?

On Facebook, Some Friendly Energy Rivalry

Here is a great example of how social media and new technologies are changing people's habits for the better (for once). What better way to make a difference than through a little friendly competition?

New York Times: On Facebook, Some Friendly Energy Rivalry

The Ultimate Guide to Making Any Rental More Energy Efficient

Think that because you don't own, you have no control over your home's energy use? Not true! Here's apartmenttherapy.com's

ultimate guide; full of links to quick, easy and yes, even inexpensive, ways to reduce your carbon footprint and lower your bills (your landlord will thank you!).

Most of these changes are likely to pay for themselves in energy savings over the duration of your rental. Also, don't forget that once you move, you can either leave the improvements intact and sell them to the future tenants, or take them with you to your next home.

Paying Your Power Bill At Partner Organizations

The Johnson City Power Board (JCPB) offers its customer owners a variety of convenient methods to pay their monthly bill. Included in these is a partnership with three local banks that have been authorized by JCPB to accept payments on its behalf. JCPB customers may pay their bill at any local First Tennessee or Johnson City Federal Credit Union branch so long as they hold an account with them. JCPB bills may also be paid at any local Bank of Tennessee branch regardless of whether or not they are account holders at the bank.

While the above relationships are officially recognized and authorized by JCPB, there are a number of other stores and banks that accept payments to remit on the customer's behalf. However, these services are not sponsored by the JCPB and are sometimes problematic for the customers using them. To better understand the differences between how payments to an official partner versus any other service/organization are received by JCPB, please consider the following.

Payments to Authorized Organizations:

• Only local branches of First Tennessee, Johnson City Federal Credit Union, and Bank of Tennessee have been authorized by JCPB to accept payments on behalf of its customers.
• Payments received at these locations are time-stamped and applied directly to customers' accounts without delay. This means that paying a JCPB bill at one of the above locations is essentially the same as paying it directly to JCPB.

Payments to Unauthorized Organizations:

• These include online payment services from banks and counter services at department stores (i.e. Wal-Mart)
• Payments received through these services are not recognized by JCPB until the funds arrive.
• Payments to these services are typically sent to JCPB as a cashiers’ check written on the customer's behalf and sent through the mail. This process may result in the funds arriving at JCPB several days after they were originally submitted by the customer.
• Customers using unauthorized organizations will be held accountable for when their funds actually arrive at JCPB's offices. This means that if a customer pays a bill through a third-party organization and the funds are delivered to JCPB after the payment was due, their account will be subject to any applicable fees and penalties including disconnection of electrical services.

To ensure that your payments are received in a timely manner, please take advantage of one of JCPB's many convenient payment options. Pay online at jcpb.com; over the phone at (423) 282-JCPB (5272); at any of our official partner organizations (listed above); or in person at 2600 Boones Creek Rd. in Johnson City. If you do choose to use your bank's online bill pay service or another unauthorized organization or service, please do so well in advance of your bill's due date and with a clear understanding of the potential consequences.

If you have any questions about how to pay your JCPB electric bill, call (423) 282-JCPB (5272) to speak with a customer service advocate or email us at pr@jcpb.com.

Changes Coming to Credit Card Transactions at JCPB

Modern technology affords us conveniences in nearly every aspect of our daily lives. In the realm of commerce, the ability to transfer funds electronically has revolutionized our modern marketplace. So prevalent are credit cards now that many people no longer carry cash at all. Yet, as with any advancement, unintended consequences are bound to become evident as time goes by. Regarding credit cards; customer information and finances have quickly become easy targets for sophisticated cyber-criminals and petty thieves alike.

The Johnson City Power Board (JCPB) is committed to excellence in customer service with special concern for the privacy and security of customers’ personal account information. While all JCPB employees are vetted and held to the highest standards of honesty and integrity, it is nonetheless essential for them to be removed from the handling of customers’ private information as often as possible. To ensure the security of customers’ credit card information, JCPB representatives will no longer handle credit cards or notate card information as of 10/24/2011.

So, what does this mean for JCPB customers who wish to make electronic payments on their electric bills? As of 10/24/2011:

1. Customers making credit card or e-check payments over the phone will enter their own information onto, JCPB’s secure automated phone terminal. While representatives will remain available to discuss any account related issues, they will transfer customers to the self-service payment system whenever a payment is to be processed over the phone.

2. Customers making credit card payments inside JCPB’s lobby will swipe their own cards at self-service countertop terminals located at the Cashier.

While these changes will undoubtedly take some time to be accustomed to, they will have little effect on the convenience of the various payment options offered to JCPB customers. However, the overall improvements in the security of private information will be well worth the change. This is just another way the Johnson City Power Board is able to uphold its commitment to excellence in customer service.

Post Storm Assessment

On Wednesday, April 27 2011, a severe thunderstorm accompanied by fierce wind gusts and several tornadoes plowed through Johnson City Power Board’s (JCPB) service territory. The storm wreaked havoc throughout our community as it ripped through trees, houses, barns, vehicles and anything else with the misfortune of occupying its path. The destruction, albeit isolated, was catastrophic. However, damage to JCPB’s infrastructure was relatively light in comparison to other recent storms.

At the height of this storm’s intensity, JCPB officials had difficulty assessing damage to its distribution system. Real-time reports from customers were minimal as were inquiries from the local media. This untypical lack of reporting combined with opaque sheets of rain and hail obscured JCPB’s view of its system beyond its substations. Now that the dust has settled, the carnage strewn within the storm’s wake has become painfully apparent.

All told, approximately 1,000 customers lost power; mainly along highway 107 and within the Blackley Creek and Fall Branch communities. While this number is less than what is typically described as a wide-spread outage, extensive damage to poles and transformers prevented full restoration of JCPB’s infrastructure from being completed until nearly 5:00 PM the following Saturday. Even now after replacing 54 broken poles along with many of the power lines and transformers supported by them, nearly 500 JCPB customers remain without electrical service. However, these remaining services cannot be re-energized until residents complete work to their homes and gain the approval of a State Electrical Inspector. Unfortunately, this state mandated process will inevitably prevent many of those affected from reconnecting electrical services for several more days.

As our families, friends, and neighbors work to reclaim and rebuild what was so abruptly taken from them, be mindful of their unique challenges and needs. Even though the storm has passed, its scars endure.