SmartHub FAQ: Making the transition from E-Bill to the future of JCPB's online customer service

SmartHub is now live and has replaced Johnson City Power Board's (JCPB) previous E-Bill online customer service web portal! So, what does that mean for those of you transitioning from E-Bill to SmartHub? The following is a list of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) to address your concerns. As always, if there are questions left unanswered by this post, or if there is anything else you would like to address with our staff, feel free to post a comment or contact us directly in person or on the phone at (423) 282-JCPB (5272).

**PLEASE NOTE THAT YOU MAY NEED TO CLEAR YOUR INTERNET BROWSER'S CACHE MEMORY IN ORDER TO VIEW JCPB.COM'S MOST RECENT UPDATE AND TO ACCESS THE SMARTHUB LINKS WITHIN**

SmartHub FAQ:

How do I sign up for SmartHub?

Simply CLICK HERE or visit www.jcpb.com and click on "SmartHub Pay Online" in the green banner at the top of the page. If you already have an E-Bill online account, log in as an existing user and begin to explore all of the wonderful new features in SmartHub. If you do not have an online account yet, sign up as a new user by following the link next to "New User?". 

Just as with our E-Bill website, SmartHub requires the last four digits of the primary account holder's Social Security Number (SSN) to be entered correctly along with the corresponding account number to ensure privacy of JCPB customer information. Anyone attempting to sign up for an online account who does not have a SSN on file with JCPB will need to contact our SmartHub customer service advocate directly at SmartHub@jcpb.com or by phone at (423) 952-5191. 

What is the difference between the Mobile App and the Web Version of SmartHub?

Our Mobile Apps are native Applications that can be downloaded and installed on your compatible mobile phone or tablet device. The Web version is internet accessible from any web enabled device. Both the Apps and the Web version give you secure access to maintain your account information, view your bills, see payment history, make payments on one or more accounts, set up recurring payments and report outages.  They also allow you to monitor and manage your usage by use of graphics and usage markers. The Apps allow you to find and get directions to office locations, payment drop boxes and payment kiosks using the map feature on your device.

The Web version allows you to register your accounts to receive notifications for account milestones, such as an approaching or a missed due date.  It also allows you to set usage markers (date range or point in time) to monitor the changes in usage based on events. The Web has a Profile page available for you to maintain your personal information, password, security pass phrase and stored payment methods.

Is my phone or tablet supported?

Our Apps are supported on the following platforms:

• IOS 3.1 and above (iPhone and/or iPad)     

• Android 2.1 and above (Smartphones or tablets) 

**Please note that mobile app users must either be existing E-Bill online customers or establish an account via the SmartHub web app before accessing their account via either of the SmartHub  mobile apps.***  

Is the App secure?

Yes! All critical information is encrypted in every transaction run and no personal information is stored on your mobile device. Mobile devices do offer you the ability to store your login information for Apps installed on the device. If you choose to store your login information, any person who has access to your mobile device can access your account.

How do I get the App for my phone?

Simply look for our name in the Apple Store^® or in the Android^® Market.

Search: SmartHub (not case sensitive but must be all one word), if duplicates appear the correct App is provided by our partner, National Information Solutions Cooperative.\

Please note customers who wish to usethe SmartHub mobile app for their Android or iOS mobile device are required to sign up for an account through the SmartHub web application first unless they are existing E-Bill customers.

Do I have to buy the App?

No. Our App is free to download and install.  

Do I have to change the way I pay my bill in order to use SmartHub?

No.  You can take advantage of all of the features of SmartHub and continue to pay your bill as you currently do.

I have five accounts. Can I see them all in the App and on the Web?

Yes. The Web home page shows all of your accounts with the amounts due and hyperlinks to other detailed information. On the App, tap the Bill and Pay icon.  The total due of all accounts shows and below it you can select different information by account, such as partial payment option, billing history and payment history.

Can I make a payment on multiple accounts?

Web: To pay the total amount owed on all accounts, click the Pay Now button in the upper right corner of the screen or the Make Payment button on the home page. You can also make a payment to a single account or partial payments to all accounts by clicking on the Billing & Payments button.  It will allow you to check the accounts to be paid and change the amount for each account by clicking on Other Amount.  After entering the amounts to be paid click the Pay Now button. 

Mobile App: Tap the Bill & Pay gadget.  If paying the total amount due, tap the Pay button.  If paying a partial payment, tap the Pay Partial Amount, tap on the account and adjust the Pay Amount.

How current is the account information I see in the App or on the Web?

The information you see in the App and in the Web is shown in real-time, so it's always accurate. However, if you keep your App or the Web version open for an extended period of time, you should refresh the page by selecting a new option in order to ensure the information is still current.

How do I sign up for notifications? What if I want to receive notifications for multiple accounts?

You must log into the Web and click on Notifications.  Select preferred notification method (Text, Mobile Push, Email or Phone) and fill out the appropriate notification information based on your selection.  Click Next to continue, verify the notification parameters and confirm.  If you have multiple accounts, while you are setting the notification it will prompt you to indicate which account the notification is for. 

How do I find your offices and payment locations?

On the App, tap the Map and you will see all the office and payment locations available to you.  To get directions, tap the location and an address box comes up.  Tap the address box and the Map/GPS Navigator options appear.  Tap on the preferred method and follow the instructions.

What is the recommended screen resolution for SmartHub on the web?

1280 x 1024

What do the color codes represent on the mobile application My Usage screen?

The colors represent a visual indication of your usage.  Red indicates the highest usage for the range of days displayed, brown is the second highest, etc.  Green indicates average usage.

In SmartHub web, my tab buttons are not highlighted to indicate what screen I am on and the Utility logo is centered on the page.  Why is it displaying this way?

Even though you may be running Internet Explorer 8 or later, some of your websites could be displayed in version 7 compatibility mode.  To check this, open Internet Explorer, select Page, and click Compatibility View Settings. Any websites that are listed will display in version 7 compatibility mode.  Remove the SmartHub web site from this list.

Will my existing eBill login work with SmartHub?

Yes.  Your existing login credentials will carry forward to SmartHub.

Will my existing stored credit card and/or checking account information be available in SmartHub?

Yes.  All financial information stored in eBill will be available in SmartHub.

Why can’t SmartHub confirm my social security number?

If for some reason we do not have your SSN or tax ID number on file, you will need to call our customer service department (423-952-5272) to submit your information before SmartHub can access your online account.

 

What To Expect From JCPB's Social Media Websites

The Johnson City Power Board is committed to offering its customers the best customer service possible. In today's highly technological society, excellent customer service is often equated to instant, on-demand information. Recognizing this trend, JCPB began utilizing social media websites in November of 2009. As luck would have it, just a couple of hours after the launch of our Twitter and Facebook pages, a violent wind storm blew through Washington County causing a wide-spread power outage. Taking advantage of this new means to keep our customers apprised of the situation, we jumped in head first posting bits of information and responding to new friends and followers as they reached out in the dark searching for information.

Since that first day, JCPB's social media websites' audiences have grown significantly. We appreciate having an open avenue to communicate messages of importance to our utility and community while we respect our followers' wish to not be berated by an endless onslaught of pointless postings. In an attempt to help our friends and followers have appropriate expectations of our staff's engagement, we have refined our social media policy to define when JCPB staff will monitor and respond to messages and requests on JCPB's Twitter and Facebook pages.

• JCPB staff will monitor and respond to questions and comments via Twitter and FaceBook during JCPB call center's normal hours of operation: 8:00 AM-5:00 PM Monday-Friday.
• JCPB staff will increase its frequency of posting and responding on Twitter and FaceBook during outage events as time and resources allow.
• Power outages should always be reported via phone at (423) 282-JCPB (5272).

JCPB hopes to maximize the potential of its social media websites for the convenience and peace of mind of our customers. However, these additional resources are in no way meant to replace our traditional means of reporting outages via telephone. Please be patient during such times as they often present significant strain on our staff and resources. Thank you for your comments and participation.

A tale of two tests: why Energy Star LED light bulbs are a rare breed

 
How do you measure the life of a light source that could last decades? (Photo: Shutterstock)

It turns out the reason is simple, but has a little bit of back-story attached. Unlike Energy Star certification for other types of appliances, an Energy Star-certified LED light bulb signifies reliability and performance as well as energy-saving performance. The reason for the difference is down to the problems faced by ordinary people when compact fluorescent bulbs first appeared.

"Originally, the Department of Energy was very concerned about what happened with compact fluorescent lighting when it first entered the market in that there were all kinds of variations of quality, reliability and performance," Gary Rosenfield, EVP of Marketing & National Accounts at Switch Lighting told Gizmag. (Though the lighting aspects of Energy Star now fall under the jurisdiction of the Environmental Protection Agency, when it came to specifying Energy Star criteria for LED products, it was the DoE.)

READ FULL ARTICLE HERE

What to do to get your home "ready for summer"

Before it gets too warm, it's time to make sure you're ready for hot weather.

 This doesn't mean running out and buying the latest swim wear. It means checking your home's heat and air-conditioning system.

First, change your filters in your heating/cooling system. Change them regularly - at least monthly.

Next change your thermostat over to "cool" and test the system by turning the temperature down. If the air conditioner does not turn on, first check to make sure no breakers are tripped. If you can't figure out the problem, call your heating and air conditioning technician. Calling early may prevent you from making an "emergency" call when the temperatures are soaring and the technicians are too busy.

If your cooling system turns on, make sure it is producing adequately cool air. If it's not, and you can't identify the problem on your own, call your heating and air conditioning technician. Make sure you set your thermostat at or above 78 degrees.

If your air conditioner needs to be replaced, do it BEFORE the HOT WEATHER HITS because heating & air conditioning technicians will become increasingly busy. Also, it's likely other things around your home will need attention as well. For instance, your air ducts may need to be tested for leaks and sealed; your attic insulation may be compacted and require an additional 5 to 8 inches; your windows and doors and other parts of the building envelope may need to be caulked and fitted with weather stripping; you might benefit from solar window film to keep out the heat.

Consider changing your old thermostat to a programmable one. You might be surprised how much one of these thermostats can save over its lifetime. If your older thermostat uses a mercury switch (a glass tube filed with silvery substance), be sure to dispose of it properly as it is a hazardous substance that should not enter a landfill.

Consider installing a whole-house fan that uses cool air in the evening to cool the entire house and push hot air out of the attic area.

If you cover your air conditioner's condenser unit (the part that is outside the house) for the winter, take off the cover and hose down the coils. Clear areas around the condenser unit so that it has full air flow.

Install ceiling fans or whole house fans to help reduce your need to use the air conditioner.
Open up any storm windows and clean your screens to enjoy cool morning and evening air.

And don't forget your car. Get it ready for summer and any vacations by filling up the tires, changing filters, checking the fluids and getting a tune up if it's needed.

Sea urchins reveal promising carbon capture alternative

 
Carbon capture and sequestration in underground reservoirs isn’t the most practical or cost effective way to reduce atmospheric CO2 levels. It would be much simpler if CO2 could be quickly and cheaply converted into a harmless, solid mineral before it is released into the atmosphere. A team from the U.K.’s Newcastle University may have stumbled across a way to achieve this thanks to the humble sea urchin.

As part of their research into what happens when CO2 reacts with water – known as the carbonic acid reaction – the researchers were looking for a catalyst to speed up the process. By chance, Dr Lidija Šiller, a physicist and Reader in Nanoscale Technology at Newcastle University, was looking at the way in which organisms absorb CO2 into their skeletons at the same time.

Read more...

Threadlike carbon nanotube fiber combines strength, flexibility and conductivity

 

At about 100 times the strength of steel at one sixth the weight and with impressive electrical conductive properties, carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have promised much since their discovery in 1991. The problem has been translating their impressive nanoscale properties into real-world applications on the macro scale. Researchers have now unveiled a new CNT fiber that conducts heat and electricity like a metal wire, is very strong like carbon fiber, and is flexible like a textile thread.



Building on ten years of research, the team, consisting of scientists from Rice University, Dutch firm Teijin Aramid, the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) and the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, relied on a “wet-spinning” chemical process using chlorosulfonic acid to dissolve clumps of raw nanotubes in a liquid before they were squirted through tiny holes to form long strands. These strands, with trillions and trillions of tightly packed carbon nanotubes all aligned in the same direction, were then spun into a macroscopic thread the researchers say boasts the highest conductivity ever reported for a macroscopic CNT fiber.

Read more... 

2012 Imagination Power Calendar Art Contest Winners

The results are in and we have selected thirteen art submissions from local elementary students to be used in the 2013 edition of our Imagination Power calendar. This marks the 5^th year JCPB has hosted an art contest for local 4^th and 5^th grade students to express their ideas about renewable energy and sustainable living through pictures. For the fourth consecutive year, JCPB promised a classroom supply of special edition KitBooks to the school with the greatest number of winning entries.

Having four of the thirteen selected entries, Mountain View Elementary of Johnson City Schools took this year’s KitBook grand prize as the school with the most winning selections. KitBooks are a unique and highly effective tool for teaching children key concepts of electrical circuitry and are designed and produced by local entrepreneurs.

Congratulations to Mountain View Elementary and all the young artists listed below! If you would like a copy of this year’s calendar, please come by the JCPB headquarters at 2600 Boones Creek Rd. and pick yours up today (supplies limited).

              Mountain View Elementary:

                

Natalie McBride

                 

Breann Metcalf

                   

 Lyla Muldoon

                   

Jazlynn Wiles

                    Jonesborough Elementary:

                      

Abby Rolla

             

Brandon Southerland

              Gray Elementary:

                   

Daniel Carpenter

                      

 Ethan Head

                     Grandview Elementary:

               

Mackenzie Baldwin

                    Boones Creek Elementary:

                  

Madi Mahoney

                        Lamar Elementary:

                 

Mattie Chase

                 Lake Ridge Elementary:

     

Ava Yobst - Cover Winner

                     Sulphur Springs Elementary:

                   

Cassidy Barrett