Navigating College Station Utilities: A Comprehensive Guide to Services and Customer Resources

College Station Utilities (CSU) stands as a leading utility, committed to delivering high-quality, customer-owned services to the citizens of College Station. This article provides a comprehensive overview of the services offered by CSU, along with essential information on managing your account, accessing assistance programs, and staying informed about outages and important updates.

Services Offered by College Station Utilities

CSU provides a range of essential services to residential and commercial customers, including:

Electric: Reliable electricity supply for homes and businesses.
Water: Safe and clean water distribution.
Wastewater: Efficient wastewater collection and treatment.
Billing Services: Consolidated billing for electric, water, sewer, garbage, roadway maintenance, and drainage.

Managing Your CSU Account

CSU offers multiple convenient ways to manage your utility account:

Online Customer Portal

The Utility Customer Portal is a central hub for managing your account online. Through the portal, you can:

View bills and usage
Make payments
Make other changes to your utility account

Creating a New Account

If you are a new customer, you can create a new customer login by clicking on "Register Now" on the CSU website. Even existing customers must sign up for a new account on the upgraded platform.

Accessing Your Account

To access your account, input your new 10-digit account number.

Payment Options

CSU offers several payment options to suit your needs:

Online Payments: The city exclusively uses Paymentus Corp. for online bill payments. Avoid using any other third-party applications claiming to facilitate your utility bill payments, as the city does not receive money from them, and you would still be subject to disconnection for non-payment.
Auto Pay: If your utility account has a bill with a future due date, it will Auto Pay on that date.
By phone: We can be reached by telephone at 979-764-3535 Mon.-Fri.
In Person: For in-person assistance, you can visit our Utility Customer Service Lobby at 310 Krenek Tap Road, College Station Mon.-Fri.

Understanding Your Bill and Usage

CSU's online portal allows customers to check their usage in 15-minute, hourly, or daily intervals, so you don’t have to wait for the bill to know how much electricity you’re using.

Budget Billing Program

The College Station Utilities Budget Billing program enables customers to pay the same amount each month for utilities based on the previous 12 months average total bills.

To qualify for this program, you must have a history of at least 12 months of service at the same location. At the time you sign up, we will average your last 12 months and begin billing the averaged amount. As you receive your bills each month, you will see what the actual calculated charge would be based on that month's meter reading but you will be asked to pay the budget amount. You will also see a deferred balance which may be a positive or a negative amount. On the twelfth bill, we will settle the account. The settle up bill will be made up of that month's actual charge plus or minus the deferred. If your settle up bill shows a credit, you can contact us for a refund if you like or simply let the credit remain on the account to be applied to the next budget bill. If the settle up bill shows a balance due, you'll need to pay it in full. Note: In order to remain a budget bill customer, utility bill payments need to be paid by the due date.

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Deposits

Homeowners will be exempt from putting down an initial deposit.
Deposit Review will be used to identify accounts that have no deposit on file but begin paying late. After two late payments in 12 months, the deposit will be billed in one installment. Exemption from deposit will be for those who enroll in auto pay.
Renters will be billed deposit on the first month's bill in one installment. The only exemption from deposit will be for those who enroll in auto pay.
Deposit amount for all residential accounts is 1½ times the estimated average monthly bill.
Deposit amounts will be evaluated periodically to ensure adequate deposits are collected. If additional deposits are required, they will be billed.
Initially, existing customers with deposits of $105 and $30 will be "grandfathered" in and not required to increase their deposit as long as they are not on the cut list.
Should an account be disconnected for non-pay, the deposit amount will be evaluated to ensure adequate deposit is on account.
Commercial accounts will pay a deposit of two times the annual estimated monthly bill amount. Please contact us at 979.764.3535 for specific deposit requirements for your location or account number.

Prompt Payment Record

We monitor all accounts to ensure a prompt payment record is being maintained. A prompt payment record is defined as two or less late payments within the most recent 12-month period.

Outage Reporting and Notifications

Reporting 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.

TextPower Notifications

College Station Utilities' two-way text message notification system, called TextPower, sends notifications and updates when you're out of power. CSU can also notify you when maintenance is scheduled in your area. The service is provided at no cost. You're automatically enrolled if your cell phone is the primary number associated with your CSU account. If you'd prefer not to participate, you can choose the opt-out option. You can also enroll by texting "CSU" to 979-599-7917. After you receive a welcome message, we suggest adding the number to your contacts as CSU or CSU Text Alerts. To confirm your account has the correct cell phone number, call Utility Customer Service at 979-764-3535. You can report an outage by texting "OUT" to 979-599-7917, but our crews are usually aware already, thanks to our advanced electric meters. Outages can also be tracked on the city's online outage map. CSU customers unable to receive text messages can still report outages to 855-528-4278 (have your account number handy).

Confidentiality of Personal Information

The Texas Utilities Code, Chapter 182, provides that a customer may request that personal information (address, phone number, or social security number) and any information relating to the volume or units of utility usage, including amounts billed to or collected from, is kept confidential. By requesting utility service, you affirm you wish to keep all information confidential. Only the account holder or their authorized representative may contact the utility office to obtain information regarding the account.

Important Policies and Reminders

Meter Usage

Meters are the property of the City of College Station and are not to be turned on or off except by authorized city employees. Unauthorized connection of a meter is illegal under state law.

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Disconnection and Restoration of Service

Accounts with past due balances are subject to disconnection. Services disconnected for non-payment will not be restored until all past due balances have been paid. Please notify us that payment has been made by calling 979.764.3535 and services will be restored.

Payment Due Dates

Our office must receive payment by the due date to avoid an additional fee.

Assistance Programs

Comprehensive Energy Assistance Program (CEAP)

The Comprehensive Energy Assistance Program (CEAP) utility assistance program is part of the Energy/Housing programs. The Bill Pay Program provides with electric, natural gas, or propane bills. Households must meet specific program criteria established by state and federal regulations.

Brazos Valley Community Action Program (BVCAP)

BVCAP has implemented a new online application system to speed up processing your application for utility assistance and other services. The application must be resubmitted EACH YEAR to maintain your privacy. For counties not Brazos or Burleson, please contact your provider to check if they require an Information Release Form.

Financial Assistance

If you need financial assistance with bills, please call 2-1-1 or visit 211Texas.org.

Additional Information

Sewer Service Charges

Is your residential water service provided by a utility other than the City of College Station, but your address is connected to City of College Station sewer system? By providing at least 6-months of official water utility bills we can determine if you qualify for a lower monthly sewer service charge for those 6 months and going forward.

Roommate Agreements

Utility accounts may be listed in one name only and the person whose name appears on the account is responsible for payment of bills, deposits and other charges that may appear on the bill. The City is not responsible for agreements made between roommates.

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