BPUB Keeps March Bills at Current Rates and Charges

BROWNSVILLE, TX – The Brownsville Public Utilities Board wants its customers to know that there are no changes to rates or other charges in the current March bills that are going out. BPUB continues to look into the high costs of natural gas and purchased power costs during the storm event to determine what, if any, impact it will have on BPUB and customers.

However, early indications show some customers used more electricity during the February billing period as a result of the winter storm. Heaters are one of the largest consumers of electricity. BPUB Customer Service is available to answer customer questions regarding their bills.

So while some customers might see some increases in their bills as a result of their increase in electricity use in February, there have been no changes to any of BPUB’s rates and charges.

Bills that include electric consumption from the February winter storm have already started going out. Depending on the billing cycle, some customers might not see their consumption from this period appear until much later in the month or even early April. Customers can check their bills to see the dates the bill covers. BPUB’s Customer Service Department is available to assist customers with this if needed.

As a further effort for its customers, BPUB is not conducting service disconnections.

“We all know that customers are worried about how last month’s storm will impact their bills. We want to reassure them that there are no storm-related charges on any of our bills being issued. We will continue to do everything we can to keep BPUB bills competitive and affordable,” said BPUB General Manager & CEO John S. Bruciak.

BPUB is still uncertain what kind of financial impact there ultimately might be from these events, but it continues to assess the situation and will keep customers informed as more is learned. BPUB’s board members are closely following all developments and will ensure that the best interests of Brownsville and all of its customers are served.

If a customer needs to speak to someone at BPUB or needs to discuss payment arrangements, customer service personnel are on hand and assisting customers.

Need Assistance? Payment Arrangements? Questions?

• Phone – Customer Service agents will still be available to answer any questions about customer accounts and handle payment arrangements by phone at 956-983-6121.
• Email – Send any questions you have to [email protected]
• Internet – Customers don’t even need to speak to a Customer Service agent to utilize the payment arrangement feature on the BPUB website.
• Assistance – BPUB works with local agencies Community Action Corporation of South Texas (956-435-0379) and Catholic Charities of the Rio Grande Valley (956-541-0220) to provide financial assistance to its customers. This includes the Elderly Low-Income Assistance Program (ELIAP) and Comprehensive Energy Assistance Program (CEAP) as well as BPUB’s own Project SHARE program. Go to the BPUB website to learn more.
• Donation – Customers can make a donation to the Project SHARE program when paying their bill. Look for the spot on the BPUB bill. All of these donations go to BPUB’s Project SHARE program to benefit BPUB customers.

BPUB’s Customer Service Department will continue to reach out to those customers most impacted by the winter storm and the COVID-19 pandemic to share information about these assistance programs.

BPUB will keep providing information on this issue. Updates will be available on the BPUB website at www.brownsville-pub.com, Facebook at facebook.com/brownsvillepub and Twitter at twitter.com/BPUB_Tweets. Customers should call 956-983-6121 or email [email protected] with any questions.