By Cassie McClure and Suzanne Michaels
Almost 8,000 customers have now signed up for free e-Billing with Las Cruces Utilities (LCU). That means instead of arriving in your mailbox, the monthly bill arrives in your inbox, which you likely check several times a day. Is the time right for you to make the switch, too?
“When customers first connect City services, we ask if they’d like to use e-billing,” explains Steven Valdez, LCU billing & receivables supervisor. “However, we welcome anyone who would like to switch to call 541-2111, email us at customerservice@las-cruces.org, or come in to visit Customer Service at City Hall, and we’ll quickly switch them to paperless billing.”
Once you supply your name, physical address, email, and phone number with your full utilities account number, you’ll still receive everything you would receive in the paper bill - four pages detailing your gas, water, wastewater, and solid waste billing, along with any news from Utilities - but it will come in a free electronic form.
More than 47,000 customers still receive their printed monthly bill in the mail; but printing and mailing add cost and waste that could be avoided. Jose F. Provencio, LCU business services administrator, explains, “For every 1,000 hardcopy bills that convert to e-billing, less paper is used and postal savings of $390 are realized – every month
Not only is there no cost to switch, but the e-bill arrives faster, within the day it is generated, compared to 2 to 3 business days for the USPS (United States Postal Service) delivery. Paying the bill is even easier, with one click sending you straight to the portal to enter your account number for payment submission.
With either a debit or credit card, you can also pay quickly and receive an emailed confirmation nearly instantaneously. It’s also a small way to go green, with less mail heading to your mailbox, to be saved and sit in a filing cabinet for years, and then ultimately shredded in a spring cleaning.
“Even though we get a bulk mailing price, it’s a cost that could increase over time. We hope more customers will see how convenient it is to receive their bill via email,” said Provencio.
“We do understand that a concern could be that residents feel they may still need a paper copy, especially if they use it to show residency. Customers who switch to e-billing can print a copy of their Utility bill attached to the email. If needed to show residency, customers can visit the City Hall or East Mesa Office [5195 Bataan Memorial West] to request a paper copy of their bill.”
You can reach Las Cruces Utilities at 528-3500 from 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Las Cruces Utilities provides GAS – WATER – WASTEWATER – SOLID WASTE services to approximately 100,000 Las Cruces residents and businesses.
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PHOTO 1: Instead of arriving in your mailbox, consider having your LCU monthly bill sent directly to your inbox. Email Customer Service at customerservice@las-cruces.org or call 541-2111 to switch to this free service today!