By C.T. Barnes
Published in Las Cruces Bulletin on 8/19/2022
Are you one of the 8% of Las Cruces Utilities (LCU) customers registered for UtilityHawk? If not, what is holding you back from taking charge of your natural gas usage, water consumption, and monthly utility budget by utilizing a free tool provided by LCU?
LCU is celebrating the first year since UtilityHawk went online in April 2021 by nearly reaching their year one goal of having 10% of all customers registered. That being said, something has changed over the last month with almost 100 customers registering daily.
“I think word is finally starting to sink in from all our marketing efforts. We are always recommending customer sign up for this application (app) at every event where LCU staff participates,” said Business Systems Analyst Jeff Dillard. “At this rate we should hit over 6,000 registered users on our next report, which will put us close to 10% of all LCU customers registered,” Dillard continued.
Moving into the summer months, UtilityHawk is a great way to keep your water bill at an affordable, controlled amount. As a registered customer, you can monitor your gas and water consumption and if the appropriate thresholds are set, UtilityHawk will notify you at the first sign of a possible leak or excessive usage. This is a great way for LCU customers to avoid large overcharges and allows them to be in more control over their monthly bill. “I use it at home myself and set the alerts that will notify me of over usage. I am extremely happy with the results as a registered app user,” Interim Business Systems Analyst James Stafford stated. UtilityHawk is not only beneficial in the summer but can also be a great tool in controlling your gas usage during the higher usage months of fall and winter. With the rising prices of natural gas, this app is a great way for LCU customers to make sure they are staying within budget when it comes to their monthly utility expenses. “People are a lot more aware of their bills with the rising price of the gas commodity and can see actual benefits of using the app,” Dillard stated. Gas usage is different from water usage because it is used almost 24 hours a day in most homes, which makes it harder to monitor than water usage. LCU is currently working to create a formula that will assist in identifying when a LCU registered customer is above the average use of gas and could initially alert them of a leak the same way it does with water usage. This app is not only an easy way to monitor and control your usage of water and gas, but it is just as easy to pay your bill. UtilityHawk has a single sign in process that provides a quick and easy way to submit your monthly LCU payment. The payment is sent and registered same day with LCU, which is great for those who may be close to their payment deadline and want to avoid possible disconnection.
Register your account:
Getting started is easy. Existing LCU customers can easily register to use UtilityHawk. Just enter an email address, name, and contact information, and create a password using this link https://www.lascnm.utilityhawk.us/login - register today.
LCU – Your Utility Connection. Customer Central can be reached at 575-541-2111 from 8 a.m. - 6 p.m. Monday through Friday. LCU provides clean, safe, and reliable services to Las Cruces residents and businesses. Learn more at: las-cruces.org/180/Utilities For emergencies, call Dispatch at 526-0500.
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PHOTO 1: LCU UtilityHawk homepage registration site - Courtesy LCU