If you’re looking
for a practical gift for a friend or family member this holiday season, consider
a gift of energy or water.
A Board of Water & Light gift certificate can be used to pay a BWL water or electric bill, and could be just the thing for a college student or elderly relative. BWL gift certificates come in denominations of $10, $25, $50, $75 or $100. Recipients can use the certificate to pay their BWL bill by mail, at our customer service center, or at pay stations located around the Lansing area. Gift certificates are easy to get. Click here to to order online. You can also order a gift certificate by phone by calling a BWL customer service representative at 702-6006. Gift certificate orders include a $4.95 shipping and handling charge. |
Falling or swaying
tree limbs are the single biggest cause of power outages. That’s why we take our
responsibility seriously when it comes to keeping tree limbs safely trimmed away
from power lines.
Our tree maintenance program is led by a professional arborist and is designed to retain the healthy and attractive growth of trees while maintaining proper clearances for the safety of the public and our employees. Our activities are also designed to reduce power outages caused by downed trees and broken limbs. Keeping our lines clear from tree limbs and other obstacles is a full-time challenge, and we depend on our customers to support our efforts. The BWL will notify you when tree trimming is planned in your neighborhood or on your property. We’ll try to reach you personally, but if you’re not home, we’ll leave a tag on your door. Meanwhile, you can take steps of your own to reduce the chance of future power outages. If you’re planning to add trees to your property, keep our power lines in mind. Make sure you plant species that are strong and will thrive in our climate. And keep them away from overhead electrical lines. Click here for more about the BWL’s tree maintenance program. |
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Ice and snow can build up on your meter and create a barrier to reaching it. You can help by keeping snow from piling up on your meter and by keeping a clear path to it. These simple steps will help reduce injuries to our employees, and you’ll also avoid bills based on estimated consumption |
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Sometimes power
outages occur, despite everyone’s best efforts to avoid them.
When a widespread outage happens, phone lines can be easily jammed as thousands of customers try to report their outage at the same time. Your call to us will get through if you use our PowerLine phone number: 1-877-BWL-5001. It’s a toll-free number that can handle up to 40,000 calls an hour. PowerLine records your outage information quickly and automatically, but in order for it to work properly, it must recognize your telephone number. Check your BWL utility bill. If your correct phone number isn’t printed there, please write it down in the space provided on your payment stub and return it with your payment. |
You can make a small but important gift to people in need this month and every month through your participation in the BWL’s Pennies for Power Program. Pennies for Power rounds up your monthly BWL utility bill to the next highest dollar each month and donates the change to a fund that helps low income customers avoid utility shut-offs. Pennies for Power is administered by Capital Area Community Services (CACS) and provides one-time shut-off protection to families in our area who are experiencing problems paying their utility bills. Pennies for Power provides three options for participating customers. You can pick the conventional method by rounding up your monthly bill to the nearest dollar. Or you can choose to add a specified amount to your bill each month. You can also make a one-time contribution to Pennies for Power. Signing up is easy. Just fill out the coupon on your monthly statement and mail it with your utility payment, or click here for the sign up form. |
