Decatur Utilities, Decatur Alabama

It's Day Four of Public Power Week and one of the keys to keeping DU's natural gas rates among the lowest in the state is the process of "hedging". DU's energy supply coordinator keeps a keen eye on market futures and purchase blocks of gas at discounted prices well into the future. That secures a supply of natural gas at lower rates - even if the "spot" market price goes up. It's all part of our commitment to providing our customers with safe, reliable utility services at the lowest possible rate! DU's operations manager also negotiates contracts with regional pipelines to obtain competitive long-term transportation pricing.

Decatur Utilities will be performing utility construction work on Holly St NE near the 6th Ave NE intersection, from October 9th, 2026 to October 21st, 2026.

As a result of this work, Holly St NE will be closed to thru traffic beginning October 9th, 2026 at 8:00 AM, and will remain closed until October 21st, 2026 at 4:00 PM.

Utility workers will be on-site at 7:30 AM Friday morning to set up the necessary traffic control devices to notify motorists of the upcoming work zone.

DU asks that motorists be aware of all traffic control devices, construction personnel, and equipment in the work zone and to approach the area with extreme caution and at a reduced speed.

On Day Four of Public Power Week, we want to highlight the great job our employees do above and beyond their normal day-to-day duties. Earlier this year, Electric Ops crews were changing out poles in front of a local daycare. Steven Williams, Electric Superintendent, and crew members took time to talk with the kids, show them different tools of the trade and explain what was going on. You'll also find our crews teaching Safety in a Flash, DU's electric safety program. Our engineering team loves being involved with career fairs or speaking to local students about careers in Science/Technology/Engineering/Math. Giving back to the community is why we are proud to be Public Power!

Today's Customer Service Week focus is on the Billing Department here at DU. The billing department works hand-in-hand with customer service reps, field services reps and meter readers to make sure usage data is entered and audited in our billing system so accurate billing statements can be generated for residential, commercial and industrial customers each month. They are great at catching anomalies which indicate unusual usage. That helps customers identify situations that need to be addressed so their usage goes back to normal.

It's Day Three of Public Power Week. Today we highlight the powerful partnership we have with TVA - also a public power entity. DU purchases electricity from TVA on a wholesale basis and then distributes it to our residential, business and industrial customers. This relationship has been in place since the late 1930s. Thanks to TVA's mix of different generation types, rates in the Tennessee Valley Region are among the lowest in the country. We also work closely with TVA to help the local community. Through STEM grants for local schools, the TVA Community Care fund for non-profit support and other programs, TVA has poured thousands of dollars into the Decatur area over the past several years. We appreciate this partnership and the impact it has on our customers!

Okay, so paying your monthly utility bill is not on your bucket list of favorite things to do. But we strive to make that experience as easy and pleasant as possible! Want to make your payment in person? Our payment reps will great you with a smile in the lobby or one of our drive-thru lanes. As an alternative, we have many remote ways you can pay your bill including U.S. mail, self-service kiosks, the SmartHub app and more. You can find them on our website under the billing-payment tab.

DU is proud to offer natural gas as an economical alternative energy source for heating homes, heating water, outdoor lighting, cooking and other uses. It takes a team to make sure that natural gas reaches your home or business. Our Gas, Water and Wastewater Operations Group is tasked with maintaining the underground infrastructure that gets gas from our pipeline delivery points to the end user. Our natural gas technicians are also on call to respond to customers who think they have a possible gas leak. Gas utility engineers are instrumental in designing new infrastructure to meet growing demand and managing projects. And behind the scenes, the rest of our supporting departments at DU make sure the warehouse is fully stocked, bills are paid, the gas supply is adequate for demand, staffing is in place and much more.

Public power means we're here when you need us. Line crews are ready to roll at a moment's notice when storms hit and knock customers out of power. Whether it's an isolated call or thousands out, our team of dispatchers, engineers, line crews and supporting personnel work together to get customers restored as quickly - and safely - as possible. And when trouble spares us but strikes a neighboring system, we gladly send crews to help where needed as part of our Mutual Aid Agreement with other public power utilities.

As if this week weren't busy enough, we are ALSO recognizing National Customer Service Week. First up - our Customer Service Reps (CSRs). This group helps customers (new and existing) start, stop or transfer utility service on the DU system as well as handling any issues that might arise. We've implemented new remote options that let you interact with CSRs via email or fax instead of having to come into the office... but they DO love seeing you in person too! So whether or not it's in the cloud or across the desk, we hope those smiling faces are coming through loud and clear! More tomorrow!