Welcome to our monthly e-newsletter - "Customer Matters." Here you'll find useful information about Wake Forest Power programs, services, activities, projects, special events and more!
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The Town of Wake Forest and Wake Forest Power (WFP) are joining more than 2,000 not-for-profit utilities in celebrating Public Power Week October 3-9. Although this year’s Energy Expo and other in-person customer appreciation activities have been canceled due to COVID-19, Wake Forest and WFP will commemorate Public Power Week by offering a special online trivia contest and utilizing the Wake Forest Power Facebook page to celebrate the benefits of public power and salute the folks who keep our lights on. In anticipation of Public Power Week, WFP customers are encouraged to “Like” Wake Forest Power on Facebook.
Wake Forest Power residential customers can enter to win free electricity in October by participating in the Public Power Week Trivia Contest. All of the answers to the trivia questions can be found on the Town website. Every customer that answers all 10 questions correctly will be entered into a drawing for free electricity. On Friday, Oct. 8, at 3 p.m., the names of three winners will be announced via Wake Forest Power’s social media sites. The deadline to enter is 5 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 6.
Throughout Public Power Week, WFP will post on Facebook a variety of information on themes ranging from Wake Forest’s public power history to the responsibilities of the divisions and staff that comprise the Town’s electric department. Kids will also have the chance to download a variety of coloring pages related to public power.
Finally, WFP will post videos of various electric safety demonstrations typically offered in Centennial Plaza during Customer Appreciation Day. These demonstrations include the “Hurt Man Rescue” and tips for planting around transformers.
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A message to online bill pay customers from Customer Service Manager Drew Brown
On behalf of Wake Forest Power and the Town of Wake Forest, please accept my sincere apology for any frustration you may have experienced during the recent transition to our new online payment module.
Due to the challenges we encountered, we have continued to allow our customers to access the “old” system. Now, confident that we have resolved our outstanding issues, we are prepared to transition entirely to the new payment module effective October 1. Therefore, at your earliest convenience, please set up a new online account and choose the “AutoPay” option. From that point forward, you will manage your notifications on the online portal.
Once you have set up your new online account, you should no longer receive a paper bill. However, in the event you sign up for “AutoPay” and continue to receive a bill in the mail, please email us and type “Stop Paper Billing” in the subject line.
Our new online portal allows you to remit payment via several convenient methods:
- Venmo
- Text To Pay
- Phone IVR 833-415-0541
- Recurring Credit Card
The new portal also displays a copy of your actual bill.
To date, we have been unable to upload customers’ billing history to the new online portal. However, if you would like to receive a copy of your billing history, please email us and request your billing history, and we will be happy to provide it.
Again, I apologize for the difficult transition to our new online payment system and appreciate your patience.
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Supporting victims of Hurricane Ida
In early September, the following Wake Forest Power employees traveled to Louisiana to assist with power restoration efforts following Hurricane Ida: Christopher Williamson, Mark Schissel, Hugo Mier, Jimmie Kearney, Joe Shearin, Chad Champion, Corey Puccio, Zach Barclay, Ben Lineberry, Chad Butler and Tripp Jefferys.
They spent a total of 15 days in Louisiana and shared that Hurricane Ida caused more damage than any storm they had ever seen.
During the first several days, crews helped the town of Houma restore its 34.5KV transmission lines. This work allowed the other assisting crews from NC the chance to repair damaged distribution lines and service lines to customers' homes and businesses.
Our crews also helped repair downed distribution lines by removing trees, debris from houses and other objects. Meanwhile, a Wake Forest Power tree crew worked to remove downed trees.
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Year-round tree trimming efforts reduce power outages & protect the public
Wake Forest Power (WFP) works year-round to minimize storm impacts and safeguard the public through a variety of preventive maintenance initiatives, including the trimming of trees around Wake Forest’s 140 miles of overhead electric distribution lines.
Although downed trees and limbs are the leading cause of power outages during storms, they also endanger the lives of utility workers and the public.
Thanks to these efforts, WFP has been named a Tree Line USA utility by the National Arbor Day Foundation every year since 2015. The award acknowledges WFP's national leadership in caring for the health of trees while removing branches and limbs that grow too to close to its power lines.
For more information on Wake Forest Power's year-round tree trimming efforts, email Tree Trimming Supervisor Jimmie Kearney.
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Wake Forest Power offers a payment option that allows residential customers to pay for electricity in advance. Known as Wake Forest Pre-Pay Power, the initiative utilizes advanced metering technology that also enables customers to more closely monitor their energy usage.
Under the Pre-Pay Power program, residential customers have the flexibility and control to pay for electricity when they want, in the amount they want. By paying for electricity before they use it, pre-pay customers never pay a late fee and are never charged disconnect and reconnect fees if their account runs out of credit.
Customers can also more closely monitor how much energy they use. Instead of appearing on a traditional paper bill that is generated once a month, electricity usage is calculated daily and the cost is deducted each day from the pre-paid account. As a result, customers can observe in real time what happens when they adjust the thermostat a few degrees or turn off an extra light.
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Wake Forest Power (WFP) customers now have faster, easier and more convenient ways to pay their electric bills thanks to a new automated phone system. To make a payment, call 833-415-0541, then follow the prompts to provide your electric account number and credit/debit card number. Accounts will then be updated to show the payment information and the new balance.
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Wake Forest Power (WFP) offers residential customers a simple, yet effective way they can help neighbors struggling to pay electric bills due to COVID-19 or other financial hardships.
Helping Others by Providing Electricity or H.O.P.E. is an initiative offered by the Town of Wake Forest designed to help financially disadvantaged electric customers pay their utility bills. The program is funded by the generous donations of WFP customers and administered through a partnership between the Town and ChurchNet, a local non-profit organization assisting area people in need.
WFP now offers three ways for customers to contribute to H.O.P.E. online:
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Round up your bill to the next dollar. For example, a bill of $73.46 would become $74.00. Individually, this is pretty small change; on average, participants will contribute around six dollars annually to the program.
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Make a recurring contribution with your monthly utility payment. For your convenience, the Town of Wake Forest is happy to set up a recurring donation of as little as $1/month or whatever dollar amount you choose.
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Make a one-time contribution via PayPal.
Again, each donation option is available online.
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During this time of COVID-19, we understand that, like millions of others in the nation, you may be having trouble making housing and utility payments. We hope we can help you with our latest program.
The House Wake! COVID-19 Financial Assistance Program focuses specifically on eviction prevention and utility assistance. This program provides financial assistance to tenants, landlords and utility companies to cover rent and utility shortfalls resulting from a financial hardship directly or indirectly due to COVID-19. Qualifying households must have income that does not exceed 80% area median income with priority given to households with incomes below 50% AMI.
If you are interested in applying for the House Wake! COVID-19 Financial Assistance Program, click here to access the application.
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Wake Forest Power is converting the streetlight fixtures throughout its service territory from high-pressure sodium (HPS) lights to LED. Designed to meet sustainability, safety and security needs, the LED conversion of fixtures will occur over the next three fiscal years at a cost of approximately $125K per year.
The replacement effort will concentrate on public roadways first, before proceeding into residential subdivisions and local parking lots. Replacements are currently in progress in the northeast area of town.
Light-emitting diodes (LEDs) are up to 80% more efficient than other lighting sources and use far less energy, thereby reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
Whereas the existing HPS fixtures use standard High-Pressure Sodium Vapor (HPSV) lamps with a warmer color temperature (yellow light), the new LED fixtures will have a cooler color temperature (moonlight color), which will enhance visibility and provide better color rendering. The LED fixtures will also provide better efficiency, reliability, and maintainability.
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Load management is a means of controlling the "load" or amount of electricity being used at any one time. When periods of peak demand occur, load management is used to reduce the demand and lower the cost.
How it Works
Customers that participate in any of our load management programs allow the Town of Wake Forest to manage the load via a load management switch installed on their electric water heater, electric heat strips and/or central air conditioner.
The Town provides the switches at no cost to the customer, but the customer is responsible for having the switches installed by a certified electrician.
Then, during periods of heavy demand for power, the Town sends radio signals to the load management switch to cycle off the controlled units - thereby reducing the demand. The more switches the Town has in place, the greater the impact of the load management program.
When Does the Town Load Manage?
Wake Forest averages approximately 10 days per month load managing. Typically, peak times occur on hot summer afternoons between 2-6 p.m. and cold winter mornings between 7-8 a.m. Customers participating in any of the load management programs usually do not notice when their load management switch is activated.
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Follow us on Facebook, Nextdoor, Twitter & Instagram
Wake Forest Power (WFP) utilizes Twitter and Instagram, in addition to Facebook and Nextdoor, to bolster its outreach efforts and connect and engage with customers via social media.
WFP’s Facebook, Twitter and Instagram names are the same: @WakeForestPower.
WFP customers are urged to follow WFP on one or more of these platforms to stay informed about customer programs and services, community initiatives, special events and more.
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Fortunately for Wake Forest Power customers, power outages seldom occur. Yet when they do, customers need only to call 919-761-7899 and follow the prompts to quickly notify WFP that their electricity is out.
When you call the outage reporting number, WFP's Outage Management System (OMS) attempts to identify the telephone number from which you are calling and match that number to your account. As long as WFP has the number in its system, the OMS will recognize the customer. If WFP does not have the number, or if the number on file is wrong, information pertaining to your account will not be found.
WFP strongly encourages customers to make sure they have provided accurate contact information. More specifically, customers are urged to register up to two phone numbers associated with their account.
WFP customers can update their outage phone numbers by calling the automated phone system anytime at 919-761-7899 and following the automated selection or by calling the customer service department at 919-435-9478 during normal office hours (Monday-Friday, 8 a.m.-5 p.m.).
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Use "SeeClickFix" to report street light outages & other non-emergency issues
The Town of Wake Forest offers SeeClickFix as a simple, yet effective way for residents to report street light outages and other quality of life, non-emergency issues.
By utilizing the online or mobile reporting platform, residents can report non-emergency issues through a variety of service request categories. When submitting such issues, residents can provide locational, descriptive and photographic information as they see the issue in real time. Once the resident submits an issue, the reporter, the Town, and anyone “watching” the area receives an alert. The Town then acknowledges the service request, routes it to the proper department, and updates the request – along with residents following the issue - once it’s been resolved.
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Before digging in Wake Forest, please contact the NC One Call Center (NCOCC) at 811 (or 800-632-4949).
By calling this number, the NCOCC will dispatch any utilities that have lines in your area.
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This full-color, 24-page handbook provides useful information about all things related to Wake Forest Power, including how to establish electric service, ways to protect your power, the utility’s various payment programs, energy savings initiatives, plus much more.
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A department of the Town of Wake Forest, Wake Forest Power is a public power utility comprised of 29 employees who strive to provide uninterrupted electric service to nearly 7,000 residential and commercial customers.
Altogether, our crews operate and maintain more than 40 miles of overhead primary lines and 110 miles of underground primary lines. They regularly refurbish or rebuild electric lines that show signs of wear and upgrade facilities where electric load has grown. Thanks to these efforts, our customers enjoy dependable electric service 99.9% of the time. On those rare occasions when power is interrupted, the problem is often traced to equipment issues that were undetectable prior to the outage or to unpredictable wildlife.
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You have received this e-mail because you are subscribed to E-News – part of the Town of Wake Forest’s e-mail subscription service. E-News keeps you up-to-date on Town of Wake Forest news, information, events and services. If you believe you have been subscribed in error, or would like to cancel your subscription to The Week Ahead, you may unsubscribe below.
If you have questions or comments about the Town of Wake Forest website or E-News, please contact Bill Crabtree by email or call 919-435-9421.
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