Customer Service FAQ

How do I establish new residential service?

Stop by our office at 901 S. Jackson St. and speak to Vickie, Earla, Shea, Autumn, or Trina in our customer service department. If you are a new customer, you will be asked to fill out a short form listing all occupants of the residence over the age of 18, and you will need to bring your driver’s license and/or Social Security card with you. If you have purchased a new home, no deposit will be required with proof of ownership. For renters, a deposit of $125 is required for electricity, $30 for sewer, $20 for water (inside the city limits), and $30 for water (outside the city limits). TUB will waive the security deposit for customers with outstanding credit following a credit check. The balance of the deposit is refundable when the last bill has been paid after service has been terminated. Same day service is guaranteed if requested before 2 p.m. The cost to establish new service or transfer service is $30.

Do you all do more utilities than just electric, water, and wastewater?

We do not do natural gas.  However, we are the only true local provider of state-of-the-art, fiber optic cabling to the home/business.  Through our LightTUBe division, TUB provides high quality television, high speed Internet, and feature-rich telephone. Upgrade to LightTUBe today!

What about commercial service?

An application form, identification, and deposit is required for those seeking to establish service for new businesses. The deposit will be based upon the average or estimated billing of two months of service to that location. Customers have a variety of ways to pay these deposits: cash, bank-qualified letter of credit, bond,  or through TVA's security deposit program for 50KW or greater customers. Please call our customer service department for more information.

How do I stop or transfer service?

Customers must request in writing that service be terminated. This can be accomplished through the fax machine, or by a simple visit to the customer service department. Same day service is promised if the request is made prior to 2 p.m.

Where can I pay my utility bill?

Payments are accepted in our service center located at 901 S. Jackson Street, at the drive-up window located in the front of the service center, by mail, or at a number of banks throughout town. Automatic bank drafts are also available. For more information talk to our customer service department by calling 455-4515 and press option 3.

May I pay my bill with a credit/debit card?

TUB now accepts VISA and MasterCard credit and debit cards. Payments with a credit card may be made in the office, or over the telephone with proper identification. A 3% service charge will be paid by the customer when using a credit card. This amount is charged to TUB by the credit card companies for each transaction. A fee of 75 cents will be added to each debit card transaction.

What services do you offer?

We provide the residents of Tullahoma with electricity, water and wastewater services. We are a distributor of TVA power, and our rates are among the lowest in the country. Our water is purchased from the Duck River Utility Commission and we own and operate the city’s wastewater plant.  Through our LightTUBe division, we provide state-of-the-art, fiber optic cabling to the home/business, which allows us to provide high quality television, high speed Internet, and feature-rich telephone services to our customers.

TUB offers a variety of services. Among these are:

Budget Billing Customers in good standing for at least a year can have their annual electric usage averaged, resulting in a similar amount owed each month. At the end of the year, refunds are issued for overpayments, and any amount owed above the budget is due. Water and wastewater will be billed monthly for the actual usage rather than being averaged, so the total bill will not be the same amount each month.

Project Help This program allows our customers to donate a certain amount of money each month to help the elderly and disabled.  Project Help survives only through contributions of TUB customers.  100% of donations goes to pay heating bills through the winter.  Contact customer service for more information.

Third Party Notifier This program allows a customer’s friend or family member to be notified if that customer is about to be terminated for non-payment. The friend or family member is not responsible for payment of the bill.

Replace-A-Tree Trees are a wonderful asset to any community, but oftentimes they interfere with power transmission, or become a danger during an ice storm. An active supporter of the local Tree Board, TUB has initiated a program which allows customers to have tall trees that have grown underneath high voltage power lines removed. The customer can then apply for a rebate after purchasing a low-growing variety of tree for replacement. For more information call David Johnson at 455-4515.

Educational Programs TUB is a supporter of Creating Educational Opportunities (CEO), the local partnership between schools and businesses. Each year, employees visit the schools to discuss electrical safety and water conservation, and participate in science fairs and career day events. Tours are held at both the wastewater treatment plant and the service center.  We can also arrange tours of the water plant through D.R.U.C. for groups.

Loans and Rebates Rebates are available for customers who install a new electric water heater (certain restrictions apply) and electric heat pumps through the TVA "energy right" plan. For more information call Mary Mealer at 455-4515 or visit www.energyright.com.

Do the meter readers really read my meter, or do they just "take a guess" at my usage?

Our meter department consists of six employees who read every electric and water meter each month. They also connect and disconnect services and re-check meters at the customers’ requests. Occasionally, a bill may be estimated due to obstacles that prevent us from reading the meters, including a locked gate or a vicious dog in the yard. For more information on the meter department call Freddie Bush at 455-4515.

If my power goes out, how do I report it?

If you have experienced a power outage, please call us immediately at 455-4515, option 1. If the power outage is widespread, you may hear a busy signal. During an emergency situation, thousands of customers are calling our office at the same time, and all eight phone lines may be tied up for hours. During an isolated outage, don’t assume that your neighbor reported the outage. Some homes are on solitary transformers, and you may be the only customer without power. After reporting the outage, call again in about an hour if service has not been restored

When there is a power outage, can you tell me when my power will be restored?

During an emergency situation, it is almost impossible to predict when all the power will be restored. We try to answer all questions as best we can, but sometimes a definite answer is not available. When power has been disconnected for routine maintenance, the switchboard operator will tell you when power is expected to be restored.

How do I report a water leak?

If you spot a wet place in the road or in your yard that is not due to rain, or your water meter appears to be leaking, please call us immediately at 455-4515, press option 1.

How can I tell if I have a water leak in my house?

Most of the time, water leaks are caused by leaky toilets. Place a few drops of blue food coloring in the tank of the toilet, wait a few minutes and then check the bowl. If the water is blue in the bowl, you have a leak. A leaky toilet can waste hundreds of gallons of water per month. This can raise both your water and sewer bills, since sewer bills are based on water usage.

For very large water leaks, the culprit may be the water pipes in your yard.. To check if the leak is in the house or in the yard, turn off the water’s shut-off valve located near the foundation of your home. If the dial on your water meter is still moving, the leak is located in the yard. Call your plumber immediately.

Do you all finance heat pumps?

Yes. Through our electric supplier TVA we offer a program that allows our residential customers who own their homes to install a heat pump and have the payments placed on their utility bills each month. Terms of the loan are 8% interest for a period of up to 10 years. You must use a TVA-approved heat pump contractor. Rebates are also available.

Is it possible to find out what the past electric and water usage in my new home was?

Yes. we can provide print outs of the bills for the past 15 months.

Are you available 24 hours a day, seven days a week?

Our office hours are from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. weekdays. However, a standby supervisor is available 24 hours a day for emergency situations. For calls placed after working hours, the answering service will contact the standby supervisor, who will then take the appropriate action to correct the problem.

Can I have my monthly payment automatically taken out of my bank account?

TUB's bank draft program is a convenient way of paying monthly utility bills.  During these times of high priced gasoline, postage costs are going up every few years, etc., it just makes it much more convenient for our customers to pay by bank draft.  When paying by bank draft, the amount of the bill is presented to the customer's bank the day before the due date and there is never a reason for a late fee due to being out of town on vacation or away because of an emergency.  Please contact our customer service department at 455-4515, option 3, to arrange for bank draft.

How do I get an employment application for a job position that is open at TUB?

TUB Applications for jobs open at TUB can be picked up during normal business hours; Monday through Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.  You can also download an employment application by clicking here.