Performance Utilities is Growing
We’re proud of our Texas heritage. Performance Utility Management and Billing was born here, and right here’s where we’re growing. This last month we’ve added two new communities, Hampton Townhomes and Amber Creek. We’re honored to know that dozens of properties and thousands of residents look to us to manage their utility needs.
E-Billing Accounts Work for Everyone, and We Proved It!
Over the last few months, Performance Utility Management and Billing began a major push to get as many residents as possible an E-Billing Account. That’s because we found that residents with an E-Billing Account very rarely had to call us directly with a question on their billing, and instances where the Community Manager had to seek our assistance for a resident’s utility concern were almost non-existent. The residents had all the information they needed right there online.
We got to work, setting up an easy community payment portal on our website, sending an E-Billing Account information postcard to every resident at every community we partner with, and providing a welcome letter to each resident as well.
It’s been a little eerie since then, because the phones went quiet. Performance Utilities has thousands of resident accounts, and yet for the last two months we’ve averaged barely two calls per week.
If you need additional hard copies of your resident welcome letter, or have any E-Billing Account questions, feel free to contact us at customerservice@performanceutilities.com or calling us at (855) 326-6434.
Save Costs by Saving Water
If you’ve been following our Facebook Page, you’ve noticed we’ve posted on several programs that provide rebates for water conservation programs. At Performance Utilities, we can show you how to obtain significant rebates for water saving programs, and how these programs aren’t just good for our most precious natural resource, but your bottom line as well.
For example, Newport Apartments, a 308-unit community located in Irving, Texas contacted us about their high utility bills. Their water charge was 50% higher than communities of a similar size. After analyzing their needs and the cause, Performance Utility Management and Billing recommended they replace their aging water products with water conserving Niagara products. We guided the management team through product selection, initiated the order, and completed the installation process.
The savings were immediate, and long lasting. In fact, the savings alone paid for the entire upgrade within 18 months, and the project was completed five years ago! On top of that, we helped the management company receive an estimated $49,000 reimbursement through the Freddie Mac Multifamily Green Advantage program for the first year. This program helps ownership lower lender interest rates along with energy saving rebates on an annual basis.
All Bills Paid Costs!
“All bills paid” is often advertised as a convenience for the resident, but often isn’t the best thing for the environment, the owner of the community, or the resident. That’s because this billing model is often responsible for significant increases in utility usage, especially water and wastewater.
As an example, Performance Utility Management and Billing was asked to provide a solution for one particular North Texas multifamily community. Their “all bills paid” model was causing a severe loss in the payments collected versus the amount of the water expensed. We moved the community to a PUC approved Ratio Utility Billing System (RUBS), 50% based on the number of occupants, and 50% based on the square footage of the apartment home. The community was then recovering enough to fully pay for the utility, and cost-based water usage went down 10%. That’s a savings for the resident, the community owner, and the environment.
Beyond these savings, in some instances, “all bills paid” can even be illegal, if the amount collected is higher than the allowable percentage of the water expense.
Performance Utility Management and Billing can consult with you to make sure you’re within the bounds of the law, recovering your costs, and doing right by our environment.
Stay Cool and Stay In Touch
This year’s La Niña weather pattern is the strongest in over a decade, leaving the air hot and dry, even for Texas! Expect continued high utility use from residents across the state. If you should have any questions or concerns with your utilities, water or energy conservation, please don’t hesitate to call us.
