Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ'S)
How do I reach the Energy Resources Department?
Is City of Mesa electric or natural gas service available in my
area?
Who do I contact to set-up or disconnect electric or
gas service, pay my bill, answer questions
about my bill, or get
financial assistance for paying my bill?
What are the requirements and how can I become a
supplier to the Energy Resources
Department?
Why do I need to call 811 before I dig or
excavate?
What are the Energy Cost Adjustment Factors (EECAF
and PNGCAF)?
What is the Tariff Adjustment Sheet?
Can I add more gas appliances to my home?
Will the City install and connect my new gas
appliance?
Will the City of Mesa light my gas pilot light?
Who do I contact if I am experiencing problems with
my gas appliances?
What does gas smell like?
What if I have
lost my sense of smell or it is badly diminished?
Who do I call if I smell gas?
Who do I call if I want to upgrade my electric
service?
What do I need to know about
installing customer-owned generation?
What if I do not
have power?
How are customers notified of scheduled power
outages?
A door hanger was left on my door telling me my electric
service was turned on, so why don't I
have power?
Who do I call if I live in the City of Mesa electric
service area and experience *transformer
problems, downed or low hanging power lines, or vegetation that are growing on or near
power lines? **These are considered emergencies.
Who do I contact to have an electric meter
replaced due to broken glass, vandalism, etc?
"I hear that incandescent bulbs are being phased out, is
that true? If so, how does it affect me?
What is utility theft?
How can I report utility theft?
| How do I reach the Energy Resources Department? |
To reach our Energy Resources Department, call 480-644-4444.
This number will provide prompts to better direct your call.
You will need to press 1 for English or 2 for Spanish. You
will then press:
1 - Report a Utilities emergency (includes: gas, electric, water/wastewater)
2 - Pay a bill or turn-off/on service - Customer
Service Department
3 - Trash/recycling - Solid Waste Department
4 - Water and Energy Conservation
information.
5 - General gas information - Energy
Resources Department
6 - General water/wastewater information - Water
Resources Department
7 - General electric information - Energy Resources
Department
0 - All other calls (City
operator).
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| Is City of Mesa electric or natural gas
service available in my
area? |
To see if you reside in the City of Mesa electric or natural gas
service area, view our
map. Contact our Business Development Group at 480-644-3683
to determine availability in your area and to discuss your
service needs and requirements.
| Who do I contact to set-up or disconnect electric or
gas service, pay my bill, answer questions about my bill, or get
financial assistance for paying my bill? |
If you live in the City of Mesa Electric or Natural Gas service
area and need assistance to set-up/disconnect electric or
natural gas service,
have questions about your bill, or need help paying your
bill, please contact Customer Service at 480-644-2221, visit one
of their offices at 55 N. Center or 6935 E. Decatur, or visit
their website.
| What are the requirements and how can I become a
supplier to the Energy Resources Department? |
The requirements and process to become a supplier to the City's
Energy Resources Department can be found on the City of Mesa
Purchasing Department's Web site
How to do Business with Mesa.
Find additional information and requirements, including
materials and
supply specifications, for products and vendors to the Energy
Resources Department's Gas Utility Services.
| Why do I need to call 811 before I dig or excavate?
|
Whether you are building a home, installing a sprinkler system,
or just planting a tree, prior to starting any
digging/excavation project, you will need to contact the Arizona
Blue Stake Center to have underground utilities located and marked.
Call 811 two days prior to digging. It's not only a free
service, it's the law. For more information on Arizona's
"Call Before You Dig" program, visit our
"Call Before You Dig" web
page.
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| What are the Energy Cost Adjustment
Factors (EECAF
and PNGCAF)?
|
Mesa employs a purchased natural gas cost adjustment factor
(PNGCAF) and an electric energy cost adjustment factor (EECAF)
that permits Mesa to recover the costs associated with the
planning, acquisition and administration of required natural gas
supplies and electric energy supplies and transportation
services from its customers on a timely basis.
Learn more about Energy Cost Adjustment Factors
| What is the Tariff Adjustment Sheet? |
The Tariff Adjustment Sheet fully discloses the rates used to
recover energy resource costs by the district cooling, electric,
and natural gas utilities.
Learn more about the Tariff Adjustment Sheet
| Can I add more gas appliances to my home?
|
Properly installed and vented natural gas appliances can provide
additional comfort and convenience to your home. However, the
gas meter and excess flow valve installed at your house was
sized based on the homes gas appliance load. So if you add
additional gas appliances such as a barbeque, pool/spa
heater, or fire pit, the additional gas appliances may make your
total gas demand too high for your current meter and may affect
the operation of your excess flow valve (EFV).
What is an
EFV?
Prior to adding additional gas appliances to your home:
Mesa residents or their contractors should contact Mesa's
Development and Sustainability Department at 480-644-4273.
Pinal County residents or their contractors should contact
Pinal County's Building Safety office at 520-866-6405.
Your meter will be evaluated to ensure it is properly sized to
handle the additional load. If we determine you need a
larger meter, we will schedule an appointment at no charge to
you during regular business hours. If it is determined the
EFV also needs to be upgraded, it will also be replaced.
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| Will the City install and connect my new gas
appliance? |
The City of Mesa does not connect or install gas appliances as a
general practice. Pilot lighting and appliance safety
inspections on customer gas systems are available by calling
Customer Service at 480-644-2221.
| Will the City of Mesa light my gas
pilot light? |
The City of Mesa currently offers a courtesy pilot light service
and appliance safety inspection for gas customers. This
service is provided as time permits and includes lighting the
pilot and an inspection of the gas appliance to check venting,
location, and any abnormal operating conditions. Please
contact Customer Service at 480-644-2221 for this service.
| Who do I contact if I am
experiencing problems with
my gas appliances? |
If you are experiencing problems with your gas appliances (i.e.
yellow flame, smell gas, no gas), contact 480-644-4277 (GASS). A
technician will be sent out to check your appliance and conduct
a safety inspection. This is a twenty-four hour emergency
service. See also
Carbon Monoxide Poisoning (CO).
| What does gas smell like? |
Since natural gas is colorless and odorless, Mercaptan, a sulfur
based chemical which has an odor similar to "rotten eggs" is
added to our gas as a safety measure to assist in detecting even
the smallest leaks in appliances, house piping, or the
distribution system.
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| What if I have
lost my sense of smell or it is badly diminished? |
There are alarms (similar to smoke detectors) that are designed
to detect the presence of methane and provide an audible alert.
There are a number of manufacturers and models. Please visit
your local Mesa retail outlet or hardware store for
additional information on pricing and availability and be sure
to carefully follow all alarm installation and use
instructions. If you have any questions, please contact us at
480-644-4444.
| Who do I call if I smell gas? |
If you smell gas or have a gas emergency, contact 480-644-4277
(GASS) or 911.
| Who do I call if I want to
upgrade my electric
service?
|
If you want to do any building additions, remodeling or
upgrading of your electric service, contact Mesa's Development
and Sustainability Department - Building Safety at 480-644-4273
(select option 1 for English, select option 0, select option 2)
.
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| What do I need to know about installing
customer-owned generation?
|
All City of Mesa electric utility customers desiring its, or
a third party's generation equipment, to be directly or
indirectly connected to Mesa's electric system, must apply to
Mesa's Energy Resources Department prior to establishing the
interconnection. Metering method will be discussed with
each customer once an application is submitted and analyzed.
Upon acceptance and approval of customer's application, customer
must then enter into an Interconnection Service Agreement.
Prior to an installation of customer owned generation:
- Submit an application to the Energy Resources
Department.
- Schedule an appointment to discuss interconnection
equipment and meter requirements. (This is very
important given that small generators of electricity can
back-feed the electric system and create serious safety
hazards for our customers and personnel).
- Upon application approval, fill out and submit the
Interconnection Service Agreement.
For general questions or to obtain an application contact:
Pedro (Pete) Serrano
or
Lori Bonilla
Energy Resources Administrator
Business Development Coordinator 480-644-6898 480-644-2652
pedro.serrano@mesaaz.gov
lori.bonilla@mesaaz.gov
For questions regarding the application:
Michael Barber
Electrical Engineer
480-644-2264
michael.barber@mesaaz.gov
Please Note:
The application and requirements are
an addition to, not a replacement of, any other permitting,
licensing, or other applicable building requirements of the City
of Mesa.
Obtaining
Permits
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| What if I do not have power? |
If you do not have power check the following:
- Check if your electric bill is current (to pay your bill
contact Customer Service at 480-644-2221, visit one of their
offices at 55 N. Center or 6935 E. Decatur, or visit their
website.
- Check all of the breakers. If all of the breakers are on,
please call us at 480-644-2266.
- If you live in an apartment, check the main breaker outside.
If the main breaker is on, contact your apartment office.
| How are customers notified of
scheduled power
outages?
|
In the event of a scheduled power outage, door hangers are
typically put
on customer doors at least one day prior to scheduled outage.
In some cases you may be informed personally by Electric
operations personnel.
|
A door hanger was left on my door telling me my electric
service was turned on, so why don't I have power? |
Once we turn on your power, you will still need to turn on the
main breaker.
| Who do I call if I live in the City of Mesa electric
service area and experience
*transformer problems, downed or low hanging power lines, or
vegetation that are growing on or near
power lines? **These are considered emergencies. |
If you live in the City's electric service area, contact
480-644-2266.
*Transformer problems include: hearing popping noises, arching,
fire, smoking, or leaking fluids.
| Who do I contact to have an
electric meter
replaced due to broken glass, vandalism, etc? |
If you live in the City of Mesa Electric service area, please
contact Customer Service at 480-644-2221 or visit one of their
offices at 55 N. Center or 6935 E. Decatur.
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|
"I hear that
incandescent bulbs are being phased out, is that
true? If so, how does it affect me?"
|
Yes. Since lighting accounts for about 15 percent of
the electrical use in homes, the Energy Independence and
Security Act of 2007 (the "Act") is targeting a reduction in
energy used and greenhouse gas emissions by its provisions to
transition end-use users of light bulbs to lower-wattage,
energy-saving options. The Act does not restrict use of bulbs by
average consumers (i.e. the Act DOES NOT require customers to
throw out incandescent light bulbs). Instead, the Act
imposes requirements on manufacturers and sellers of light bulbs
and, therefore, will have an impact on products available for
sale to consumers:
- The Act requires that all light bulbs sold must maintain
the same or greater light output and quality as an
incandescent light bulb.
- All light bulbs produced after January 1, 2012 must be
25 to 30 percent more energy efficient than today's
technology of incandescent bulbs. This process will begin
with the 100 watt bulb in 2012, the 75 watt bulb in 2013,
and the 60 watt and 40 watt bulbs in 2014.
- By 2020, all bulbs manufactured/sold will have to be at
least 70 percent more efficient than today's incandescent
bulbs.
Light bulbs meeting efficiency standards which will remain
available for consumers to purchase include:
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Utility theft is the illegal practice of manipulating or
bypassing natural gas, electric, and/or water meters to avoid
paying for some or all of the service used. UTILITY THEFT IS
DANGEROUS AND IT'S AGAINST THE LAW! It also increases
operating costs for the City's Energy and Water Resources
Departments and those increased costs, like all operating costs,
find their way back to legitimate customers.
What are the dangers associated with utility theft?
Utility theft can result in fire, property damage and hazardous
conditions that can cause personal injury. Attempting to
bypass or tamper with electric, gas, or water meters can affect
innocent members of the community as it may result in serious
injury or death from fire, explosion, electrocution, and even
jeopardize the safety of the City's water supply. Even if
the danger does not occur at the time of the theft, the meter is
often left in an unsafe condition that is potentially dangerous.
Individuals caught stealing energy are subject to immediate
disconnection of service, civil collection proceedings and the
possibility of criminal prosecution that may result in a fine,
imprisonment or both.
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|
How can I report
utility theft?
|
Your safety is a priority! Therefore, because of the
inherent dangers to our communty, the City has provided persons
who suspect theft, meter tampering and other possibly
inappropriate or suspicious activity to utilities, a convenient
way to report those suspicious activities. While City
employees are trained to detect signs of meter tampering and
utility theft, anonymous tips are an important part of
discovering theft. You can report meter tampering or other
suspicious activities involving City utilities by calling 480-644-2221 or
online.
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