This week, the city of Grand Island launched a new billing and payment system for residents’ utility bills called SmartHub.
The SmartHub system officially launched Monday “and puts customers in control of their account,” the city says in a news release.
“The new system will allow customers of Grand Island Utilities to save time and money by managing their account anytime from anywhere,” the city says.
“We have been listening to you and we hear your concerns about having more control on your account and better information to help make decisions that can lower your bills,” City Administrator Laura McAloon says in the release. “After years of researching solutions we have launched a state-of-the-art utility billing system that will enable our ratepayers to quickly and easily pay their bills and see their electric and water usage every month.”
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SmartHub is designed to give customers complete control over their account by giving them the tools that deliver the right information at the right time so customers can make the right decisions about their usage and account.
The transition to SmartHub means all customers have a new account number for their Grand Island Utilities bills. The new account number will be visible on the November invoice.
“If we have your email on file, you should have received an email with your account number and links for SmartHub our new website and mobile app,” the news release says.
The city provided the following list of SmartHub tools and benefits that utility customers will now be able to access:
Billing and Payments: Access your bill at anytime from anywhere. Save time with easy payment options to avoid late fees and service interruptions. Customers previously set up on bank draft had their banking information transferred into SmartHub and will not need to update it. Customers who use their own bank billpay system will need to update the account number with their banking or payment service provider.
Alerts and Notifications: Stay informed on important account events via email or text messages. Receive the information you need to make the right decisions about your account without having to make a phone call or wait on hold.
Paperless Billing: Customers who had previously signed up for paperless billing will need to set that up again in SmartHub after creating an account. The city encourages all customers to consider activating SmartHub’s paperless billing option, an eco-friendly way to instantly access your bill.
Usage Monitoring: Worrying about usage or surprising bill amounts can be stressful. When you know what devices are using the most energy, you can make money-saving decisions about your account.
To get started with the new SmartHub account, customers will need an email address and their new SmartHub account number. If the city had your email already on file, those customers should have received an email on Oct. 31 with a link and their new account number and they can quickly register using the link in that email.
Customers who receive a mailed bill can find their new SmartHub account number on their paper bills, beginning with the November bill and should register using the SmartHub support page at www.giud.com/your-account/smarthub.
Once customers have set up their SmartHub accounts, the city encourages them to take advantage of its features and tools. Customers can set up text or app alerts and notifications about their bills or usage patterns, and can take advantage of paperless billing and auto-pay options. The support page and link also provide customers with the option to download the SmartHub app for both Android and Apple users.
McAloon noted it took her just a few minutes to set up her account and immediately see her family’s recent usage patterns. “We can’t wait to see how much time and money our Grand Island Utilities customers will save by managing their account at anytime from anywhere with SmartHub,” she said.
If you need internet access and do not have it, visit the Grand Island Public Library, located at 1124 W. Second St. to use one of the public computers. The city encourages customers who have questions or need assistance with locating their account number or registering for SmartHub to contact the Customer Service Team at 308-385-5480 (press option 4 when prompted) during the hours of 8 am.. to 5 p.m. Monday and Friday and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.
Inquiries may also be emailed to customerservice@grandisland.com. The city’s Utilities website at www.giud.com and its Facebook site at www.facebook.com/GrandIslandUtilities will also have all of the latest updates.