BPU Frequently Asked Questions

• Where are you located?
  • The BPU Administration Building is located at 540 Minnesota Avenue, Kansas City, Kansas.


• What are your customer service hours?
  • Customers can access self-service options 24/7 at bpu.com by selecting ‘Manage Account.’
    
    If you need to speak to someone by phone, our phone lines are open Monday through Friday from 7:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. Our customer service phone number is 913-573-9190.
    

• What documents do I need to provide to sign up for service?
  • Residential accounts
    You will need to provide your Social Security Number or ITIN (Individual Taxpayer Identification Number) along with one of the following valid pieces of identification: a driver’s license, passport, or state ID. You must also provide a signed lease agreement or settlement statement for all parties on the agreement and, if applicable, a management agreement.
  • Commercial accounts
    You will need to provide your Tax ID Number or letter. You must also provide a signed lease agreement or settlement statement for all parties on the agreement and, if applicable, a management agreement.
    
    
• Where do I send my documents to sign up for service?
  • You can sign up for service on MyMeter. You can also fax your documents to 913-573-9070. For additional information, please visit bpu.com and select the link New Service/Transfer Service.
  • Any outstanding balances from previous BPU accounts must be paid in full prior to obtaining new service. Cash, personal check, cashier’s check, money order, debit cards, or credit cards are all acceptable forms of payment for old accounts.
    
    
• Are there residential fees I need to pay to have my service turned on?
  • Two charges are billed to new residential customers. The Service Fee covers the cost of connecting new service and recording the starting meter read. $75 plus tax covers both electric and water or a single service. This charge is designed so that only customers who move pay this charge instead of billing those costs into the rates all customers pay.
    
    In addition, a security deposit may be charged to residential customers who do not own the property. Please click here to view our Fee Schedule for deposits. After 24 consecutive months, with no more than one late payment, deposits are credited to the customer's account with interest.
    
    Deposit amounts may be raised in cases of bankruptcy, misrepresentation of facts, or service theft. Deposits can also be waived if a good payment history has been established with BPU.
• 
  Are there any commercial fees to have service turned on?
  • Two charges are billed to new commercial customers. A Service Fee covers the cost of service connection and recording starting reads, which amounts to $75 plus taxes for both electric and water or for a single service. This charge is designed so that only customers who move pay this charge instead of billing those costs into the rates all customers pay.
    
    
  • The second charge is a security deposit, which is figured at two and a half times the highest bill of the last 12 months. If no history is available, the deposit can be based on a similar business’s usage or an engineering estimate. The deposit may be in cash, a letter of credit or certificate of deposit from a Kansas financial institution, or a surety bond issued through an insurance carrier. Deposits may also be waived if the customer sets up Automatic Payments. Upon a 36-month, consecutive, on-time bill pay record, deposits and interest are refunded or the non-cash deposit will be returned.
    
    
  • To sign up for service, visit bpu.com and select the link New Service/Transfer Service.
    
• 
  Do I need to pay the service fee and/or deposit charges when I sign up for service?
  • No. The service fee and/or deposit don’t need to be paid immediately upon signing up for service. These charges are billed to you and will be added to your first bill.
    
    
• Do I need to pay my account to current or any existing old accounts before obtaining service?
  • Yes. You must pay any current or old accounts to current in order to obtain service.
    
    
• Will I need to pay a deposit if I am a new customer or transferring service?
  • All customers will be subject to a maximum deposit. The deposit can be reduced if the customer supplies KCBPU with approved personal, identifiable information. If such information is provided, the deposit will be determined by a sliding scale, based on the credit rating of the applicant. The scale will be determined by using a credit rating service utilized by KCBPU.
    
    
  • Customers transferring service may have the deposit waived if the applicant is a current customer of the utility and has not incurred more than one penalty amount assessed over the previous twelve months of history, and there has been no disconnect activity.
    
    
• How do I have my utility service turned off?

  Call 913-573-9190.
  Or

  • Online at www.bpu.com by selecting ‘Manage Account. Log in to your account then click on ‘Start Stop Transfer Service’ in the profile drop-down menu on the upper right corner of the screen.
    
    

• How do I pay my bill?
  • Online 24/7 at
    www.bpu.com, using a credit card or bank account.
  • Use Automatic Payment Plan to have the monthly balance taken out of a bank account. To set up this option, call 913-573-9190 or enroll online at www.bpu.com.
  • By phone at 1-855-BPU-BILL with a credit card or bank account.
  • By mail at PO Box 219661, Kansas City, Missouri 64121, using a check or money order.
  • At the 24/7 Drop Box outside the door of the Customer Service Lobby, using cash, check or money orders. Payments placed in the box on weekdays (excluding holidays) before 5:00 p.m. are applied to the account on the same business day.
  • At local banks that accept BPU payments, including Bank Midwest, Brotherhood, First State, Security and UMB.
  • At grocery store pay site kiosks in Wyandotte County. Call 1-877-876-7076 or click here for participating locations.


• Where are your pay site kiosk locations? What is the cutoff time for my payment to post the same day?
  • Many pay site kiosks are located within grocery stores in Wyandotte County. Call 1-877-876-7076 or click here for participating locations. Payments made at a kiosk pay site need to be made before 3:00 p.m. in order for the payment to post to your account the same day. Payments made after 3:00 p.m. will post to your account after 8:00 a.m. the next business day.
    
    
• Is ACH available for residential/commercial customers?
  • Yes. ACH is available for both residential and commercial customers. The Automatic Bank Draft Payment Plan option allows your financial institution to automatically pay your monthly utility bill from your bank account.
    
    
• How it works:
  • You will receive a statement for your utility bill that tells you how much will be drafted.
  • Your financial institution will automatically make a payment in full approximately 24 days after the bill date.
  • There is no charge to sign up for the Automatic Payment Plan.
  • You can terminate the Automatic Payment Plan but are still responsible for the timely payment of your bill.
  • Please continue to pay your bill as you have until you see a message in the “Important Messages” section of your bill stating, “DO NOT PAY – PER YOUR AUTHORIZATION.” This process could take one to two bill cycles to take effect. Please note that when your bill states “DO NOT PAY – PER YOUR AUTHORIZATION,” the full amount shown on your bill will be drafted from your bank account.
  • To set up ACH, visit the Board of Public Utilities’ online customer portal at www.BPU.com, then click on ‘Manage Account.’ Once there, register for access and log in. After login, go to 'View/Pay Bill' at the top of the page.


• What is the average BPU billing cycle?
  • Billing reflects services already used. For example: If a bill is due January 13, it is for services used November 15 through December 16. That bill is due approximately 25-36 days later. When a bill is received, it is about 60 days old from the start of the service period.
    
    
• How do I change my account information?
  • To update your phone number or address for your BPU account:
    • Visit www.BPU.com and click on ‘Manage Account.’ After login, go to ‘View/Pay Bill’ at the top of the page then ‘Utility/Service Requests’ to make changes to your account.
    • Call to speak to Customer Service at 913-573-9190.


• How can I change the name on my account if the status of my account has changed due to death, divorce, etc.?
  • You should call Customer Service at 913-573-9190.
    
    
• How do I view my current and/or previous bills?
  • To view your current and/or previous bills, visit the Board of Public Utilities’ online customer portal at www.BPU.com, then click on ‘Manage Account.’ Once there, register for access and log in. After login, go to ‘View/Pay Bill’ at the top of the page. You will be able to view up to the last 18 months of bills.


• How do I get my service restored after it’s been disconnected?
  • Payments can be made online, in person or by phone. Once the full past-due balance has been paid, service will be restored within 24 hours. Please call the confirmation line at 913-573-9191 to report your payment and have services reconnected.
  
  
• I paid my utility bill at the end of the day. Will you restore service after hours?
  • For payments made during normal business hours, services should be restored within 24 hours. If your service is not restored, please call 913-573-9190. Payments made after normal business hours will be restored the next business day.
    
    
• What is the Environmental Surcharge (ESC)?
  • The ESC reflects the borrowing costs for capital equipment on power plants required to comply with federal, state, and local environmental regulations.
    
    
• What is the Energy Rate Component (ERC)?
  • The ERC represents the utility’s cost of fuel used to generate electricity and the cost of power that must be purchased from the market.

• What types of notifications will I receive through BPU text alerts?
  

  Customers will receive important notifications such as:

  • Billing information
  • Payment information
  • Electric outages
  • Water outages
  • Potential water leaks
  • Scheduled maintenance alerts


• How do I know the text alerts are from BPU?

  BPU text alerts will come from 80213. To avoid confusion with scams, save this contact as “BPU Texting.”



• Am I automatically signed up for the text alerts?

  If you provided a cell phone number to BPU, you are automatically opted in.

  
  
• Can I opt out of receiving text alerts?

  Yes, you can opt out anytime by texting “QUIT” to 80213.



• What should I do if my phone number changes or is incorrect on my bill?

  Please call BPU Customer Service at 913-573-9190 to update your contact information.

• COLD AND HOT WEATHER DISCONNECTION RULE:
  • On any day when the National Weather service forecasts the temperature to be at or above 95 degrees Fahrenheit, or the heat index will rise above 105 degrees Fahrenheit, KCBPU will not disconnect electric Service for non-payment of bills. KCBPU will check the weather forecasts daily between 8:00 AM and 9:00 AM.
    
    
  • On any day when the National Weather Service forecasts the temperature will be at or below 32 degrees Fahrenheit in the next 24 hours, KCBPU will not disconnect Residential electric Service for non-payment of bills. KCBPU will check the weather forecasts daily between 8:00 AM and 9:00 AM.
    
    
  • Water service can be disconnected at any time.
    
    

• Do you offer any rebates?
  • Email publicaffairs@bpu.com for more information on rebates currently being offered.

Who do I contact about trash, recycling, and wastewater issues?

The United Government Public Works Department is responsible for garbage, recycling and wastewater. For wastewater issues, contact Public Works by calling 913-573 5311. For trash or recycling issues, contact WM by calling 1-800-796-9696.

• How do I report a power outage?
  • You should call 913-573-9522..
    
    
• How do I report a downed power line?
  • You should call 913-573-9522..
    
    
• How do I report an electric emergency or unsafe condition?
  • An electric emergency can be a power outage, partial power, or downed electrical lines/poles. Calling the 24/7 Electricity Outage Hotline at 913-573-9522. with your exact location is the best way to have an outage recorded and quickly restored. The trouble clerk may be busy calling crews in to repair damage, so you may have to leave a recorded message, or you may get a busy signal if a large number of customers are also without power.
    
    
• How do I report a water leak/outage?
  • You should call 913-573-9622..
    
    
• How do I report water main breaks?
  • You should call 913-573-9622..
    
    
• How do I report a water emergency or unsafe condition?
  • Calling the Water Outage Hotline with your exact location is the best way to have an outage documented and quickly restored. When calling to report a water main break, please provide an exact location. Call 913-573-9622. from 8:00 a.m. to midnight on weekdays, and 913-573-9522. from midnight to 8:00 a.m. on weekends and holidays.
    
    
• How do I report a traffic light is out?
  • You should call 913-573-9522..
    
    
• How do I report a streetlight or Private Area Light that is out?
  • You should call 913-573-9522.. Simply provide the address, cross streets, or pole number, along with a description of the problem.
    
    
• How do I report someone stealing electricity or water?
  • You should call Customer Service at 913-573-9190.

• What is your tree trimming policy?
  • For the Board of Public Utilities’ current policy, please click here.
    
    
• There are tree limbs on my line. Will you trim them?
  • For the Board of Public Utilities emergency tree trimming procedures, please click here.

• Who do I call to make sure that it is safe to dig on my property?
  • If you are planting trees, installing a sprinkler system or doing anything involving digging or excavation, call 1-800-DIG-SAFE to locate all underground utility lines.

• When and where are the BPU Board Meetings held?
  • Board meetings are open to the public, and are typically held on the 1st and 3rd Wednesdays of the month. Meetings begin at 6:00 p.m. in the BPU Administration Building at 540 Minnesota Avenue in Kansas City, Kansas. The public may also attend virtually via Zoom. Meeting reminders are posted on the BPU Facebook and Twitter pages. To confirm meeting dates and times, call 913-573-9025.

• How do I make an ethics inquiry or complaint?
  • Complaints will be investigated without a witness’s name and can be filed anonymously. Ethics complaints and inquiries can be received by:
  • Calling the Ethics Hotline at 913-271-6337
  • Email at bpuethics@gmail.com
  • Regular mail, Attention: Ethics Administrator – Confidential, 827 Armstrong Avenue, Suite 301, Kansas City, Kansas 66101
  • Fax at 913-321-0199

• Does BPU provide tours at the water treatment plant?
  • Since 9/11, BPU has enhanced its already stringent safety guidelines, including limiting public tours at our facilities.
    
    
  • We occasionally offer tours for small groups, normally no more than 25 people. Tours usually last about 1 to 1-1/2 hours. We will need plenty of advance notice to plan accordingly. For more information, contact media@bpu.com.