BPU Frequently Asked Questions
- Where are you located?
- The BPU Administration Building is located at 540 Minnesota Avenue in Kansas City, Kansas 66101. However, our lobby is closed to the public. If you previously paid your bill in person, please click here to see our ‘Bill Pay Options’ page for a number of quick, easy and convenient ways to pay your bill remotely.
- What are your customer service hours?
- Our customer service phone lines are open Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
- Please call 913-573-9190 for customer service-related inquiries such as account information, billing, stop/start service. You can pay your bill by phone 24/7 by calling 1-855-BPU-BILL 24/7.
- What documents do I need to provide to sign up for service?
- Residential Accounts
Please provide the following for all parties on the agreement or settlement statement. Social Security Number or ITIN (Individual Taxpayer Identification Number) along with one of the following valid pieces of identification: a driver’s license, passport, state ID, or military 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 email your documents to signforservice@bpu.com. You can also fax your documents to 913-573-9016.
- If you have additional questions, please call Customer Service at 913-573-9190.
- How do I have my utility service turned on?
- Property Renter - You will need to provide the following information:
- Copy of the lease/rental agreement
- Valid driver’s license or State ID
- Social Security Number
- Property Owner - Please call the BPU Customer Service line at 913-573-9190. You will need the following information:
- Copy of the settlement agreement
- Valid driver’s license or State ID
- Social Security Number
- You can email your documents to signforservice@bpu.com or you can fax your documents to 913-573-9016.
- 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 card, or credit card 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 customer connection charge covers the cost of connecting new service and recording the starting meter read. A payment of $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. Deposit amounts are $80 for electricity, $20 for water, and $5 for water pollution. After 24 consecutive months, with no more than two late payments, 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 or the past utilities provider. New BPU customers can send their past payment history to BPU Customer Service at 540 Minnesota Avenue, Kansas City, Kansas 66101.
- Are there any commercial fees to have service turned on?
- Two charges are billed to new commercial customers. A customer connection charge 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 with an acceptable Dunn and Bradstreet credit rating, or upon review by BPU’s internal auditors of a current financial statement, which indicates financial strength equal to an acceptable Dunn and Bradstreet credit rating.
- Cash deposits earn interest after one year. 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, commercial customers should call 913-573-9190 between 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday.
- 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 does not 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?
- You can call our Customer Service line at 913-573-9190 or click here to log in to the Customer Self-Service portal.
- How do I pay my bill?
- Online click here to pay 24x7 using a credit card or bank account. Payments received by 1:00 p.m. central time Monday through Friday will post to your account at the end of the business day. Payments received after 1:00 p.m. or on weekends and holidays will be posted to your account at the end of the next business day.
- 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 click here to enroll online.
- By phone Call 1-855-BPU-BILL with credit card or bank account.
- By mail Send a check or money order to PO Box 219661, Kansas City, Missouri 64121.
- At the 24/7 Drop Box outside the door of the Customer Service Lobby at 540 Minnesota Avenue, Kansas City, KS 66101, using check or money orders. Payments placed in the box weekdays (excluding holidays) before 5:00 p.m. are applied to the account the same business day.
- At grocery store, use the PaySite kiosks in Wyandotte County. Call 1-877-876-7076 or click here for kiosk locations.
- Where are your PaySite kiosk locations? What is the cutoff time for my payment to post the same day?
- PaySite kiosks are located throughout the greater Kansas City area. Call 1-877-876-7076 or click here for kiosk 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 click here, then click on ‘Manage Account.’ Once there, register for access and log in. After logging in, go to Payment – Automatic Payments 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 name, phone number or address for your BPU account, please call 913-573-9190 to speak to a Customer Service representative.
- 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?
- You can Click here to go to the Customer Self Service (CSS) page to view your current and/or previous bills, then click on “Manage Account.” Once there, register for access and log in. After logging in, go to Account – Account Transaction History 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 a number of ways, please click here to see our Bill Pay Options page for quick, easy and convenient ways to pay your bill. If the payment is made by 4:00 p.m., then service is guaranteed to be restored from a disconnection within 24 hours.
- 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 is the Weather Rule for service disconnection?
- During the months of November through March, KCBPU will not disconnect residential electric customers for nonpayment of bills when the National Weather Service forecasts that the temperature will remain at or below 32 degrees Fahrenheit for 24 hours. KCBPU will check the weather forecasts daily between 8:00 a.m. and 9:00 a.m.
- During summer months on any day when the National Weather Service forecasts the temperature will rise 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.
- Water service can be disconnected at any time.
- This is consistent with ALL other KC metro area utilities: Evergy, Independence Power & Light, Missouri Gas Energy, Kansas Gas Service and Atmos Energy.
- Do you offer any rebates?
- You can call 913-573-9922 for more information on rebates currently being offered.
- 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 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 are your tree trimming procedures?
- For the Board of Public Utilities’ current procedure, 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 at 6:00 p.m. on the 1st and 3rd Wednesdays of the month. Due to COVID-19 and the safety of BPU customers and employees, the board meetings are currently being conducted virtually. Please reference the board meeting news release for details. Meeting reminders are posted on the BPU Facebook and Twitter pages. You may also call 913-573-9024 to confirm dates and times.
- 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:
- Call the Ethics Hotline at 913-271-6337
- Email at bpuethics@gmail.com
- Regular mail at 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. At this time, due to COVID-19, BPU has eliminated all public tours.
- The staff levels are adequate to oversee the water production facility, but not to provide tours. We hope to reinstate tours in the future.