Utility Transition FAQs

Q. Are the utility phone numbers going to change?

A. No, the phone numbers will not change. The Citizens Gas phone number for residential customers will remain (317) 924-3311 and Citizens Water number will remain (317) 631-1431.

Q. Will my gas and water meter be read together each month and will both bills be due at the same time?

A. There will no immediate change in the way we read gas and water meters, and we will continue to bill each service separately when we combine our operations. We do plan to combine the billing for all services into one bill soon.

Q. Will Citizens Water estimate my bill during the winter time?

A. Yes, there will be occasions during which we will estimate bills due to heavy snow making underground water meters inaccessible. We do plan to change the bill estimation procedure at a future date to better reflect actual usage.

Q. Where should I mail my payments and who should I make my check payable to?

A. We will combine the billing for all services into one bill in the near future. Until then we will send separate bills. Gas bill payments, payable to Citizens Gas, should be sent to P. O. Box 7056, Indianapolis, IN 46207. Water payments, payable to Citizens Water, should be sent to P.O. Box 1990, Indianapolis, IN 46206.

Q. Can I send one check for both bills?

A. No, please make gas bill checks payable to Citizens Gas and water bill checks payable to Citizens Water.

Q. Can I get assistance to pay my water bill?

A. Citizens will offer flexible payment arrangements to water customers to help them catch up on past due bills and remain connected to the system.

Q. Will a budget plan be offered to pay my water bill?

A. Citizens plans to offer a budget program to water customers in the future.

Q. Can I call one company to have both my water and gas turned off?

A. Citizens Energy Group plans to implement a process approximately three months after the acquisition to accommodate this request with one call. For the immediate future continue to contact each company for all service requests.

Q. Will Citizens continue the Septic Tank Elimination Program (STEP)?

A. Yes, Citizens is committed to continuing STEP, including completion of about 7,000 currently scheduled septic tank replacements through the year 2013.

Q. Where do I call about the STEP program?

A. Calls about STEP should be made to 327-8314.

Q. Can I come to the Citizens Gas lobby for water issues?

A. Customers will be directed to the Citizens Gas lobby when appropriate. Once the Contact Centers are fully combined, all customer requests will be able to be addressed in the Citizens Gas lobby.

Q. Will the water website change?

A. Yes, IndianapolisWater.com is being replaced with CitizensWater.com. This site will have information about both the water and wastewater systems operated by Citizens Water.

Q. Can I pay my water bill at Citizens' authorized locations?

A. Some authorized locations will accept Citizens Gas and Citizens Water payments. Visit Payment Locations to find an authorized payment location near you.

Q. Will my bill increase to pay for Citizens Gas purchase of the water and wastewater assets?

A. Water and wastewater bills are expected to increase over the next 15 years to pay for necessary system improvements, such as the federally mandated combined sewer overflow system. However, the utility transfer is expected to reduce projected rate increases about 25 percent by the year 2025. These smaller rate increases will be possible because of synergies available through the utility transfer. Citizens expects to save about $60 million per year through efficiencies created by combining the water and wastewater systems with Citizens gas, steam and chilled water systems. Because Citizens operates like a not-for-profit, these savings will be passed on to you.