Some 2,000-plus new customers have joined Appalachian Power from the communities of Elkhorn, Kimball, Iaeger and War. The new customers came from Elkhorn Public Service, Kimball Light & Water, United Light & Power and War Light & Power. The Public Service Commission of West Virginia directed Appalachian Power to acquire the electrical assets of those companies and begin serving customers on July 1.
“We are pleased to welcome these customers to Appalachian Power,” said Dana Waldo, Appalachian’s president and COO. “We already serve most of McDowell County, and we look forward to serving these remaining McDowell County customers.”
The company has been working for months to help make the acquisition seamless for customers, according to Jeri Matheney, who is serving as project manager for the acquisition.
An inventory and assessment of the electrical facilities and rights of way in the area was one of the first steps, she said. This information was incorporated into the company’s systems.
“All customers have new customer accounts with us, and we’ve mapped the area so that if a customer calls with a problem, it’s in our system and we know what the facilities in the area are and what equipment is affected.”
In addition, the company is planning for the replacement of all electrical meters. Beginning in late July and continuing through August, the company will install highly accurate new meters that may be read in most cases without entering a customer’s property, making it much more convenient for customers.
Matheney said customers were automatically transferred to Appalachian Power. It’s not necessary for them to contact the company individually, but if they want to sign up for the average monthly payment plan, checkless payment plan or another of the company’s bill payment options, or make some other change in their service, they may do so online at www.AppalachianPower.com or by calling the Customer Solutions Center at 1-800-982-4237.
Appalachian Power has about 1 million customers in Virginia, West Virginia and Tennessee (as AEP Appalachian Power). It is a unit of American Electric Power, one of the largest electric utilities in the United States, which delivers electricity to more than 5 million customers in 11 states. AEP ranks among the nation’s largest generators of electricity, owning nearly 38,000 megawatts of generating capacity in the U.S. AEP also owns the nation’s largest electricity transmission system, a nearly 39,000-mile network that includes more 765 kilovolt extra-high voltage transmission lines than all other U.S. transmission systems combined.
Jeri Matheney
(304) 348-4130
jhmatheney@aep.com