Tell City Electric begins meter upgrades, warns of clock resets, office closure

Residents who depend on Tell City Electric for everyday service should expect a practical nuisance first: when a meter is replaced, some digital clocks may need to be reset afterward. The utility said it will be upgrading and replacing meters over the next several months, turning a routine maintenance job into a citywide service issue for homes and businesses that watch billing, usage and outages closely.

The timing also matters for anyone who needs help in person. The Tell City Electric Department was closed from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on April 18 for training, cutting into the city’s normal weekday service window of Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. That meant residents who planned to stop at the office or reach staff during the afternoon had to wait until regular hours resumed.

The notice fits into a broader effort to modernize how customers handle electric service. Tell City Electric says customers can enroll in MyMeter for energy awareness and tracking, with data and alerts available across multiple devices. The utility also says it has expanded payment options, including debit and credit card payments in the office, online and through a mobile app.

That modernization message comes alongside a reliability pitch. Tell City Electric says its customers average just 20 minutes without power per year, compared with 169 minutes nationwide for utilities, excluding major events. The utility also highlighted a ribbon cutting for the new JB Land Substation on Sept. 17, 2024, underscoring that the meter work is part of a larger investment in the system that serves Tell City and Perry County.

For customers trying to keep tabs on the utility’s public business, the Tell City Electric Board of Directors meets monthly on the third Tuesday at 4 p.m. at the commercial office at 601 Main Street in Tell City. The city’s main website places the meter replacement notice alongside municipal information, department links and emergency-preparedness resources, making the upgrade one more item on a long list of services residents rely on the city to keep running without interruption.