OPD5 has made an important change to the way it distributes its customer newsletter. In an attempt to make this document more convenient, accessible, and economical, the long-standing newsletter entitled Watts Up has been shifted to an all-digital format.
“Rather than having to wait for a paper copy of our newsletter to arrive in the mail with their power bill, our customers can now access the latest edition of Watts Up anytime they want,” said OPD5 Customer Service Supervisor Krist Eames.
The new format is readable on a variety of different devices including desktop computer screens, tablets, and even mobile devices.
There are a variety of media channels where Watts Up can be found.
Firstly, it is available on our website at https://opd5.com/about/newsletter/. In addition to the most current newsletter, you can go to this site to access the full archive of past OPD5 newsletters.
A link to the latest Watts Up will also be posted on the OPD5 social media channels on Facebook, Instagram, and X. Our customers are welcome to follow us on any, or all, of these platforms to keep up with the latest communications from OPD5.
Customers who have already opted to receive paperless bills will also receive a link to the newsletter by email as soon as it is released. With such quick notice, these folks may be among the first to read it. If you wish to begin receiving e-billing, please contact an OPD5 customer service representative to enroll.
Of course, there is also a budgetary benefit to the new digital format. In the past, the district has paid a significant cost in having its newsletters printed and mailed along with the monthly bill. But in an increasingly digital world, the benefits for that mode of distribution have been increasingly unclear.
“We really have no way of knowing how many of those printed mailers actually were getting read and how many were just discarded,” said OPD5 Interim CEO MeLisa Garcia. “But we suspect that most people wouldn’t want to pay extra to get it in the mail. In a way, that is exactly what is happening. Because the expense of printing and mailing, just like almost everything else in our budget, is ultimately borne by our ratepayers. And most people are just as happy- maybe even more so – using digital media for things like this.”
But what about those customers who would strongly prefer having a paper copy of Watts Up to read? “We know that there are those folks out there, and we aren’t going to forget about you,” Garcia said. “So if you still want a paper copy of our newsletter, just drop by our office and our customer service staff will have one all ready for you.”