Rochester Public Utilities (RPU) will transition all eligible residential water service customers into RPU’s Service Assured® Water Service Repair Coverage Program starting on January 1, 2022.

RPU’s Service Assured® Water Service Repair Coverage Program protects homeowners from costly water service repairs in the event that the service has a failure due to old age, improper installation, corrosion, freezing, or valve failure.

The expansion was approved as a part of RPU’s and the City of Rochester’s 2022 budget process. All eligible RPU residential water customers that are not already enrolled in the program will automatically be added and billed $1.99 per month. 

With this new expanded program, RPU will be able to quickly address costly water service repairs with no hassle or worry to customers.

Any customers wishing to not receive the Service Assured® Water protection may opt out of the program by calling RPU Customer Care at 507-280-1500 or by visiting www.rpu.org to complete and submit an opt-out form. However, those customers choosing to opt-out will not be allowed back on the program for 12 months, even if a costly repair is needed. Any repair will be at the customer’s expense if you are not enrolled in the program.

Service Assured® Electric coverage will continue to be an opt-in coverage for underground residential electric service protection. For additional information on RPU’s Service Assured® Underground Service Repair Coverage, please visit www.rpu.org.

About Rochester Public Utilities

As the municipal utility of Rochester, Minn., for more than 110 years, RPU provides high-quality and reliable electricity to over 56,000 customers. Water customers number more than 40,000. RPU continually investigates innovative technologies to help customers realize the best value from the services they receive. Current initiatives include photovoltaic offerings, wind energy, energy and water efficient equipment, and electric vehicle charging.

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Recycle any and all of your old holiday lighting between now and Friday, January 29, 2021. Just drop your old lighting strands off at the RPU Service Center (4000 East River Road NE). The recycle bins are right inside our lobby.

What is accepted:

• Holiday Lights – incandescent or LED (working or non-working)
• Holiday Light Decorations

What is NOT accepted:

• Appliance Cords
• Battery Packs
• CFL Lights
• Cord Adaptors
• Electric Cords
• Plastic Rope Lights
• Telephone Cords

https://www.rochestermn.gov/Home/Components/News/News/7776/1121?backlist=%2f

RPU’s motto is “We Pledge, We Deliver” and our vision is to “Set the Standard for Service.”  As COVID-19 affects our community and as community leaders ramp up our response efforts, it is important for our customers to know that providing safe, reliable, and affordable electricity and water is and will continue to be RPU’s top priority. 

RPU is taking the following specific measures to help the Rochester community persevere through our current challenges:

• As a department of the City of Rochester, RPU is reviewing and enacting its share of the City’s Continuity of Operations Plan (COOP) in close consultation with other City departments and Olmsted County.  This, combined with RPU’s century-plus experience in responding to outages and other disruptions, positions us well to act quickly and efficiently to keep the lights on and the water flowing.

• We will not disconnect any residential or commercial electric/water customers until further notice.  If you are having difficulty paying your bill, please contact Customer Service at 507-280-1500 and we will arrange a payment plan that works for you.

• We are maintaining adequate staffing levels at RPU’s generation facilities as well as having electric and water crews available 24 hours a day to respond to immediate customer needs.

• We are enforcing social distancing directives both inside RPU facilities and in the field.  For those employees who report to work, enhanced cleaning schedules have been enacted to ensure their and your safety.

Customers are encouraged to utilize the RPU Connect app and rpu.org to obtain answers to questions and conduct RPU business, so phone lines can be kept available for persons needing assistance.  In the meantime, we here at RPU will continue working around the clock to provide safe, reliable, and affordable electricity and water to help our community survive and thrive in this uncertain time.

Mark Kotschevar, General Manager

Rochester Public Utilities

About Rochester Public Utilities

As the municipal utility of Rochester, Minn., for more than 110 years, RPU provides high-quality and reliable electricity to over 50,000 customers. Water customers number more than 40,000. RPU continually investigates innovative technologies to help customers realize the best value from the services they receive. Current initiatives include fuel cell research, wind power, and photovoltaic offerings.

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