Frequently Asked Questions
Why did Consumers Energy expand into Ankeny?
Ankeny is where the demand for our service is. We began working
with The Harvester Golf & Housing Development to be their natural
gas utility in 1999, and now that we are up and running developers,
builders and homeowners in Ankeny have shown interest in what we
offer.
What do you offer? Why should people choose you?
We are a consumer-owned electric, natural gas and energy services
company that prides itself on being responsive to our customers.
Our reputation is that of being easy to do business with. One of
the main reasons for this is that we operate under a cooperative
business structure, meaning that our customers are the owners and
equity holders. In essence our customers are us.
Where are you at in Ankeny?
We have installed our pipe in Westwinds (on Oralabor and Irvindale),
Watercrest (in NW Ankeny) and Coves West (in SW Ankeny). And we
are currently discussing the extension of our facilities into other
developments with developers.
Can anyone in town choose Consumers Energy?
In order to serve our customers to the levels we pride ourselves
in and in order to maintain financial well-being for our customers,
we must grow responsibly. Our focus this fall is in the areas that
we are already in.
We are willing to meet the demand in our service in other parts
of Ankeny, but from an economic standpoint, we cannot run a pipe
down a street for only a few customers. If anyone is interested,
let us know, or see if their neighbors are interested and then give
us a call so that we can visit.
What did you have to do in order to be able to serve in Ankeny?
We obtained a natural gas franchise from the City of Ankeny this
summer. As part of this process we had to demonstrate financial
well-being and technical know-how and have met all the Iowa Utilities
Board and other regulatory agencies' requirements, which was easy
to demonstrate since we met those requirements in order to serve
our customers inThe Harvester development.
How do your prices compare?
While price is important, to our customers it comes down to what
value do they receive from us versus our competitor. We consistently
receive feedback about how well we serve our customers - how responsive
we are, how easy we are to do business with. Not all utilities have
that culture. Having said that, we believe our prices and the value
we bring to our customers as being second to none.
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