NA LG&W customers now have smartphone app in addition to web payment option -

New Albany Light, Gas and Water customers have two new ways to pay their bills, check on utility usage and get other past billing information.

Manager Bill Mattox said the utility has a new customer portal on line for computer use as well as new IOS and Android smartphone applications available from the Apple App Store and Google Play.

“This will be much easier and quicker, especially when we have to close as we did recently, and people may have had difficulty in coming to the office to pay,” he said. “It will reduce handling time in the office and reduce mail payments.”

The department has had online payments in the past but they came with a transaction fee. The new system will include no cost to the customer. Mattox said there is a small fee “but we will eat it.”

He added that the convenience to the customers and department is well worth the expense.

Users can make payments, look at billing history and see graphs of past usage for gas, electricity and water over a year showing the cost at any billing point.

To add the portal to one’s computer, go to http://newalbanylgw.utilitynexus.com/.

To set up your account you will need the account number at the top left part of your utility bill. The first six digits are the location number and the second six digits are the account number. You also will need the last four digits of the Social Security number for the name the account was set up for.

Once that is verified, enter your email, password, payment method and other profile information.

If you have trouble setting up the account, call the Light, Gas and Water Department at 534-1041. The problem may be that your Social Security number is not in the system and is quickly and easily fixed. “There will be some changes as we set this up,” he said.

The signup process on smartphones is the same.

Mattox warned that some features will not work with Internet Explorer and recommends using Microsoft Edge or Google Chrome as your browser.

Mattox added that the service should work well when the department goes to remote-reading electric meters.

Depending on the manufacturer, the new meters will use cell phone technology, radio technology or some type of wifi. This will eliminate the need for the meters to be read manually and should allow customers to check on their billing and amount of utility usage in real time.

He said the office is working on specifications for the new meter system and he hopes to have them out for bid in the first quarter of next year.