Establishing Service, Deposits, Fees and Service Policies

Establishing Services with BEA:

Application for service must be made in person in our office located at 25 N. Lafayette Ave in Brownsville. The service must be placed in the name of the person receiving service and that person must present a valid rent receipt, lease agreement, or purchase papers in their name along with proper I.D. (Driver’s license and S.S. card) at the time of application. The applicant will also be required to pay a deposit before services are rendered.  

Deposit Policy:

Brownsville Energy Authority is partnering with ONLINE Utility Exchange to determine the risk associated with new customers making application for service. ONLINE Utility Exchange will provide the utility with a report of the applicant's credit risk and a deposit amount will be determined. The credit risk assessment will be obtained at the point of application. The determination of credit risks will be assessed without regard to race, color, creed, sex, age, marital status or national origin.

Residential Customer Deposits:

	GREEN		New or additional service applicants who pose no credit risk will be charged as follows: Rental deposit will be $50.00.
	YELLOW		New or additional service applicants (renting or purchasing) who pose a minimal credit risk will be charged a $150.00 deposit.
	RED		New or additional service applicants (renting or purchasing) who pose substantial credit risk will be charged a $250.00 deposit. Customers making application with BEA who disconnected service with a balance due will be subject to the maximum deposit.

Deposit Refunds:

Upon termination of service, any retained deposit will be applied against any unpaid bills of the customer, and if there is a remaining balance, it will be refunded to the customer at the forwarding address provided to us at termination.

Commercial and Industrial Customer Deposits:

Deposits for commercial accounts will be set in the office by management based on the past usage of the location and the intended use for that location.

Connection/Transfer Fee:

Brownsville Energy Authority’s connection/transfer fee is $20.00. The connection fee will appear on the customer’s first bill.